After waking up New York listeners for nearly four decades, Scott Shannon told listeners this morning he will retire from Audacy Classic Hits 101.1 WCBS-FM New York on Friday, December 16.
After already a long career in Top 40 at stations like WMPS Memphis, WMAK Nashville, WQXI Atlanta, WPGC Washington DC, it would be the morning zoo, developed by Shannon and Cleveland Wheeler at “Q105” WRBQ Tampa that would be cloned at stations all over the world and played a major part in the Top 40 boom of the 1980’s played in part by Shannon’s arrival in New York to launch “Z100” WHTZ in August 1983.
After leaving Z100 in 1989 he attempted to replicate its success in Los Angeles with Rock 40 “Pirate Radio“ KQLZ .Returning to New York in 1991, Shannon quickly rebranded WPLJ as “Mojo Radio” in an attempt to go after Z100. That would then give way to what was at first a very 1970’s centric Hot AC format emphasizing the WPLJ call letters. Todd Pettengill joined the station at that time as Shannon’s morning co-host, a pairing that would last through Shannon’s exit in February 2014. Shannon would join WCBS-FM a couple weeks later, where he has been since.
Shannon will continue to anchor the syndicated True Oldies Channel and his weekly America’s Greatest Hits show.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com