WTCM NewsTalk 580 has canceled The Afternoon Drive – its three-hour afternoon local talk show with hosts Norm Jones and Bill Froehlich – after two years on the air. Station management informed staff Tuesday of the cancelation, which was made effective immediately. Jones and Froelich’s last show aired Monday.

In a written statement to The Ticker, Midwestern Broadcasting Vice President Chris Warren explained the decision as follows:

“A hot upcoming election year, coupled with robust requests for election coverage and the return of the nation’s #2 talker Sean Hannity, have NewsTalk 580 making a proactive change with the return of Sean Hannity (live) weekdays 3-6pm. The John Batchelor Show will air from 9pm-1am weekdays, with Mark Levin remaining live 6-9pm (24 hours of LIVE talk Monday–Friday). While we continue to believe strongly in live and local programming, we consider this change a strong upgrade to the very best programming available in northern Michigan.”

According to Froehlich, while station staff were “always talking about possible changes in some shape or form,” the move came as “a surprise.”

“I know that Sean Hannity continues to be and always has been a very popular program,” says Froehlich. “When we launched The Afternoon Drive two years ago, we heard from many listeners who were upset that we were replacing Hannity. But I know our listeners have also seen the value in what can be done with local radio. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to discuss local news and events. I’m going to miss the show.”

Jones described the cancelation to The Ticker as a “business decision."

“It’s the nature of the business - it's a tough business,” says Jones. “It’s hard to stay competitive. There are a lot of signals in this market. I love my job and doing The Afternoon Drive…but at the end of the day, they made a business decision.”

Both Froehlich and Jones say relations with WTCM are still friendly. “I’ll still have some involvement, the extent of which has yet to be determined,” says Froehlich. “They left the door open. It wasn’t a bitter departure in any sense. I’m sad to see the show go away and obviously disappointed, but I have respect for the company and look forward to whatever opportunities lie ahead at WTCM or elsewhere here in town.”

Jones agrees. “It wasn’t like they said, ‘Here’s the door' or anything,” he says. “Nothing like that.” The long-time WTCM personality says it’s “too early to say," however, what role – if any – he’ll have going forward at the station.