99.9 The Fan abruptly ends ‘The OG’ sports radio show, ousting Ovies and Giglio

WRAL SportsFan abruptly canceled its 99.9 FM The Fan afternoon sports talk radio show “The OG with Ovies & Giglio” on Wednesday.

Longtime host Ovies tweeted at the end of the show: “Today was the last edition of ‘The OG’ and the end of 13.5 years at The Fan. @giglio_OG and I did some really great stuff in just over 3 years of the show. Thanks for making us part of your routines.”

Brian Grube, general manager of Capitol Broadcasting Company Raleigh Radio division, said that a replacement show will have a single host format.

Giglio and Ovies were told after Wednesday’s show that both the show and their employment with Capitol Broadcasting’s radio division were terminated. Giglio, a former News & Observer sportswriter, also wrote for WRALsportsfan.com.

“The circumstances of my exit are not ideal but I do leave The Fan and Capitol Broadcasting really proud of my accomplishments with Adam Gold for several years, doing the original Adam and Joe Show, and Giglio and I the last three years trying to push the format forward,” Ovies told the N&O.

“I never could have done our podcasts — Never Failed (about Russell Wilson) and That Dadgum Legend (about Roy Williams) – without Joe, and Capitol gave me the freedom to do the (Raleigh-Durham) Skyhawks podcast and some other things.

“Doing radio full-time since I was 22 locally, I appreciate everybody that made me and Adam and me and Joe part of their daily routines on the radio and on social media and generally getting what we were trying to do and have fun with our local teams.”

Giglio declined to comment.

Grube told The N&O on Wednesday evening: “We’ve decided to move in a new direction in afternoons on 99.9 The Fan that focuses on the best way to deliver fast-moving, informative, engaging local sports content that leverages the full scope of CBC’s powerful radio, TV and digital platforms. ... We’re truly grateful for Joe Ovies and Joe Giglio’s many contributions and wish them both the best moving forward.”

Ovies previously hosted an afternoon sports talk show — originally on 850 AM The Buzz and later on 99.9 — with Adam Gold, who got his own statewide show in March 2020, airing on 99.9 from noon-3 p.m. That’s when Giglio joined 99.9 The Fan as Ovies’ co-host.

“The OG with Ovies & Giglio” aired weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. from the Raleigh station, with a daily show podcast available for download later in the day.

The co-hosts’ departure provoked national reaction. USA Today’s Dan Wolken tweeted, “There are a handful of people in the Triangle whose voice national people like me go to for a feel of what’s what in the ACC and (Ovies) is one of them,” while the Boston Globe’s Matt Porter tweeted, “These men deserve flowers. Shoulda been national a long time ago.”

Reaction closer to home came from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who tweeted: “Sports in NC won’t be the same. Thanks for the in depth analysis, the struggling prognostications, the entertainment and the laughs. Hope you guys reemerge soon.”