Nearly three years after Cumulus Media Classic Rock “105.9 The Rebel” WXTL moved online only, longtime Syracuse NY talent Dave Frisina has retired after Cumulus cut his position this week.
Frisina had been with the “Rebel” brand since shortly after its launch in 2012. The brand was moved online after WXTL was part of the 2019 Cumulus sale of six stations to EMF. He continued to program the brand and host afternoons and his two long-running specialty shows Soulshine and Soundcheck on Sundays. Focusing on local music, Soundcheck debuted in 1979, with Frisina stating, “I spent yesterday trying in vain to negotiate a way that I could remain in the limited capacity of just hosting Soulshine and Soundcheck on Sundays. I was flatly rejected.”
CNYCentral.com reports that Cumulus would not let Frisina host a farewell show with him stating, “This was not exactly the graceful send-off into retirement, as the founding member of the station, that I had imagined.”
Frisina spent 25 years at Rock “95X” WAQX from 1978 to 2003 in multiple on-air and programming roles before moving to Galaxy Communications’ “TK99” WTKW Bridgeport/WTKV Minetto as APD/midday host through 2011.
