Entercom names Kevin Battle KDKA Radio morning show co-host
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Pittsburgh area native Kevin Battle will join “The KDKA Radio Morning News with Larry Richert” weekdays from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., effective March 9.
He replaces former co-host John Shumway, who stepped away after 15 years as Richert’s on-air partner to devote himself to his duties as a reporter on KDKA-TV.
Battle knows exactly what kind of job he is walking into.
It’s a bit like being the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, an organization that has hired just three such coaches in the last 51 years.
“There have been three morning hosts at KDKA Radio in my lifetime – Jack Bogut, John Cigna and Larry Richert, and I am thrilled I get to work with one of them,” said Battle. “Larry is part of the fabric of Pittsburgh. I have been a fan of KDKA for a long time and fondly remember listening with my family each morning.”
Battle served as program director and on-air personality for sister station 105.7 The Fan (WJZ-FM) in Baltimore which, like KDKA Radio, is owned by Entercom, one of the two largest radio broadcasters in the U.S. He has also held the roles of director of marketing and promotions and on-air personality for WDVE-FM and WRRK-FM in Pittsburgh.
“As we celebrate the centennial of KDKA Radio, the world’s first radio station, we were focused on adding a host that can reflect the energy and pulse of where Pittsburgh is in 2020 and beyond,” said Michael Spacciapolli, senior vice president and market manager for Entercom Pittsburgh. “Kevin Battle is the perfect person to join Larry Richert on the KDKA morning show and tell the story of our great city.”