
After 24 years at the station, veteran football reporter John McClain has been laid off from Houston’s SportsRadio 610 (KILT-AM). The 72-year-old announced the news on social media, with his last appearance on the Audacy-owned station to be Friday.
McClain got his radio start in 1985 discussing the Oilers on KTRH-AM. 15 years later, he moved to KILT, where he spent 24 years. During the majority of this time, he also wrote for the Houston Chronicle, before retiring in 2022. His duties at KILT included six on-air appearances and four weekly website columns each week, and co-hosting the Houtopia Football podcast with the station’s morning co-host Sean Pendergast.
McClain will record one last podcast episode with Pendergast on Thursday and make his official farewell on The Drive with Clint Stoerner and Ron Hughley on Friday.
He posted, “I want to thank GM Sarah Frazier and PD Parker Hillis for my years [at WILT] where I was always treated with respect. I felt sorry for Parker because he had to deliver the bad news after Tuesday’s show. I have no bitterness at all because getting laid off is commonplace. Through the decades, I worked with so many exceptional people at KTRH and SportsRadio 610 both on the air and behind the scenes. I want to thank all of them for helping make my appearances so much fun and rewarding.”
Despite stepping away from Houston radio, McClain is not completely closing the door on future opportunities. He told the Houston Chronicle he is open to exploring new ventures in the local market.