After nearly thirty years hosting a late-night syndicated talk show, Westwood One’s Jim Bohannon will retire from his 10pm-1am eastern show at the end of this week.
The 78-year-old Bohannon has been off the air for most of the summer due to unnamed health reasons, which is being stated as the reason for his retirement from the show. He will host his final program on Friday, October 14.
Bohannon has hosted his program for Westwood One and predecessor Mutual since succeeding Larry King in 1993. Prior to hosting the show, he began his career at KLWT Lebanon MO in 1960 and worked at multiple Washington DC stations including 980 WRC, 1050 WGAY and 1500 WTOP and 1000 WCFL Chicago through which he joined Mutual in 1983 as a newscaster and later became King’s primary fill-in host and began hosting a Saturday evening show in 1985. He also hosted Westwood One’s “America In The Morning” until 2015. He is a member of the NAB Hall of Fame, National Radio Hall of Fame, and Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.
In a statement, Bohannon said, “It’s been a great 40 years with Westwood One, the syndicator of his program, and the last 30, of which, as host of ‘The Jim Bohannon Show.’ I’ve enjoyed every minute of our daily nighttime town hall with my guests, callers, and all of America.“
Conservative talker Rich Valdes will take over the timeslot on Westwood One. Valdes currently serves as a producer and guest host for the Mark Levin Show and hosts a weekend show on Audacy’s 1210 WPHT Philadelphia. He has also hosted for WABC New York and worked for multiple conservative organizations.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com