Former ‘Preston & Steve’ cohost Kathy Romano lands a new Philly radio gig
Romano is heading to Audacy and launching two shows on B101 beginning next week.
Kathy Romano needs to dust off her alarm clock.
After four months off the air and sleeping in, the former Preston & Steve cohost is coming back to the Philly airwaves.
“It wasn’t that tough to sleep past 4 a.m.,” Romano told The Inquirer. “I had a nice little rest, but now I’m ready to set my alarm clock before the sun comes up and get back to work.”
Romano, who spent 22 years with WMMR before being caught up in layoffs in May by parent company Beasley Media Group, is launching two new shows on B101.
The first, appropriately called The Kathy Romano Show, will air from 6 to 10 a.m. and launch Sept. 23. She’ll be joined by current morning show co-hosts Bobby Smith and Laura Boss, who took over when Jenn Ryan retired in March.
“Right now it’s music heavy,” Romano said. “I came from a pure talk show that didn’t play very much music at all, so it’s going to be somewhere in between.”
Romano will also host her own solo midday show from 10 a.m. to noon that she said will feature more music.
That’s six straight hours of Romano in the mornings, going up against her former show at WMMR. But don’t expect her to go the Howard Stern route and fight dirty in an attempt to one-up Preston Elliot, Steve Morrison, and the rest of her former colleagues, who have been “incredibly supportive” of the move.
“Actually, Preston encouraged me from the very start to take this job,” Romano said. “He thought it was a perfect fit for me.”
Romano’s dismissal from WMMR took listeners and her Preston & Steve cohosts by surprise, especially considering the show has been among the most popular show across the Philly region for decades. The show also recently signed a new multiyear deal keeping it on the air through 2030.
Elliot choked up on the air in May announcing the news, called it “profoundly sad” Beasley decided to break up a show also featuring Casey “Casey Boy” Fosbenner, Marisa Magnatta, and Nick McIlwain.
“Kathy Romano is smart, fun, relatable and deeply connected to our community which makes her the perfect voice for B101,” David Yadgaroff, the senior vice president and market manager for Audacy’s seven stations in Philadelphia. “We’re thrilled to welcome her to the Audacy family and confident she’ll lead this new chapter of mornings with authenticity, heart and a whole lot of fun.”
Philly listeners know B101 as the Christmas station, with nonstop holiday tunes beginning in mid-November. Some radio talkers wouldn’t be thrilled with that gig, but Romano is psyched.
“I probably love Christmas more than most people,” Romano said, noting she’ll continue the annual holiday activity list she started at WMMR. “So me being paired up with a Christmas music station is perfect.”