Radio host fights back tears as he announces show has been axed after 20 years

Daily Mirror

20-05-2025

A radio host was seen fighting back tears as he announced the end of a long-running show on Hits Radio. It comes following the news that regional breakfast shows will come to an end on the radio station in just a few weeks time.
Bauer Media Group announced recently that Hit Radio's regional breakfast shows in England and Wales will be replaced by a national version from June 9. The new show will be hosted by Fleur East, Will Best and James Barr.
Among those affected by the news are John Dalziel - known as JD - and Roisin McCourt, whose breakfast show covers the West Midlands. They shared the news with listeners just days ago ahead of the final broadcast on June 6.
JD said: "This is one of those moments that's honestly really tough to kind of say out loud but we've got some news for you. After almost 20 years of broadcasting around here, our show is coming to an end and we just wanna thank you because we've loved being part of your morning routine and can't thank you enough for letting us into your lives."
Roisin said: "We have and from my point of view, I think I've had three children - they're 13, they're nine, they're five - and I've been here waking you up every morning but now I'm gonna be at home waking them up, which they're either gonna love or hate. You're also gonna see a crazy woman driving around Coundon in a Citreon so watch out for me, but honestly, it's been absolutely incredible but 21 years is a very long time on a breakfast show and we really wanna thank you!"
Visibly emotional, JD said: "We've had an incredible journey. Y'know we've grown up on this show, we've lived our lives out loud. We've had kids, we've been through different partners, we've had breakups, we've had the lot. But y'know what? There's nothing more than the priviledge of broadcasting to the area that you call home. The place that you're born and brought up with and that's always gonna be incredibly special to me."
He added: "You shared your lives daily with us, y'know your weddings, your breakups. I think we've even got a couple of kids named after us somewhere round here."
He continued: "From June 9th the all new breakfast show will be here. I know the guys well and they're gonna give you a great wake up in the morning. [...] They've got loads planned over the summer.
"But I just wanted to say, the biggest thank you to firstly you [Roisin], you've been my partner in crime. You've been my daily giggle. You've been the beating heart of this show. You've shared everything with not just me and Paul, but the whole of the West Midlands, and Paul I'm gonna miss the daily belly laugh everyday. You make everything funny even when it shouldn't be."
Hits Radio announced the end of the current regional breakfast shows in March ahead of their final broadcasts. The brand confirmed that it will introduce one single national Breakfast show across England and Wales from June 9.
It was also shared at the time that Hits Radio and Greatest Hits Radio will continue to broadcast local news, including traffic and travel information. Additionally, parent company Bauer Media said it would "streamline its operations by consolidating its production capabilities into seven key centres".
Simon Myciunka, CEO of Bauer Media Audio UK, said: "We continually evolve to meet audience behaviours and advertiser needs and by launching one single national Breakfast show across Hits Radio, we are supercharging our efforts to provide a more unified, engaging experience across the entire schedule while also retaining local news and information." They added: "I'd like to extend my thanks to our Hits Radio Breakfast teams in England and Wales as they embark on their final run of shows. Their significant contribution has played a hugely important part of the Hits Radio story so far and we wish them well for the future."