Boston Radio: Lisa Donovan Returns To Kiss 108 Morning Show

WXKS 107.9 FM Kiss 108′s “Matty in the Morning” welcomed longtime cohost Lisa Donovan back to the airwaves Friday after almost a month-long hiatus.

The Boston Globe reports it marked the first time Donovan had been on the air since before the abrupt departure earlier this month of Matt Siegel, the show’s namesake, after more than four decades.

Donovan told listeners that she “took a couple weeks to take care of my parents, my family” in South Carolina.

On the May 3 “Matty in the Morning” show, during which Siegel announced his retirement, cohost Billy Costa said Donovan’s mother had been sick.

Lisa Donovan

Both Siegel and Donovan had been mysteriously absent from the morning show since April 19, and listeners quickly began asking where they’d gone. On May 3, Siegel, 72, announced to listeners he was calling it a career after 41 years.

“As of now I am retired, leaving Kiss 108 and starting my new life as a mediocre golfer,” Siegel said in the announcement, adding by his own admission that the last year had been “rough.”

“I had brain surgery. I had a broken foot. I started getting a little grumpy on the radio, which I hate because all I want to do is make people laugh,” Siegel said. “That’s my job, just to make people laugh. And I got off target, I guess you would say.”

Costa said he would be taking over as the show’s main host. Donovan was absent from the farewell episode.

During Monday’s show, Donovan briefly touched on Siegel’s retirement, saying she wished him “all the best.”

“I just remember so many amazing moments from live shows to concerts to the iconic ‘Right Now’ segments with him — all of his interviews,” she said. “He had an amazing career. Forty-one years. I was here for 20 of it. An amazing career, a Boston icon in radio. So I wish him all the best in his retirement.”

On her first day back on air, Donovan gave fans and listeners her take on some of the top stories she’s missed: Tom Brady’s new Fox deal, the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial, the Kentucky Derby, the “Ozark” ending, and this year’s Met Gala looks.