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| Jim Kerr and Shelli Sonstein |
Shelli Sonstein, a New York radio veteran of nearly five decades and longtime co-host with Jim Kerr on iHeartMedia's classic rock station Q104.3 (WAXQ), has retired from the morning show.
Kerr announced the news emotionally on air today, revealing that Sonstein told him just days ago of her decision to step away permanently. She has been on leave since September following the death of her daughter, Dina Sonstein Berman.
After nearly 49 years working together, Kerr said he had anticipated Sonstein's return in the new year, making her retirement unexpected. "We’ve spent the better part of 49 years in a small room... with Shelli," he told listeners, describing their bond as deep friendship beyond professional partnership, with both treating their audience as friends too.
Kerr reflected on Sonstein's distinctive personality—her annual carefully planned cheeseburger and steak, love of plain bagels, grinding her own coffee at work, and sharing oversized home-grown vegetables with staff—calling these quirks part of what made her beloved.
He highlighted her journalistic legacy, including staying on air for a full week during Superstorm Sandy, sleeping on a couch to provide hourly storm and recovery coverage. A multiple Gracie Award winner, Sonstein earned numerous honors for her reporting and her public affairs program "Sonstein Sunday."
Kerr also praised her community activism, notably raising over $3 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in the 1990s and driving WAXQ's involvement in Tunnel to Towers events, including the annual World Trade Center stair climb and 5K."She was always a firm believer in using the power of the radio to do good," Kerr said, calling her career "an amazing run" and thanking her for decades of partnership, service, and friendship. Her impact on the station, New York radio, and the community will endure, he added.