SYRACUSE -- She disappeared from the station website yesterday, and today management confirms it: longtime 95X (WAQX) middayer Alexis has exited the station.
Citadel Operations Manager Tom Mitchell tells CNYRadio.com, "due to continued economic challenges we have eliminated the 95X midday position." He says, "we will announce plans soon for the midday show." Right now, the station's website lists "Rock Radio" on the schedule from 10am to 2pm.
Alexis worked at the rock station for more than 17 years, picking up PD stripes in 2003. The job would prove to bring some unexpected and rather rocky twists, particularly following Howard Stern's 2004 decision to move from terrestrial to satellite radio... and the ensuing battle between Stern and Citadel, that eventually gained national attention.
Last year, Alexis scaled back from the programming role, but retained her midday air shift. As of Thursday morning, the 95X website did not have any particular jock listed on its schedule for the 10am-2pm shift, but it's not necessarily jockless. At about 12:30pm, we did hear a live jock announcing a contest, followed by a stopset, and the winning phoner.
Alexis is the second Citadel Syracuse personality to be dropped since the nation's faltering economy started to take its toll on broadcasting companies near and far. Back in November, Big Jim Donovan was dropped from the same shift at Citadel's heritage CHR station, 93Q (WNTQ).
At the time, Mitchell posted a message on the station website to expres his hope that the move would only be temporary. But with Citadel stock (CDL) stuck at or below $0.25 per share since then (it was at $10.34 just two years ago), Donovan's return doesn't seem very likely -- at least not in the immediate future.