St Louis Radio: Guy Phillips To EXIT KYKY For KTRS

After 45-years of doing a morning show on St. Louis radio, longtime market fixture Guy Phillips has decided it's time for a change.

Phillips announced on his show this morning that he is departing CBS Radio's HotACX KYKY 98.1 FM Y98 in November.

Starting January 2018 he's expecting to to host an afternoon show on Talk KTRS 550 AM.



Phillips started in STL radio in 1979 with the old KSLQ, which became KYKY in 1982. Since 1979, Phillips has been the cornerstone of morning radio at 98.1 FM in St. Louis, bringing listeners his fun guest interviews and interesting takes on local and national events.

Phillips will take over the afternoon slot that had been ruled for years by Frank O. Pinion, sources said. Pinion, whose real name is John Craddock, will join the staff at KFNS-AM 590 on Oct. 2.

In July, Pinion announced his resignation from KTRS by saying it was "not amicable." He had worked at the talk-radio station for 20 years.

Earlier this year Phillips and CBS Radio agreed to a long-term contract extension. At that time, Phillips stated, “I’ve been one of the luckiest guys to ever work in this business. I have had steady employment over five decades in St. Louis and I haven’t once failed to laugh, on the air and off, on any of those days."

In 2006, he was among an elite class elected to the St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame, all of whom were nominated by the Hall’s board of directors and voted on by local media.

Phillips remains one of the most sought-after event emcees in the area.  He lends himself to many charitable organizations and donates hundreds of hours of service in the metro area.  St. Patrick’s Center, Central Institute for the Deaf, and Ronald McDonald House Children’s Charities are just a few of the many charitable organizations he supports.  Phillips is also a board member of the Derrik S. Sabada Memorial Scholarship Fund, the St. Louis Men’s Group Against Cancer, Friends of Kids with Cancer, and Cinema St. Louis.

Phillips’ commitment to the industry goes well beyond the boundaries of St. Louis.  Within the past two years, he has established a scholarship at his alma mater, New Mexico State University, for students pursuing excellence in a broad range of media, including radio, with the “Guy Phillips Media Endowed Scholarship Fund.” Phillips’ wish is to provide the university financial assistance in perpetuity for need-based students to follow their dreams.