After an 11-year run as the host of Nashville’s Morning News, broadcast giant Cumulus Media and Ralph Bristol have parted ways.
Bristol posted a lengthy statement on his Facebook page:
GOOD MORNING NASHVILLE, IT’S….OVER
Cumulus Media terminated my employment today due to irreconcilable editorial differences. We cannot agree on what information and communications should be kept private and which should be hashed out publicly. Since I won’t abide by their rules, they will not abide by my continued employment.
Please know first, I am not sad or angry. And I have nothing to fear, financially or otherwise. I’m free, happy and as blessed as ever.
As I leave the radio, I want to thank a bunch of people, including, but not first, those who fired me, and it’s probably best that I didn’t do this on the air because you’ve heard enough of this particular grown man cry, and I tend to get emotional when I say nice things about people.
I’d like to start by thanking my “Gang of Four,” Doogie Vance, Ken Weaver and Chris Weber, who along with me, have solved all of mankind’s important problems during a daily segment that started many years ago as a traffic segment, which pretty much describes most of mankind’s important problems.
My warmest hug is reserved for the sales department, and especially Laura Munsey, who single-handedly put at least 1 ½ of my granddaughters through college. All of you have been priceless in finding sponsors who could live up to my demanding specs, and sometimes I have been a pain in the ass about those specs. I hope the pain was worth it.
My dear friend, Michael DelGiorno, is responsible for more stories and for helping me learn how to tell a better story (which has and will continue to translate into happiness) than any human being in my life, and for that I will always cherish him. Michael and I know things about each other from the stories we told during our golfing days that Fusion GPS would pay dearly for if we were running for President. Some of those things are even true.
Despite my fondness for all of the above, the most important people in my professional life have always been my sponsors, the local businesses who paid me to give them my personal recommendation to my thousands of radio friends. In the most productive years of my life, half or more of my income was produced by the 60 second stories I told daily about the local businesses who convinced me they would provide good value to my audience, with a combination of price, service, quality, or all of the above, and above all – reliably live up to the promises I made on their behalf.
With rare exception, for nearly 22 years, scores of business have lived up to that standard and allowed me to say, without fear of contradiction that I believe everything I say, on all subjects, all the time.
To all Cumulus employees and management, thank you for being reliable and dedicated partners in our mutual journeys. There have been numerous occasions when I have felt happily compelled to inform our managers of your efforts I thought went beyond the ordinary.
And finally, a very big hug to my audience, my “stranger friends,” many of whom have become real friends, including one who has become my best friend. It was from my radio audience that I picked my wife, Marianna, in my first year as a talk show host, in Greenville, SC.
I also can’t forget the many elected officials who have accepted my invitations over the years to visit with me, on the air, about a plethora of local, state, national and international issues. I would be short-changing them if I did not give them credit for some of my most substantive civic accomplishments by giving me a seat at the debate table, especially on major state tax issues.
And, while I have irreconcilable differences with them today, I want to thank Cumulus Nashville for providing me this rare opportunity for the past 11 years. These years have been responsible for more of my happiness, confidence and security than all of the 57 years prior, and I would not have any of that were it not for company that fired me today.
I have no hard feelings whatsoever.
I will soon tell a more complete story of the reason for our irreconcilable differences, but for now, the most important things to assure everyone there is no crisis, no pain, no anger and no sadness that needs attending.
I might, however, throw a party….stay tuned.
Ralph Bristol has enjoyed a broadcasting career spanning nearly four decades. He joined WTN in 2007 as the host of Nashville’s Morning News, and for more than 10 years, claimed the top-rated morning drive political talk show in Tennessee’s largest radio market.
I knew this would happen I listen everyday coming home from Nissan in Smyrna. Sonjay Gupka comes on every morning and everyone knows hes a CNN political stooge. So Im guessing Ralph like the rest of us got tired of the elephant in the room and blew the cover about how Cumulus Media is just an arm of the CNN company hence the reason a liberal medical correspondent would be on a conservative talk show everyday. The fact is Cumulus is a liberal company profiting off of a conservative talk show which should piss everyone off.
We need Ralph back to get the local news he is our watch dog. After listening to the new guy this he is ok but I hear about washing all day.
Ralph was fired because he took a stand against the fake media dr I will b starting a boycott on cumulus radio Ralph is right but his management was on the left wut a shame u will b missed Ralph plz put commercials out when ur podcast is fully up n running what a failure and loss for cumulus
Ralph was fired for his speech about the fake ass dr on his show during commercials who is a homo leftty that should not have any real place in the world let alone have an audience on the radio f. 99.7 n f the boss that made the decision over money and a contract with the fake ass dr live free or die Ralph I’m going to start a campaign and a boycott of 99.7 again f 99.7 yal really f ed up n I will bet u will c it in your audience ratings can some1 give me the name of the pencil neck who chose 2 minz of a bs jackass over a radio host that held dedicated listener’s f 99.7 you stupid idiots the station and its audience only likes real conservative people not even a min of the looser dr
What intelligence. Your point is lost in the vulgarity of your speech.
So much for ‘freedom of speech’ in America. I so enjoyed listening to Ralph in the morning, then 99.7 is turned off until it’s time for Phil at 3.00 pm.
My enjoyment for Michael D. faded long ago as he clearly enjoys hearing the sound of his own voice far more than speaking to callers. Some listeners may find his ‘impressions’ and voices amusing but so little of Michael goes a long long way.
Same with Dan Mandis – the drivel between Dan and Pamela Furr each and every single day is simply not tolerable ……… and now, he fired Ralph Bristol for not covering up the truth!
99.7 is now history for me – a very loyal listener for a long long time.
It’s a sad day for conservative talk radio. While I had my disagreements with Mr. Bristol, I always found him to be fair. He was one of the very few gentlemen who would publicly apologize to listeners and callers when he felt he had treated them unjustly. While his support for the gas tax was disappointing, his reasoning for support was understandable. We can agree to disagree without resorting to name calling and degrading slurs.
All that being said, I wish Mr. Bristol all the best in his future endeavors, and all the blessings he can physically and spiritually stand. Thank you for all your candid, wet cheeked stories. I will miss you!
I think they call that a business decision. When two sides can’t agree they either compromise or seperate. Apparently neither side would compromise. I am thinking I will still be going to work regardless of the banter I hear on the radio. I will give the next fellow a chance…..unless his name is Michael. I have already given him too many chances and he never fails to disappoint.
Good riddance to Ralph. We stopped listening to WTN when Ralph supported the TN gas tax and was a pompous ass about it with his listeners. So much for “you talk, we listen”. WTN lost their edge when Ralph went with the RINOS and Dems on taxes and other issues. What did you think would happen when a so-called conservative on a conservative talk radio station promotes the liberal agenda? And DelGiorno has become unbearable to listen to. If we wanted to hear about sports and other goofy crap, we’d listen other stations. We need reliable information and action alerts – especially when the TN legislature is in session. Sometimes, if you listen long enough, you’ll get a crumb of information – maybe an interview with a legislator – but not enough of the time. If not for Phil Valentine, WTN would be sunk and we’d never listen at all.
I was a afraid this was in the works when he wasn’t on the air this week. My fear is that at Ralph’s age and success, he may not want to do another big time gig.
I lived in Greenville, SC when Ralph was on the air there. I remember when his present wife was just a favorite caller on the show. Then I moved to Nashville, and low and behold just a couple of months later Ralph followed me. For 8 more years, he was that voice of reason in a cacophony of chatter.
When I departed for Knoxville in 2014, I tried to find local shows that were as good as Ralph, and found there wasn’t. So I placed I Heart Radio on my phone and have listened to him every morning for the last 3 years.
This is an absolute shame and frankly an injustice to a man that though I didn’t always agree with him, was a pleasure to listen to and consider a voice in my life. I’m saddened by this… and now I don’t have a true libertarian conservative to listen to anymore. It’s very sad
Ralph was a must listen when we first moved here . Lately he has become unlistenable. His support for the gas tax increase was to insult those who came on or called in with opposition. He has become someone different from the person I began listening to 10 years ago so I stopped tuning in.
I agree, Michael G’s first hour is a joke (and he isnt even funny) and annoying but the rest of his show is OK. Pamela Furr is annoying, just that simple. Dan is OK but in a bland voice sort of way. Thank goodness for Phil Valentine!
Lol I agree with all of that…Ralphs wife drove me to drink.
Ralph was overbearing and an ignoramus. He lost me with his smug overbearance on the TN gas tax increase. He spoke in favor before the legislature. He was rude to anyone who disagreed with him. I stopped listening to him.
It’s really sad how WTN has gone downhill recently. It is apparent that for some reason the local hosts have been forced to dumb down the programming with annoying banter which apparently appeals to someone, somewhere, with some poor guy being assigned to incessantly laugh hour after hour (how would you like that job?) at things which, I’m afraid, are simply not at all funny. This is apparently the price that must be paid in order to squeeze in some substantive discussion every once in a while. As a result I simply no longer listen anywhere near as much as I used to.
What a mistake! I feel pretty certain that it’s due to the quack so called doctor doing commentary during the morning show. …..can’t believe that they have caved to the liberal bs! Bring Ralph back!
I hope both outlets crash and burn.
I guess telling the unvarnished truth is no longer possible with Cumulus. Going the way of the Tennessean?
Gosh, now who besides the Tennessee Star can I turn to for a conservative voice especially on local and state topics? Surely not Michael DelGiorno who wastes the first hour of his program with unimportant drivel. I just turn him off when he starts. Dan Mandis is a nice guy – I guess – but his overbearing trivial dialogues with Pamel Furr (the news lady) are enough to make one puke. I hope Ralph lands a job with another local station.