Legendary syndicated radio host Tom Joyner will soon be signing off the air – but not by choice.

Daily Mail Online can reveal the 65-year-old entertainment veteran is being forced into an early retirement to not only make room for younger talent but also to coincide with the departure of President Barack Obama from the White House.

The plan is being put into place by radio conglomerate Radio One along with his best friend and former business associate David Kantor, sources claim.

‘They think going with a younger, fresher show is the way to go and the entire plan has been orchestrated by the man who actually launched Tom into syndication originally,’ a source tells Daily Mail Online exclusively.

Joyner started his syndicated radio show The Tom Joyner Morning Show in 1994 with ABC Radio Networks after hosting a morning program in Dallas and an afternoon radio show in Chicago for eight years.

During that time he earned more than seven million frequent-flier miles commuting daily between the two cities. The vigorous travel schedule earned Joyner the nicknames The Fly Jock and The Hardest-Working Man In Radio.

Kantor, then an executive at ABC Radio Networks, came up with the idea to launch Joyner into national syndication.

As the first African-American host in national syndication, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, which featured co-hosts Sybil Wilkes and comedian J. Anthony Brown, became an instant success.

At its peak it aired in upwards of 120 markets and reaching more than 15 million listeners daily.

The Tom Joyner Morning Show became the number one syndicated urban morning show and one of the most-successful syndicated shows in the history of radio.

‘He was like the Muhammad Ali of radio, the greatest of all time. He was a superstar in the Black community and had crossover appeal that made him respected by the mainstream as well,’ says the source.

Joyner’s status skyrocketed and he instantly became a multimillionaire.

In 2003, he launched Reach Media with Kantor who left ABC Radio Networks to run Joyner’s Texas-based media company.

In November 2004, Radio One acquired a 53% stake in Reach Media for $56.1 million in cash and stock, which gave them ownership rights of The Tom Joyner Morning Show and Joyner’s website BlackAmericaWeb.com.

Nearly a year later, in September 2005, comedian Steve Harvey launched his own syndicated radio program The Steve Harvey Morning Show with Premiere Radio Networks and became direct competition for Joyner in many markets.

Harvey, who starred in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy, had hosted a morning radio program in Los Angeles for Radio One for five years. But he had an explosive parting of ways with the company’s founder Cathy Hughes and the company let him go before his contract ended in May 2005.

Harvey originally approached Joyner and Kantor about syndicating his show nationally after falling out with Radio One, but Kantor told him ‘he would never work in syndication’ because Harvey had a reputation for ‘being difficult and nasty to fans.’

After a short time in syndication, Harvey’s morning show became a hit and began to pose a serious threat for Joyner.

In recent years, with the success of the 58-year-old Harvey’s daytime talk show, film projects, bestselling books and his game show Family Feud; the comedian’s radio program has eclipsed Joyner’s with larger markets and more listeners.

In 2012, Kantor encouraged Joyner to sell more stakes in Reach Media to Radio One, a source tells Daily Mail Online.

In December of that year, Radio One increased its stake to 80% and that decision was something that Joyner would live to regret.

Kantor finally edged him out I see................

Wow....this is quite a bombshell.

Mike Baisden and a few others must be gloating like a mug right now.

I hear Russ Parr is taking over.

From Tom's FB page.....


The Party with a Purpose® that’s been here for you for years is not stopping! We’ll talk to you in the morning on your radio! (PS Don’t believe everything you read on the internet)

I never knew Steve's radio debut began with the Radio Mogul Ms. Cathy Hughes. I can only imagine the heated exchange between the two of them..I will always be a Tom Joyner fan cuz he was the FIRST morning show I listened to religiously UNTIL Steve came along...Steve def shaved off a good-bit of Tom's loyal fan-base...There's a crop of Black Radio-personalities in Radio/Satellite but that 6am to 10am Radio-Market is where you get crowned King/Queen...Steve is gonna give his radio-throne to Nephew Tommy and as Hilarious as Tommy is he's not Steve, but maybe that will work in his favor...Tom's networth is @ $30 Million & Steve's is @ $100 Million...Both Titans can Retire from Radio Richer than they could have imagined...Not bad, not bad at all...

babynoz said:

I hear Russ Parr is taking over.

