CBS Radio, reacting in part to the strength of support for Emerson throughout the Portland metro area, decided to give Emerson an opportunity to retool Johnson AM 970, an all-comedy radio station. Broadcasting from "the plushly appointed but not overly ostentatious studios high atop the bottom of the KOIN tower," Emerson was back on the air with Tim Riley and producer Sarah X. Dylan. Within months, the station was retooled as "AM 970, Solid State Radio" and took on a lineup of syndicated broadcasts from around the country, including Tom Leykis and Phil Hendrie, both of those programs had been previously paired with Emerson on other stations. Emerson's fans were loyal, as evidenced by a May 2008 listener party where friends of his show and listeners held a roast in his honor. Under Emerson's leadership, KCMD 970 AM became a talk powerhouse, and changed its name to "The Talker" in mid-2008. After a seven-year run with the show, Tim Riley was laid off in December 2008 when CBS Portland went through a series of staff reductions. In order to continue featuring news on the show, Emerson invited many other laid-off Portland media personalities to fill in for Riley.