Longtime Detroit radio host Mike Stone did his final Stoney and Jansen show this morning on 97.1 The Ticket. Stone had announced back in August he would be stepping away from the show, at least on a full-time basis. The plan is for Stone to continue as a fill-in host and for him to co-host Detroit Lions postgame shows, at least for the next two years. Stone has been a part of the sports radio format for 31 years.
“I am not retiring. I will be here for two years filling in for a lot of shows, Lions football, I will have a presence at the draft. It’ll be different, yes. But, you’ll love the new show, Costa and Jansen…And when those two years are over, who knows, I might want to staty another two years.”
Several callers, special guests and those working on the current show all had a chance to give their best wishes to Stone. “I had to replace an absolute legend…when I got here, you welcomed me with open arms,” Jon Jansen said. “Since then, I have learned…every single day there is something I have learned from you. I am so much better today, not just for being on air, but being a better person, because I have had an opportunity to spend 5 days a week, 4 hours a day having a conversation with you. I thank you for every single minute, every lesson and every opportunity that I’ve had to be around you.”
In prepared remarks, ‘Stoney’ thanked everyone he could think of who had been a part of his radio career from the beginning. From the sales department to engineering, the people who work in the office, his managers, partners, producers and more, Stone tried to hit them all.
Stone began to get emotional as he talked about his former co-host Jamie Samuelsen who passed away in August, 2020 after a battle with colon cancer. He also had difficulty when speaking about his wife and kids and how much they mean to him.
Stone signed on with The Ticket in 2009 and hosted with Rob Parker, Bill McAllister and Samuelsen before starting with Jansen. Prior to his time with the outlet, he was one-half of the Stoney and Wojo Show on WDFN with Bob Wojnowski. ‘Wojo’ made an appearance, in-studio, at the end of today’s show.
Starting Monday, Jim Costa will take Stone’s place and the show will now be known as Costa and Jansen, as he joins Jansen and Heather Park.
