Tom Joyner is reportedly being pushed out of his own syndicated radio show to make room for younger talent.
According to a report in the Daily Mail, the radio legend will be forced into early retirement next year so that Radio One – which owns a majority stake in Reach Media’s “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” – can move its other syndicated host Russ Parr, 56, into Joyner’s chair.
Also, Joyner’s involuntary departure is reportedly timed to coincide with the end of Barack Obama’s presidency in 2016. According to the Daily Mail, a “quiet plan” to phase Joyner out took root in 2014 “to lineup with the culmination of the Presidential election and President Obama’s departure from the White House.”
“Tom’s show has always been about community activism, education and social justice, and he played a major part in helping President Obama get elected,” a source told The Daily Mail. “They felt that the end of Obama’s term would be the ideal time for him to also leave.”
Reach Media issued a statement disputing the Daily Mail Online’s report, saying:
“Any stories that suggest major changes to the Tom Joyner Morning Show are inaccurate. Tom Joyner is under contract with Reach Media until the end of 2017. We expect that Reach will continue to syndicate Tom’s show beyond that date and for as long as he would like to be on the air. There have always been refinements and updates to the show as well as market changes due to local conditions and there may be some in the future; but Tom Joyner and the Tom Joyner Morning show continues to be strong and is a daily Party with a Purpose. Reach is committed to Tom Joyner for the long term who remains committed to radio, his audience and the future.”
