Friday, March 19, 2021

Westwood One Ends Rich & Sasha Morning Show

Westwood One has shut down the Rick and Sasha morning show after just over two years on air.

The show featured Rick Party and Sasha the Diva, was started as a way to fill a gap after Tom Joyner retired at the end of 2019. The show had 20 affiliates as of April 2019, mostly R&B stations, and added six more in early 2020.

Westwood One released a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that did not provide a reason for the end of the show, simply saying it was “a difficult decision” and “we wish them all the best in their future endeavors.”

Despite Joyner’s departure, Rick and Sasha faced plenty of syndicated competition in various markets including Rickey Smiley, Steve Harvey, Russ Parr and DeDe Maguire. In Atlanta, Rick and Sasha had direct competition with the likes of Harvey on Majic 107.5/97.5, Smiley on Classix 102.9, the Breakfast Club on 105.3/The Beat and two local shows: Big Tigger’s Morning Culture on V-103 and Frank Ski on Kiss 104.1.

Sasha, who doesn’t publicly reveal her age or real name, is a New York native with two sons. She previously worked at Atlanta's Kiss 104.1 for 12 years over two different stints and has been doing radio for more than 20 years.

Party, 52, broke into the business with success in Miami. He had a brief foray hosting afternoons at V-103 in the late 1990s that lasted 18 months. He has also worked in Chicago, New York City and Dallas and has a long voice-over career for places like ESPN and BET. (Party is not his real name. It’s trademarked, too.)

No comments:

Post a Comment