Carter leaves B98.5 morning show

After three and a half years, Melissa Carter is off the air on B98.5’s morning show.

The morning host veteran has nearly six months left on her current contract. Norm Schrutt, her agent, said Carter wanted to give the adult pop station time to find a replacement while staying on air but the station decided otherwise. Carter will remain employed with the station through August but it’s unclear if she will have any active role.

Carter, who declined to comment, built her radio career first being a news reader with the Morning X on alternative rock station 99X, then as part of the Bert Show on Q100 for a decade until 2011. She was the first openly gay morning radio host in Atlanta.

She initially planned to leave radio permanently but circumstances changed. She joined B98.5 in the summer of 2013 with Jeff Elliott as the new morning show team, replacing Vikki Locke and Kelly Stevens. Last year, Elliott was replaced by Tad Lemire, a close friend of program director Chris Eagan.

Lemire will remain in place on mornings until a replacement is found for Carter.

The morning show averaged a 3.4 rating in 2016 among 25- to 54-year-olds and finished January with the same exact rating, ranking 12th in the market.

Think you can do the job? Eagan, in an email, wrote: “We have posted an opening to find a new co-host to join Tad Lemire mornings on B98.5. ”

B98.5 and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group.