NYC Radio: Geraldo Claims He's Locked-Out

UPDATE 12/01:  The NY Post is reporting Cumulus CEO Mary Berner has moved into Rivera's corner office in Manhattan.

11/30 Posting...

As we first reported Friday, Geraldo Rivera says current Cumulus management Cumulus’ new CEO, Mary Berner, and market manager Chad Lopez were not going to honor his handhsake deal made with John Dickey to continue his late morning show on WABC 770 AM in 2016.

Rivera claimed his agreement with Dickey was to continue his local NYC show during 2016 without a formal contract. Over the holiday weekend, Rivera posted on  Facebook he found out on the eve of Thanksgiving.  He termed the news "upsetting".

In a newer Facebook posting, Rivera now says he's been locked out of his studio, keeping him off-air despite a contract that runs through December 31st. According to Rivera, "in refusing to honor the 2016 deal negotiated by the ousted Dickeys, they have breached my contract".

He vows the slight will not go unanswered:

"Trust me on this it is not about the money. I have enough and give away to various charities more than most. But because of their unforgivable disrespect I will fight them and they will end up costing their battered company far more in damages than they expect to save in my salary."

As of 6am Monday, Rivera's show remains listed on the WABC website.

In a bad business move both arrogant &rude #WABCradio locked me out of my show-Now as I cover #climatechange Live in Paris I'll turn heat up

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) November 30, 2015

In his current posting, Rivera called John and Lew Dickey "honorable brothers" who ultimately found themselves in financial peril, over-extended and prey to hedge funders who gobbled up enough clout to oust them as managers and install someone who had no experience in broadcasting".

According to Rivera during "the last two years, my employer Cumulus Media, the owners of WABC and the second largest radio conglomerate in the country suffered both organic and self-inflicted financial distress as evolving technologies and overly aggressive expansion drove the stock price from a high this year of over $4.50 to its current penny stock status".