Talk Radio 1210's Michael Smerconish To Interview President Obama

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Michael Smerconish, 1210 AM WPHT midday host, also host of a nationally syndicated midday program, Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and MSNBC contributor, will conduct his 7th interview with President Barack Obama Friday, October 26th in the Oval Office.

The discussion will then air approximately at 1:05pm EST on The Michael Smerconish Program. A transcript of the interview will be posted here on CBSPhilly.com

Smerconish was the first radio broadcaster invited to conduct a presidential interview inside the White House after the election of President Obama. He has previously interviewed Barack Obama on the following dates:

March 21st 2008
April 20th 2008
October 9th 2008
August 20th 2009
October 27th 2010
September 30th 2011

Each of these conversations was civil and substantive, covering a wide range of domestic and foreign issues.

Smerconish was a lifelong Republican (and a sub-cabinet level appointee in the Administration of George H.W. Bush), when he broke party ranks in 2008 and endorsed Senator Obama for President. He signaled his decision in a published, 5,000 word essay, explaining that a key factor was his belief that the hunt for bin Laden had been outsourced by the Bush Administration to the Pakistanis. He is now a registered Independent.

Smerconish has previously questioned President Obama extensively on the hunt for bin Laden, including in Pakistan - a focus of Michael's long before anyone had heard of Abbottobad.

The Michael Smerconish Program is broadcast throughout the country, including Philadelphia, Boston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Tampa and Dallas. (The program airs in seven of the nine states that pundits believe will determine the outcome of the election.) In August of 2012, Talkers Magazine named Smerconish the 10th Most Listened to program in the country.

The entirety of each interview is posted at www.smerconish.com.

WPHT is owned and operated by CBS RADIO, one of the largest major-market radio operators in the United States. A division of CBS Corporation, CBS RADIO operates 126 radio stations, the majority of which are in the nation's top 50 markets. CBS RADIO also owns and operates KYW, WIP FM/AM and WOGL in Philadelphia.