After 25 years in mornings as the only morning show in the history of the brand at Cumulus Media CHR “Q99.7” WWWQ Atlanta, The Bert Show is coming to an end on Friday, October 24.
Weiss announced the end of the show to listeners this morning saying “this doesn’t serve me anymore”. Saying he’s lost the joy for performing, Weiss will continue to operate his Pionaire podcast company and his “Bert’s Big Adventure” non-profit while spending more time traveling with his wife. He noted that he first began discussions with the station about leaving in January.
Weiss joined then “Q100” at its launch in January 2001 and would later enter syndication where it is currently distributed by Westwood One to additional markets. Before launching the Bert Show, Weiss served as a producer for the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show and Jack Diamond at “Mix 107.3” WRQX Washington DC.
He added in a statement, “For 25 years, listeners have allowed me to be part of their mornings, their commutes and their lives – and that is the greatest gift of my career. It’s almost unheard of in radio for an audience to stay with a show this long, and I’ll never take that loyalty for granted. Every laugh, every tough conversation and every shared moment has meant the world to me.”
Cumulus Chief Content Officer Brian Phillips stated, “We launched Bert and team with a loose plan to electrify Atlanta radio with a bold, buzzing morning show on a brand-new Top 40 station, operating on a then-unreliable ‘move-in’ signal from Anniston, Alabama. In the ensuing 25 years, Bert emerged as the obsessive architect of humor, truthfulness and humanitarianism. With brilliant help from a hand-picked, evolving team, he built a national award-winning powerhouse. ‘The Bert Show Era’ is a historic chapter in Atlanta – and American – radio. As he reimagined the possibilities of morning entertainment, I’m sure he will attack retirement with wild, fun originality. Thank you, Bert.”
Weiss was unsure about what would succeed him both locally in Atlanta and nationally but said he hoped the the current team remained in place hinting at his desire for co-host Kristin Klingshirn to take the reins.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com