Hawk Flies With New Morning Co-Host

• Cumulus Classic Rock WODE (99.9 The Hawk)/Allentown, PA has promoted morning show producer Joel Shimer to official co-host of The Hawk Morning Show, alongside longtime show lead Rick Michaels. Shimer will continue to produce the show, which has been rebranded as The Hawk Morning Show with Rick and Joel, enjoyed weekdays from 5:30-9am.

Shimer (pictured) joined The Hawk in late 2016 during his senior year of high school and has served as Producer of The Hawk Morning Show since May 2019. Elizabeth Pembleton, VP/Market Manager, Cumulus Lehigh Valley-Poconos, said, “I couldn’t be more excited about the evolution of The Hawk Morning Show with Rick and Joel! I’m so proud of Joel — he’s the perfect example of how young talent is being developed under the tutelage of our incredibly talented programming team at Cumulus and his amazing veteran morning host, Rick Michaels.”

Hawk PD Sal Palazzolo, commented, “Joel is an excellent example of how hard work pays off. Joel joined our team back in the fall of 2016 and worked his way through the ranks of promotions, production, and part-time on-air work, quickly becoming Producer of The Hawk Morning Show with Rick Michaels. By pairing Joel on-air with our heritage morning host, Rick Michaels, It will only help take The Hawk to new heights! Once we put them together in the room, we knew we had something truly special and unique. It’s great to curate the next generation of talent like Joel to invest in the future of our business.”

A visibly thrilled Shimer remarked, “I am thrilled to continue my contribution to the success of The Hawk Morning Show. I still have to PINCH myself that I now get to work on the show I grew up listening to every morning! Special thanks to Sal Palazzolo, Jerry Padden and Liz Pembleton.”