Kyle Santillian exits WGCI
Ends eight year run as morning co-host
WGCI-FM morning co-host Kyle Santillian has exited the iHeartMedia Hip-Hop and R&B station. Santillian left two weeks ago as he hinted on Twitter, but was made official this morning.
“I appreciate VP/Programming Derrick Brown who opened up my email eight years ago. It led to a great eight years in a town that has become home for me”, Santillian told radio trade website All Access. “In addition to Derrick, I want to thank Pres./Hip Hop & R&B Programming Strategy-KRRL PD Doc Wynter, iHeartMedia EVP Programming/PD Thea Mitchem, and Market Pres. Matt Scarano. In fact, the whole management team is in a class by itself. I’m looking forward to the future.”
No reason was given for the departure, but it seems Santillian left on friendly terms.
Santillian arrived at WGCI in 2015 from Greensboro, N.C.’s 102 Jamz where we was hosted The Wild Out WakeUp Show in morning drive for eleven years. He joined Kendra G (who arrived from rival Power 92 at nearly the same time) and Leon Rogers on WGCI’s Chicago Morning Takeover.
Once one of Chicago’s dominant radio stations – often trading the top spot with WGN-AM in the 1990s and 2000s, WGCI has fallen on hard times in the PPM era often finishing out of the top ten. However, WGCI has remained strong in the key 18-34 demo, continuing to rank in the top five.
In the December 2022 book (which is basically mid-November to early December), WGCI finished tied for 12th overall in the Nielsen Audio PPM ratings. In the last several years, WGCI finished outside of the top ten in morning drive but Santillian provided stability at the station, who prior to his arrival went through three morning shows in ten years.