Atlanta Radio: Tom Joyner Loses 9 AM Hour On WALR

Tom Joyner, the legendary syndicated morning host on R&B station WALR Kiss 104.1 FM for the past two decades, is now heard live from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., according to the Atlanta Constitution.

Listeners who want to hear the fourth hour of his show from 9 to 10 a.m. will have to go to his live stream.

Joyner, 65, runs his show in Dallas from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., the traditional time frame for personality-based morning shows for decades. But there has been a shift in radio to earlier starts and stops.

“The reason for the change is for audience members who listen while in the office at 9 a.m.,” said Tony Kidd, who runs Cox Radio Atlanta. “They have told us they want more a more music environment. Like anything, we will evaluate this over time.”

Joyner is heard on about 110 stations nationwide to about 8 million listeners. On Kiss, his show drew a 6.2 share last month in Nielsen Audio ratings, good for fifth place.