Shock jock returns to local airwaves

LARGO — Genesis Communications has struck a deal to simulcast AM 820 News, its 50,000-watt news/talk radio station, at 98.3 FM in the Tampa Bay area.

As a result, controversial “shock jock” Bubba the Love Sponge Clem will once again be heard on the FM dial in Pinellas County.

“We are excited to expand our news/talk listenership in St. Petersburg and Clearwater with 98.3 FM,” states Bruce Maduri, president and CEO of Genesis Communication, in a press release. “Bubba is back on 98!”

Clem, a resident of St. Petersburg, had been absent from FM radio in Tampa Bay since December 2016, when Beasley Broadcast Group removed his show from WBRN-FM 98.7 FM. At the time, the shock jock faced a ratings-tampering lawsuit brought by Nielsen.

No stranger to sensational headlines, Clem was also a central figure in the Hulk Hogan sex-tape lawsuit — bankrolled by Silicon Valley titan Peter Thiel — that brought down Gawker Media.

According to the release, Genesis Communications' other media holdings include six radio stations throughout central Florida; two statewide web publications, News Talk Florida and Sports Talk Florida; and a full-service content production company called United Cities Productions.