Cincy Radio: Upon Review..Thom Brennaman Gets WLW Wake-Up Duty

WLW moved swiftly to name his replacement. On Thursday, April 3, 2025, the station revealed that 61-year-old Thom Brennaman would take over the morning show starting Monday, April 7, 2025.

Brennaman, a well-known broadcaster with a history calling Cincinnati Reds and NFL games for Fox Sports, has been working with Cincinnati-based Chatterbox Sports since 2022 and has occasionally filled in at WLW. 

His appointment makes him only the third morning host at WLW in over 40 years, following Jim Scott (1984-2015) and McConnell (2015-2025). iHeartMedia’s division president, D.J. Hodge, praised the transition, calling McConnell a legend and Brennaman a seasoned professional, emphasizing the station’s excitement about the move.

Now, regarding the confusion with 77-year-old Bill Cunningham: earlier reports and posts on X suggested that Cunningham, WLW’s midday host, might shift to mornings to replace McConnell. This speculation likely stemmed from Cunningham’s prominence at the station and his prior announcement that he was postponing his own retirement to stay on air through the current Trump presidency, extending his tenure potentially to 2028. 

However, these reports were inaccurate. WLW clarified that Cunningham will remain in his midday slot, and Thom Brennaman is the confirmed new morning host. The mix-up may have been fueled by Cunningham’s high profile and the rapid succession of retirement-related news at the station, but the official announcement on April 3, 2025, settled the matter: Brennaman is taking the morning reins, not Cunningham.