Radio Facts: 
Last week, Chicago’s Crawford Broadcasting station 106.3 (WSRB) announced that after eight years, they were canceling the Tom Joyner Morning Show (TJMS) and going local by bringing in Mike Love to take over the morning show slot. There are no other options at this time for Joyner to broadcast on the commercial dial in the market. Chicago has been a key market for Tom Joyner and the Tom Joyner Morning Show (TJMS) for decades.
Love did a FaceBook Live video (below) announcing the change letting listeners know it was time for a change and the station wanted to be more local. There were mixed reactions on the FB Live video.
The show will be called “Mix Mornings.” The moniker is “More Music and More Chicago.” We’ve gotten several responses, some posted and some not about the change. There has been a very mixed reaction here as well. One listener said: “I’ve been listening to TJMS for 20+ years!! Tom Joyner is a lot more than just a radio DJ. Loyal listeners know where I am going with this!! Not happy about it at all!! But Who the F… am I!????”
Another TJMS supporter said: “You must be too young to remember that Tom WAS Chicago radio, and those of us who grew up listening to him on WJPC and later WGCI will always consider him a Chicago DJ.” Another response was more neutral by responding “Radio listening is so different these days. You can listen to any radio show on the planet that you wish on your smartphone and an appropriate app (provided the show is being streamed online). So, if a show is pulled off of your favorite radio station, just listen to it on your smartphone, tablet, or computer.”
A Mike Love fan stated:” I’m truly excited to hear Mike Love in the mornings!!!! Tom Joyner could not connect with a generation like ours anymore. I grew up listening to Bad Boy Radio and can’t wait for the fun in the mornings!” Another Mike Love supporter said: “Best wishes to Tom. I would be sad if Tom’s show was from Chicago (but) it was not and as great as his show is/was, it could not connect to the people of Chicago because of the “national” audience… Radio should be LOCAL. Chicago needs personalities that can SPEAK directly to Chicagoans.”
For those of us who work in radio, we know this pattern all too well. People resist initially then the beat goes on and we will follow up a month from now and I can predict there will be more support for Mike Love’s show and those who are hardcore Joyner fans will indeed find another way to listen.
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