Syracuse, NY -- Veteran Syracuse rock radio host Dave Frisina was let go by Galaxy Communications after his Friday afternoon shift on station TK99 and its sister station in Utica, WOUR.

Frisina had worked on the classic rock stations since 2003. He also hosted the Sunday night "Soundcheck" show, an hour in which he played songs recorded by, and interviewed, Central New York musicians.

Before that, Frisina had worked at Syracuse rock station 95X, then owned by Citadel Broadcasting, since 1978. Frisina, a Long Island native who graduated from SUNY Cortland in in 1977, has spent his entire radio career in Syracuse.

He said the news was a surprise, and added that he thinks he'll take a couple of months to consider his plans. "It's still fresh," he said of his dismissal.

Mimi Griswold, Galaxy's vice president of programming, said Friday night that Frisina's afternoon weekday shift will be filled by Gary Michaels, who has been working weekend shifts at TK99.

"I can't discuss the circumstances of the situation," Griswold said. "I will say change is hard. I have much respect for (Frisina's) legacy." Griswold said Frisina was invited to continue hosting "Soundcheck" weekly, but he did not give an answer.

Frisina said, " 'Soundcheck' is my show. I don't know where it will end up."

He said, "I looked forward to that one hour every week where I could play what I wanted." His last "Soundcheck" broadcast was Sunday, a Christmas show.

Frisina said perhaps he should have drawn up "a plan B. You see the landscape. You see it was (former WSYR radio afternoon host) Jim Reith and with other companies. I thought I was insolated where I was. But nobody's immune."

Frisina said it's been 33 1\3 years since he started at 95X. "Vinyl junkies like myself will see the irony in that," he said.