After five years at LBC 97.3, afternoon drive presenter James Whale is leaving the station after his contract was not renewed.
RadioToday confirmed the news of his departure Monday evening on Twitter, which was followed by James tweeting the reason for his sudden exit.
James tweeted: “I can confirm that @lbc973 have not renewed my contract. Proud to have been part of the team that gave them the highest rateings for 20 years”
Speaking to RadioToday, James said: “LBC don’t want to renew my contract because they want to take the show in a different direction. I didn’t get chance to say goodbye, and I think after Danny Baker you probably don’t.
“I’ve enjoyed my time there and I wish them luck in the future”.
A spokesperson for LBC 97.3 said: “We can confirm that James Whale has left LBC 97.3 at the end of his contract. We would like to thank him for all his hard work and commitment on the drive time programme and we wish him all the best for the future.”
The three-times Sony Award winner joined the London talk station in August 2008 as a cover jock before being signed up for drivetime in September 2008.
Prior to LBC he was at talkSPORT for 13 years but was let go for suggesting to listeners that they vote for Boris Johnson just before the London mayoral election in 2008. The station was fined £20,000 because James “seriously breached the due impartiality rules at the time of an election”.
Thank you so much for your good wishes & support.Sorry @lbc973 did not renew my contract,a happy 4 years we had together.
— James Whale (@THEJamesWhale) March 4, 2013
Posted on Monday, March 4th, 2013 at 9:34 pm by RadioToday UK