Smile 90.4FM breakfast show hosts Bobby Brown and Lindy Lehto have allegedly been let go, immediately after their live show on Friday morning.
The Cape Town bilingual radio station announced a sudden shake-up on their website on Friday.
Although the post didn’t reveal much, IOL Entertainment spoke to a source who said the station’s “sudden changes” come off the back of the breakfast team being “fired”.
The source said: “The breakfast show team was fired after their show this morning. They didn’t know it was their last show.
“Management called them in to break the news and tell them that their contacts would not be renewed.”
The station’s announcement read: “Today, Smile FM announced that they will be making line-up changes, but they are keeping their cards very close to their chest.
“At the end of March, Smile FM celebrated their 10th birthday and with that comes change.”
Managing director Lois O’Brien said: “We are proud to say that in the last 10 years we have evolved our music, our on-air product and our brand. We believe the time is right for a fresh new breakfast show as well as other show changes.”
Programme manager Naveen Singh said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the current talent for all their efforts in getting us where we are today. We wish them everything of the best for the future.”
The post encouraged listeners to follow their social media accounts for further information on the unveiling of changes.
Bobby Brown, who confirmed the final show, told IOL Entertainment: “I was part of the Smile FM family from well before the first broadcast on the morning of 25 March 2013.
“Up until that point, we had been busy for three months pulling it all together and making sure we gave Cape Town a brand-new, exciting choice in radio.
“I have been privileged to co-host the breakfast show ever since, first alongside Eloise Pretorius, then Tracey Lange and for the last few years, Lindy Lehto.
“While there, I also presented the daily technology feature ‘The iSmile Report’, did a stint on the news desk, contributed extensively to the online product, helped to shape processes and hosted Early Breakfast with Reinard Ludick. Now it’s time to move on to bigger things.
“I am eternally grateful to Smile FM for allowing me to complete the hat-trick of media launches, for fostering a memorable working environment and for facilitating an amicable parting of ways – something which I pride myself in achieving at all my previous media houses.
“While taking some breathing time off, I will continue to do corporate writing and contribute to my weekly commentary page in ‘The Daily Voice’.
“I will also continue the extensive corporate and government media training that I have been doing for many years.
“Radio is a bug that once it has bitten, it is impossible to let go. So who knows where else this journey will still lead. Be awesome, everybody.”
IOL Entertainment has reached out to Smile 90.4FM for comment.
O’Brien referred us to the post on their website and did not answer the questions sent in the query for formal response.