Kyle Santillian
Listeners to WGCI FM 107.5 are about to wake up to a brand new morning show.
Kyle Santillian, a former morning host from Greensboro, North Carolina, will team up with former Chicago radio personality Kendra G and WGCI veteran Leon Rogers from 6 to 10 a.m. weekdays on the iHeartMedia urban contemporary station, starting Thursday.
Calling it “Chicago’s next big morning show,” Derrick Brown, director of urban programming for iHeartMedia Chicago, said in a statement: “Listeners can expect non-stop fun, comedy, entertainment features and the best hip-hop and R&B to get you moving in the morning. Kyle, Kendra and Leon are one-of-a-kind entertainers, but most importantly, they have a heart for the community. They won’t hesitate to tackle tough issues our listeners confront or step in to lend a helping hand.”
Leon Rogers
Rogers is the sole holdover from WGCI’s previous morning show, hosted by Tony Sculfield and Nina Chantele, which ended its five-year run last December. A stand-up comedian and versatile performer who began his radio career at Crawford Broadcasting urban contemporary WPWX FM 92.3 in 2003, Rogers joined WGCI two years later and became known as “The Destined Legend.”
Santillian, a West Philadelphia native and graduate of Winston-Salem State University, started as an intern at WJMH in Greensboro, North Carolina, and eventually moved up to mornings. Forced out after more than 10 years last June, he called his departure a “minor setback,” tweeting: “In the end I will not lose.” On Tuesday, he said: "I’m extremely excited to be joining the team at WGCI. I look forward to contributing to the legacy that WGCI has built throughout the years.”
Kendra G
Fans may recall Kendra G from her two-year run as morning co-host with Shannon "Trey the Choklit Jok" Brazier on Power 92. A native of Waterbury, Connecticut, and graduate of Hampton University, Kendra Gilliams also worked at WPHI in Philadelphia and WVEE in Atlanta, and was most recently pursuing television work in Los Angeles. “It is blessing and an honor to be able to return to the city of Chicago, a city that embraced me very early on in my radio career,” she said in a statement.
In the latest Nielsen Audio survey, WGCI tied for eighth place in mornings with a 2.9 percent share and cumulative weekly audience of 434,000.