Capitol Broadcasting announced Monday that 2015 Marconi award winners Gene and Julie will no longer be hosting mornings on MIX 101.5 WRAL-FM. We spoke to GM Katie Phillips and asked her about the change.
WRAL-FM General Manager Katie Phillips told Radio Ink, “These types of changes are never easy but sometimes necessary. We see great opportunity for the station in mornings and believe this change is in the best interest of the long-term health of the radio station.”
In a press release, the station said, “We will announce our new morning show in the coming days. During the interim, MIX listeners will continue to hear the music, WRAL-TV news and weather, and traffic from Patrick McMahon they depend on. We thank Gene and Julie Gates, along with producer Casey Tate, for their contributions to our station and wish them the best in the future.” They’ve been at the station for less than two years and won the Marconi for Large Market Personalities of the Year in 2015.
Gene & Julie tell Radio Ink they took less than a year to take WRAL mornings to #1with Women 25-54 and Adults 25-54, and they outperform the station in several demos. Before WRAL, Gene & Julie spent eight years at KVIL/DALLAS, and prior to that were on KIOI/SAN FRANCISCO, WLTM/ATLANTA, KZQZ/SAN FRANCISCO, KZLA/LOS ANGELES, and KBFB/DALLAS.
From what I’ve read about this firing, and the treatment of previous host teams, the capricious, bureaucratic approach to personnel this company practices has led me to turn off WRAL completely. Nothing against “Two Men and a Mom” as I haven’t heard their show, and won’t, but I would caution them about becoming too comfortable at WRAL; especially if they should happen to win a national award.
Gene and Julie are wonderful. they will go on to bigger and better!
This might actually be the first station that Gene and Julie have been fired from (as they have from all) that has not had to significantly change format. WRAL’s brand was too strong that they could not screw it up. When their next job is announced, it will be the latest station to be on death watch.
Yeah this is the sugar coated version of this. The real story is that Capital Broadcasting is a bunch of cold hearted people who just go on a firing spree with no relevant reason. And of all people they keep Patrick, who hardly ever works!
WRAL and Jim Goodmon have made the biggest mistake ever in this move and I hope they go bankrupt….