The Josh Innes Show - Radio Dudes Fired On Air

Episode Date: March 19, 2026

Well, this is an old story. But, I've never seen this video. The video showed up on my YouTube. What does it sound like when two sports radio doofs learn they are fired while on air? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marvel Television's Wonder Man An eight-episode series Now streaming on Disney Plus. A superhero remake. Not exactly what we'd expect from an Oscar winning director. Action! Simon Williams,

audition for Wonder Man. I'm gonna need you to sign this. Assuming you don't have superpowers. I'll never work again if anyone found out. My lips are sealed. Marvel Television's Wonder Man. All eight episodes now streaming. Only on Disney Plus.

Getting ready for a game means being ready for anything. Like packing a spare stick. I like to be prepared. That's why I remember, 988, Canada's suicide crisis helpline. It's good to know, just in case. Anyone can call or text for free confidential support from a train responder anytime. 988 suicide crisis helpline is funded by the government in Canada. All right, so here's what we'll do then.

I've never actually watched this video. I've never heard these two guys, I guess this is two dudes getting fired. Now, if I'm looking at this 11 years ago, so again, like, hey, man just landed on the moon. Cool. But I've never seen this. So it's new to me. So these are two dudes working in Chicago. Now, to be fair, this looks like, yeah, okay, so there it is.

The game, 87.7. So this was a station that was never going to succeed anyway. It's like it was a throwaway thing that they tried because they had the frequency and they tried it. But it was never going to work. Now Chicago has a full-on FM sports station. I'm sure it's fine. I'm curious to see how they've done since they moved to FM. But anyway, let me play a couple commercials,

and let's listen to audio of two dudes in Chicago, getting, they finding out they're getting fired by reading Twitter, by reading Twitter on the air. All right, here we go. Settle down. Quigs and Finfer. For now we are, yes, it is, I guess it's 87-7 the game, GameChicago.com. So yeah, this is a pretty crappy way to find out that you're out of work, basically.

This is why you don't have Twitter on your job. Well, no, actually, I'm not going to blame Twitter. I'm going to blame our bosses for not doing this the respectful way. Uh-oh. I mean, it's pretty crappy to find out on Twitter, especially while you're on the air that the station's folding. I would think that. Like, I feel like it's, and I don't know this for a fact, but I feel like you would have had to have had some self-wold. awareness that this radio station you were on was never going to make it.

It had no ratings. No one gave a shit. It was at 87.7. Like on one end of like at 87.9 there's church services. I mean like what and then college radio like what did you think was going to happen? But these guys are not pleased right now. But I mean, we're only 30 seconds into this. Somebody would have at least some respect for their employees and let them know.

Just give them a heads up that there's something going on. But nope, didn't happen. So Robert Feeder is the one who breaks it to us that were done. I'll just read from Feeder because this is all we know. This was on TV, I guess, as well. This may have been on Comcast if I'm reading this right. Because this is a video of it. It's not just the audio.

I'm watching video. Like, look, I've been fired a couple times. I've never been fired this way. I have been taken off the air. Gavin took me off the air once. That's the only time that ever happened to me, though, where someone came in and took my ass off the air. I haven't been told anything until I saw it come up.

I remember he walked in. And he was so pissed. He goes, get your shit and get out of here. Like, okay. And then I left. And then like, be back tomorrow. Like, I, thanks for the day off. Across Twitter, when you saw it come across Twitter.

So here it is. Robert Feeder. Game over. Nine months after the bosses of WGN AM 720. Like, I understand you have to take a job because money is money. But you had to have known that this radio station didn't have much of a chance. Again, it's 87.7 FM. Chicago's first FM sports talk.

station. They're throwing in the towel on the ambitious but unprofitable venture. Tribune Media will cease programming on WGWGLP 87.7 known as the game. At the end of the year, insiders say Thursday. Also out, effective immediately, our former WGN personalities, Jonathan Brandmeyer and Gary Meyer, sources said. Brandmeier's morning show aired on the game, 877 and the online streaming site, WGN.fm. Myers Afternoon show aired WGN.fm. Like, this thing never had a chance. All right, now, guys, I need the meltdown.

