Hey Michigan: Johnny’s Back!

After 14 months on the proverbial beach, longtime Michigan radio personality Johnny Burke is returning to the radio — as MLive reports, he’s been hired to do mornings on Krol Communications’ Classic Rock WRSR (103.9 The Fox)/Flint, MI, starting Monday. The news is posted on the Fox website and was independently confirmed by RAMP with PD Jeremy Fenech.

Burke famously spent 25 years with Cumulus Media Classic Hits WHNN in neighboring Bay City-Saginaw, MI, the last 15 of those teamed up “Blondie,” whose real name is Bonnie Belger-Holzhei. You may recall that Burke and Blondie created some large legal headlines in early 2016 when they were terminated as WHNN flipped to Gold based AC as “My 96.1.” Shortly thereafter, Burke and Belger-Holzhei filed an age-discrimination/wrongful termination lawsuit against Cumulus and launched a live-streaming show online and on Periscope called Johnny and Blondie Live. In April 2016, Cumulus filed a countersuit against the pair, claiming they had violated non-compete and non-solicitation clauses in their contracts, but in July, U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington found in favor of Johnny and Blondie, “because the Internet show is not a radio station.”

While his former partner Blondie will not be a part of Burke’s new show, his cast will include his former longtime WHNN news colleague, Hal Maas, MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa and weekly contributions from Art Neil as a “Monday Morning Quarterback,” Norm Stulz for Friday’s popular “Are You Smarter Than a Standup Comedian” segment and astrologer Maria Shaw. Other cast members will be added over time, and may also include members of the cast from the Internet show. “It’s a process,” said Burke, adding, “It’ll take some time to take full form.”