At the 2022 NAB Show, he was a VIP guest everyone wanted to meet at a special reception hosted in part by Radio Ink and the Radio + Television Business Report at the Bellagio. Just before COVID-19 arrived in North America, at the 2020 NATPE Miami affair, he was touted as the biggest star at the Fontainebleau, with radio and TV gigs fueling his popularity.
Now, Nick Cannon‘s career is in transition, as his syndicated morning radio program is coming to a close.
As first reported by Streamline Publishing’s Radio Ink, Skyview Networks has confirmed that Nick Cannon Radio has reached its end.
While a click to the Skyview website offers no indication of the conclusion of Cannon’s relationship, Skyview’s confirmation comes following a report in radio industry website RadioInsight.com.
In a statement provided by Skyview sent to Radio Ink on Thursday morning, Cannon’s tenure with Skyview actually ended at the end of last year.
“As of December 30, 2022, Nick Cannon is no longer partnered with Skyview Networks for the syndication of Nick Cannon Radio and Cannon’s Countdown. We look forward to continuing our ongoing relationship with Nick on our influencer platform and wish him the best in his future radio endeavors.”
Nick Cannon Radio was packaged as a five-hour morning or afternoon program, while Cannon’s Countdown was a three-hour weekend offering. Among those endorsing Cannon were Phil Becker, EVP of Content at Alpha Media, and EJ Craig, the Program Director of heritage R&B WBLX-FM in Mobile-Pensacola.
Three years ago, Cannon was on a roll. After taking over the morning slot at Meruelo Media-owned KPWR “Power 106” in Los Angeles in June 2019, he partnered with Skyview to launch syndicated programming in early 2020.
Then came COVID-19, which put a Debmar-Mercury syndicated television show heavily shopped at the 2020 NATPE Miami conference on hold … and a gaffe.
In mid-July 2020, Cannon, who rose to fame on Season Five of Nickelodeon’s kids sketch comedy show All That in the late 1990s, stepped away from his daily radio program after making statements judged as anti-Semitic on a podcast.
In September 2020, after taking time away for a period of reflection, dialogue and study with some of America’s most notable Jewish community leaders and representatives, he returned to hosting Nick Cannon Radio — but did not immediately return to Power 106’s airwaves.
Affiliates of the syndicated radio program voiced their support for the host, who had delivered strong ratings ahead of his sabbatical. In its first rating period, Nick Cannon Radio was No. 1 with adults 18-49 and with women 18-34 at Alpha Media-owned WGZB “B96” in Louisville. Forthcoming episodes of Nick Cannon Radio were slated to feature interviews with Kanye West and Common.
That couldn’t boost ratings or revenue at Power 106, which in August 2021 relegated him to the 10am-noon slot before cutting him altogether at the end of 2022. Then came the news, shared by RBR+TVBR on Twitter and in its afternoon headlines e-mails, that Audacy Corp.’s had hired longtime WQHT “Hot 97” talent Cipha Sounds for WXBK “94.7 The Block” in New York. Then, there was the placement of Superadio Networks’ “Yung Joc and the Streetz Morning Takeover” Alpha Media’s WGZB in Louisville. Not reported at the time: both programs were replacing Skyview’s syndicated Nick Cannon Radio.
Meanwhile, Cannon’s television career had suffered from his podcast comments. Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘N Out was nixed by ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global) after some 15 seasons as fallout from the controversial anti-Semitic remarks continued.
Then, there was Nick Cannon the syndicated daytime talk show. As of April 2020, the daily syndicated talk show offered to broadcast TV affiliates by Debmar-Mercury had achieved 90% nationwide coverage. A Sept. 21 program debut date had been announced. Coverage in all of the Top 20 markets and 29 of the top 30 markets — a huge achievement — had been seen. But, on July 17, 2020, Lionsgate and Debmar-Mercury confirmed to RBR+TVBR that moving forward with Nick Cannon was not a wise move, given the furor surrounding his podcast commentary with Professor Griff which referenced Jewish stereotypes regarding finance and power.
Eventually, Nick Cannon did make its debut in syndication. However, it lasted just one season and in March 2022 was cancelled. At the time, show producers and distributors Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus said, “It’s never easy to cancel a production with clear potential, but after a great deal of deliberation and examining various options, we have made the difficult business decision to end production on Nick Cannon. We plan to offer viewers original episodes of the daytime talk show through the remainder of this season. Our thanks go to the very talented Nick Cannon and our wonderful production team, and we wish Nick continued success with his many hit ventures.”
What’s next for Cannon, known also as the host of FOX’s “The Masked Singer”?
In a statement sent to Radio Ink on Thursday, Cannon said, “I will have a major announcement for you in the next few weeks. As a result, I am sad to say that I had to make the decision to wrap up Nick Cannon Radio and Cannon’s Countdown.”
However, Cannon said that he looks forward “to continuing my relationship with Skyview Networks in the influencer space,” which expressing gratitude for all of his radio partners.
Cannon’s time in radio includes serving as the morning host, from 2010-2012, of a now-defunct Top 40 station in New York that is today the home of all-News WINS on FM.
