Saginaw Radio: Longtime Newsman Hal Maas OUT At WHNN

Hal Maas

For nearly 18 years, Hal Maas brought the news to listeners of such radio stations as WHNN, WIOG and WHEELZ every weekday morning.

But, reports MLive.com,  after going on air Tuesday morning, Jan. 3, the longtime radio newscaster was told he would be losing his job as news and public affairs director for Cumulus Media. He says he was one of three longtime employees who were let go in an effort to cut costs.

Maas used to start his work day at about 3 a.m. He delivered on the cumulus Cluster of stations including WHNN 96.1 FM, WIOG 102.5 fM and WILZ WHEELZ 104.5 FM.

The 66-year-old Detroit native got his start in radio in 1973 working for what he described as a "small country station" in Paoli, Indiana.

"You did everything. You did the morning show, you did news, you did sports. We had a 70-some-odd-year-old woman who came in five days a week and played live music, gospel music, on the piano and the organ, and my job for that hour was to fill in the gaps in between songs," he recalled.

Maas said he has seen a number of other colleagues who have 20 or 30 years of experience lose their jobs over the past several years, including former morning radio show hosts Johnny Burke and Blondie. The pair filed age discrimination lawsuits against Cumulus after they were terminated.

But Maas said he doesn't plan to file a lawsuit and he has no hard feelings.

Maas said he's not ready to retire, so he's looking for his next opportunity in radio or television.