Tearson Bites the Dust at WMGK
There's a time honored, but not so honorable tradition in broadcasting. On-air talent hardly ever gets to say "so-long" to listeners or viewers when they're being canned. Today, the ax fell on WMGK's Michael Tearson. But will you hear the tree fall?
Tearson Bites the Dust at WMGK
"Picking songs and putting them into a provocative sequence," Michael Tearson says, "it's what I’ve done my entire adult life."
There's a time honored, but not so honorable tradition in broadcasting. On-air talent hardly ever gets to say "so-long" to listeners or viewers when they're being canned. Today, the ax fell on WMGK's Michael Tearson. But will you hear the tree fall?
One of Philly's true pioneers of progressive rock radio, Tearson broke into the biz with his late 1960s years at a then student-run, all-volunteer WXPN, then moved to WDAS-FM, for many moons to WMMR and later back, briefly to a now professionally steered XPN. Tearson has been holding down the fort at WMGK since April 2002 with a two hour (6 to 8 a.m.) "Saturday Morning 60s" heritage music show that he put together with amazing first hand knowledge and a great record library from his South Jersey home studio.
But this morning, MGK program director Charlie Lake told Tearson the party is over after this Saturday's show. And since that episode (and several more) are already in the can, M.T. won't get to say his farewells. A pity. This isn't just "another one bites the dust," it's one of the classic rock outlet's true "keeper of the keys" getting locked out, no longer to share his small insights and big picture perspective, or what veteran reporters like to call our "institutional knowledge."
Tearson is sanguine about the whole thing, joking that doing his show from home kept him out of the line of fire (and firing) for much longer than most. And he's got gigs going on Sirius/XM satellite radio, heard regularly on the Blues channel and often doing fill in (including today) on Classic Vinyl.
Still, as Leonard Cohen wrote and sang, "Hey, that's no way to say goodbye." Wonder if Tearson wasn't being prescient the other day, when he posted the survey question on Facebook "What's your favorite kiss-off song?"
Contact Daily News staff writer Jonathan Takiff at takiffj@phillynews.com.
Comments (78)
sad news to hear about but.......who?— Handsome B. Wonderful- I grew up with Michael and Ed Schaiky. Great memories. Best wishes...— the3rdrail
- I remember rolling a doobie in my basement bedroom in '69 listening to Tearson playing a Hendrix song. Those day are way gone. Most of us from the 60's are now in their 60's. Tearson - keep on rockin'.
— johnny rotten - Why not let him tape one last episode? Are they that desperate to clear out the early morning Saturday block that they can't give him an extra week?— ConverseB24
Comment removed.- Hey I'm in my 50s and grew up on local FM rock during its early days in the 1980s and to be perfectly honest, He was yesterday's news then. Don't like to hear anyone losing their job but this was probably long overdue.— CrisK
- Early days in the 80s? You are about 15 years off. — mike l
- MT is a good guy with encyclopedic knowledge of his medium. I hear him often on XM radio--many stations--and enjoy seeing him at Haddon Lake Park and elsewhere around our great music area.
Book this: he will never be without a meaningful gig (or several). Sad commentary on our society in which the Cataldis and Eskins get a microphone, but Michael does not (for now). Good luck Michael.— Temprock - Michael I have enjoyed hearing you, with so much knowledge and enthusiasm for the music, for decades. I look forward to continuing to hear your programs on Sirius.— Bob1
- ...good...this frees them up to play more Fleetwood Mac and Elton John...— flank steak
- One of my all-time favorite shows that Michael Tearson did in the early 80's on WMMR was "Gorilla Theater", a crazy mix of punk, new-wave and just not the typical music you heard in Philly. Micheal, you may be off the air, but you are certainly not fogetten.— Hoc-a-mania
- ...more likely Foreigner and Loverboy. MGK has become unlistenable most of the time.— Palestra Jon
- The planet of Tearson...a true pioneer. You will be missed.— vodge
- Anyone following radio over the past 10 years should not be surprised, least of all Tearson. With the emergence of stations like Ben FM where the music is pre-loaded in to a music player program and put on auto pilot. It's so much cheaper to pay some entry level staffer or use an intern to load the digital files then it is to pay a jock to open the mic, queue up the record (or start the digital file) and keep the time. The bigger irony is Tearson's work at Sirius, the digital satellite platform that got it's foothold by pushing the concept of no-talk and no commercial radio stations.— amg
- He played the music I grew up with from my Woodstock days until today. Besides that, I know him and he's a nice person. You can't buy that. Good luck, Michael.— Sportyrider71
