This was posted Tuesday, July 11, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Shannon Burke, the mid-morning host on NewsRadio 106.7, has received a three-year contract after a successful first year on air.
The former Florida-based host joined the station last year from 9 to noon, replacing Michael Graham, who over two years never quite clicked with Atlanta. Burke quickly built a much larger audience than Graham, pulling in comparably sized listener base as Kim "The Kimmer" Peterson in the afternoons.
In fact, his ratings quadrupled in size in just a matter of a few months among 25 to 54 year olds. I've covered radio for 16 years and have never seen a talk show host have such quick impact.
"In short order, Shannon Burke has become a daily staple for Atlantans looking to be challenged, entertained and informed," said Sean Shannon, market manager for Atlanta-based Cumulus Media, which owns NewsRadio 106.7.
“I love Atlanta and I am thrilled to sign a new deal with Cumulus!" Burke said in a release. "Looks like I’ll be here for a long time. Get used to it!"
In many ways, this is a true career resurrection.
A Texas native, Burke entered radio in the mid 1990s in Austin, then Orlando in 2000.
During his heyday in talk radio in the 2000s in Florida, he said in an interview last year that he became “the biggest a-hole in Orlando. I was making stupid money. I had a garage full of Harleys and hot rods. My ego got the best of me. I really thought I was better than everybody else.” He said he was drinking heavily, which exacerbated matters.
After an alcohol-fueled arrest in 2009 for assault that led to four months in jail, he said he turned a new leaf. "That was a very humbling experience," he said. "It changed who I am as a person. I took responsibility for what I did. There was no intent to harm anyone."
Fortunately, he was still able to get back to radio. “I left my ego in a 6-by-9 cell,” he said. He stopped drinking and focused on putting his life back together. In 2014, he lost a job at a traditional Florida radio station and for a time did his own online show. But he missed traditional radio.
When Jason Bailey of Rock 100.5 heard that NewsRadio had an opening after Graham left, he recommended Burke, who he knew when they both worked in Orlando.
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