Radio 95.1 Rochester replaces 'Earl David Reed Show' with ‘Rizzo & Jeff’ in the afternoons
An afternoon radio show that launched less than two years ago on WAOI-FM (95.1) to fill the vacancy created by the firing of Kimberly & Beck hosts Kimberly Ray and Barry Beck has now itself been canceled.
The Earl David Reed Show, which debuted in August 2020 as The Big Show on the station, known as Radio 95.1, has been replaced by Rizzo & Jeff.
Rich “Rizzo” Deaver and Jeff Daly are the hosts of the program, airing weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m.
“I guess the cat is out of the bag!!! RIZZO & JEFF in the Morning ARE NOW Rizzo and Jeff in the Afternoon on Radio 951,” they wrote early Monday morning on Facebook. “LET THE NEW JOURNEY BEGIN! Did we mention NO MUSIC AT ALL, Just us talking (that should go over well).”
Rizzo & Jeff in the Morning aired on WKHQ-FM in Charlevoix/Traverse City, Michigan, from March 2019 to March 2020, according to RadioInsight.com. Deaver and Daly exited that station because it “wanted to go in a different direction,” they said in a statement at the time.
They also worked together at WDZH-FM in Detroit. Before that, Daly worked at WIOQ-FM in Philadelphia and WFLZ-FM in Tampa. Deaver worked at WQCM-FM in Hagerstown, Maryland; KOSP-FM in Springfield, Missouri; and WPLJ-FM in New York City.
They hinted at their new Radio 95.1 gig in a Feb. 16 Facebook post: “WE GOT A JOB!!!!! Anyone wanna guess where? What kind of station? Love to hear what you think? Can’t say anything else yet…. BUT YOU ALL WILL HAVE YOUR BOYS BACK!!! We HAVE MISSED YOU! Hint: It’s in North America”
The Democrat and Chronicle reached out to iHeartMedia, which owns Radio 95.1, for more information but did not get a response.
Reed, a comedian who performs at clubs nationwide, came here from WQXA-FM in York, Pennsylvania. He also worked on the air with Radio 95.1 morning show host Brother Wease during Wease’s time at WCMF-FM.
Megan Carter was Reed's co-host, and before that, from October 2018 to January 2020, she worked afternoons on WKGS-FM, KISS 106.7. Previously, she was a longtime morning show host and music director at WPXY-FM.
In addition to working with Reed, Carter hosted a show from 7 p.m. to midnight on WDVI-FM, another iHeart station that in October dumped its adult contemporary format and rebranded itself as Country 100.5.
Mark Maira, who in June 2021 began producing Reed’s show, and co-hosting it, confirmed Monday afternoon on social media that he remains an iHeart employee. A former WZNE-FM, 94.1 The Zone, personality, he also continues to host The Gentlemen’s Club podcast with Shane Allen.
Maira replaced Pat McMahon, who left the Reed program in May 2021 to take a job as digital media manager for Townsquare Media Buffalo.
This isn’t the only change iHeart has made recently to Radio 95.1 programming. Last week, the station launched Newman & The Mayor, co-hosted by Jeremy Newman and Pete Kennedy, weekdays from 9 to 11 a.m. To make room, the station lopped two hours off The Brother Wease Show, which long had aired from 6 to 11 a.m.
“I’ve never done talk radio, it’s out of my comfort zone,” Newman wrote in a Feb. 28 Facebook post. “I didn’t ask for it, I was recruited, and said yes. Heck, a few months ago I thought I was done with radio, now all this. Crazy. I’m excited as I am nervous.”
More: Rochester radio station 100.5 changes format to country and adds Jeremy Newman
Newman was hired by iHeart in October 2021 for the 2 to 7 p.m. weekday slot on Country 100.5.
In early 2020, he parted ways with WBEE-FM, where for 16 years he co-hosted its popular Bee Morning Coffee Club, after a heated on-air exchange with a listener. That station is currently owned by Audacy.
Ray and Beck were dismissed by Radio 95.1 in June 2020 for making racist comments on the air.
According to the latest data from Nielsen, WAIO ranks sixth in the Rochester market for listenership among people 12 and older from 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Sunday. WDKX-FM ranks first, with WBEE an extremely close second, and then WHAM-AM, WCMF and WPXY-FM.
Brand loyalty still exists in radio, said Tom Proietti, resident scholar in media at St. John Fisher College, and that can be seen in the popularity of shows hosted by Wease, Bob Lonsberry (WHAM-AM) and Evan Dawson (WXXI).
However, "Brand loyalty in media is just not as powerful as it used to be. It’s a different game. The public is so full of options that it's virtually impossible to be meaningful or exclusive."
In addition, "At one time, radio was like a local business," he said. Deregulation that followed the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the rise of media conglomerates has made it laser-focused on the bottom line.
“It’s only about numbers now, about generating numbers, so people are highly expendable," he said. "There’s more people listening to podcasts than to radio stations. So, it’s so much more difficult to get your footing."
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Radio 95.1 Rochester cancels 'Earl David Reed Show' for ‘Rizzo & Jeff’
