12-14-2012
After recently telling his audience he needed brain surgery, Don Wade announced he'd be taking a break from the morning show he's been doing with his wife Roma for 27 years. On Wednesday, the show officially ended on WLS in Chicago when the duo jointly announced they would focus on Don's recovery and would not be returning.
"Even with successful surgery, recovery is long. Attitude is key. Your encouraging, loving cards, letters, and emails helped us maintain what Don's doctors describe as 'the most positive optimistic attitude in the universe'! Thank you for every single prayer and good wish. The daily stress of rising each day at midnight to prep for our 5 a.m. show does not help the healing process. So we are choosing a different path and focusing on what's really important for us right now."
Cumulus Co-Chief Operating Officer John Dickey said, "Don and Roma are Chicago and 27 years waking Chicago up is an amazing feat. The focus and strength it takes to do live radio every day on one of the world's biggest stages will serve Don well as he continues to heal. We wish Don and Roma the best and will always keep a mic open for them."
Read the full WLS Press Release HERE
Salem VP of News/Talk and Programming Tom Tradup tells Radio Ink, "Don Wade & Roma were my very first hires in 1989 as I was incoming President/GM of WLS. Morning radio audiences in Chicago will miss Don Wade's dynamic personality, his rapier-like wit, and the unique way he championed conservative causes in a Democratic stronghold like Chicago. (Highlight for me was when he attracted over 5,000 listeners to his 'Gacy's Day Parade' through the Chicago Loop to urge then-Illinois governor Jim Edgar to 'give the needle' to serial child killer John Wayne Gacy.)"
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