- having a show on sirius/xm is only slightly above doing a podcast in the show biz cesspool ...oh well, radio broke somebody else's heart this time...ive been there before. sincerely twitter.com/dannyozark— danny ozark
- unfortunate, but times change...rock is not dead, but who listens to the radio anymore?...and who's next Pierre Robert?— dude
- Grew up listening to, and always liked Michael Tearson. Seems like a nice gentleman. C'mon out to San Francisco, Michael - You'll have an audience out here!— philly2sf
- Michael Tearson has what so many "on air personalities" these days don't - incredible musical knowledge. IMO, 'MMR's best days were when they employed Tearson, Bubba John Stevens, Earl Bailey, Pierre Robert, and DiBella. Those guys KNEW music. Good Luck, Michael!— uncle meat
- Always enjoyed listening to Michael Tearson late nights circa late 70's/early 80's .Used to doze of to him in high school after a few hits of maui wowi, trying to figure out who sounded more stoned mellow, me or him. Good luck to him.— joe smith
- Sirius XM has 20 million paid subscribers, Danny O.— Jonathan Takiff
- I remember the show, for headphones only , that he used to do. It was awesome! Good luck MT!— Jackc1962
- I bumped into him in an elevator going up to WMMR offices to see a freind of mine for lunch. We had a nice conversation, he was in cut-off jeans shorts and a t-shirt, I was in a suit. I forget what question I asked him, but as we getting off he answered, "I don't anything about that, I'm just a dj here." His witty remark made me like him and his show even more. Good luck, Michael, we're all hitting the hill on the way down to Florida with our plaid pants, white belts and shoes.— phillyroll
- The show on on Sirius is awesome ! Deep Tracks. Like classic Q radio days. F. MGK - their loss. And Dibaldi stays !! Haha..— franka
- "You're fired!" (HTML deleted)— The Baron
- Totally agree, MMR back in the 80's was the best. Nikki hoy, and don't forget Joey bag o donuts Bonnadonna!— phillysportguy
- and people ask why I'm crotchety...
— CrotchetyOldMan - and people ask why I'm crotchety... (HTML deleted)— CrotchetyOldMan
- and people ask why I'm crotchety... (HTML deleted)— CrotchetyOldMan
- and people ask why I'm crotchety... (HTML deleted)— CrotchetyOldMan
- and people ask why I'm crotchety... (HTML deleted)— CrotchetyOldMan
- He'll be back somewhere. No worries.— delder
- I was delighted to find him on Sirius some time ago. Having you there, Michael, is wonderful. Keep up the good work.— Twin Peeks
- Gorilla radio..good luck MT— jiggs111
- Wow. God bless you and stay well MT!!!!— EDWARDOOOOOOOO
- He was the mc on Sunday at Dickie Betts concert at Scottish Rite Auditorium. Michael Tearson into the night.— BobbyD
- Another Philly-rock institution. Grew up in my early teens listening to Tearson at 'MMR.— mrjarn
- The old student-run wxpn was so much better than today's all-too-ordinary xpn. I guess this is just one more nail in the coffin of a once-great station. No reason to listen these days--or to contribute.— Bartleby
- Well said. XPN hasn't had a listenable show since Crossroads.
Except for Gene Shay, that is...— Genghis - I remember growing up in the 80's, with " Michael Tearson till 2" on WMMR.— grtm
I always loved his show on WMMR all those years ago. I'm glad to still be listening to him on SiriusXM.— Boto- Michael Tearson is bigger than WMG-freakin-K ever was or will be. Glad he's got his Sirius XM gig to fall back on and no doubt we'll continue to hear from Mad Dog long after 'MGK has gone on to sports talk or whatever.— PhillySubsMac
- I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger— TimmyDay
- Would love to see Gargano & Cataldi both get the sudden axe..— Dutch10
- That is a joke WMGK.Nobody listens to you anyway. Michael Tearson was the only talent on there.
He has more knowledge of Classic/Progressive rock than any other on air personality. Thank you Michael.I will continue to enjoy you on XM/Sirius.
Schwartzy— schwartzy - Hear him on Sirius XM. Too bad they stuck it to you Mike on MGK. I know the feeling (getting the shaft). Best of luck!— Bill8339
- Didn't he do the program, "My Father's Son" on XPN in '71?— VermontPhilsFan
- Ah, the Planet of Tearson...it's been a pleasure. Thank you.
— Michelina - Oh I see...did a search and it was Steve Leon. He died at age 69 last Feb. Loved that show.— VermontPhilsFan
- Michael, you're a true legend! Good luck in all you do. You now have the opportunity to become bigger and better in your career. I'll be listening for you. Peace.— 4friedchickensandacoke
- I knew Michael when he was the prototype of the hip hippie at Penn... in the Quad 1968 with his flower power guitar case. He was a mentor for freshmen behind him at WXPN when he started "The Attic," and lead the charge at WMMR.
The marketplace has no shame, and no memory, but I'm glad MT has other platforms. Someone in Philly should set up up with something new and terrestrial. WXPN? We elders deserve some respect for our knowledge, no?