That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. Just sayin'.

That's fine with me. For years now, that show has become less and less music and more and more silly ass talk.

I get the sense Radio One should be careful what it wishes for . . .

Good-bye, don't let the door knob hit you in the _ _ _ on the wayout.

Why would anyone fly from Dallas to Chicago just to be able to host two radio shows in two different cities? Was his contract THAT lucrative to make that effort?

KoolEaze said:

Why would anyone fly from Dallas to Chicago just to be able to host two radio shows in two different cities? Was his contract THAT lucrative to make that effort?

It lead to him becoming a multi-millionaire.

No one enjoyed and loved Mr. Joyner as a DJ than me. Back in the day when he was on the Johnson Publishing AM radio station... he and crazy-ass La Donna Tittle use to cut-up. After Joyner moved to FM and his show was syndicated - "shock jock shtick was born - I stopped listen. The tone of the show changed... DJ's and black DJ's were always "characters" but the tone of these show changed.

The other thing...

If I wanted to hear people run their mouths in the morining, I'd turn on a NPR or talk radio. I'm convinced these b.s. morining radio talk show contributed in the decline of record sales. I bought a lot of music back in the day on my lunch hour because Curtis Spann- The Man and Daddy O' Daley would spin a new song or showcase a new artist during the morining drive.

TD3 said:

No one enjoyed and loved Mr. Joyner as a DJ than me. Back in the day when he was on the Johnson Publishing AM radio station... he and crazy-ass La Donna Tittle use to cut-up. After Joyner moved to FM and his show was syndicated - "shock jock shtick was born - I stopped listen. The tone of the show changed... DJ's and black DJ's were always "characters" but the tone of these show changed.

The other thing...

If I wanted to hear people run their mouths in the morining, I'd turn on a NPR or talk radio. I'm convinced these b.s. morining radio talk show contributed in the decline of record sales. I bought a lot of music back in the day on my lunch hour because Curtis Spann- The Man and Daddy O' Daley would spin a new song or showcase a new artist during the morining drive.

I had forgotten about La Donna Tittle.

You're right about how radio changed over the years.

While I did like Tom Joyner's show I wasn't so fond of Steve Harvey's radio show

especially when he started his country ass singing on there.

phunkdaddy said:

TD3 said:

No one enjoyed and loved Mr. Joyner as a DJ than me. Back in the day when Joyer was on the Johnson Publishing AM radio station... he and crazy-ass La Donna Tittle use to cut-up. After Joyner moved to FM and his show was syndicated - "shock jock shtick was born - I stopped listening. The tone of the show changed... DJ's and black DJ's were always "characters" but the tone of those shows changed.

The other thing...

If I wanted to hear people run their mouths in the morining, I'd turn to NPR or talk radio. I'm convinced these b.s. morining radio talk show contributed in the decline of record sales. I bought a lot of music back in the day on my lunch hour because Curtis Spann- The Man and Daddy O' Daley would spin a new song or showcase a new artist during the morining drive.

I had forgotten about La Donna Tittle.

You're right about how radio changed over the years.

While I did like Tom Joyner's show I wasn't so fond of Steve Harvey's radio show

especially when he started his country ass singing on there.

Lawd' what is that about? I found his country twang singing, disturbing.

Phunkdaddy did you ever hear about La Donna being arrested in Jamaica for attempting to bring back a Samsonite suitcase full of weed? Sista traveled to Jamaica with clothes but ditch most of her stuff so she could stuff her suitcase with Ganja. Thank goodness she work for Ebony Johnson or ol' girl probably would have been sentenced to the pokey. Joyner should her no mercy, he cracked on her on air for a week.

TD3 said:

phunkdaddy said:

I had forgotten about La Donna Tittle.

You're right about how radio changed over the years.

