Tony Randall and Kris Rochester, the hosts of 'Tony and Kris,' Left WIVK
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Published July 18 2022, 12:45 p.m. ET
For five years, listeners of the WIVK-FM in Knoxville, Tenn. had the chance to get their daily dose of spot-on commentary and quality dad jokes just by tuning into the Tony and Kris every morning. Seasoned radio hosts Tony Randall and Kris Rochester manned the broadcasting desk in the early hours, offering a potent blend of shrewd observations and funny remarks. Tony and Kris has been off the air for a while now. What happened?
What happened to 'Tony and Kris' on WIVK? Here's what you should know.
Tony and Kris first met in the 1990s, while working for the WHMA-FM in Anniston-Oxford, Ala. They quickly discovered that they had great on-air chemistry. They sought out opportunities that allowed them to continue working together after they left the radio station popular among country music fans and far beyond.
Tony and Kris soon landed a radio show broadcast by KWFN (aka KSON and KSON 97.3) in San Diego, Calif. They stayed at the station for almost two decades. They made the switch to syndicated radio afterward. They joined WIVK-FM in Knoxville, Tenn., around five years ago. Tony and Kris confirmed that they were leaving Tony and Kris and WIVK via a Facebook Live posted on June 29, 2022.
'Tony and Kris' on WIVK was canceled in the summer of 2022.
"We reached the end of a contract, and the company decided [that] they didn't want to re-up our contract, so that's the end of that," Tony said. "It's tough. And it's an interesting thing. When something like this happens, 99 percent of the time, that's it, the previous show disappears, and nobody really talks about it. So, we are here today to quickly say hello, and let you know that you've been incredible to us."
"We are very lucky. You have been the most welcoming, wonderful group of people. You made us feel at home immediately, which is so nice. That was a real pleasure, and it's been a delight getting to know you guys."
As Tony and Kris revealed, they have no intention of retiring anytime soon. As they said, WIVK might have decided to ax Tony and Kris, but this alone isn't going to mark the end of their careers as radio hosts.
Tony and Kris pledged to continue delighting fans with their hilarious comments and spot-on observations in a different capacity. As they said, they will continue to run a text line, which allows listeners to stay connected.
As Tony and Kris suggested, they might release more Facebook Lives or podcast episodes in the future. They likely changed their minds in the meantime, as they haven't posted new Facebook Lives since the clip went out on June 29, 2022.
"The market manager and the PD have a completely different idea of the show than what we do," Kris said. "Their vision for what they want is not the kind of radio show that we do, so it makes sense to part ways," Tony said. "We have some cool things lined up."