Reports on Tom Joyner’s retirement ‘inaccurate’

(Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Target Market News) — A story that recently appeared in the London-based Daily Mail Online reported that radio legend Tom Joyner was going to be forced into early retirement next year by REACH Media, owners and distributors of “The Tom Joyner Morning Show.” The program is the most successful in syndicated radio history.

Citing unnamed sources, the Daily Mail claims Joyner’s former business partner, and now his boss, David Kantor, and Radio One, which owns controlling interest in REACH Media, are instigating the changes. Allegedly Joyner will be replaced after January 2017 with Russ Parr, also currently syndicated by REACH.

Executives with REACH Media and Radio One, the Black-controlled, multi-station media conglomerate, called the article “inaccurate,” and said that it has no exit plans for Joyner.

“Any stories that suggest major changes to ‘The Tom Joyner Morning Show’ are inaccurate. Tom Joyner is under contract with REACH Media until the end of 2017,” said Melody Talkington, company vice president in a statement.

Joyner, 65, started the national “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” in 1994 with ABC Radio Networks after hosting a morning program in Dallas and an afternoon radio show in Chicago for eight years. In 2003, he launched REACH Media with Kantor, a former ABC Radio Networks executive.

Radio One, acquired 53 percent of REACH Media stock in November 2004 for $56.1 million in cash and stock. In December 2012 Radio One upped its ownership stake to 80 percent.

Joyner has been long known for his philanthropy, especially for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and his social activism which helped turn out Black voters for Barack Obama. Ironically, the Daily Mail article claims that Joyner’s exit was being timed to the end of the President’s second term in January 2017.

Joyner has also been an advocate for the African-American consumer market.

This article originally published in the December 14, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.