Eddie and Jobo Out at Chicago's '104.3 K-Hits'

Chicago radio veterans "Eddie and Jobo" (Ed Volkman and Joe Bohannon) are out at CBS Radio Classic Hits "104.3 K-Hits" WJMK-FM, Chicago. They were released Thursday, as first reported by Chicagoland Radio and Media. The duo had been hosting the morning show on "104.3 K-Hits" since it started in March 2011. WJMK-FM Program Director Todd Cavanah told CRM that Eddie and Jobo were released because ratings were not where the company wanted them to be and the hosts' contracts were getting close to renewal. He said the company "felt it would be better to try a new host or hosts in the morning drive hours." Cavanah wished them well, reports CRM. Meanwhile, Robert Feder at Time Out Chicago reported several hours later that "Chicago radio icons Ed Volkman and Joe Bohannon, whose celebrated partnership as Eddie & Jobo has endured through 25 years of ups and downs, are out of work again." He says they declined to go on the air for a final show Friday, but will be paid through the remainder of their two-year contracts, which expire in March. CRM's Larz tells us that no new hosts have been hired or are even being considered just yet. "A search will take place for a replacement or replacements. CBS Radio Chicago will be searching for a host/hosts that connect with the 60s-80s music being played, as well as connect with the audience. Cavanah, writes CRM, points out that the move has nothing to do with the long-standing rumors that WJMK-FM will be flipped to Sports Talk, as either an FM home for WSCR-AM or a location for the new CBS Sports Radio Network, which launches nationally on January 2. The move, says Cavanah, was strictly based on the company looking to improve morning ratings. CRM's Larz writes, "Eddie & Jobo were offered the chance to do a farewell broadcast [Friday] morning, but respectfully declined. Both sides part ways as friends." The veteran Chicago morning radio hosts had previously worked for CBS Radio in the Windy City twice at "B96" WBBM-FM, 1988-1994 and 1997-2008. Feder, in his report, writes: "Asked why they chose not to bid farewell to their audience, Volkman told me: 'Who's really listening? That was part of the problem. I can say goodbye on social media to a lot more people than we were getting there.' Later he tweeted: 'When Jobo & I were taken off @B96Mornings in 2008 Twitter was in its infancy. Today? OMFG! I'm grateful for unlimited data on this phone!'."