Ryan Chase Has Left Houston's KRBE After 19 Years With the Radio Station

Although it's no longer as dominant as it once was, local radio still plays a huge role in the daily routines of millions of people. What's more, it's the kind of job where hosts can be on the air for decades creating a loyal following who tunes in every day to hear them banter with their co-hosts.

That routine was recently disrupted for Houston residents who listen to 104.1 KRBE's The Roula & Ryan Show with Eric, following the news that Ryan Chase has left the show after 19 years. Given how long he was with the station, many wanted to better understand why he has left the show. Here's what we know.

We don't know exactly what led Ryan to leave KRBE, and while co-host Roula Christie and producer Eric Rowe discussed the departure on Nov. 17, they didn't offer any details as to why he was no longer with the network.

"We’re gonna miss a lot of things. Nobody plans for this. We just signed a five-year deal. I know you want us to tell you things, but we cannot," Roula said, per a post on Radio Insight.

Roula continued, explaining that she knows that's not going to leave people satisfied, but she simply can't say much more. “I’m in shock. I’m bummed," Eric added. The show will now be called The Roula Show with Eric ft. Special K & Sam, which is a little bit labored to say the least. Ryan, meanwhile, has deleted his Instagram profile, so he hasn't offered any sort of public statement about her departure yet.

Although Ryan had been with KRBE for almost 20 years, he also had a long career in radio before joining the station. He was partnered with Roula even before the two of them joined KRBE, and also had stints doing radio in markets like New York and Dallas.

According to Reddit, the show seemed fine on Friday, so it's unclear what might have led to this sudden departure.

Some have suggested that his departure might have something to do with a cancer diagnosis, but that wouldn't necessarily explain why his absence is so abrupt, or why he deleted his Instagram. Whether Ryan quit or he was let go, this seems like it was a decision that was made very quickly, and one that left everyone involved at least a little surprised.

For now, then, the show will go on without Ryan. It's possible that, at some future juncture, he'll be back to offer a little bit more perspective on exactly why he left KRBE. It's possible, though, that whatever happened will never come fully to the surface, and fans will be left frustrated as they wonder what happened.

Ryan might not have been a draw for everyone, but there were definitely some listeners who tuned in every day, at least in part because of him. Now, we'll have to see whether they still tune in.