Entertainment

ABC Hires Matt Drudge

July 9, 1999 / 4:41 PM EDT / AP

Internet gossip columnist Matt Drudge is now a member of the ABC family - although his hiring sparked a family feud.

ABC Radio Networks has signed Drudge to anchor a two-hour weekly radio show that debuts Sunday, despite objections from the president of ABC News. ABC News, like the radio networks, is a division of ABC Inc., which made the final decision to hire Drudge.

The show will consist of topical commentary and listener call-ins, ABC said. Drudge is the author of the Internet site "The Drudge Report," is host of a weekly television show on Fox News Channel, and has recently done a radio show for WABC in New York.

"Matt Drudge is an entertainment brand. He is considered separate from the news side of things," said Michelle Bleiberg, spokeswoman for ABC Radio Networks.

Drudge's Web site was credited with first publicizing the story of President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky. But many journalists consider him more of a gossip columnist than a news reporter.

Drudge was sued for defamation by former White House aide Sidney Blumenthal over a false report about Blumenthal's past. Drudge quickly retracted and apologized hours after sending out the item on the Internet.

ABC News President David Westin strongly objected to Drudge's hiring, according to a network executive who spoke on the condition of anonymity, but he was ultimately overruled. Westin was not available for comment.

Drudge was not immediately available for comment. He told The Washington Post the criticism from Westin "doesn't bother me at all. Hopefully one day I can become an apple of his eye ..."

Drudge's show will have its national debut on ABC-owned stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Atlanta and Denver. The radio network is also syndicating the show to other stations.