Cucchiella’s depression prompts leave from 98 Rock
Hard-rock station loses second host within a year
After 71⁄ years as co-host of the morning show on 98 Rock, Mickey Cucchiella announced Friday that he was leaving the radio station as the result of a yearlong struggle with depression.
As listeners took to social media Friday to express support for the 44-year-old comedian and broadcaster in his battle with the illness, the departure raised questions for the Hearst-owned hard-rock station.
Program director Dave Hill said 98 Rock would introduce a new morning program July 8, but he declined to say whether it would include Amelia Ryerse and Josh Spiegel, Cucchiella’s co-hosts.
Less than a year ago, the rock station also lost its afternoon drivetime host, Stephen G. “Stash” Smith, when he was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, negligent driving and other traffic offenses related to a three-car crash that injured five people. In October, Smith was sentenced to six months in jail.
“There’s no question this is a challenge for us, as it would be for any radio station,” Hill said. “But the brand isn’t really about Stash, and the brand really isn’t about Mickey. The brand is about 98 Rock.” Cucchiella issued his goodbye Friday morning in a video that ran for nearluy eight minutes.
“I just want to take this time to talk to everybody and explain a couple of things,” he began. “Number 1, I won’t be doing the show any more.
“The last year or so, I’ve been battling pretty badly with depression. It’s getting better at times, but it’s also pretty sad at times. ... I’ve been through a lot. ... Between the death of my mother and the eventual separation and then eventual divorce from my wife, I’ve just never gotten back to where I was.”
“Well miss him,” Hill said. “But it’s been a rough year, year and a half, for us, and we’ve been trying to figure it out. And he’s just cooked.”
Between now and July 8, the station will feature a music show, “Mobcast,” with listeners picking the songs.
Online, the departure prompted an outpouring of sympathy for Cucchiella.
“I have been a 98 Rock listener for a long time,” a reader identified as Joe Smith wrote on The Sun’s Facebook page. “I wish him well and hope he can get the tough times worked out. Sunnier days are ahead Mick.”
But even among some of those who said they were not fans, there was still a nod of sympathy for what he faced.
“I wasn’t a fan of the morning show but he’s been through a lot the last few years. I hope he finds what he’s looking for,” wrote John Millecker Jr.
WIYY-FM fell from first place in May 2012 to second place this Maywith its target demographic of men18 to 49 years of age as its audience share went from 9.7 to 8.9 percent.
WREQ-FM (92Q) moved from second to first place with young men as its share rose from 9.4 to 9.6.