K-FROG 95.1 radio lays off Ginny Harman, co-host of ‘Wake Up Call’ morning show
Ginny Harman, the co-host of The Wake Up Call morning show at K-FROG 95.1, announced her involuntary departure from the station on social media Thursday.
Harman, who shared the morning shift with co-hosts David Bugenske and Kelli “Green” Barajas, had worked at the Riverside-based country music station since 2017.
“Hey all!” Harman wrote on her Facebook page. “So today was my last day at K-FROG. The dreaded COVID has caused budget cuts everywhere, and we are no different.
“I will miss you all … and thank you for your love and support all these years,” she continued. “Love my K-FROG Family, but most of all …YOU … the listeners.
“Hopefully we’ll meet again soon in a Post-Pandemic world!”
Harman, who often handled news and traffic on the show that airs from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays, had previously worked for two years as an airborne reporter and anchor for Total Traffic & Weather Network, which provides those services to local broadcasters.
Her career also included a run as the afternoon and evening host on rival country station Go Country 105 from 2009 to 2015, and before that her first stint at K-FROG, hosting afternoons from 2005 to 2008. Harman has also worked as a Southern California-based voiceover artist in addition to her radio gigs since 1998.
Fans and listeners who saw her social media post expressed their sadness at her departure.
“Ginny you are definitely going to be missed!” wrote Marianne Crane on Facebook. “I loved the chemistry between the members of the morning show. I hope this is just one door closing to a better door opening.
“You’ll always be a member of the Frog family,” she added.
“Ginny, this breaks my heart!” commented Kathie Gunn. “I have loved having your voice on the radio for so long, and I love your heart, spirit and your laugh!”
It appears Harman lost her job as part of a nationwide restructuring by Entercom, which owns more than 200 stations, that targeted its country and alternative stations, according to an apparent Entercom memo obtained by the radio news site AllAccess.com, which estimated at least 30 jobs were cut in the changes.
Many comments noted how much they missed other radio hosts who’ve left the year in previous months and years, a trend that has deepened in the past few years of radio network struggles.
In January, KOST-FM laid off longtime afternoon host Mark Wallengren. In March, KROQ-FM canned its entire morning team including longtime host Kevin Ryder. In June, KLOS-FM axed morning co-host Frosty Stilwell.
The previous year saw more high-profile hosts leave the air. KLOS-FM said goodbye to Lisa May in December, who left of her own accord, though previously there’d been an uproar when her previous employer KROQ-FM laid her off.
And in June, K-FROG fans lost another favorite when the station laid off DJ Scott Ward, who’d been at the station for 24 years.
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