Report: 'Kevin and Liz' Springfield morning show canceled as iHeartMedia slashes staff nationwide

Liz Delany, longtime host of a popular morning drive time show on KGBX along with co-host Kevin Howard, confirmed Wednesday morning that "The Kevin and Liz Show" was canceled.

"Before you hear it elsewhere, the Kevin and Liz show was canceled as of today," read a post on Delany's Facebook account. "I love this community and I’ve been proud to serve it during these last 21 years. Thank you all for supporting us for so long. I’m going to miss talking to you every day. God bless you, Liz."

"It's been a heck of a ride so far, but don't worry," read a post on Howard's Facebook account. "I'll be back! Peace and love."

The News-Leader reached out to Delany and Howard for comment but has not yet heard back.

Fans in Springfield and the Ozarks expressed their shock on social media.

"There are only four people I want to hear first thing in the morning," one commenter wrote. "My wife, my son and Kevin and Liz. I don’t know how I will function each day."

"WHAT???????!!! NO!!!!!" read a post from a social media account tied to Jeremy Rabe, another local entertainment broadcaster.

According to the KGBX website, "Kevin and Liz" ran weekday mornings from 5:30 to 10 a.m.

"Kevin & Liz are in their 16th season together in Springfield and have been voted 'Best in the Ozarks' by 417 Magazine readers and Springfield News-Leader readers numerous times," according to a description of the show that was still posted to the KGBX website on Wednesday morning.

The show's cancellation came on the heels of major cuts nationwide by KGBX's parent company, iHeartMedia, which announced a corporate restructuring earlier this week. The goal, officials said in a news release, was "to take advantage of the significant investments (iHeartMedia) has made in technology and artificial intelligence."

The company filed for bankruptcy in 2018, with $20 billion in debt, according to reporting by the Des Moines Register.

The iHeartMedia network includes roughly 850 stations including KGBX, Alice, The Wolf and US97 in the Springfield area.

Reporting by the USA TODAY Network and industry publication Radio Insight indicated that iHeartMedia program directors and on-air hosts lost their jobs in cities including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Nashville, Oklahoma City and many smaller markets.

George Spankmeister, a popular radio host on US97, was also let go on Wednesday.

He told the News-Leader via Facebook Messenger that he has a long history with the classic rock station, having worked there in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He worked for Radio 2000 for a few years but returned to US97 15 years ago.

News-Leader attempts to reach iHeartMedia officials in Springfield and at company headquarters in San Antonio were not successful.

News-Leader reporter Jackie Rehwald contributed reporting to this article.

Gregory Holman is the investigative reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to gholman@gannett.com and consider supporting vital local journalism by subscribing. Learn more by visiting News-Leader.com/subscribe.