Houston Radio: Josh Innes To Join KBME 790 AM

Josh Innes

Sports talk show host Josh Innes, one of the Houston's most popular and polarizing on-air personalities during his 2010-13 stint on KILT 610 AM, said he hopes to fire up the same degree of passion among listeners as the afternoon-drive time host on iHeartMedia's Sport Talk  KBME 790 AM.

The Houston Chronicle reports Innes was named Monday to replace Charlie Pallilo, a staple on Houston sports radio since 1989 and the first host hired by KBME when it switched to all-sports in 2005, from 3-7 p.m. weekdays.

He will now compete against his former KILT co-host, Rich Lord, and Lord's co-hosts, Sean Pendergast and Ted Johnson.

Innes said he looks forward to returning to Houston from Philadelphia, where he recently was fired by CBS Radio sports station WIP 94.1 FM, and competing against former colleagues.

"After I left Houston, I missed it," he said. "The opportunity at 790 is perfect. They said they want me to be who I am and to do what I do, and they will support what I do."

iHeartMedia did not address Pallilo's status while announcing Innes' hiring, but the longtime host's bio is no longer on the station website. He said via text message that he had no comment on Monday's announcement.

While Pallilo was respected by colleagues and listeners for the depth of his sports knowledge, his show on KBME regularly trailed KILT in the Nielsen Audio ratings. In the most recent monthly ratings report, KILT's "Triple Threat" had a 3.8 audience share among men 25-54 to 2.3 for Pallilo and 2.7 for the Fred Faour-A.J. Hoffman show on KFNC 97.5 FM.

KBME 790 AM (5 Kw, DA2) Red=Local Coverage Area

Innes moved from his native Louisiana to join KILT in December 2009 and a year later moved to afternoon-drive time with Lord. Beginning in October 2011, the show spent 21 months in the top 10 among men 25-54, climbing as high as No. 4.