WTMJ Radio Host Charlie Sykes Stepping Away from Talk Radio

MILWAUKEE -- Love him or hate him, Charlie Sykes has been a fixture as a conservative radio talk show host for more than two decades.

On Tuesday, Sykes said he is stepping away from talk radio at the end of 2016.

“It has been both a pleasure and honor to work here,” said Sykes in a statementposted on his Right Wisconsin blog Tuesday morning. “It has been an extraordinary privilege to be a part of the momentous changes that have taken place in Wisconsin over the last two decades. This is not a decision that I made either lightly or recently and it was not driven by this year’s political season. I made this decision more than a year ago for both professional and very personal reasons..."

You can read the full statement here.

Sykes, whose catch phrase "standing up for what's right" had both moral and political implications, said he felt lucky to go out on his own terms after a 23-year run at the microphone.

A Rocky Campaign

The 2016 presidential race has been anything but predictable for Republicans, and Sykes himself made a name for himself nationally as a strong opponent of Donald Trump. On Tuesday, Sykes said the rocky GOP campaign "made the decision [to step away] easier."

"The conservative movement has been badly damaged; obviously the conservative media is broken as well. So this is a good time for step back, sit down for a while, and ask “What the hell just happened here,” Sykes wrote on Right Wisconsin.

Rocking Chair Sought: Occupancy One

Sykes said he will continue write and edit, and plans on writing a book about the crackup of the conservative movement. My working title is “How the Right Lost Its Mind.”

“I plan to sit on a rocking chair on my front porch,” he said on Right Wisconsin. "After a couple of weeks, I plan to start rocking. Slowly.”

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