2 Guys Named Chris

 This blog post will go live at 5 AM.

One hour from now, the radio landscape of the Greensboro Triad area will fundementally change.

Today is the last day on the air for Chris Demm at WKRR 92.3 FM, Rock 92.

One half of the iconic radio duo known as the 2 Guys Named Chris has decided to call it a day and retire after 3 decades at Rock 92.

Chris Demm publicly announced his retirement 2 months ago although Chris Kelly said Demm has told of his plans months before.

It is a rare thing for a radio disc jockey to go out on their own terms.  Most radio careers end with a DJ signing off with a "see you tomorrow", then getting called into the program director's office and escorted out the door. 

Working in radio has never been an easy business. And it's less so now if an industry that has been rocked by technological changes and cultural shifts.   

It was recently announced that CBS News Radio, in operation for nearly a century, will cease to be as of May 22, 2026.  This cancellation is being led by the Trump aligned CBS news director Bari Weiss and the Trump supporting bean counters at Paramount/Skydance. 

Casting this decision as some kind of politically partisan action is tempting but the reality is radio ain't what it used to be. Geez, I don't think I realized CBS Radio was even still a thing until I heard that it would no longer be a thing. 

But back to more local radio stuff....

For all it's success, 2 Guys Named Chris still could escape the headwinds of radio's downward spiral.  Just last year, 2GNC lost Dave Aiken when Rock 92's owners fired him in a cost cutting move.  

One fears that Chris Demm saw a chance to retire when he can rather than hang on and be forced out by the inevitable heat death of the radio universe.  

Boy, this post is taking a turn of the negative.

Let's try to accentuate some positivity. 

Chris Demm is a classic old school rock 'n' roll DJ with a smooth delivery and a sharp wit. He also posssess a near encylopedic knowledge of rock 'n' roll trivia. 

A big feature of 2GNC was the daily Put Up or Shut Up Rock 'n' Roll trivia game where listeners would match wits with the master. Once in a while, some listener would get lucky.  But not often.  This man knows his stuff.

Chris Demm has been the perfect counter to the hapless Chris Kelly.  Much like the blog's banner says about myself, Kelly is trapped in a world he is not designed to cope with.  Demm was there to provide an alternative perspective of someone with a slightly stronger grasp on making life work.  

I have no idea what the show's branding will be once today's installment comes to an end.

1 Guy Named Chris? 

God only knows how Chris Kelly will survive without Chris Demm to keep him out of trouble.

The lead up to Demm's retirement has been weird, part celebration, part mourning. It's as close to one can get to hearing their own funeral without being dead.

Former co-hosts Dave Aiken and Deidre James returned to the studio on Friday to pay homage to the departing Demm.

Below is a clip posted to You Tube of the start of Friday's show as Chris Kelly welcomes the return of Dave and Deidre. 

2 Guys Named Chris has long been a favorite program of mine although I will admit I am part of the problem for traditional radio. As I work from home and do not commute to my job, I don't listen as often as I used to.  

Chris Demm is a class act and while I am sorry to see him go, he has certainly earned his right to retirement and I am glad that unlike so many others in radio, he's getting to show himself out the door at the end of the day. 

Good luck to Chris Demm in his retirement. 

And good luck to Chris Kelly and Rock 92 as they move forward with the unthinkable reality of doing this without Chris Demm.