The FM radio landscape shifted a bit in the last 24 hours.
The morning drive show of "Wes, Rahny and Alley" on WXSS-FM 103.7 Kiss FM, will be going through a change as Rahny Taylor exits the studio he occupied the past 10 years.
Wes McKane and Alley Faith will be adding Andy Riggs from WRNW-FM 97.3 Radio Now.
"This is a scary and exciting time," Taylor said Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the news of the change was reported.
"My many, many thanks to not only Milwaukee for taking me in for the past 10 years, but to the KISS FM staff and especially Wes and Alley."
At this time, Taylor doesn’t know what the future holds but is now going to explore new opportunities.
"Milwaukee has been really, really good to me," he said. "Once you sort of get into the inner circle of people here, you are accepted … plenty of good memories here."
Taylor, who has planted some family roots – his wife’s family is from here – said he’s open to new possibilities. He will also go on air with Wes and Alley on Friday morning, which should provide some perspective and offer a look back at what he’s done with the show in the past few years.
Riggs said he wishes Taylor the best of luck with what he does next. He’s looking forward to making the move to WXSS and mornings.
"Wes and Alley are both great and this is an opportunity to showcase my personality a bit more," Riggs said.
Riggs does quite a bit of work at WRNW off the air, and will continue his imaging and production at Radio Now for the next week or so.
"Wes, Riggs and Alley" is set to hit the air on Aug. 19. You can read more in my blog post here.
NEW LEADERSHIP: Tom Langmyer, who had been at WGN-AM in Chicago and has been a well-sought-out talk radio guru, was in a situation like what I would compare free agency in the NFL.
Think Reggie White coming to play with the Green Bay Packers.
It appears that the lottery winner in Langmyer’s story is WTMJ-AM 620, who has hired Langmyer as the new Vice President of News/Talk Programming for Journal Broadcast Group.
"I am thrilled to welcome Tom to the Journal family," said Steve Wexler, executive vice president of the Journal Broadcast Group.
"He is a trusted leader with a well-known track record of success. He understands the importance of heritage stations like WTMJ. I’ve known Tom for years and am happy to finally be able to call him a fellow employee."
Since 2005, Langmyer served as the VP and GM of WGN. Before that, he was at KMOX-AM in St. Louis and was the vice president of news/talk programming for CBS Radio. Langmyer had been working as a consultant throughout the U.S. as part of the Blue Water Group.
In 2009, Langmyer was named the News/Talk General Manager of the Year by "Radio and Records," according to the press release.
"I’ve admired Journal Broadcast Group for many years as a leader in local content - and for their service to their communities," Langmyer said.
"WTMJ is Wisconsin’s iconic multi-platform brand, with great personalities, dependable news and it’s also revered as the home of the Packers, Brewers, Badgers and Bucks.
"I’m honored and excited to join Steve (Wexler), Beverlee (Brannigan, VP of programming) and the Journal broadcast team in serving listeners in a variety of markets."
Langmyer will oversee the daily operations at WTMJ-AM and advise other Journal stations across the country.
DISNEY: Fox Business Network will interview Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger on Friday at 11 a.m. The cable outlet will speak with Iger about the projected $190 million dollar loss on the movie "The Lone Ranger," the D23 Expo and what's on the horizon for the entertainment powerhouse.
Media is bombarding us everywhere.
Instead of sheltering his brain from the onslaught, Steve embraces the news stories, entertainment, billboards, blogs, talk shows and everything in between.
The former writer, editor and producer in TV, radio, Web and newspapers, will be talking about what media does in our community and how it shapes who we are and what we do.