Greg Hoffman and Andre Covington have been staples of morning radio in Fresno for a quarter-century.
That ended Friday when the pair officially retired “Greg and Dre” from Q97’s morning lineup.
“I want to say thank you to all our listeners for giving us an opportunity to entertain them on a daily basis,” Hoffman told The Bee prior to the final broadcast last week. “My hope is that we rewarded them with laughs to put a smile on their face and thought-provoking discussions.”
Hoffman and Covington came to Q97 in 2013 having already established themselves on the local radio scene with the Juice Crew, whose popular morning show aired on B95 through the 2000s. With “Greg and Dre” the pair kept things topical, offering a series of segments like “Lean on the Listeners,” in which the audience solicited advice from the hosts.
“We focused on topics which had people look inside themselves, hopefully starting discussions that would carry over to friends, family, coworkers, and loved ones, Hoffman said.
“The goal was always to be a positive distraction to the pressure and stress that life puts on us all.”
That proved popular.
The show never dropped out of the Top 3 in the Nielson Ratings for the key demographics, Hoffman said, and it hit No. 1 more than a few times. “I never wanted the show to be anything less than its very best. Our listeners have always deserved the best version us daily,” he said.
“I hope we delivered that to then till the end.”
Hoffman will remain in the Fresno radio market (as Operations Manager for Lotus Fresno) and on the station.
On Monday he moved to the 10 a.m.-2 p.m. time slot with a new show, “The Book of Greg.”
Covington, in turn, is continuing his career as a touring stand-up comedian and launched a 559afterdark, a local entertainment site he runs with his wife.
‘The Dana Cortez Show’ takes over
Dana Cortez will be taking over the 6-10 a.m. slot with her nationally syndicated morning show and podcast.
Cortez was the first Latina to host a nationally syndicated morning show, leading a trio of personalities that includes her co-host/producer (and husband) DJ Automatic and their friend Anthony A. The show plays for laughs, but also hits the trending topics and pop-culture.
Hoffman and Covington officially passed the reigns to Cortez at last weekend’s Party at the Park event.
Other changes at Q97.1
The morning show retirement is one of several shifts for the top 40 station. They include:
Kimmie Marquez can now be heard in the afternoons (and Saturday) starting at 2 p.m.Lexi, the former afternoon host, has left the station.
Lexi, Alexis Govea, announced last week that she’d be leaving the station for TV news gig in Texas. This tracks with her second career as an on-air TV reporter. She joined KMPH’s Great Day morning show in 2022 where she had her own segment “Lexi Around Town.” Friday will be her last day with at FOX 26.
“This community has been such a meaningful part of my life and my career,” Govea said, posting on social media.
“I’m incredibly grateful for every person who has watched me on TV, listened to me on the radio, shared a kind word, cheered me on, simply believed in me, and helped me GROW along the way — both professionally and personally.”
The Fresno Bee
Joshua Tehee covers breaking news for The Fresno Bee, writing on a wide range of topics from police, politics and weather, to arts and entertainment in the Central Valley.