Cumulus Launches ‘The Overnight Ride’
• Cumulus Media announced the launch of The Overnight Ride, a live, nationally syndicated overnight Country radio show, now airing on 47 Cumulus Country stations. The Nashville-based show, hosted by Justin Franiak, airs nightly from Midnight-5am from the Music Row studios of WKDF (103.3 Country), and is the only nationally syndicated overnight Country radio show broadcasting live from Music City.
Travis Daily, Cumulus VP of Country, commented, “Having the only live Country overnight show gives the third-shifters a radio show to not only connect with, but that they love to call in and participate in. If you listen to the show, you will hear that Justin is already becoming a good friend to everyone from emergency responders on call to the clerk at the overnight truck stop, to the actual truck drivers hauling goods across America while the rest of us sleep.”
Franiak, who has been doing weekends/swing on Beasley Country 92.5 WXTU/Philadelphia started his career in the market at CBS Radio’s 94.1 WIP-FM. He later did mornings at Country KBBL/Santa Rosa, CA, afternoons on WHWK (98.1 The Hawk) and middays on WWYL (Kiss 104.1)/Binghamton, NY. He also did nights on WPIG (95.7 The Big Pig) and served as APD at WHDL (Hot 107.1)/Olean, NY.
More recently, Franiak and Deanna Marie did mornings on former Beasley AC WJBR (Mix 99.5)/Wilmington, DE until Oct. 2023, ahead of the station’s sale to VCY. Bonus Fun Fact: Deanna Marie also relocated to Nashville last summer to do nights on Midwest Communications AC WJXA (Mix 92.9).
Franiak remarked, “Moving to Nashville has always been a goal of mine, and I’m very appreciative that Cumulus Media has provided me the opportunity to come to Music City. Being live in studio and taking calls from around the country is extremely exciting. I’m pumped to share my life and become part of the ‘Third Shifters’ routine as well as give our listeners a deeper connection to the artists that make Country music great.”
