It’s been about a year now since long-time Emmis morning man Big Boy left Power 106 for iHeartMedia’s start-up Hip Hop station Real 92.3 in Los Angeles. Emmis filed a lawsuit against Big Boy claiming they had right of first refusal to match the offer given to him by iHeart.
Emmis claimed it did match iHeart’s $3.5 million salary and other perks, however Big Boy crossed the street anyway. Emmis has confirmed that a settlement between the two sides has been reached, however they would give no other details, other than to say, “the terms are confidential.” Losing Big Boy was a big blow to Emmis. Power 106 in Los Angeles is a big ratings and revenue generator for the company and the morning man was a big reason for that.
Emmis recently laid off 32 employees, which included not renewing the contract of New York Market Manager Deon Levingston. Emmis CEO Jeff Smulyan has said the company is making steady progress in the ratings at Power 106 with its new morning show. Many in the company were also personally hurt by the departure of Big Boy because, they say, they first found him as a bodyguard, gave him a chance on the radio, and helped make him a big radio star in the nation’s second-largest radio market.