I need you to melt down. Only on WGN.com. David Kaplan and David Haw, whose midday show on the game is simulcast on Comcast Sportsnet, Chicago, are expected to continue on the cable sports network after the radio operation ceases. One of those guys ended up getting like the morning job over at the Odyssey Sports Station, which is now on FM, like a real FM, so he won in all this. Few of the stations,

sports talk hosts are expected to remain employed. Again, I'm reading this for the first time, so I'm finding this out right now along with you. It's probably like scanning this like, what about me? What happens to me, damn it? The weekday lineup includes Alex Quigley, Ben Finfer, Jared Peyton, Harry Tynoitz, and...

I've heard of none of these people. Spike Manton, Mark Carman, and Connor McKnight. Oh, Mark Carmen was on there. I think Carmen is also like on ESPN there. So I guess he made out well in that situation. All the moves are being made, according to insiders, because the company has been unable to generate sufficient advertising revenue.

Yeah, because there's no one who's going to spend money to advertise on 87.7 FM. This thing never had a chance. I would argue, and I get why you take the job because money is money and a job is a job. Like it sucks that you got whacked in the way that you've gotten whacked and you're finding out about it through breaking news on the internet. But did you really think that this was going to be sustainable? you were going to be on a radio station at 87.7 FM? My radio station in my bedroom was on 87.7 FM. Sustain the programming and talent costs.

Total Chicago radio revenue is down 11% from last year, according to blah, blah, blah. Yeah, because of the station. Tribune media launched the game last February on a low-power television frequency that doubles as an FM radio signal, leased from Venture Technologies Group, which owns the license. power TV signal that doubles as a low power FM transmitter. Like, you idiots had to have known.

Like, the money it cost them to run this studio probably had them well down. Come on. The station previously drew respectable ratings for smooth jazz and hard rock music formats, despite programming and marketing support from News Talk WGN and its status as the only sports talk station on FM. the upstart competitor to CBS Radio's WSDR AM 670 and ESPN's WMVP AM-1000 never caught on. In the latest Nielsen Audio Radio survey, the Game 87-7 tie for 38th place overall with a 0.5% audience.

Like how would you not know that this was going to fail? Maybe I'm too self-aware. That could be very well the case. You know, I am too self-aware. Like sometimes I just want to enjoy myself, but I can't because I'm too deep into it. I think on a radio station with a 0.5 and then 38th place and two other sports stations, you had to have seen it coming. Again, I'm yelling at this from 10 years ago, but whatever.

And share and cumulative weekly audience of 218,000 hired by previous management and once among WGN's highest profile personalities, Brandmeier and Meyer both have been sidelined under the station's current president and general manager Jimmy DeCastrow. The same Jimmy DeCastro who brought Bramire and Meyer to their greatest prominence when they worked for the loop in the 1980s. Brandmeier 58 joined WGN in December 2011 to host mornings but failed to connect with the station's core listeners or attract younger ones as hope. Replaced by Steve Cochran in September, they put like wacky old school shock jot guys on the, on the conservative talk station. Again, shocking that that didn't work. Number 2013, Johnny B moved to WGN.fm and added the game last.

WGN.fm. Again, you guys had to have seen it coming. It's like when I got fired in St. Louis, I didn't know that it was coming that day. But like you kind of had the idea. Like, you know what? I'm going to get fired at some point. This is not going to sustain. February, he is not under contract.

Meyer joined WGN in April 29 and hosted afternoons until last May when he moved to WGN. FM. Still the station's highest paid on-air employee at a reported $800,000 a year. Whoa! There was a dude making 800 grand to work on WGN.fm. Now, granted, I'm sure they paid him that money to, you know, hire him at WGNAM. Like, of course your little radio station wasn't going to work. They were paying a guy $800,000 a year to work on the internet.

Iyer has a contract that runs through October 2015. There it is. All right. Now, you've read the damn news story. There's six more minutes of this fucking. video. I better get some anger. I better get some shots taking at people. I'm going to be super pissed. Chicago radio host fired over Twitter live on air. Better give me some better shit than this. There it is. 312. 2.35 2525. Let's talk about things. Yeah, they're not going to call.

Bless you, brother. Hey, nobody calls my radio show. I guarantee you nobody was calling your weird wgn.fm. show. I don't understand. Why is it so hard to... Okay. Good. Now we're getting somewhere. He wants to know why. You know, he couldn't, you know, they just can't come in and say, hey, we're firing people. Tell your employees that they're losing their jobs. Why do they have to find out that way? Isn't there anybody here who has respect for employees? No.

