On-air personality Chris Booker returned to New York City’s radio airwaves today (Sept. 11), hosting the afternoon drive shift at alternative rock station WNYL (Alt 92.3). It marks his third return to the station, after a previous stint at its former name, K-Rock, in the 1990s, as well as a return to Entercom, corporate parent of Los Angeles Top 40 station KAMP (97.1 AMP Radio), where Booker was employed for the last decade. He exited his role as KAMP morning show host in April, as previously reported by Variety.
Booker announced his new gig on social media, noting the significance of news arriving on 9/11. “My emotions are all over the road as the date on the calendar will never be lost on me,” he wrote. “I celebrate the city and couldn’t be more proud of my home.”
Booker takes over afternoon drive for Corey B, who moved to morning drive with Cane. The ‘Cane & Corey’ show is now expanding its reach to other Entercom Alternative stations, including Baltimore, Buffalo, Miami and Orlando. Booker, too, will be syndicated to other markets and is slated to be heard Saturdays on LA’s own KROQ, a station that has seen its share of titanic programming shifts in the last year. In fact, Booker’s hire by Entercom follows recent news of massive layoffs across the company’s alternative and country formats.
Still, Booker tells Variety, “No three numbers on the radio dial mean more to me than 92-3. Everything for me started there. I’m working with some great people and I hope that there is still some of that ‘Howard Stern magic’ left on those numbers somewhere. It sounds corny but it’s a homecoming for sure on a dream that keeps coming true. … And I’m pretty sure the Mets are going to let me start a game or two. Like it’d hurt?”
In addition to positions at New York’s K-Rock and WNEW, the radio veteran also logged airtime at Q102 in Philadelphia before moving to the west coast to join KAMP as afternoon host as they flipped formats to CHR. He then hosted mornings from October 2019 until earlier this year. In addition, he was a correspondent for “Entertainment Tonight,” a regular presence on VH-1 and has co-hosted the popular “Perez Hilton Podcast With Chris Booker” since July 2015. With the exception of two years, he’s been with Entercom since 1994.
Adds Booker: “It’s surreal to be working for Chris Oliviero (Market Manager) whom I’ve literally known since both of our first days working together at 92.3! And Mike Kaplan (Brand Manager) and I have been plotting some sort of project together since meeting years ago.”
Booker, who also hosts SiriusXM Pandora’s weekly “Thumb 20” show, was welcomed back with open arms by his co-workers, including Cane Peterson who tweeted, “Book is back, baby! Welcome home, brother.”