Wpht

THE SAD NEWS hit hard for those around Chris Stigall. Their sympathy knew no bounds. "There were so many people who got next to me and said, " 'Good luck, good luck.' They would almost talk . . . like [I was] a terminal cancer patient," recalled Stigall, who mans the morning drive-time shift on WPHT-AM (1210). Stigall's perfectly healthy. But concerned fans in his native Kansas City, Mo., and here, too, acted "like I was on death's door" when, late last year, he announced he was leaving talk-radio stardom in his hometown to take over the 5:30-9 a.m. slot at 'PHT on the first Monday of 2011, when Michael Smerconish moved to afternoons.

The days of having to scan the radio dial are over for the Temple faithful. The Owls and WPHT-AM (1210) reached a multiyear deal for the radio station to broadcast every men's basketball and football game beginning with the 2011-12 seasons. The agreement goes into effect for Thursday's Mayor's Cup football game against Villanova at the Linc. For the 17th consecutive season, Harry Donahue will do the Temple football play-by-play. Former Temple standout quarterback Steve Joachim is the color analyst for the 12th season.

It had been quite a day, even by Michael Smerconish's usual burn-the-candle-at-both-ends standards. At 7:30 a.m., he arrived at the cathedral-like offices of Beasley, Casey & Erbstein in Center City, where he's a trial lawyer specializing in medical malpractice, product liability and contracts. He worked till 3 p.m., then hopped into his Jeep and drove to WPHT radio (1210-AM) on Monument Road. There, he worked up a sweat (but never loosened his pink-checked tie) in the small studio, hosting his feisty, two-hour radio talk show.

BEFORE HE entertained thoughts of doing talk radio for a living, WPHT-AM morning-drive DJ Chris Stigall spent the months after his junior year of college in New York City as an intern in the writing department of the "Late Show with David Letterman. " Sound glamorous and exciting? It isn't, suggested Philly's newest radio star. "Mostly, I did everything from coffee fetching to dry-cleaning running to script running," Stigall said. Occasionally, the writers let Stigall, who by union fiat wasn't officially allowed to contribute material, to suggest ideas for Letterman's signature "Top 10" lists.

There was a chance Hunter Pence was not going to be in the lineup Tuesday night because of a bum shoulder. Loyal Daily News reader Frank Graf is sure glad the Phillies rightfielder toughed it out. Pence slammed a fourth-inning homer to make Graf a $1,000 winner in the Daily News Home Run Payoff contest. "I didn't think he was going to play," Graf said. "I guess I could thank him for that thousand dollars. " Graf, of Bensalem, works for Enterprise Rent-A-Car and said he's going to use the money for an upcoming road trip when the Phillies play in Baltimore.

Who: Flyers (26-10-5) at Buffalo Sabres (18-18-5) When: 7:30 Where: HSBC Arena TV: Versus Radio: WPHT (1210-AM)

The Flyers are ending their longtime affiliation with WIP and jumping over to 97.5 FM The Fanatic beginning next season. The move comes just days after the Sixers abruptly ended their relationship with WIP and moved over to The Fanatic for postseason games. The Fanatic will be the flagship station, along with simulcast AM station 950 WPEN Radio. Several Flyers games will also be broadcast on WMMR (93.3-FM). "We're thrilled to be working with a partner that is 100 percent committed and excited about the Philadelphia Flyers," Comcast-Spectacor president Peter Luukko said in a statement.

There was a chance Hunter Pence was not going to be in the lineup Tuesday night because of a bum shoulder. Loyal Daily News reader Frank Graf is sure glad the Phillies rightfielder toughed it out. Pence slammed a fourth-inning homer to make Graf a $1,000 winner in the Daily News Home Run Payoff contest. "I didn't think he was going to play," Graf said. "I guess I could thank him for that thousand dollars. " Graf, of Bensalem, works for Enterprise Rent-A-Car and said he's going to use the money for an upcoming road trip when the Phillies play in Baltimore.

Rush Limbaugh's show will no longer be running on "The Big Talker," WPHT-AM (1210). CBS announced that Premiere Media, which syndicates Rush's show, is taking it off WPHT's schedule, where he's been since 1999 (before that, he was on WWDB). Replacing him in the 1-3 p.m. slot will be longtime Philly broadcaster Michael Smerconish, whose national talk show has been running taped during afternoon drive time; it'll now run live. "I am thrilled that CBS decided to make this change," Smerconish told us at "SideShow," "and I am anxious to once again welcome live callers from my hometown for the duration of my program.

R USH LIMBAUGH, the dominant force in conservative talk radio in America for more than two decades, is leaving his longtime Philadelphia perch on 50,000-watt AM station WPHT, apparently for an unknown rival. The dramatic move shakes up the Philly radio market - and arguably the local political scene as well. It's not clear how much the move was influenced by the national uproar over Limbaugh's calling a Georgetown law student "a slut," which has caused at least 67 advertisers to jump ship.

  Another baseball season is upon us. The Phillies' home opener is 1:05 Monday against the Miami Marlins. Here is a guide to the 2012 Phillies. - RADIO Game broadcasts: WPHT (1210-AM)/WIP (94.1-FM) is the English flagship, and WDAS (1480-AM) and EMG (1310-AM) are the co-Spanish flagship. Nineteen other AM stations make up the tri-state area of networks. Broadcast team: Scott Franzke returns to do play-by-play with Larry Andersen providing the color commentary.

BEFORE HE entertained thoughts of doing talk radio for a living, WPHT-AM morning-drive DJ Chris Stigall spent the months after his junior year of college in New York City as an intern in the writing department of the "Late Show with David Letterman. " Sound glamorous and exciting? It isn't, suggested Philly's newest radio star. "Mostly, I did everything from coffee fetching to dry-cleaning running to script running," Stigall said. Occasionally, the writers let Stigall, who by union fiat wasn't officially allowed to contribute material, to suggest ideas for Letterman's signature "Top 10" lists.

CHRIS STIGALL Occupation: Morning-drive host on WPHT-AM (1210) Age: 34 Hometown: Kansas City, Mo. Current residence: Chester County Personal: Married to Christine for 11 years; three children: sons William, 6, and Drew, 5; daughter Anna, 3 Education: Graduated in 1999 with a B.S. in broadcasting from Northwest Missouri State University Other experience: Disc jockey on three Kansas City music stations; morning...

THE SAD NEWS hit hard for those around Chris Stigall. Their sympathy knew no bounds. "There were so many people who got next to me and said, " 'Good luck, good luck.' They would almost talk . . . like [I was] a terminal cancer patient," recalled Stigall, who mans the morning drive-time shift on WPHT-AM (1210). Stigall's perfectly healthy. But concerned fans in his native Kansas City, Mo., and here, too, acted "like I was on death's door" when, late last year, he announced he was leaving talk-radio stardom in his hometown to take over the 5:30-9 a.m. slot at 'PHT on the first Monday of 2011, when Michael Smerconish moved to afternoons.

The days of having to scan the radio dial are over for the Temple faithful. The Owls and WPHT-AM (1210) reached a multiyear deal for the radio station to broadcast every men's basketball and football game beginning with the 2011-12 seasons. The agreement goes into effect for Thursday's Mayor's Cup football game against Villanova at the Linc. For the 17th consecutive season, Harry Donahue will do the Temple football play-by-play. Former Temple standout quarterback Steve Joachim is the color analyst for the 12th season.

Who: Sixers (32-30) at Indiana Pacers (27-35) When: 7 o'clock Where: Conseco Fieldhouse TV/Radio: Comcast Network/WPHT (1210-AM)