‘We are devastated’: ‘Preston & Steve’ cohost Kathy Romano out at WMMR after 22 years
“This was in no way my choice or Preston & Steve’s choice,” said Kathy Romano. “We are devastated.”
WMMR host Kathy Romano, a longtime fixture on the Preston & Steve show, is leaving the station after 22 years.
“This was in no way my choice or Preston & Steve’s choice,” Romano wrote in an Instagram post Thursday morning. “We are devastated.”
Beasley Media Group, WMMR’s parent company, went through another round of cutbacks last week, which hit stations in Detroit and Tampa. A Beasley spokesperson said Romano’s contract with the station was not renewed. Her final day at the station will be Friday.
“We are very grateful for her many contributions over the years and wish her the very best in her next chapter,” a Beasley spokesperson said in a statement.
An emotional Preston Elliot announced the move to listeners on Thursday’s show, choking up over what he described as a “profoundly sad” decision as Romano attempted to hold back her own tears
“We’re a family. We’ll always be a family,” Elliot said. “But things are coming to a close.”
“The way you have handled what is happening has been some of the most professional, some of the most amazing and mature displays of how this goes than I’ve ever seen,” added cohost Steve Morrison. “It is sad. … I love you so much.”
“I am devastated, obviously,” Romano said. “If you’ve ever been broken up with and you didn’t want the relationship to end, that’s how I feel. I’m heartbroken. There’s a little anger in there, but heartbroken.”
Since 2003, Romano has been a cohost on Preston & Steve alongside Elliot, Morrison, Casey “Casey Boy” Fosbenner, Marisa Magnatta, and Nick McIlwain.
In addition to its longevity, Preston & Steve has consistently been the highest-rated radio program in Philadelphia for more than a decade among the most-coveted demographics, making the decision to break up the crew even more surprising. The show also recently signed a new multiyear deal keeping it on the air through 2030.
As for the show itself, Preston & Steve began at the now-defunct Y100 in May 1998 as Preston, Marilyn & Steve alongside former cohost Marilyn Russell, who left WOGL in 2022 and moved to Arizona. Elliot and Morrison made the jump to WMMR in May 2005, where they have remained for the last two decades.
In addition to Preston & Steve, Romano also hosted a weekly show of her own called Her Story, which highlighted women making a difference across the Delaware Valley.
“It’s been the ride of a lifetime sharing mornings with the best team and the most incredible listeners,” Romano wrote. “This isn’t a goodbye — just turning the dial to what’s next."
Like other media organizations, Beasley has suffered through a tough economic environment and a shift to streaming.
Last month, sister station 97.5 the Fanatic lost afternoon host Tyrone Johnson, formerly the cohost of The Best Show Ever?, which went from four hosts down to one — NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Ricky Bottalico — in just two years. The station is in the process of hiring a new host.
Hunter Brody was the victim of cutbacks in July 2023 and has since landed a part-time role at 94.1 WIP. Jen Scordo got swept up in companywide layoffs in May of last year that also claimed longtime 102.9 WMGK host Andre Gardner and former Fanatic host Pat Egan, along with a number of behind-the-scenes employees.