In his first show with 107.3 WBBL Thursday morning, Eric Zane shared his side of the story after being fired from the Free Beer and Hot Wings radio show in February.
At one point, Zane was brought to tears discussing his suicidal thoughts after he was let go. He said he told his wife the way he was feeling right away, and encourages others to do the same. "If I hadn't told my wife, I may not be here today," he said.
With support from family, friends and professionals, Zane was able to move forward.
So, why was he fired?
According to Zane, he was suspended after making comments about the DeltaPlex and its owner and fired about a week later.
He said he was no stranger to "being in the weeds" after upsetting people on the radio. Under the old ownership, Zane said the issue(s) would always be smoothed over. When new management took over a few years ago, he said it was left to him to take care of it.
Up until February 2016, he was always given another chance.
After making fun of Joel Langlois from the DeltaPlex on-air on Feb. 4, Zane said he got a phone call from his boss Russ Hines, General Manager and Vice President at Townsquare Media, saying, "I'm tired of defending you." He said that was his first indication that his time with Free Beer and Hot Wings was over.
A week later Zane was called into the office by Hines. So, he put on a suit and headed in. When asked by Hines why he was so dressed up, Zane said, "Boss, if you're going to fire me I want to be dressed like a man."
And Hines did.
Zane said he was offered three months severance pay to sign a contract to keep quiet and say he resigned or was retiring. He refused the offer and was under a 30-day non-compete. After the 30 days, he was able to start his new show without facing any legal issues.
The Eric Zane Show airs weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on WBBL-FM. Mainly a sports station, Zane said WBBL's new morning show will follow a similar format to The Free Beer & Hot Wings Show.
FBHW tweeted shortly after, saying Zane’s account was “hardly the full story,” and said they would listen to Zane’s side and, if necessary, fill in the blanks Friday morning.
We will listen to @ericzaneshow side of the story. If necessary, tomorrow we will fill in the blanks.
— FreeBeer&HotWings (@fbhw) April 7, 2016
Later in the show, FBHW specified, saying if they have anything to say about it, it will be at 8 a.m. EST Friday.
Thursday afternoon, Gregg "Free Beer" Daniels gave this statement:
"None of us ever wanted these days to come. We hoped he would change his ways after numerous incidents and warnings from us, and unfortunately it kept happening. We always supported him and continue to love him like a brother, we’re happy that he’s found a new home and wish him nothing but the best moving forward." [emphasis from Daniels]
