Posted on 11/12/2009 4:06:28 PM PST by jonrick46
Kirby Wilbur was a mainstay on Seattle radio, and one of the leaders of the conservative movement on radio in Seattle. Following his show, Wilbur was brought in to the office and given the news. As for a replacement, Radio-Info has been told by a KVI-AM (570) staffer that “We're still working on that.”
(Excerpt) Read more at radio-info.com ...
Thanks. Brian Suits it is! I’m going to snoop around the internet and see what I find.
Well, it didn’t take long. Bryan is at KFI AM640 in LA.
http://www.kfi640.com/main.html
When I went to the site, Bryan pops up as live this time of night (almost 10pm Central).
So you all know, Bryan Suits is doing evenings (7-10pm Pacific) on KFI 640 in Los Angeles. Seattle’s loss is LA’s gain.
FYI... I think it’s “Bryan” with a “y” and not and “ai”. But anyway...
His reports from Iraq were some of the best radio I’ve ever heard. Kirby would give him some minutes whenever they could arrange it and Bryan would give some man-on-the-scene perspective to what was going on in Iraq at the time. It was gripping stuff. I would hang out and sit in my car in the parking lot at the office, just to catch those reports. It was worth it.
Woah! Way cool for Bryan! Score... big market score.
“Today was my last day on-air at KVI. Management chose not to renew my contract which expires 12/31. It was not my choice to leave. Thank you all for years of loyal listenership and friendship. I love you, you'll never know how much. Stay tuned right here for news and developments.”
This was done the morning after his birthday and a month before his contract was up. KVI has no idea what the consequences of this action will have on their future. We want KVI to continue with the conservative voice they have.
I suspect the economy may be a big reason why this has happened. However, for the real reason, we may need to wait until the story plays out.
Correction: Kirby's show ran from 5 to 9 AM. I can't believe I made that mistake!
Kirby could indeed take out Patty “Osama Mama” Murray. She has gone as far Left as one can go. Kirby is well known across the state and would have vast support nationwide. His public speaking ability and command of the issues would spank Murray so hard she would have to wear diapers.
I never had any trouble understanding what Kirby had to say.
Though the first reaction from many angry KVI listeners is that the Whitehouse was behind this somehow, the reality is more likely that ad revenues are hurting KVI , so from a business standpoint, they are cutting cost. Much cheaper to pay for a syndicated broadcast than pay for a live host. But dang, this is a blow to the gut to listeners of KVI. I hope this opens many better doors for Kirby.
Well, then, I am sorry for your loss.
I have heard murmurings about the drop in ad revenues. Think about the print media. They are really hurting. I will look for the future because I know Kirby will bounce back and continue to lead the charge against the statists.
“I spoke with station manager Jim Clayton who told me that, despite any rumors going around, the sole reason for letting Kirby go was that his ratings were down. Jim told me that they were searching for someone local to fill the time slot and that the addition of The John Gibson Show to the lineup was temporary.
(I have a call into Kirby to get his take on this claim and will post an update when I hear from him.)”
I think that ratings combined with the nasty economic times caused this business decision by Fisher Communications. Glenn Beck's competition did not help matters even though Beck often goes beyond the average listener's ability to understand; especially during a typical morning commute in Western Washington.
...and who are they going to get locally that would do a better job than Kirby???
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