By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sunday, August 21, 2016
Rock station 97.1/The River's long-time morning host Kaedy Kiely is swapping places with afternoon host Steve Craig starting Monday.
Kiely will move to afternoons from 3 to 7 p.m. while Craig takes over her morning slot from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Both made the announcement on Facebook Sunday.
"Good morning! Pour some coffee and crank up the Classic Rock," Craig wrote. "The Steve Show is moving to Mornings."
Kiely wrote "Those of you who know me well know that I've been waiting for this for a very long time - I am moving to Afternoons, 3-7 p.m. tomorrow on 97.1 The River! I am over the moon to re-claim my daypart, my 5:00 Whistle, my social life and my good night's sleep.
Kiely joined the River in 2008. She previously had worked at 96rock and Z93, both defunct rock stations. Craig spent more than 15 years at mid-days on 99X and a brief time at Dave FM, which no longer exists.
The River has been a consistent top 10 station over the years, often in the top 5, though it slipped to 11th this past month. The station's ratings tend to be higher in the afternoons than the mornings though mid-days (10 p.m. to 3 p.m.), when the station uses no jocks, usually draw the largest audiences overall.
I've been covering radio in Atlanta for 15 years. I can't recall a swap like this happening before. I have not heard back from Chris Eagan, program director, with an explanation or rationale.
97.1/The River and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group.
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