Posted Monday, November 27, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Five weeks after Tom Joyner announced his pending retirement from radio in two years, Atlanta's Kiss 104.1 has chosen to drop him completely, replacing him with former afternoon hosts Art Terrell and Roy Wood Jr.
The R&B station is calling the new morning show as The Morning Groove, which was introduced Monday morning from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Terrell has been a host on Kiss for 13 years and has worked with stand-up comic Wood since 2013. They most recently manned the noon to 3 p.m. slot.
"The idea for us is simply make people feel good and have a good time," Terrell said in an interview. "That idea transfers to mornings."
While most competitors in town are syndicated, Terrell said his show will be "live and local. We are about Atlanta. We're just happy to talk about this city for the people of this city."
Wood is based in New York and will remain a correspondent for "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" on Comedy Central. But he still comes down to Atlanta from time to time, Terrell said. (Wood will be performing at the Punchline this weekend.)
UPDATE: On Tuesday, December 5, Wood's publicist sent a clarification saying that calling him a "co host" is overstated. He said he considers what he does as "contributing pre-produced bits and call-ins." Tony Kidd, who oversees Kiss, said Wood is providing the same amount of content in mornings as he did in afternoons.
RELATED: Roy Wood Jr. on why he chose Atlanta for his first Comedy Central special
In an interview, Wood said he's no stranger to morning radio. He did mornings in his hometown of Birmingham from 2001 to 2012, two of those years solo. Over his three-plus years with Terrell, he said he enjoys their dynamic: "We bicker like an old married couple!"
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Joyner, 68, had been Kiss's morning show host going back to the mid-1990s when he went into national syndication working out of Dallas. He could not be reached for comment Monday morning. He had mentioned the possibility of losing Kiss as an affiliate last month when he announced his retirement.
"He's a legend and a big inspiration to me," Terrell said. "He's had a major impact. We hope to get to that level. He's an icon."
Sasha the Diva will take over the 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. slot. Kiss did not announce who will handle the 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. time period.
From a ratings perspective, Kiss is having a solid year. In the most recent Arbitron survey month of October, the station ranked fifth overall with a 5.1 rating. The morning show ranked sixth with a 5 rating.
The station today also shifted its music mix just slightly, with more current cuts and fewer from the 1980s. During the 10 a.m. today, according to tracking system Mediabase 24/7, the station played only one song from the 1980s and five from the past three years. A week ago during the 10 a.m. hour, the station played four songs from the 1980s and only one from the past three years.
The current slogan is "Today's R&B and throwbacks."
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Kiss 104.1 and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group.
About the Author
