St. Louis' 101.1 ESPN ousts Karraker, McLaughlin, Grimsley

WXOS (101.1 FM), the only sports talk radio station in St. Louis with all-day local programming, has canceled its weekday morning show effective immediately and will be replaced with a show that will appeal to many longtime jock talk listeners in the market is known.

It was announced Friday that Randy Karraker, the only remaining host since the station's debut in 2009 and a mainstay at the station for decades, is no longer with us. Also gone are former KMOV (Channel 4) sports anchor Brooke Grimsley, who had been with the show for about a year and a half, former Cardinals broadcaster Dan McLaughlin, who joined in January, and program producer and on-air participant Matthew Rocchio .

Grimsley said they were informed of the decision shortly after the show ended on Friday.

“It was definitely a shock,” she said.

“But it’s the nature of the business.”

In a social media post, she added:

“I had so much fun working with Randy, Dan, Matthew and everyone at 101 ESPN and (station owner) Hubbard Radio. Thank you to all the listeners who welcomed me. I enjoyed every moment. I’m not sure what my next step will be, which will be focusing on my family.”

She recently missed some shows to be with her mother, who lives in Tennessee and has had significant health problems but is now “on the road to recovery.”

“When you think about the grand scheme of life,” it puts losing a job into perspective, she said.

Starting Monday, some well-known local market figures will move into the 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. time slot in a revamped “The Morning After” show that Tim McKernan has hosted on multiple stations for more than two decades.

He will join the cast alongside his longtime partner Doug Vaughn and producer Jackson Burke. They are joined by KTVI (Channel 2) sports director Martin Kilcoyne, a “TMA” co-host from its debut in 2004 until his departure a little over two years later. Kilcoyne will leave his show on KTRS (550 AM), which featured in-depth interviews with newsmakers, primarily in sports, Monday through Thursday from 6 to 7 p.m.

McKernan had already worked for Hubbard Radio, producing “TMA” on its 105.7 HD-2 station (a high-definition channel on which it now simulcasts at 101.1 FM) and continuing to show it on YouTube. He also appeared on 101.1 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. with his “Balloon Party” show, now integrated into the four-hour “TMA” fare.

WXOS brand content director Tommy Mattern could not be reached, but the situation was addressed on air Friday afternoon by Brandon Kiley and Alex Ferrario, who co-hosted the station's midday show.

“I know there are going to be a lot of people who are going to be angry about this, to put it bluntly,” Kiley said. “Randy has been a voice in this city longer than I’ve been alive, he’s an absolute legend.”

He added that he also enjoyed working with the others.

“These are never easy days to manage,” Ferrario said. “That’s the business we’re in. You wish them the best and of course you wish the best to the new morning show that takes over.”

“The Morning After” has traditionally had a much edgier tone than any 101.1 show, past or present. While it can offer hard-hitting sports commentary and in-depth interviews, it can also cover exciting topics with an almost “anything goes” delivery – a stark contrast to the highly formatted, tight, sports history approach of 101.1.

“I'm just asking you all to give the new show a chance,” Kiley said on the show.

“If you decide it’s not for you? Cool. Totally understand. But there have been a lot of changes at the station over the years and I'm sure it will continue to do so in the future. That's the nature of this business. People come and go.

“Radio is a subjective business. Everyone approaches it very differently.”

The rest of 101.1's weekday schedule remains – “BK & Ferrario” with Kiley and Ferrario from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and “The Fast Lane” with Anthony Stalter, Jamie Rivers and Carey Davis from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m