WMMR’s ‘Preston & Steve’ losing another cohost following surprise announcement by Nick McIlwain

The Preston & Steve Show is losing another personality.

Longtime cohost Nick McIlwain, who has been a fixture on Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison’s popular WMMR morning show for 21 years, announced Wednesday would be his last day on the show.

The surprise announcement comes a little less than a month after the sudden death of beloved WMMR host Pierre Robert. McIlwain made the decision to leave the station before losing his friend and colleague, but made clear it impacted his choice. McIlwain said he was also motivated by the departure of former colleague and current B101 host Kathy Romano, who was forced out in May as part of cutbacks by parent company Beasley Media Group.

But mostly, McIlwain thought it was time for a change.

“Kathy and I are really close, but I don’t know if things would be different if she were still here,” McIlwain told The Inquirer. “One of the main factors was I’m 50 years old, and if you’re going to make a change in your life, the older you get the harder it gets.”

Playing in the background is the long decline of radio (and just about every other form of media) in a digital world, which has led to a continuous cycle of cutbacks and layoffs. Unlike Romano’s departure, it is entirely McIlwain’s decision to leave WMMR, where he began as an intern in 1999 and spent more than half his adult life.

Though he has some things he plans to pursue, McIlwain doesn’t really know what comes next, though he doesn’t think his future will be on the radio. The only concrete plans he has is to take the next few months off to figure stuff out and come to terms with the death of his friend and mentor.

“Losing Pierre was really tough. It’s taken a real big toll on me and hurts all the time,” McIlwain said. “I haven’t had a ton of time to grieve and mourn properly yet, so I’m gonna do that for myself.”

Elliot admitted he was confused when McIlwain first approached him about leaving the show. McIlwain, like the rest of Preston & Steve’s close-knit crew, was under contract for another four years. But both he and Morrison have come to terms with McIlwain’s decision and have already settled on a path forward.

Replacing McIlwain in the studio will be Preston & Steve producer Marisa Magnatta. Replacing her will be Robert’s former midday producer, Ryan Shuttleworth.

“This is what you need to do,” Elliott said to McIlwain on the air Wednesday. “Given our druthers, you would stay right here. We’d have you on board. Things would be business as usual. But you know, this is a decision that you came to, and he presented us with it, and who are we to say, ‘How dare you?’”

Robert’s death last month stunned the music world and left WMMR’s midday spot vacant for the first time in more than four decades.

Fortunately, WMMR found the perfect replacement in Matt Cord, a veteran Philly voice and the longtime PA announcer for the Sixers. Cord and Robert were close friends for years, and program director Chuck Damico said “Pierre would absolutely 100% approve of the move.

“No one will ever replace Pierre Robert but I promise I’ll carry his spirit into the ‘Pierre Robert’ studio everyday and do my best to make him proud,” Cord wrote on social media earlier this week.

Taking over Cord’s morning show at 102.9 WMGK will be another radio veteran — Paul Kelly, a Philly native who’s been a utility infielder at the station since 2019, hosting just about every shift.

Kelly’s been on the air since 1989, hosting shows in Atlantic City, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, and Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and is proud of the fact his family has been Eagles season ticket holders since their Franklin Field days.

Both start their new gigs Monday.