As Tom Joyner continues on his over two year long retirement tour, Urban One’s Reach Media is preparing to announce his successor.

Joyner will announce the host who will replace him in January 2020 on his show Friday morning. It is widely expected that the new host will come from within Reach Media’s existing portfolio of syndicated shows with Urban AC afternoon host DL Hughley and Urban hosts Rickey Smiley and Russ Parr among the potential options. Smiley is the name most bandied around by affiliates who have already been informed of the transition plans.

Joyner has hosted The Tom Joyner Morning Show in syndication since 1994. Joyner and David Kantor founded Reach Media in 2003 to take over distribution of the Tom Joyner Morning Show from ABC Radio Networks and add additional programming. Controlling stake was sold to Radio-One in 2004, who then increased their stake to 80% in 2012.