Ray Mariner has found a new gig as program director of New Orleans radio stations Nash 92.3 and 106.1/The Ticket.

He will also host afternoons at Nash, a country station, and contribute occasionally with the sports talk station the Ticket, said Mike McVay, Cumulus senior vice president for programming.

"Great company, fun city," Mariner wrote in a text today. "I like the challenge!"

In December, Mariner lost his gig at sports talk station AM 680 and 93.7 FM The Fan as a mid-morning host when Steven "Steak" Shapiro took over his job from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays. He had been there a year but management decided Shapiro would be a better fit with Sandra Golden and Brian Finneran than Mariner, who had no sports talk experience before taking that job.

Before that, he spent nearly a decade at Star 94 as a co-host with Cindy Simmons, first in the afternoons, then mornings.  His departure from Star in May, 2012, has been clouded in mystery ever since.

Atlanta-based Cumulus management clearly liked him. He filled in on Q100 in the interim before he landed this job programming two Cumulus stations (one country, another sports talk) in New Orleans.

He starts there April 15, according to a press release from Cumulus. McVay said in that press release: "Ray is a rare breed of programmer and talent. He has shown his programming acumen by performing and succeeding at the highest level."

Mariner, in the press release, said: “"Both NASH FM 92.3 and The Ticket have a ton of potential for growth... . I'm going to The Gumbo Shop as soon as I get there!"

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