Mad Dog and Billie

Canadian broadcasters Jay "Mad Dog" Michaels and Billie Holiday (real name Amanda Dunn) hosted a succession of prominent morning drive time shows in the Toronto, Ontario radio market as Mad Dog and Billie, later Jay and Billie and then Mad Dog and Billie again.

After CISS 92.5 FM Toronto, was acquired by Rogers Communications and moved from a country music format to contemporary hit radio in 1999, and after a transitional period as Power 92 and a temporary morning show with Toronto radio veteran K.J., Jay and Daryn Jones became morning show of what became known as KISS 92 FM. From entertainment reporter, Billie rose to succeed Jones when he departed to focus on his television career.

During the contemporary hit period at KISS, the show frequently featured voice actress Stephanie Beard as "Suga BayBee".

Jay and Billie stayed with the station through its transition to urban contemporary music format.

On the day that CISS switched to the JACK-FM format, their longtime program director at CISS, Julie Adam, was named general manager and program director of Rogers' Toronto adult contemporary station CHFI. Erin Davis, morning co-host and an icon of the station, was let go, and her longtime on-air partner Bob Magee moved to afternoons. Mad Dog and Billie, later Jay and Billie, became the new CHFI morning show three days later.

During this period, CHFI was somewhat troubled in ratings and strategic direction, and Davis temporarily re-emerged at crosstown competitor CJEZ with morning host Mike Cooper. In June 2005, the station let go of Jay and Billie in favour of Davis and, after his employment with CJEZ expired, Cooper.

After a long absence from Toronto radio airwaves, it was revealed that Mad Dog and Billie would be returning to mornings on CKFM-FM (then branded as "Mix 99.9 FM"). Their first air date was August 8, 2006. [1] When the radio station was rebranded as "Toronto Virgin Radio" on August, 2008, their morning show was rebranded as "The Breakfast Show with Mad Dog and Billie".

On July 13 2011, Billie was fired from the station after five years. Her termination came on the heels of the end of her marriage to Peter Luciano, a business lawyer with Toronto firm McCarthy Tetrault and former member of Canadian boy band VIP. The couple are parents to a two-year-old daughter. Station owner, Astral, released this statement on the termination:

"We will be taking the Virgin Morning Show in a new direction ... as a result we will not be renewing Billie's contract at the end of July. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Billie and wish her success and happiness in her future endeavors."

References

http://www.torontomike.com/2011/07/billie_from_mad_dog_and_billie.html

External links