In what seemed like a belated April Fools’ Day joke or one of the trademark pranks of the radio show involved, Detroit radio personality Mojo had some surprising news Monday morning for listeners.
Mojo announced that Spike, the longtime co-host of “Mojo in the Morning” on WKQI-FM (95.5), is gone from the show. Spike himself also made a social media post with the same announcement a few hours later.
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On his Facebook account, Spike wrote: “I am no longer on the Mojo In The Morning show. For more than 23 years, it has been a dream come true to entertain you. I never took it for granted. It’s with much love that I say THANK YOU for your support.”
Spike added in the post that he wasn’t able to answer questions about the sudden split. As of early afternoon, there were more than 800 comments linked to his post, most of them expressing shock, anger and sadness at his departure.
The company that owns WKQI-FM, iHeartMedia, confirmed the departure Monday afternoon.
“As of April 3, Spike will no longer be part of the Mojo In The Morning Show. We appreciate his contributions during his time with us and wish him well. The morning show will continue as scheduled with the rest of the cast,” said Tony Travatto, executive vice president of programming for iHeartMedia, via email.
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During the Monday broadcast, Mojo opened the show by referring to “a lot of crazy things that have been going on with a lot of decisions being made by companies these days … changes made that we’re not immune to.” Then he said Spike was no longer with the show.
Without coming right out and saying it, he implied that it was a corporate move.
“For over 23 years, Spike has been an integral part of this radio program,” said Mojo, who added that his team got the news on Friday.
“It was a rough weekend,” said Mojo. (You can hear Monday morning’s show at https://channel955.iheart.com/featured/mojo-in-the-morning/.)
Apparently, iHeartMedia is in the process of doing some nationwide budget-cutting. In mid-March, the company “sent out an all-staff communique warning of a tightening of the belt in the face of economic uncertainty,” according to Radio Ink.
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On Monday, RadioInsight reported Spike’s departure from Detroit, along with other staff layoffs across the country in cities ranging from Cleveland to Dallas to Tampa.
In a show known for its often outrageous humor, Spike was usually the ringleader of the weekday fun. In 2020, Free Press columnist Neal Rubin, then working for the Detroit News, described Spike as “the show’s eternal delinquent, remaining co-founder and chief co-host.”
Since “Mojo in the Morning” launched in 2000, Spike has become particularly well-known for his pranks and surprisingly effective phone scams. At one point, he also did “street scams” outside the studio that led to several brushes with the law, including one involving his attempt to drive a golf cart on I-75.
“This is going to be a tough one for everybody, for the listeners, for Spike and for the show,” said a somber Mojo on the air Monday.
Co-host Shannon Murphy sounded equally saddened by Spike’s exit. “We’re going to miss him a ton. … We’re really hoping he’s in a good place moving forward and he’ll always be a part of this team.”
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at [email protected].
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
