There’s been a shakeup at Chicago’s top sports radio station this week.
Just as 670 The Score officially named Leila Rahimi Dan Bernstein’s permanent replacement on the station’s midday show, another familiar voice announced an unexpected departure.
Longtime executive producer and on-air personality Shane Riordan revealed Monday that he’s no longer with the station. Details were scarce, though Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod pointed out that Riordan’s post on X didn’t make it sound like a mutual decision. However, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, his exit is unrelated to behavioral issues or anything said on the air.
In 2023, the station temporarily removed Riordan from his role as the producer of Parkins and Spiegel after making an inappropriate comment about the late mother of a local conservative radio host. The following year, in 2024, he found himself embroiled in a prolonged feud with Chicago White Sox play-by-play voice John Schriffen.
But neither had to do with his removal.
Matt Spiegel and Laurence Holmes spoke candidly on air about their longtime producer’s abrupt exit. They didn’t offer specifics, but their tone suggested the departure wasn’t as simple as it seemed, and it wasn’t just from their show, but from the station entirely.
“There are things that Speigs and I just cannot say,” Holmes said, as transcribed by Jeff Agrest of the Sun-Times. “So just so you know, you’re probably not going to be satisfied with what it is that we have to say. I’m sorry about that, but there are just things we cannot say. I’ll say that I met Shane a long time ago when he was a young, spirited producer, and liked him because he had the same level of arrogance that I had when I was a young, spirited producer. When he was younger, it caused us to clash, and that clash I think helped strength our relationship and friendship. I think that he is one of the most creative producers that has ever set foot in this building, and I am sad that I am not going to see him every day.”
“The station and Shane deciding to part ways has been a lot to process,” Spiegel said. “It’s been sad. It’s a management decision, and we’ve gotta leave it at that. Yeah, people will be unhappy with whatever because the connection is real. I know it’s hard for the listeners who loved him, and we feel you and we can’t say any more. We’ve gotta respect the internal nature of it. I’ve absolutely loved making fun, improvised radio with that guy, and I care deeply about him as a friend. I think he’s a phenomenal, creative talent.
“And I know that we did great work together for a long, long time. We both wish him happiness and success, and I look forward to whatever he gets a chance to do. It’s a bummer, but it is what it is. So it goes, as Kurt Vonnegut says. And onward we have to roll.”
“The job doesn’t define him,” Holmes said. “And that’s something that I think all of us could probably use a little dose of, of whether or not it defines us, even though these jobs are very personal.”
“His presence here and on air will absolutely be missed,” Holmes adds. “…And we’ll see what ends up happening here and with the show and with the spot. But he is definitely missed, for sure.
Riordan’s absence will definitely be felt, both on the airwaves and behind the scenes as the afternoon drive show moves forward without him.