After 8-month stint as station's afternoon voice, Johny D. is out at WSPD

9/20/2013

After an eight-month stint as the afternoon voice at WSPD-AM 1370, talk-show host Johny D. has lost his job.

"Johny D. is no longer part of 1370 WSPD," said Kellie Holeman, Clear Channel regional market manager, in an email to The Blade. "We appreciate all of his contributions during his time with us and wish him well."

Scott Sands, WSPD program director, was announced as the permanent replacement in the station's 3-to-6 p.m. drive-time slot with The Scott Show.

Holeman described the new program as "a new talk show featuring lively conversations about pop culture, breaking news, money, politics, technology, and sports with host Scott Sands and a ‘think tank' of regular contributors from the local and national stage."

The Scott Show is similar to the general issues and lifestyle topics format of Johny D.'s show, which represented a marked departure in the station's otherwise mostly conservative talk-show-driven programming.

Johny D. was hired by WSPD on a part-time basis following the November departure of the station's controversial and politically divisive afternoon talk-show host Brian Wilson, before taking over the slot full time in early February.

At the time, station management was bullish on the personnel move. But Johny D.'s ratings in the most recent Arbitron book indicated listeners were slow to accept the show's format and perhaps its host. In the spring Johny D. drew an average weekly audience of 0.4 in the 12-and-older demographic, a decline of 0.2 from Wilson's numbers in spring, 2012. His cumulative weekly audience, however, remained mostly stable; 20,200 tuning in from 3 to 6 p.m. compared to 21,500 for Wilson.

Holeman did not offer any further comment about Johny D.'s departure.

The former shock jock has had local stints at WVKS-FM 92.5 (KISS-FM) and WTWR-FM, 98.3 in Monroe, as well as Detroit. More recently he was program director and weekday host at WCKY-FM 103.7 in Findlay. Johny D. could not be reached for comment.

Contact Kirk Baird at kbaird@theblade.com or 419-724-6734.