Nick Spitzer (aka Nick Spencer on WMMR) of public radio's "American Routes" on WHYY— Nick Spitzer - great post & great memory you gave us all there. I shared the same time and sometimes the same place (Penn's Quad) and I share your sentiment about the knowledge us old folks have from those days of rock music. My children - all very much into music of these times and armed with every gadget and service available to keep up with the times - know nothing of the time they live in as compared to us.
How is that possible? Speaking for myself, I may be 60 now but I have no regrets about the time I grew up. Would only want to be young again in exactly those wonderful days of the 60's.— advantasux - some great old radio back when DJ's actually determined playlists and had some journalistic freedom. David Dye, Ed Sciaky, Michael Tearson, Carol Miller, Helen Leicht, et al...those were the very good old days of the 60's and very early 70's. You'd get to hear such a variety of music and, sometimes, when the mood was right, these folks would give you an entire album side, whatever it took to please their audience.
Best of luck to good old Michael T. One of the very best voices when FM radio in Philly was a treasure.— advantasux - Michael Tearson and Dave Herman on WMMR. What a legacy. In 1968 I was 17 and thanks to WMMR I discovered music I never knew existed. I went into a Head Shop in center city Philadelphia and saw a poster of the Grateful Dead and wondered who they were. Thanks to Dark Star on WMMR I found out.— Drew777
- oh, yes, how could I have forgotten to mention Dave Herman in my post above? Of all of them, he is what most of my memories are made of.
To not remember him shows just how old I've become, I guess.
@Drew, thanks for the reminder!— advantasux - I remeber listening to WMMR one Christmas eve close to midnight in the 80s and he played Pachebel's cannon. It was the perfect song to introduce Christmas, even on a rock station. Those days are long gone.— Wanny
- Broadcasting on Sirius XM is almost as bad as writing a column for the Inquirer.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- Tell that to Cousin Brucie, a New York radio legend who jumped at the chance to go to Sirius/XM when legendary oldies station WCBS-FM (101.1) in New York suddenly went to the JACK format in 2005. — Wallyhorse2
- Thanks. Spent many moons on that planet listening to great music!— jimd98
- i believe it was always... Tearson for Two... I might be wrong, but it sounds right— 1philfan
- The perfect hippie type voice. I remember listening to him on WXPN and early WMMR. I was so happy to hear him on XM radio in the desert near Las Vegas a few years ago, he put a smile on my doobie :)— MyFatherson
- LOL! Great handle, by the way! — advantasux
- Which infomercial or syndicated show is replacing him?— gb
- Thanks for the many great memories.— Jen D
- Saturday 6AM - 8AM IS being fired. How many listeners could he possibly have had?— BOB139
- A lot more than you would think:
That was appointment radio for quite a lot of people, and many made a point of being up early to listen to his show.— Wallyhorse2 - I thought he died 20 years ago.— eldiablodelsol2009
- Owners of this radio outlet will have no more ears from us.— joedog
- It's Sciaky, by the way. Honor the man. Spell his name correctly.
— Philsfan56 - Didn't even know he was still on any corporate FM stations. I wouldn't know anyway as I've had Sirius for 8 years now. Love listening to him and Earl Bailey on Sirius..and once in a while Pierre Robert is on.
As someone else mentioned-Deep Tracks is a great station if you want to relive 60's/70's AOR..— steve5280 - Sad day in Philly radio, when one of it's true pioneers get's the kiss-off, after many years of great radio!!!— Dadair1
- Tearson Till Two.. Who remembers that show on WMMR, he was the first dj I heard play The Police and Robert Hazzard and The Heroes.. and The Fixx..— ArseoleChris
- Bain Capital's gutting of Clear Channel has infected the rest of the radio dial. Nowadays, being a radio dj is a low-wage job, and "personalities" are out because their salaries would be higher.— Jeff West
- tearson will pop up somewhere, he always does, a few years ago he was on wbcb doing a wrestling show for ecw fans, whoda thunk— eddiot
- Sad situation. It sounds like management on WMGK was pressured to increase revenue by perhaps adding more paid programming on Saturday mornings (paid programming often preceded Saturday morning '60s) or they were under pressure to have an actual live show on Saturday mornings. Unfortunate situation no matter what.— Wallyhorse2
- The only constant is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be. — Isaac Asimov
The "classic rock" format is great but there comes a time -- commercially and economically -- where the genre doesn't fully captivate a viable audience segment. I'm 64 and as soon as WRTI wraps up their daily Classical programming I go straight to the Alt/Indie/Rock format at WXPN or WRFF. Sorry, Michael, but you've had a good "terrestrial" run. Good luck.— RayTom - Fade Away , 'MGK !— thomas deluca
HOW can they boot Tearson while DeBella still works???— The Monk
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