THIS JUST IN: Trapper Jack, Jim McIntyre Exit WDOK

December 19, 2012 by ohiomediawatch

A bombshell hit Cleveland morning radio today, as the two longest-running hosts on the CBS Radio AC WDOK/102.1 “New 102” morning team are leaving the station.

In fact, this morning was the last day for Trapper Jack after 17 years on the station’s morning show, and “Infoman” Jim McIntyre exits this week after 18 years.

Co-host Jen Toohey, who moved over from sister hot AC WQAL/104.1 “Q104″‘s morning show to join WDOK, remains… and in fact, WDOK has performed what we call around here a “Soviet-style purge” on its website…Toohey’s picture and the name “New 102 Mornings” are the only signs of the morning show on the WDOK website at this time.

Trapper Jack’s farewell speech was posted on the “New 102” website for a while, but the story linking to the audio was then scrubbed. (A reader provided the direct MP3 download link to the Trapper Jack audio, but since we’re linking it here, that’ll probably be gone by the time you read this.)

UPDATE 5:25 PM 12/19/12: The MP3 file has indeed gone away on the CBS Radio WordPress site. As of this writing, the direct WDOK podcast link still has the audio. Some Internet searching also found the audio here, though we don’t know the source – download at your own risk.

Scripps ABC affiliate WEWS/5’s website has a complete story on the exit, with some quotes from the farewell speech, and an audio link, written by NewsNet5.com’s Tina Kaufmann…herself a former radio type with Akron’s Rubber City Radio Group.

Rubber City country powerhouse WQMX/94.9 is the current radio programming home of former WDOK programmer Sue Wilson, who Trapper Jack thanked for hiring him after his exit from then-WLTF/106.5 “Lite Rock 106 1/2” (today’s Clear Channel adult hits WHLK/106.5 “The Lake”).

Trapper Jack told his audience that the pair was told November 15th that their contracts wouldn’t be renewed, but the company would not say why. He said “person or persons” would be brought in with Jen Toohey, and wished both the show and the station success in a very classy farewell.

We’ll have a complete transcript of the Trapper Jack farewell speech later today, in an update to this item…and yes, this is the level we alluded to, when we talked about the kind of thing which would take us out of our Holiday Hiatus…