Nick McIlwain, a familiar voice on 93.3 WMMR’s “Preston & Steve Show,” announced Wednesday he’s leaving the station after more than two decades as part of the morning show’s on-air team. <\/p>\n
McIlwain, who joined WMMR in 1999, said his decision was partly driven by the departure of former colleague Kathy Romano<\/a>, who was laid off by ‘MMR owner Beasley Media Group in May after 22 years with the station. McIlwain also talked about the impact of losing his mentor<\/a>\u00a0at the station, disc jockey Pierre Robert, who died last month<\/a>. <\/p>\n MORE:\u00a0Franklin Institute to close long-running air show exhibit in January<\/a><\/p>\n “Our entire lives have just been thrown into chaos over the last few months,” McIlwain said. “It’s just been a lot, and a lot of ups and downs. And lately, for me anyway, more downs than ups.”<\/p>\n “Preston & Steve” has been the top-rated morning show in the Philadelphia radio market for more than a decade. Co-hosts Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison started the show at the former Y100 in 1998 before moving over to WMMR in 2005. McIlwain, a member of the show’s crew since the beginning, said he met with the co-hosts a couple of months ago \u2013 before Robert’s death \u2013 to let them know he would be leaving. <\/p>\n “This is my choice. I’m not being forced out,” McIlwain said during Wednesday’s show<\/a>. “I made this decision after a lot of thought and a lot of introspection.”<\/p>\n McIlwain hasn’t figured out his next step professionally. He said he plans to visit his son in Ireland for Thanksgiving before returning to consider his options. <\/p>\n “I’m just at the point now where I feel like I’m ready for a change,” he said. “I want to try new things.” <\/p>\n Romano, who was part of a wave of cuts at Beasley-owned stations across the country, has since become the host of her own morning show<\/a> that debuted on B101 in September. <\/p>\n Morrison and Elliot are both on five-year contracts that will keep their show going through at least 2030. Morrison said McIlwain’s role was included in the last contract extension, but he opted to leave early instead of finishing it.\u00a0<\/p>\n “You’ve been wonderfully loyal and supportive all these years,” Morrison said. “We’re not going anywhere.”<\/p>\n The show’s producer, Marisa Magnatta, will step into McIlwain’s on-air role. Ryan Shuttleworth, the former producer of Pierre Robert’s midday show, will take over Magnatta’s duties for “Preston & Steve.”<\/p>\n