Dan Bongino is set to exit Westwood One later next month. The CEO of the network’s parent company — Cumulus Media — Mary Berner admitted the departure will be a challenge.
Earlier this week, Bongino was announced as the new Deputy Director of the FBI, joining the Donald Trump administration to work alongside new Director Kash Patel at the nation’s top law enforcement agency.
During the Cumulus Media earnings call, Berner brought up the impending exit of Dan Bongino. She added it won’t be easy to replace the nationally syndicated host.
“We congratulate Dan on his new position, but his appointment will — of course — mean that while he is serving in the administration, he will be unable to perform his radio show or podcast,” said Berner. “In the meantime, we are working on programming to fill the void, although we do anticipate that this will be an additional headwind.”
In the aftermath of his announcement, Bongino revealed a new media company operated by his wife, Paula. It will handle the media endeavors previously associated with his show. Silverloch Media was created to squash any ethics concerns associated with the radio host and podcaster as he joins the FBI.
Additionally, Bongino has shared that Silverloch Media is working to ink a host to replace him on the nationally syndicated radio show. “I’m not going to leave you without high-quality content,” said Bongino. He later added “These shows will continue. We are going to get a guest host. I will leave that surprise. We’re working on this person right now. We’re very excited.”
Mary Berner did leave the door open to Dan Bongino returning to the company someday.
“We look forward to welcoming him back in the future,” she added.
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