I haven't heard from Jimmy DeCastro on this. I bet you didn't. We found out from Robert Feeder while we were on the freaking air. What kind of operation is this? Brother, it's 87.7 FM. It's WGN.fm. What did you think? I guess I know what operation, an operation that's going down in flames.

Well, it's not going down in flames. It was never erected to be burned down. I mean, now you know exactly why. Who treats people like that? Radio people? I told you, I got fired in St. Louis, Homeboy just shrugged his shoulders. That was how he fired me. Julie DeCaro, Joe Romano, they're sitting under the other room.

Connor McKnight's here. This is how we're finding out, all of us. Now, Quigs, you had an... Poor Julie DeCaro. That woman's nuts, too. She was one of these people who during the Rona lost her job on... She was on the Odyssey Sports Station doing like 10 to midnight or some shit, which nobody pays anybody to do 10 to midnight anywhere anymore.

So the Rona happens and she gets fired. And she turned it into a, I got fired because I'm a woman. woman like, no, ma'am, you got fired because you're on from 10 to midnight on the radio when they could just put somebody on for free. An idea that this was coming because you are part of management and I'm not blaming you, please, when I state this, but... This is great. He's looking over to his buddy who's on the show and he's like, you're part of management. Did you know it was coming? Did you order a code red?

I was, but... Hold on. Did he let me say? You had an idea that this was coming because you are part of management and I'm not blaming you, please, when I state this, but... I was. But when you... This is great. So Homeboy that's his co-host knew it was coming, and he's doing the show with him. You were told not to say anything from our bosses. Yeah, I was.

Now, see, now this is getting good. See, now we're talking. So old buddy here knew this was coming down. He's doing the show with this guy. This guy's blindsided reading the story of the firing on the internet. This guy's known about it the whole time. Fight, damn it, fight! Last night.

Yeah. Just some sort of a heads-up so we know that something's coming so we don't read it. Robert Feeder? I wonder if the other guy kept his gig. That'd be even better. Think about that. What's the date today? 20th.

Yeah. We were just told that we're all out of work in a month, month and a half. On Twitter. How is that possible? I mean, what are we doing around here? That's crap. And this guy, the other guy knew about it last night, didn't tell anybody. So they find out about it on the air.

I'm like, fight this guy. Fight him. Fight this man. I had respect for our bosses until about five minutes ago. They have not even come in the room yet to say anything. Sorry, guys, that you had to find out this way. Well, what are they going to do? Like, walk in in the middle of your segment.

Like, hey, guys, this is compelling enough as it is. although that would have been killer. That would have been pretty awesome. I wish she would have walked in me like, hey, fellas. Yeah, so sorry about that. Something. Now we got to sit here and do a show for an hour and 40 minutes. Yeah, let's break down that Cubs trade.

How are we supposed to do that? I've never ever had management treat me this way. I've never had that before. That is a very simple point. How dare you do? treat, well, I mean, it's not just you. I mean, other people were treated poorly in this situation too. Good bosses. I've had some pretty bad bosses. None of them have ever treated their employees

this way. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you. It's like, watch it like Dr. Phil. This rules. You don't have to apologize. This is not your fault. You should be like, you're goddamn right. You're sorry. You're a sorry. You're a sorry. Son of a bitch, you are. You were not, you were not responsible for it. This is Jimmy DeCastro and Todd Manley, who the guys who run this station and told nobody. And, you know, I put a lot of faith in those guys.

Oh, that was your fault for putting faith in these dudes running a radio station on 87.7 FM. When they wanted to bring me over to this station, I was excited about it. And I think we're doing a great show, by the way. And maybe you are, but apparently no one else does. I think Quiggin' Finver is a great show. I think Cap'n Hall is great. Jared Harry's Spock. Those guys hit the lottery, though.

one of those guys got to leave and go to the ESPN station. I think the other one is now overdoing mornings on the Odyssey station, which moved to FM, like an actual FM stick. I think the night game has done a great job, too. Connor McKnight just walked in. Yeah. And I put a lot of faith in them, and it was feeling good. And I know we know what the numbers are.

Come on, we're not stupid. We knew the ratings were bad, and we know how radio works. If ratings are bad, revenues down, that's just the way it goes. Station was growing, not growing fast enough. Which, I mean, I don't know that it was actually growing, it doesn't seem. I mean, you're just hemorrhaging cash. Just fine. I understand all of that.

