Wednesday was not only hump day but the day nationally syndicated radio personality Michael Baisden announced a hiatus from his radio show. The popular, personality whose daily talk show aired on KISS-FM said he will exit from radio on the last day of March.
He made the announcement on his Facebook page explaining that he is unable to discuss the particulars but made the decision because he could not reach a mutually agreeable deal with his affiliates. For more than a decade, “The Michael Baisden Show” maintained leadership in many national, radio markets as one of the top rated afternoon drive time programs heard in the top urban markets. In addition to his radio program, Baisden also hosted a TV talk show and was acclaimed for being a film-maker and New York Times best-selling author.
He told his radio audience he did everything in his power to continue his show without interruption. “We’re already planning to return to the air as soon as possible in a way that will give a more direct relationship with our affiliates, and most importantly, our listeners,” Pamela Exum, his business manager said.
The radio personality is most known for his 2008 endorsement of Senator Barack Obama to become president of the U.S. After the victory, Baisden celebrated the victory with more than 4,000 fans at a watch party in Miami on election night. The Obama organizers, along with millions of listeners, credited him with being one of the major forces behind this historic victory to elect the first African American to the presidency and in his re-election in 2012.
The following year, Baisden called for a National Mentor Training Day and announced his plans for a 2010 nationwide campaign.
He pledged up to $350,000 of his own money to be donated in over 72 markets he would visit on a bus tour. The outreach was named “One Million Mentors National Campaign To Save Our Kids.”
Of those visits he said:
“If the affiliates still want us to come to town, we’ll be there,” Baisden added. “There’s no reason for our relationships to stop, in fact, this is our chance to get on the ground close to the people where we belong!”
“It’s not about the job, it’s about the journey. I have been grinding for over 10 years, fighting for the underdog, inspiring people daily on my live page on Facebook and working my butt off to produce the best show on radio. I hope my fans miss me because I’m definitely going to miss them,” Michael said.
“This is not the end, it’s the Next Chapter!”
Catch You On The Inside!
