Tony Randall and Kris Rochester are joining Cumulus Country 107.7 WIVK Knoxville for mornings.
The pair will replace Andy & Alison who announced their plans to leave in June once replacements were found. Tony & Kris are best known for their long run at 97.3 KSON and 95.7 KUSS San Diego and hosted a syndicated show from 2009 until this past May when they announced their intentions to break up to pursue separate ventures following a 25 year run working together. Just weeks later the duo is reuniting to become WIVK’s fourth morning show in its 50+ year history.
After a nationwide search for only the fourth morning radio show in the history of powerhouse Country station WIVK, Cumulus Media announces that legendary radio personalities Tony Randall and Kris Rochester – known on-air as “Tony & Kris” – will be waking up Knoxville as WIVK’s new morning show headliners. Tony & Kris will crack the WIVK mic on Monday, July 17, 2017, to launch the next era of morning radio in East Tennessee. “The Tony & Kris Morning Show” will air weekdays from 5:30AM-10:00AM and will feature comedy, interviews, listener involvement and a great mix of country music. The new show fills the opening left by the departure of WIVK’s award-winning 20-year morning team, Andy & Alison, who announced last month that they are signing off from radio. In addition, Tony & Kris will be developing a new music-based weekend show for WIVK, with details to be announced at a later date.
Tony & Kris have experience in San Diego, Nashville and in network syndication with Premiere Radio Networks and United Stations Radio Networks. The duo met in 1991 after launching their radio careers in 1986 in the Gadsden-Anniston, AL, area. The two joined forces as an on-air team at Country station WHMA in Anniston-Oxford, AL. “The Tony & Kris Show” ended its syndication run in May, and marked over 25 years together as one of Country radio’s longest-running success stories.
Ken Salyer, Vice President/Market Manager Cumulus Media-Knoxville, said: “The excitement level of the staff at the hiring of Tony & Kris speaks to their track record of success. WIVK and Tony & Kris are a perfect pairing for the future.”
Jeff Jarnigan, Operations Manager, Cumulus Media-Knoxville, said: “When you’re involved in hiring only the fourth morning show in a station’s history you have to get it right. The performance history of Tony & Kris speaks for itself. It’s the right fit at the right time for WIVK.”
Nikki Thomas, WIVK Program Director, said: “Andy & Alison left an indelible mark on Knoxville radio. They will be a hard act to follow. Tony & Kris are excited to be moving to Knoxville and we’re excited to turn them into Big Orange fans, especially Kris. We’re enrolling him in “Roll Tide Rehabilitation” classes as soon as he arrives.”
Tony said: “When we hung it up in May, we couldn’t have imagined this incredible opportunity would present itself “Getting the band back together” and working with a legendary station like WIVK and their winning team is the most exciting thing to happen to us since our first big break in San Diego 24 years ago.”
Kris said: “I knew if I was going to come back to radio it would have to be to a proven winner of a station, with an amazing team involved. WIVK is the very definition of that. Add the fact that we’ll have the opportunity to feature and break new music on our weekend show and I couldn’t be more excited.”
