Charlie Sykes, ‘Never Trump’ member and ‘contrarian’ conservative, to co-host new radio show on WNYC

Longtime Wisconsin conservative radio host, a fervent critic of President-elect Donald Trump, is getting a new radio show on WNYC in New York City, Politico reported Friday.

Mr. Sykes will join WNYC veteran Brian Lehrer, Minnesota Public Radio’s Kerri Miller and former Nation magazine writer Kai Wright as a co-host of “Indivisible,” which debuts on Monday, Jan. 23, as a nightly call-in program, according to Politico.

“I’m immensely flattered to be asked to participate in this ongoing conversation that I hope can help some of us break out of our ideological bubbles,” Mr. Sykes said in a statement, Politico reported.

Aligned with the “Never Trump” faction in the Republican primaries, Mr. Sykes rose to national prominence last March after an in-depth and at times contentious live interview with the New York businessman on his radio show on Milwaukee’s WTMJ radio.

Shortly before hanging up the microphone at WTMJ after 23 years in local talk radio, Mr. Sykes told NPR he was still a conservative but described himself as a “contrarian,” particularly given the rise of Mr. Trump to the presidency.

“One of the things that’s happened in America is — you mentioned — is the — is this binary politics. And it’s the increased tribalization — our tribe versus your tribe,” Mr. Sykes said in a December NPR interview. “And since they never talk with one another, it’s very easy to demonize the other person.”

“I’m still a conservative, you know, someone who believes in limited government and balanced budgets and the Constitution. But I don’t feel that I’m going to be part of a movement anymore. So if I’m a conservative, I will be a contrarian conservative, but certainly not a team player.”

In addition to the WNYC program, Mr. Sykes serves as editor in chief of RightWisconsin.com.