R&B station Kiss 104.1 has decided not to renew the contract for veteran Atlanta morning host Frank Ski, according to a memo sent to staff Wednesday.
His final show was today after three years on the station.
An official replacement has not been named. According to the memo, evening host Toni Moore and comic George Wilborn will handle mornings from 6-10 a.m. for the time being.
“Frank positively impacted listeners and communities across Atlanta since he joined us in 2021, " wrote market manager Jaleigh Long for CMG, which owns Kiss. “I want to personally thank Frank for what he’s done to inform, entertain and elevate the people we serve. He lived CMG’s purpose and made a positive difference.”
Long, when reached by phone Wednesday afternoon, said per policy, she doesn’t discuss personnel changes.
Teri Avery, the program director for Kiss since 2019, retired on Dec. 31, 2023. A replacement has not been named.
Ski has been on air in Atlanta for most of the past 25 years and was Atlanta’s No. 1 morning show on V-103 from 1998 until 2012. He tried to syndicate his show after leaving V-103 in 2012 and landed at WHUR-FM in Washington, D.C. He eventually came back to Atlanta to work at V-103 and for a time, he returned as the morning host. He left V-103 in 2020 over contract differences and was scooped up by Kiss.
He continues to host an afternoon show with Nina Brown that syndicates in multiple markets. (Last August, without explanation, Kiss took Brown off Ski’s show.)
Ski didn’t return a text for comment but in a press release statement said: “Though it’s going to be difficult parting ways with all my friends at CMG, I’m really excited about starting a new chapter in Atlanta. I’m equally excited about expanding my syndication to even greater heights and really super serving all our affiliates.”
His agent Gary Bernstein said he hopes to get Ski on a different radio station once his non-compete is over.
Ski’s show ranked 7th in the latest monthly Arbitron ratings with a 4.5 share. Steve Harvey on Majic 107.5/97.5 ranked 3rd with a 7.4 share while Big Tigger at V-103 came in 11th with a 3.4.
Ski’s audience skews older than those other two shows. With 25-54 year olds, Ski fell to 17th place with a 1.9 share compared to 7th place and a 4.6 share for Harvey on Majic and 8th place and a 4.3 share for Tigger at V-103.
Tony Gray, president and CEO of Gray Communications, a broadcast consulting firm specializing in urban stations, said Atlanta is a crowded market and Majic, V-103 and Kiss are all chasing the same African American consumer.
And the commercial broadcast radio market has been challenged by the growth of streaming and podcasts. Audacy, one of the nation’s largest radio station owners which owns V-103, last week filed for bankruptcy protection as it has had trouble working down the debt it accumulated from buying CBS radio stations in 2017.
V-103 recently dropped Shamea Morton and Ms. Pat from its morning show led by Big Tigger.
About the Author
