Rich Shertenlieb is dismissed at WZLX less than six months after his show debuted

Rich Shertenlieb’s eponymous morning show on WZLX is over, less than six months after its launch, a casualty of budget cuts at parent company iHeart radio and dismal ratings.

Shertenlieb, who left 98.5 The Sports Hub last November and had been given carte blanche by iHeart to put together his own show on the classic rock station, was informed by station management immediately after Monday morning’s program that he was being dismissed.

Cohost Ted Johnson, the former Patriots linebacker and NBC Sports Boston personality, also was let go.

The status of cohost Michael Hurley and frequent third voice Emerson Lotzia is yet to be determined, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Shertenlieb did not immediately respond to request for comment, but he confirmed his dismissal with a series of four screenshots of text posted on Twitter/X Monday afternoon.

“To say I’m disappointed is an understatement,” he wrote, praising his cohosts and producer Kenny Young before concluding, “I LOVED the show. I loved our listeners. And I already miss you.”

Shertenlieb, who in November 2023 split acrimoniously with longtime cohost Fred Toucher on the Sports Hub’s extremely successful “Toucher and Rich” program, debuted “The Rich Shertenlieb Show” in May, using many of the same or similar bits and segments that were popular at the Sports Hub.

But the new show never gained traction in the highly competitive morning-drive time slot, which includes The Sports Hub’s “Toucher and Hardy” and WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.”

In the last full ratings book over the summer, covering the period from June 20-Sept. 11, Shertenlieb’s show finished 14th with a stunningly low 1.8 share in the men 25-54 demographic. “Toucher and Hardy” was first (16.6) while Hill’s show was second (11.9).

More damningly, WZLX’s overall share for its weekday programming was 8.1. In radio, the morning program usually sets the tone for the day. In WZLX’s case, it was the only show not doing well.

The next full ratings, for the three-month fall period, will be available Dec. 26.

The show’s ratings were known to concern executives at iHeart, who began implementing changes to the format, including adding music to each hour, which Shertenlieb did not want to do. But the short shelf life is stunning, even with iHeart’s broad staffing cuts that affected several stations and markets Monday.

In his social media post, Shertenlieb acknowledged that he did not agree with the decision to add music, and he felt the program was gaining traction.

“When we launched the show at the end of May, the plan was simple,” he wrote. “We would take the months of Summer to build chemistry with the new cast and by Fall and football season, we would be close to sounding [like] what our vision of the show would be.

“However, just over two months into the show, management decided to alter the format.

“They wanted music, I did not. However despite my disagreement about the decision, I agreed to move forward and music was added.”

Shertenlieb left The Sports Hub after several contentious months between him and Toucher. A non-compete clause kept him off the Boston airwaves until the launch of his WZLX show in May.

In advance of the show’s debut, he told the Globe that he was grateful that iHeart allowed him to shape the show as he saw fit and hire the people he wanted, including Hurley, a relative radio novice but someone who had been an entertaining guest over the years on Sports Hub programming.

“If this fails, it’s my name on it, but you know what, it’s what I’ve always wanted,” said Shertenlieb back in May. “It’s what I’ve worked my whole career towards, and I’m glad that ZLX and iHeart were able to give it to me.”