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Last week, 101 ESPN announced a new morning show would be coming to the Hubbard Radio St. Louis station. That meant longtime morning host Randy Karraker — along with co-hosts Brooke Grimsely and Dan McLaughlin — were out of the daypart. Karraker has now spoken about his departure for the first time.
In a conversation with KSDK-TV Sports Director Frank Cusumano, Karraker admitted he understands the issues facing the radio business today, and was grateful for his tenure with the station.
“I’m thankful for the 16 years I had there,” Karraker said. “I’ve been in the right place at the right time a lot … I did not have a bad day in the halls of 101. And I understand the complexities, the financial limitations, and difficulties of the business right now. That’s what everybody in the industry is dealing with. So I don’t have any bad feelings at all.
“There have been times when I’ve left stations with bad feelings, but I consider everybody there friends. I had a chance to get FM sports talk off the ground here in St Louis. I had an opportunity to help build that station from the ground up.”
The former Morning Drive host added that he’s cognizant of the fact that his exit was financially related and not about his performance on the station.
“Follow the money. The economy for radio isn’t great, and when you’ve been around as long as I have, you make money,” the former 101 ESPN host said. “They have to find ways in the industry to cut costs. And I was an unfortunate victim, but I completely understand.”
Karraker’s comments came after former co-host Brooke Grimsley shared the news of the show’s demise on social media last week.
“I’ve had so much fun working with … everyone over at 101 ESPN and Hubbard Radio,” Grimsley shared. “Thank you to all of our listeners for welcoming me in, I’ve enjoyed every moment.”
Let’s see how the money plays out with fewer listeners and lousy programming