Detroit Radio: Drew & Mike Sign-Off At WRIF

Drew & Mike: A Final Toast

The “Drew & Mike” show headed into its final hours Friday morning with hugs and shots of Jagermeister as Drew Lane, Mike Clark and crew wound down their 22-year run at WRIF-FM 101.1.

Last week, station owner Greater Media pulled the plug on the show, despite its ratings success. A successor has not been announced yet. (“Shortly,” said Heidi Raphael, Greater Media spokeswoman).

During breaks, the two escaped onto the smoking patio Greater Media built for them in balmier days, reports The Detroit News.

“This is the last time I’ll be out on the smoking patio,” Clark said in his usual scratchy, morose tone. “I’ve spent a lot of time out here, driving rain and snowstorms, because of this stupid habit.”

Lane doesn’t agree with that. Wearing his usual orange Virginia ball cap during a commercial break, Lane said, “FM radio absolutely” will endure.

“With morning radio, talk radio, people really get to know you, or they think they know you. Not to knock what TV anchors or news writers do, but radio has immediacy,” Lane said.

“We’ve had some really sincere, really kind words from a lot of people. The connection really runs deep.”

The show consists of seven people, and Lane concedes that in today’s business climate, it might be tough to keep their unit intact.

DREW & MIKE LOOK FORWARD: Click Here For Earlier Post and Video.

On behalf of the company, Greater Media Detroit market manager Steve Chessare praised Lane and Clark and their crew.

As for the “Drew & Mike” show ending up on another Greater Media station: “We’re not ruling it out,” Chessare said. “This had nothing to do with their abilities.”

Rather, the Greater Media executive said, it had to do with positioning WRIF for a younger audience.

“We found that we were our own competition,” he said, referring to the similarity of WRIF’s format with Greater Media’s classic rocker WCSX-FM 94.7. Greater Media won’t confirm that long-running rumor that Dave and Chuck “The Freak” from 89X will take over the WRIF morning slot.

An announcement will happen by the middle of next week, in the meantime, WRIF’s “Meltdown” will hold down the early morning shift.

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