IL Radio: PD, Morning CoHost Kellie Michaels EXITING WUSW

Kellie Michaels

Kellie Michaels, one half of the “Brian & Kellie” morning show on Springfield country music radio station WUSW 92.7 FM, will leave the show and her position as the station’s program director later this month “to spend more time on other interests.”

The State Journal-Register reports Mid-West Family Broadcasting, which owns the station, made the announcement late Monday.

Michaels’ departure, effective Aug. 21, ends a 25-year run as co-host of “Brian & Kellie” with her husband, Brian Pierce. The couple started the show in 1992 on Mid-West Family’s WNNS-FM 98.7.

In 2007, they left Springfield and moved the show to KFDI-FM in Wichita, Kansas. During that run in Kansas, Michaels and Pierce were named medium market broadcast personalities of the year by the Country Music Association in 2011.

The pair returned to Springfield in 2015 to help launch Mid-West Family’s new country station, WUSW.

“After 25 years of getting up before the sun I wanted to step back and spend more time on other interests,” Michaels said in a statement. “It certainly is bittersweet. I have had a great time with Brian doing mornings. I will certainly miss the fun Brian and I have had but certainly won’t miss the early morning hours.”

Pierce will continue as morning show host on WUSW and will be joined by Troy Armstrong, who has been on the air with the station since 2014.