© iStock Grant Paulsen and Danny Rouhier, co-hosts of 106.7 the Fan's midday "Grant and Danny" show for the last seven years, are moving to the station's afternoon drive slot starting Monday.
"I kind of think it's the same show at a different time of day," Paulsen said on Friday's show, after he and Rouhier announced the news and thanked listeners and their producers for their support of the program over the years. "We're going to obviously have some new wrinkles. I think this is a chance for us to take a step back and see what works and what doesn't, and to keep things fresh."
The move provides an answer to the question of who would replace longtime host Chad Dukes in WJFK's 2 to 6:30 p.m. window. Dukes was fired in late October after Entercom, the station's parent company, said it learned of inappropriate comments he made on his personal podcast. Entercom has declined to discuss what specific comments led to Dukes's ouster.
Entercom also announced Friday that Pete Medhurst, who did a solid job and drew positive reviews as the primary fill-in host in the afternoon drive slot over the last two months, will serve as the interim midday host on 106.7 the Fan going forward. "The Sports Junkies" will continue to occupy the morning slot from 6 to 10 a.m.
Dukes, who hosted "Chad Dukes vs. the World" in the afternoons on 106.7 the Fan for more than six years, is launching a subscription-based digital show Monday. For $12.99 a month, listeners will have access to a new episode at 2 p.m. Eastern time every Monday through Thursday. Dukes will release a free episode every Friday. The website for the show says listeners can expect "discussion of movies, video games, food, booze, music, football, fighting and copious amounts of ball busting."
The last two months have featured a number of major changes at D.C.'s two leading sports talk stations. Two weeks after Entercom acquired 106.7 the fan competitor The Team 980 (WTEM) as part of a swap with Urban One in early November, it laid off WTEM program director Chris Johnson and hosts Rick "Doc" Walker and Scott Linn. In late December, Steve Czaban, a fixture in the afternoon drive slot on WTEM for the past 20 years, announced that he was leaving his weekday role at The Team 980 to host a Saturday morning show on 106.7 the Fan.
"As my contract was coming to an end, I had been contemplating a change of pace and direction for some time now," Czaban, who continues to host a daily morning show on Milwaukee's 97.3 the Game, tweeted. "This is the right move for me at the right time. I am very excited and thankful for this opportunity, and any others that may present themselves in the future."
Chris Russell has served as the interim afternoon drive host on WTEM since Czaban's departure. An Entercom spokeswoman declined to comment on any other pending changes to the lineup or when permanent replacement hosts might be named.