talkSPORT radio presenter Mike Parry says he quit his job there before the station moved to sign former Sky hosts Richard Keys and Andy Gray.
His departure, apparently due to a contractual dispute, marks the end of an almost 12-year association with the station for Parry.
We told you yesterday how talkSPORT had signed Keys and Gray to present the 10am-1pm show daily from next week.
There was speculation that Parry had left because he was unhappy at the pair joining the station, but he’s told his local newspaper in Portsmouth, The News, that he doesn’t have a problem with Gray.
“Andy gets my blessing,” Mike said “He’s one of my footballing heroes and I’m delighted he’s going to be doing the job that I can no longer do.”
He added that his departure was because of “a contractual dispute which has been dragging on since last summer after the World Cup.”
Parry told The News: “I’ve had lots of job offers which I’m considering. I’d be mad to quit a job like that and not have something else in the pipeline wouldn’t I”
A spokeswoman for talkSPORT told RadioToday.co.uk that Parry’s departure wasn’t linked to the arrival of Keys and Gray. “Mike resigned last week,” she said. “It was entirely his own decision, and his slot therefore became available. We have loved working with him over the years and wish him the very best for his future endeavours.”
Reports in today’s papers, meanwhile, suggest Keys and Gray will be paid around £1,000 each per day for their new talkSPORT show. It’s reported as a massive drop from the £1.7m a year that Sky were paying Gray and the £500,000 annual salary Keys was on as the broadcaster’s main football anchor.