Breakfast time over for Mike
IT was the end of an era this morning as Mike Toolan hosted Manchester’s Key 103 breakfast show for the very last time - after 14 years at the helm. Key 103 bosses announced last month the station is to be renamed Hits Radio from June 4 - and will launch with a new breakfast show with Gemma Atkinson staying on, but joined by TV presenter Gethin Jones and former radio one DJ ‘Comedy Dave’ Vitty.
Mike will move to a new midmorning show with the station.
He says: “Having early starts for 14 years in a row with the alarm set at 4.30am, I’m kind of ready for a bit of a lie in!
“For me it’s brilliant to see Key become a national radio station as Hits, but it’s tinged with sadness that it’s the end of Key 103. It has been a proper Manchester institution, and I know people can feel averse to change, but some things have to change. It’s a huge moment for Manchester.”
On Wednesday Mike said his onair farewells to his co-presenters from the past 18 months, Gemma Atkinson and Matt Haslam, while reminiscing about their favourite memories of their time together. Mike first started at the station 20 years ago on the breakfast show, which he hosted from 1998 to 2001, until JK and Joel took over between 2001-2004.
In 2004 Mike was asked to return, firstly alongside Michelle Dignan, then in 2005 Chelsea Norris joined the station with Mike and Chelsea becoming king and queen of Manchester’s breakfast scene for the following decade.
Mike says: “That was a really big, golden era for Key 103. We had a really good run of it, our photos were all over Manchester on the back of buses and the audience figures went through the roof.
“I think the chemistry with Chelsea was so good, the show went all around the world.”
But in July 2016, Chelsea made a shock on-air announcement that she would be leaving the show after 11 years. Mike has always insisted it was as much a shock to him as it was to Chelsea, who now has her own breakfast show on BBC Radio Manchester.
He says now: “I genuinely wish Chelsea well and I hear she is doing so well with her new show. She’s a natural breakfast show broadcaster.”
Speaking before his final breakfast show which aired today from 6am to 10am, he said: “Hopefully there won’t be tears. I will have Brooke Vincent co-hosting with me and she always keeps me in check!
He joked: “I’ve been a bit of an Arsene Wenger hanging on for all these years. To stay on breakfast for 14 years is quite weird, but a massive compliment.
“I’m now looking forward to what the future holds with Hits Radio.”