Mark Turcotte seen in March 2020 prior to hosting his final Breakfast Club show for WEZR before the station went off the air due to the pandemic. The revived morning radio show under WIGY aired its last live show Wednesday. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal file

AUBURN — If you missed Wednesday’s Breakfast Club show on WIGY radio, you missed the last live show with hosts Mark Turcotte and Sara Poulin.

In a brief post on the radio station’s Facebook page at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, the pair stated it was their last show on WIGY.

“Bennett Radio Group has had to make some tough decisions recently and we regret to inform you that today was the last WIGY Breakfast Club with Mark and Sara. We cherished our time with you on and off the air and hope you enjoyed the last four years as much as we did. All the best to you and yours.”

Owner of the station, Stan Bennett, issued the following statement: “As you can imagine many small business owners have had to make some tough decisions as the cost of doing business has increased rapidly over the last 2 to 3 years. Mark & Sara are two VERY talented professionals that will be missed dearly.”

Bennett Radio Group bought the former WEZR for a reported $300,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic in August 2020, and returned the station to the airwaves after it had shut down on March 29, 2020, citing financial reasons and the expected loss of revenue from the pandemic. The station had been up for sale following the death of former owner Dick Gleason in February 2019, according to Sun Journal archives.

In April, the Federal Communications Commission approved the sale of Channel X to the Bennett Radio Group. Channel X consists of WCXU 97.7 FM in Caribou, WCXV 98.1 in Van Buren, WCXX 102.3 in Madawaska and a low-powered transmitter, 103.1 FM, in Fort Kent. The sale was reported by The County website listing the price of the sale at $400,000.

As of Thursday morning, the radio station was airing its regular music programming without any hosts. Bennett’s statement to the Sun Journal said that WIGY will continue to serve the Lewiston and Auburn and Oxford Hills communities with local interviews, news, sports, weather, community events, high school sports and playing the hits of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. He did not elaborate on how that would be accomplished.

WIGY’s Sara Poulin, right, watches Rachel McKinley of Central Maine Community College toss a bean bag June 17, 2022, at Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston while they play a game of cornhole during RiverFest 2022. Sun Journal file photo

Shanna Cox, president and CEO of the LA Metro Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement, “The closing of the local station office and the end of the Breakfast Club is a great loss to our community and businesses. The partnership with WIGY has been a blessing for our work, and for the work and missions of our members. We are eager to support WIGY as it moves forward, knowing that rent increases across the county are a hardship for many enterprises.”

Poulin also posted on social media, indicating she is working through the shock. Her post reads, in part, “The last 3 years at WIGY have been some of the best of my life. I have learned so much about myself, this ‘communi-tee’ and I’ve grown to love and be impressed by all of its amazing members.”

She calls her partnership with Turcotte incredible, adding he taught her about the industry, comedy and about real adult friendships. “I don’t know what happens next,” she wrote, adding “I know that I am heartbroken.”

Reached Thursday, Turcotte offered the following statement about the situation. “Sara and I finished up The Breakfast Club at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning and I found out it was our last show around 9:30.

“I felt bad for Stan and Alison (Bennett) because of their passion for local radio. They brought local radio back to Lewiston-Auburn and made it work for four years. Cuts needed to be made and I’m sure every avenue was exhausted before making the decision.

“Canceling the show is a loss for the community. Breakfast Club interviews had a unique format that allowed us time to promote our guests’ business, event, etc… we also got to know them as community members, moms, dads, teachers, coaches, the list goes on.

“We did our best to keep our listeners informed and entertained and to make our guests feel like family.

“When local radio goes off the air, no one wins.

“I already miss it and I’m not sure what’s next. Sara’s a big believer in letting the universe decide. Maybe I’ll give it a try.”

WIGY is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission in Lewiston.