What Really Happened to Matty in the Morning?

For over 40 years many loyal Boston radio listeners tuned in to listen to Matt Siegel. The wildly popular and successful host of Kiss 108’s Matty in the Morning. Recently, after a lengthy absence Matt announced on air, via a pre-recorded message, that he was retiring. The message was odd. I’ve listened to Matt every day for years and the man speaking on the pre-recorded bit sounded different from the man I’d listened to for decades. His voice sounded melancholy, and he seemed distant. Many listeners accepted that it was his time to step away, while others are questioning how this all came to be. As a loyal fan of Matty, I find myself with serious questions as to why this iconic host was seemingly tossed aside and forced to retire. In my mind this is about respect and giving credit to what Matt has achieved. Matty was likely heading towards retirement but why leave in this way? Why not offer him a week of send offs, or even one last hurrah where listeners could call in? The ratings alone would justify the fanfare. Certainly, there is more to this story.

It's important to note that over the past few years Matt has been criticized, sometimes quite publicly, about comments he has made that could be deemed insensitive. Matt always apologized if he felt he over stepped. Various segments even played up his “boomer status." All of which was surely approved by the station. It’s very clear that Matt’s heart has always been in the right place. He could be a little prickly, but like his listeners he understood Boston. He also poked fun at the world and was relatable to the average listener. Commuting in Boston can be brutal. Matt’s humor made the mornings a little less miserable. His cynical sense of humor was a breath of fresh air from the same old same old radio shows in the world.

Matt vanished from the airwaves after the April 19 morning show. Little was mentioned regarding his absence, other than he was dealing with “family business.” While it is certainly true that Matt has had medical issues and personal hardships over the past year, it still seemed rather odd. Weeks passed with still no mention of what was to become of Matty’s presence on the morning show. Worth noting is his co-host, Lisa Donovan was absent during these shows as well. On the April 19 show (Matt's last show) Matty made a slight joke regarding Donovan’s son’s school. It appeared on air that this joke did not go over well. Matty had made many jokes like this in the past. While it may have been somewhat insensitive it hardly qualified for termination of a career or friendship. Siegel and Donovan often spoke of being close off air. It hardly seems reasonable to throw a decades long friendship and work relationship away over a passing joke. However, it’s hard not to notice the coincidences.

After Matty’s bizarre, prerecorded goodbye it was revealed that Donovan was caring for her sick mother. This is very unfortunate. Still, it seems odd that she wouldn’t call in and say goodbye to Matt or share her gratitude for what he’s done for her and the show. Also odd, Donovan shut off the comments sections on her social media during this time. Days after Matt’s retirement message Lisa returned to the studio. She made no mention of Matt’s retirement on the day of her return. This is certainly odd, even casual listeners would find this strange. The woman who shared a desk with Siegel for over 20 years, makes no mention of his retirement. Hardly normal behavior for a close-knit group of co-hosts. The shows following Matt’s retirement could be seen as both disrespectful and opportunistic. The co-hosts still make use of the Matty name and run Matty clips. Yet they hardly mention the bizarre nature of Matt’s departure.

My theory (and that is all it is) is that the crew and iheartmedia (Kiss 108’s parent company) grew tired of Matty. The latest comment may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. Over that past year he had a few public disagreements with co-hosts/producers and made comments that were deemed insensitive. Additionally, Matt moved to Florida and was recording his show remotely.

In the Spring of 2019, I asked Matty’s then producer Bex (Rebekah Maroun) to serve as a guest speaker in one of my classes. While speaking to Bex she confirmed that there were challenges working with Matty. She told me directly that his lack of concern with political correctness and his remote work situation were causing some headaches at the station. Months later Bex would leave the show after a spat with Matt on air. It seems logical that iheart was growing weary of defending Matt from what they deemed as “inappropriate comments.” Ironically the very type of comments and persona that made the show famous was now becoming a problem. Perhaps the station and his co-hosts decided it was time that Matt retire, could this be the real reason? I have no doubt that Siegel would retire soon, but perhaps the rushed timeline was brought on by those in studio. A true betrayal if there ever was one.

If this is the case, it seems short sighted. Why would loyal listeners continue to listen without the star of the show? Likewise, removing the edge of the hosting panel seems to be fundamentally changing the format of the show. The format that made the show a smash ratings hit. From a business perspective this is a major risk. Younger listeners rarely listen to the radio. Matty in the morning was the rare show that had a very loyal fanbase, consisting of mostly older listeners. Will these older listeners stick around now that Matty is gone? Will Kiss 108 lose its high morning ratings? It seems likely that listeners will drop and the ratings will follow.

In the interim, Matt’s co-host and on-air personality Bill Costa will be taking the reins. Bill is well known in the area but lacks the bite that Matt has. In fact, his version of the show appears to be a neutered version of Matty in the Morning. It’s impossible to know if this version of the show will succeed. The very essence of the show is gone.

One thing is blatantly clear, Matt’s retirement was not celebratory. In what world does a celebrated host of Boston’s number 1 morning show leave the airwaves with an awkward pre-recorded message? Matt Siegel deserved better. His loyal listeners deserved better. I doubt we will ever get the entire story. However, I can guarantee that if Siegel joined a new station (or used another type of media) his fans would follow. Hosting a top rated morning show in a major market for over 40 years is a major accomplishment. The type of accomplishment that deserves more than quick message. Something is not right in this situation, perhaps one day Matt will return and speak his mind. That's what his listeners want, and we are here to hear it.

Jeff LeBlanc