Jodi Applegate parlayed a recent WOR appearance into occasional work on the station.

Applegate, a career TV anchor, last graced the screen on WPIX until stepping down just before Christmas to settle into family life with her husband, Yankees/YES announcer Michael Kay.

Related: FishbowlNY, Applegate “Lost Sleep for Seven Months” Deciding to Leave WPIX to Have a Baby

Earlier this month she made her first comments since exiting as the 5 and 10 p.m. anchor. She was a guest with the venerable Hamburg discussing her choice to walk away and focus on her first child.

This week, Applegate was back on WOR as a fill-in for John Gambling.

She ended her two-day stint yesterday praising the longtime host.

“Hats off to John,” Applegate said. “This is tricky. It’s great working with Joe [Bartlett], J.J. [Kennedy], and everybody here but I’m exhausted. Let me go back to caring for a newborn.”

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It was only a matter of time at WOR. It’s the sense of radio insiders that staffers at the venerable news/talk station were on borrowed time since Clear Channel purchased the 710 frequency in August.

Now, FishbowlNY has learned that numerous changes have taken place at WOR, with others still possible, all within days of Christmas. Here’s what we know at this point. Midday host, Dr. Joy Browne is out. The psychologist spent 15 years dishing advice to callers on WOR.

Mike Huckabee‘s syndicated show has been dropped.

A source close to the information tells FishbowlNY that only scratches the surface.

“All local show promos are off… news department will be absorbed into Total Traffic. It’s a bloodbath there today.”

Part of that bloodbath, we’re told, is the dismissal of former New York Governor David Paterson. The unorthodox hire joined WOR for a weekday two-hour show, succeeding Steve Malzberg in September 2011.

Paterson’s spokesman confirmed the firing to FishbowlNY.

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WNBC and its digital outfit New York Nonstop, held the 2nd annual Nonstop Day of Giving Telethon last month. Partnered with WOR and WBLS, WNBC raised close to $195,000 to benefit City Harvest, an organization dedicated to feeding hungry men, women, and children in New York City. The money raised will allow City Harvest to rescue and deliver more than 720,000 pounds of food to those in need.

“Working with such influential media partners has greatly helped us to raise awareness about City Harvest’s mission,” says Michael Jack, WNBC general manager and president. “The continued success of the Nonstop Day of Giving allows us to further advance the cause of ending hunger, an issue facing more New Yorkers than ever before.”

Ahead of the holiday season, on December 15, famed DJ Egypt of WBLS and Governor David Paterson of WOR, each had special guests on their shows, which were based from the NBC Experience Store at 30 Rock.

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This isn’t only the time of the year for family and friends to gather. It is also the time to think about the less fortunate.

New York Nonstop is hosting today’s 2nd Annual Nonstop Day of Giving. New York Nonstop, the digital arm of WNBC, is partnering with City Harvest, WBLS, and WOR for the day-long charity telethon that runs until 8 p.m.

This year, the station joined forces with City Harvest, the world’s first food rescue organization feeding the hungry of New York City, as well as new media partner, radio station WBLS, along with returning media partner WOR radio.  Both radio stations will be broadcasting at times throughout the day from the MSNBC.com Digital Café at the NBC Experience store in Rockefeller Plaza.  WNBC will also feature live highlights direct from Rockefeller Center with celebrities, local dignitaries, and key business people who will talk about their charities and the importance of giving.

Proceeds from the Nonstop Giving telethon will benefit City Harvest, a nonprofit organization dedicated to feeding New York City’s hungry men, women, and children for more than 25 years.  Those interested in making a donation can call 1-800-826-9888.  

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From the statehouse to the studio. 

Former Governor David Paterson, who had been a frequent fill-in for morning man John Gambling, takes over the slot on a regular basis starting next week.

Unlike his predecessor, though, Paterson’s show will not be heard nationally on the WOR Radio Network.

“They don’t want me to worry about everything being national,” Paterson tells FishbowlNY. “They want me to start out being local. That’s kind of a debate that’s going back and forth between them.”

While Paterson would certainly welcome the larger listenership, he’s happy to focus on what he knows best.

“Rather than take on the added pressure of trying to be interesting to a national audience, [they want me to] start with something I know–the local audience,” Paterson admits. “That’s where my experience has been during the Gambling show.”

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The Len Berman comeback tour is well underway. Since being shown the door at WNBC in 2009 after more than two decades as their top sports anchor, Berman has become a Renaissance Man of sorts.

His legions of fans get a daily emailed Top 5 sports notes. Additionally, Berman recently wrote a new children’s book.

In October 2009, Berman added radio sports anchor to his weekday duties. The veteran sportscaster handled updates two days a week on the John Gambling WOR morning show.

However, he has decided it’s time to leave the radio work.

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Since leaving office on January 1, New York Governor David Paterson has been keeping busy. But not as you might think. The former governor has quietly been forging a new career, which incorporates his previous one.

He has become a radio go-to guy, and surprisingly, not as a guest to discuss politics, but as host of his own show. He brings a knowledge and passion to the subject. Paterson can focus on politics and current events while filling in for John Gambling mornings on WOR. At WABC, there is the Religion on the Line show, which to date he’s done once.  

Arguably, Paterson’s most relaxed at WFAN. Just prior to leaving Albany, Paterson spent the entire afternoon with Mike Francesa. If that was an audition for future on-air work at the sports station—he passed. Recently, Paterson hosted his own ‘FAN show. It was there that FishbowlNY was granted exclusive access to the governor to talk about his new love—radio. Paterson says it may seem new to listeners, but he and radio actually have a long history together.

“When I was a child, I used the radio in place of the fact that I couldn’t read the newspapers,” Paterson says. “That’s how I heard the news.”

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Glenn Beck is a successful talk show host on TV and radio. But his syndicated radio show is losing the top market. The program, which airs on WOR 710 from 9 a.m. from noon each morning, is being yanked due to low ratings.

Veteran WOR morning man John Gambling announced to his audience today that he is increasing his shift by an hour, and Mike Gallagher will fill the remaining void.

Gambling, who had been anchoring a.m. drive from 5:30 until 9, will stay on until 10 a.m., with the syndicated Gallagher heard from 10 a.m. until noon.

A WOR spokeswoman tells FishbowlNY that the changes take effect on January 17.