'Farewell for now': After 39 years, WAPL's Rick McNeal announces he's stepping away from morning show amid health issues
APPLETON- Rick McNeal, one half of the WAPL-FM morning show for 39½ years, returned to the air on Monday after a four-month absence to bid listeners an emotional farewell and thank them for an incredible career.
Speaking from the care center where he continues to recover from a complicated and compounding series of health issues that began with a fall at his home in mid-March, McNeal announced he won’t be returning as the co-host of “The Rick and Cutter Show.”
“I’m basically fighting a war on four fronts: walking, peeing, eating and pooping," he said. "This far along, after four months, with no real end in sight, and since I was planning to retire at the end of the year anyway, now seems like as good of time as any to step away."
Following McNeal’s announcement, the WAPL Facebook page posted a statement that reads in part:
“Hey folks, it's with heavy hearts that we announce some tough news ... As a result, we're now faced with moving forward without him as we start the search for a new co-host to join Cutter in the morning. It's a tough spot all around, no doubt about it. Sucks for him, sucks for you, sucks for us.
If his health allows, McNeal hopes to make some appearances on the show toward the end of the year to wrap up a four-decade career that has made his voice and sense of humor a staple at the Woodward Radio Group classic rock station. He also said he just might be in negotiations to make regular guest appearances for years to come.
“So don’t think that you’ve completely gotten rid of me just yet,” he said.
His former longtime co-host, Len Nelson, is organizing a benefit
McNeal joined the show during the 7 a.m. hour to give an unvarnished account of what he has been through since a fall alone in his apartment left him unable to get up for 48 hours and resulted in cellulitis, a painful bacterial infection, in his left leg. The months since have come with weeping wounds, multiple ambulance trips, catheters, urinary infections, difficulties in eating, rapid deterioration of muscle mass in his leg and continued rehab to be able to walk again. He has “lost the weight of a medium-sized horse,” he said.
He thanked listeners for their donations to a GoFundMe set up in mid-June by friend Amy Sterken, after his insurance company deemed he wasn’t making enough progress fast enough to continue its coverage. The $350-per-day cost of the rehabilitation center and therapy became out of pocket expenses for McNeal. So far, $27,501 of the $45,000 goal has been raised.
“Thanks to so many of you having already generously and amazingly donated, I’m still here, I’m still here,” he said. “And I thank you. God, I thank you so deeply.”
McNeal’s former morning co-host of 35 years, Len Nelson, is organizing a Rockin’ for Rick benefit on Sept. 8 at Maloney’s in Kaukauna. The Cool Waters Band and Walt Hamburger are among the local artists who have already signed on for an event that will have bands outside and inside, auctions and raffles. Stone Arch Brewpub is brewing a special Rick’s Recovery Beer that organizers hope to have at the benefit, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Rock for Rick Fund.
Nelson, who was fired from the station in 2021 over a social media post about the death of Rush Limbaugh, wrote a lengthy post on his Facebook page about his time alongside McNeal during "The Rick & Len Show's" popular reign on WAPL, crediting his partner for being at the forefront of its success and its impact on the local radio market.
"I believe my contribution played a role in his success, too, but it was his intelligence, his wit, his sense of humor, his willingness to share his life (including the weird and sometimes disturbing parts) with our listeners and his unceasingly hard work which drove our show to the heights it attained. We changed Fox Valley radio in many ways and Rick made all of it possible," Nelson wrote.
A career that included talking with Steve Martin, meeting Warren Zevon
McNeal told listeners on Monday: “On radio, it’s sometimes hard to tell how many people you really connect with and how many people you touch or how many people care about this stupid little job I do making my stupid little jokes and playing our stupid little games, but the reaction that I had ... over the four months has been amazing.”
He thanked people for their kind words on social media, donations to the GoFundMe and checks sent to his home. He thanked the nurses and the certified nursing assistants who have cared for him, calling them "the touch of humanity in an otherwise somewhat sterile environment." He recognized his partners on the air over the years, including Nelson, John Jordan, Ross Maxwell and Cutter, and thanked listeners for letting him entertain them.
"Thank you from the very, very bottom of my heart. You may not realize it, but you gave me a career ... this career that I never expected to have and that in turn has given me a life," he said, mentioning opportunities ranging from talking to comedy idols Steve Martin and Martin Short and meeting rock stars Warren Zevon, Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones.
"Most importantly, that you've given me a chance to be the person I am today. I couldn't ask for more from a job that you made possible just by listening, so one last time, thank you, and farewell for now."
Cards can be sent to: WAPL-FM, c/o Rick McNeal, P.O. Box 1519, Appleton, WI 54912.
Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: WAPL morning host Rick McNeal announces his departure after 39 years
