Drake Webb Left 'The Dave Ryan Show' to Focus on Online Content

You would think that the higher-ups running various radio stations across the country would be aware of the value that comes with consistency. People who listen to the radio tune in every day in part to hear familiar voices and personalities. Those personalities build up a kind of trust with their audience, but that kind of trust only comes with time.

Listeners in Minnesota were the latest to be shocked by the discovery that Drake Webb, one of the hosts of KDWB's Dave Ryan Show, is no longer with the station. Here's what we know about the departure, and about what happened to Drake.

In March 2024, Drake announced that he would no longer be working at KDWB. While Drake's Instagram post announcing the pivot didn't explain exactly why he would no longer be working there, the most obvious explanation appears to be that he was let go by iHeartMedia, which owns the station.

"I will no longer be on the show anymore. I will be fully focusing on streaming and making videos," Drake said in his Instagram post.

Drake added that he'll be publishing videos on his YouTube channel and plans to livestream on Twitch and post more frequently to his TikTok.

Drake seemed focused on the future, and he thanked both fans and iHeartMedia for the opportunity he got to be on the show. Although Drake may have been focused on the future, plenty of his fans were pretty upset by the news that the lineup for the morning show was changing yet again.

"What the actual F is happening with the morning show? Falen’s gone, now you? I love Jenny but I’m over these changes," one person wrote in the comments under Drake's announcement.

"I hate to be that person but you honestly made my mornings better. You're so hilarious but it's going to be hard to listen to KDWB now," another person added.

Drake's ouster seems to be one small part of a larger shakeup happening at iHeartMedia's stations around the twin cities. Whatever the reasons for the changes might be, though, they don't seem to be sitting well with those who actually enjoy listening to the radio as part of their commute or other daily routines.

Drake's pivot online is indicative of one of the struggles that many radio companies are dealing with. As more people spend their time consuming videos and podcasts, or streaming music from their phones, the sliver of the listening market that radio owns is becoming smaller and smaller.

You'd think that that small market would make it more important for radio stations to cultivate hosts who can build up a loyal audience of devoted listeners. Of course, we'll never know for sure exactly what happened unless Drake decides to explain it. For now, then, listeners will just have to decide whether they still want to listen to KDWB or not.