St. Louis radio personality J. C. Corcoran is out as morning show host as classic rock station K-HITS 96. Station management fired the legendary jock to save money and boost ratings.

"J.C. has worked very hard to make this work," said John Beck, Emmis senior vice president and general manager. "Unfortunately, ours is a business driven by ratings, and those ratings indicate that we need to change in order to compete successfully in this environment.”
The station also fired long-time station personalities Katy Kruze and Carl “the Intern” Middleman.

The original bad boy of St. Louis radio, Corcoran has worked at and been fired from almost every rock station in the market. His brand of in-your-face humor and whip-smart commentary made him a favorite in the 1980s and 1990s. While Corcoran will not be on the air he remains under contract with Emmis until December 2010.

"The Showgram," K-HITS morning talk show, will be discontinued and replaced with an all-music format hosted by St. Louis radio veteran Rick Sanborn. John Ulett and Laurie Mac will remain as co-hosts.

Beck does not expect any other cuts in the immediate future.