While I did like Tom Joyner's show I wasn't so fond of Steve Harvey's radio show

especially when he started his country ass singing on there.

Lawd' what is that about? I found his country twang singing, disturbing.

Phunkdaddy did you ever hear about La Donna being arrested in Jamaica for attempting to bring back a Samsonite suitcase full of weed? Sista traveled to Jamaica with clothes but ditch most of her stuff so she could stuff her suitcase with Ganja. Thank goodness she work for Ebony Johnson or ol' girl probably would have been sentenced to the pokey. Joyner should her no mercy, he cracked on her on air for a week.

No I didn't hear about that situation with La Donna but it sure sounds like something Tom

would do. Hell Tom would crack on his own mama on his show for laughs.

TD3 said:

No one enjoyed and loved Mr. Joyner as a DJ than me. Back in the day when he was on the Johnson Publishing AM radio station... he and crazy-ass La Donna Tittle use to cut-up. After Joyner moved to FM and his show was syndicated - "shock jock shtick was born - I stopped listen. The tone of the show changed... DJ's and black DJ's were always "characters" but the tone of these show changed.

The other thing...

If I wanted to hear people run their mouths in the morining, I'd turn on a NPR or talk radio. I'm convinced these b.s. morining radio talk show contributed in the decline of record sales. I bought a lot of music back in the day on my lunch hour because Curtis Spann- The Man and Daddy O' Daley would spin a new song or showcase a new artist during the morining drive.

U are reaching into the wayyyyyy backkkkk machine. I love it.

I thought the Tom Joyner Show had went off the air a while ago.

kitbradley said:

I thought the Tom Joyner Show had went off the air a while ago.

Kit you need to stop...LOL...

babynoz said:

Wow....this is quite a bombshell.

Mike Baisden and a few others must be gloating like a mug right now.

Michael Baisden knew FM radio was reaching it tragic end about 3 year earlier, hence why he went independent and started relying on blog radio and podcast radio more often.

Beautifulstarr123 said:

If that's the excuse they're coming up with, to make room for younger talent, then Steve Harvey must go, if that's the case. Oh, that's right. Steve is the cash cow

.......and Steve Harvey is also a coon train rider.

[Edited 12/11/15 15:19pm]

Radio One makes major changes for The Tom Joyner Morning Show moving it from 102.3 WMMJ to heritage 1450 AM WOL in Washington DC. Read the story here: http://urbanradiomagazine...ifts-2016/ Is this the beginning of the end between Tom Joyner and Radio One?

getxxxx said:

Radio One makes major changes for The Tom Joyner Morning Show moving it from 102.3 WMMJ to heritage 1450 AM WOL in Washington DC. Read the story here: http://urbanradiomagazine...ifts-2016/ Is this the beginning of the end between Tom Joyner and Radio One?

Damn! As long as they don't take Carl off the air Im okay.

TonyVanDam said:

Radio One is horrible. We have a station here called the Buzz, it used to have hard core African American politics, now it changed to a gospel format. They are muting the voice of struggle. Blacks have no radio

TonyVanDam said:

TonyVanDam said:

Beautifulstarr123 said:

If that's the excuse they're coming up with, to make room for younger talent, then Steve Harvey must go, if that's the case. Oh, that's right. Steve is the cash cow

.......and Steve Harvey is also a coon train rider.

[Edited 12/11/15 15:19pm]

Well, he started getting on my nerves when he somehow transitioned his way into being some sort of relationship expert trying to convince women that if they just played by all these bullshit rules they could snag the man of their dreams. It's utter bullshit. I guess there are stupid women who really think it's humanly possible to follow a damn book to find the right guy. There's an element of luck involved as well and he acts like he has all the answers. I am sick and tired of these "relationship experts" brainwashing women into thinking that all they have to do to find bliss with a man is follow some bullshit steps and all your dreams will come true.....it's garbage.

♫ ♫ ♫ Uh uh oh ... It's the Tom Joyner mornin show! ♫ ♫ ♫