Rickey Smiley to Succeed Retiring Tom Joyner on January 2nd

RADIO ONLINE | Friday, June 28, 2019

Rickey Smiley and Tom Joyner

The syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show" has announced Rickey Smiley (pictured far left) as the successor to the morning anchor position established by Tom over the course of 25 years. Joyner, who is retiring at the end of the year, also announced that Eva Marcille and Gary Wit Da Tea would be among the on-air cast members joining him to broadcast out of the Dallas studios beginning January, 2020. Additional details about the show will be shared in the coming months.

Joyner said, "I'm happy to see the landscape of Urban AC morning radio continue to expand with Rickey, and I'm proud of the doors the Tom Joyner Morning Show opened. Twenty-five years ago, there was no template for a syndicated Urban radio show and we worked hard to prove that we could successfully produce and market a national platform that would entertain, inform and empower African American listeners. We broke some ground, raised the bar for what audiences expected from Black radio all while partying with a purpose. Yeah, we've done a lot but there's still a lot left to be done."

Rickey Smiley added, "It's an honor to continue the legacy of my boss and frat brother Tom Joyner. Not only has he been a friend to my family and me over the years, but we consider him family. Tom's mentorship has instilled in me valuable wisdom that I will carry with me through this new morning show."

Reach Media and Radio One CEO David Kantor stated, "Tom changed the entire urban radio marketplace. He entertained and educated multiple generations of listeners over the last 25 years. While there is and will always be only one Tom Joyner, we are excited that Rickey will be moving to Urban AC in January. Like Tom, Rickey's talent, community consciousness and commitment to his audience will serve his listeners well."

Reach Media's other current morning Urban AC program, "The Russ Parr Morning Show," will also continue in syndication into 2020.