An 81-Year-Old Morning Radio Host Says He Was Fired After Working at the Station For More Than 30 Years

His wife thought it was an April Fools’ Day joke.

Longtime morning radio personality Jack Harris, 81, says he was fired from his NewsRadio 970 WFLA gig this morning after working at the station for decades, the Tampa Bay Times reports.

“After I signed off from my show at 7 a.m. today, iHeartRadio bosses told me that they were cutting back on expenses and had to let me go,” Harris told the outlet.

Harris had been with the station “off and on since 1971, including the last 29 years,” according to the paper. He told the Times he was “shocked” and wished “they’d given him one more show to say goodbye to his fans.”

WFLA has not yet confirmed the news.

Harris had hosted “AM Tampa Bay” since 1993. In December 2021, the show’s hours were cut from 5 – 9 a.m. to 5 – 7 a.m., according to RadioInsight. Harris also worked at WFLA in several stretches from 1970-1974 and 1975-1986.

“I might look for part-time work on the radio somewhere,” Harris told the Times. “Or maybe I will retire. I am an old geezer after all.”