Rock Royalty On The Move

• Jesse Kage has landed in Atlanta, hired by Cumulus as the new APD and afternoon drive personality for WNNX (Rock 100.5), with a start date of Tuesday, Sept. 5. He succeeds Jay Philpott, who left in June to do nights on Cumulus Classic Rock KQRS/Minneapolis-St. Paul. Kage arrives from Tampa Bay, where he most recently did afternoons on Beasley’s former Rock outlet WBRN, but he’s probably best known for his lengthy runs across the street at WXTB (98Rock) and WSUN (97X).

PD Greg Ausham said, “This is a huge step for WNNX. We searched for the right replacement for the Rock 100.5’s afternoon show and Jesse showed us the personality and enthusiasm that we needed to keep our momentum going.” Kage commented, “I’m incredibly jacked to get the opportunity to be at Rock 100.5! Atlanta has always been one of my favorite cities to visit and I’m looking forward to living and working with the amazingly talented people already in place. Thanks to Mike McVay, Sean Shannon and Greg Ausham for believing in my brand and bringing me into the family.” [Photo credit: Anna Caradonna]

• Black Diamond Broadcasting Active Rock duo WGFM & WCHY (Rock 105 & 95.5)/Traverse City-Cheboygan, MI pulls off a major market coup, hiring Detroit rock radio goddess Trudi Daniels to take over the midday show.

Ms. Daniels has been a familiar voice on Motor City Rock stations for over 25 years — she most recently co-hosted the morning show on Beasley Classic Rock WCSX/Detroit; before that she spent 22 years across the hall as a cast member of the Drew & Mike Show on the legendary WRIF. Her impressive radio resume also includes earlier stops at WZOU/Boston, KSEG/Sacramento, WLVQ/Columbus and WIOT/Toledo.

Daniels remarked, “I started listening to Rock 105 & 95.5 driving up north for weekends and wished I could get it all time, everywhere in Michigan. So much great rock I hadn’t heard in years and new music too. I’m amped to be a part of the Rock roster, including Cartman In The Morning, Jay Roberts in the afternoon and the rest of the hardworking people who make Rock 105 & 95.5 the best Rock station in Michigan.”