This was posted on Friday, August 18, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Sports talk station 680 and 93.7/The Fan has decided to part ways with Christopher Rude after 15 years as the morning host.
Chris Dimino and Nick Cellini will remain with a new name to be unveiled next month, according to David Dickey, who runs the station. The show for many years was called the Rude Awakening, even after Dimino and Cellini joined the show following their departures from the now defunct 790/The Zone.
"I did not renew his contract," Dickey texted me this morning. "Chris [Rude] did a great job for us and we wish him well in his future endeavors."
He feels Dimino and Cellini "can do a great morning show by themselves. You don't necessarily need a third cast member in the room with them. Simple as that."
Rude's agent Norm Schrutt confirmed the news and plans to have lunch with Rude today. He suspects Rude would like to get back into rock radio. Rude worked for many years at 96rock before joining the Fan, coming to Atlanta in the late 1980s. He found a way to transition from rock to sports and survived an impressively long period of time.
Schrutt said the station treated Rude well, even when he suffered throat cancer in 2010.
Jamie Dukes, who worked with Rude from 2002 to 2005 on the Rude Awakening, said it appears Dickey wanted the 790/The Zone morning show on 680. (Steak Shapiro is on from 9 to noon so it's more like two-thirds of the Zone morning show.)
"Everyone ages out of the system," said Dukes, who worked for three years at 92.9/The Game as well. "All three are great broadcasters, good friends of mine. I can see why David would make that turn because Chris and Nick are so comfortable together. There's the economics, too. I know Rude was the highest paid guy over there. There's a multitude of factors. One thing I do know: David Dickey is a brilliant guy. He's doing what's in the best interests of the station."
Dukes said Rude was his mentor as a broadcaster. "He's a brilliant man. He taught me everything from how to endorse a client to timing to humor to when to interject."
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