This morning, the management of Hot 99.5 fielded several questions from outraged fans regarding the surprise firing of Mark Kaye and Kris Gamble as hosts of the “Hot Morning Mess.” Many fans vowed on air that they would no longer listen to the station.

Jeff Kapugi, the station’s manager, responded that this was “purely a business decision” that had been in the works since summer. He also asked that listeners give Kane, the station’s announced replacement, a chance and “not to judge him on his first day,” which is scheduled to be on November 13.

Kane, 29, had been the afternoon personality for for WFLZ-FM in Tampa Bay, Fla. after spending several years climbing the rungs of the radio ladder.

“Kane wasn’t always the center of attention — or very popular,” according to his Myspace profile. “Growing up in Danbury, CT. he was ran with the geeky ‘art’ crowd. Picked on by jocks, made fun of by the burnouts and turned down by the cheerleaders, Kane had an uneventful childhood. Rather than dating, he spent time drawing and doing creative stuff.”

An aviation enthusiast, he’s now apparently cool enough for Washington and resides in Gaithersburg with his fiancee, their two dogs and a cat.