But when you put faith in people, at the very least, you just want some respect, okay? You know, you don't, you know, we kind of, I kind of had an idea that maybe this could end at some point. You never know with radio. You have a 0.5 on 87.7 FM. It could just. And WGN. Dot FM. Cut ties right away.

And that's what they've done. But at least respect. That's all. you would have asked for. I mean, if either one of our bosses would have said, hey, guys, sorry to tell you this, but we're not going to make it. We're shutting down in a month and a half. You know, just be aware that this could break today at any point.

Just that would have been fine. Nothing. I saw those guys this morning. They were acting like everything was normal. Who does that? Well, but, I mean, look, when I got fired in St. Louis, I'm walking in for, I had my lunch. I had gone downstairs and got myself a.

sandwich from Pop Belly. And I'm walking up. Cross paths with one of the other dish jockeys who used to be a full-timer there. It was a part-timer. He goes, hey, big boy, what's going on? I'm like, oh, not much. It's coming to work. He goes, all right, cool.

Ten minutes later, I'm fired, and he's on the air. I mean, shit happens. Are they even human? Are they here? Are they here? What are they doing? Going on vacation? I bet they'll have jobs at the end of the year.

Well, probably. Oh, that's the perk of being the boss. I wouldn't, I don't know. I honestly don't know. I'd be like, hey, did they not tell you that too? You son of a bitch. I mean, who, have you ever heard of anything like that in your life? Yes.

He's like, yeah, I heard about it last night when they told me that we were all getting fired and I didn't tell you. But it doesn't make it right. It doesn't make it good. I like how he goes, have you ever heard about anything like that in your life? An old buddy goes, yeah, I actually have. I mean, people are texting me right now, you know. Boy, this is the most interaction we've, ever gotten on this show, guys. It's usually how it goes. The second somebody hears something,

you know, ends or is getting fired, that's when all the people start getting interested. Be a pro handle with class. How are we supposed to handle this with class? Nobody else around here is. I don't even know what to do. Do we keep doing a show today? What do we do? I mean, look, we got Bill Smitherson from the Tribune coming on to talk about the Blackhawks. Just trying to do that? I want to keep doing a show personally. If I only get one more month to do this, I want to keep doing it. But how are we supposed to do a show today? What am I supposed?

We're going to go with Jake Cutler, I guess, next. Is that what we're going to do? Oh, boy, this is how long ago this was? This is even longer ago than I thought? We're in Jay Cutler talk here. We're going to talk to Sam Smith about the Bulls tonight. I don't care about the Bulls and the Blackhawks. We just got fired.

The whole state, well, I don't think we got fired. I think the whole station got fired. That'd be great. Get the guy that wrote the story. See, that'd be compelling. get the guy who wrote the story about you getting fired before you knew on the air. Now that's good shit. You know, let's do this.

Joe, can you book Robert Feeder? Let's find out more. I mean, he clearly has information. We've got nothing. Just so, no text. It could be bad news coming today. Nothing. So I guess we'll go to a Jake Cutler press conference next.

I guess that's what we're going to do. Because that's what we have on the schedule. try to stick to it as much as possible. But this is going to be a tough one to do today. 2014. And I apologize. I'm sorry that we got to waste time talking about this, but

I don't know what to do. No one cares. This is the best thing they've heard on this station ever. I mean, I'm sorry. Maybe I should be more polite about it, but... I think that whatever you're feeling right now is fair. We were coming back from break, last segment. As we were coming back from break, I see

on Twitter that the station's shutting down. How is that even possible? of the year. For those of you who don't follow Robert Feeder. All right. It's Quigs and Finn for its 87-7 the game. All right, guys, good talk. That rules.

I don't know. I don't get worked up over the lack of respect and shit, you know. Part of it's because I've been fired enough, and every time I've been fired, I've kind of known it was coming. I say every time I've been fired technically twice, I guess. No, three

times I've been fired. Now, you never knew the day of that you were getting fired, by the way. You never knew these things. Like, each day that I've gotten fired, I didn't sense like, oh, by the way, it's coming down tomorrow. You know. But I've never been on the air and learned I got fired. I've never done like a show after getting fired or anything like that. I was hoping a homeboy would have melted down a little bit more.

That was my hope. Didn't get enough of a meltdown, but it's not bad. All right, more to come.