Neal Boortz, heard locally on 95.5 FM and AM 750 News/Talk WSB, is celebrating his retirement January 12, 2012 at the Fox Theatre. CREDIT: AP

Monica Pearson, the Channel 2 Action News doyenne, received a big farewell at the Fox Theatre this summer before her retirement, and now it’s Neal Boortz’s turn.

A bash for “The Talkmaster” is set for Jan. 12, about a week before his official departure from four decades of radio shows. It will feature comedian Jeff Foxworthy and guests Herman Cain, who will replace Boortz in January; his buddy and syndicated talk show host Sean Hannity; WSB talk show host Erick Erickson, also editor of Redstate.com, and consumer advocate Clark Howard. The band Banks and Shane, one of Boortz’s favorite acts and good friends, will perform.

Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. at ticketalternative.com. Prices range from $35 to $100.

Belinda Skelton, Boortz’s longtime producer, said there will be surprise guests as well. “We were working on this before his retirement announcement was made in June, How many times does a larger-than-life person like Neal retire like this?”

The Fox was picked because it’s classy and historical and “screams what Neal is,” Skelton said.

Farewell events also are planned in Tulsa, Okla., Jacksonville, Orlando and Dayton, Ohio, cities where Boortz’s syndicated show has been on the air since the early years of syndication in the 1990s.

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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk