'This chapter is closed' - RTK103 axes Andrew Azzopardi programme
Popular radio talk show host vows he will continue somehow
Updated 8.52pm
Prof Andrew Azzopardi’s Saturday morning radio programme on RTK103 will go off air on June 29 after five years of wide ranging interviews and topics.
Announcing the "unexpected and deeply surprising development”, Azzopardi said the decision was taken by Beacon Media Group CEO as the radio station wants to move towards a “fresh” format with a “stronger religious focus”.
In its statement, RTK103 said Beacon Media had decided that "starting from the next schedule it will be opting for a fresh format for the Saturday morning slot currently occupied by the programme".
The radio station added that "like all media organisations" Beacon Media undertakes a review of its operations and programming.
"Beacon Media Group would like to thank Prof. Andrew Azzopardi for his services over the last five years, and wishes him well with other media ventures."
The talk show has featured academics, policy-makers, government officials opinionists, and “people who lived and experienced the issues first hand”.
“There was no topic I was unwilling to explore. That openness and inclusiveness gave the programme its credibility and depth,” Azzopardi said.
He thanked RTK103 for giving him the “rare privilege” to host “open, honest and difficult conversations”.
However, he admitted he found it “hard” to understand the change of heart, pointing out that only recently Beacon Media Group had declared it their “flagship” programme.
Azzopardi insisted he had always aligned with the radio station’s core values but respected the Group’s “right to move in a new direction”.
Despite the news, Azzopardi vowed this was not the end of the road for him. “The chapter is closed. My passion for radio echoes loud and clear. This is no last dance,” he said.