Longtime KVI, Seattle talk host Kirby Wilbur is cut loose

Radio-Info.com ^ | November 12, 2009 | No Author

[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.”

[jonrick46]

This is a huge loss for talk radio in the Seattle area. Those who know Kirby love him for the concern he has for his community, his fellow citizens and this nation. Since this is so early in the news curve, there are few details about why this has happened.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Who did he “offend.”

[colorado tanker]

I think in this recession we could use a lot of local generated shows in favor of cheaper alternatives.

[SkyDancer]

WOW - I listen to him .... reasons???? Most likely too conservative for the local Libs and Dems in Seattle ... bet they find an Ed Shultz type to replace him - KVI also carries Sean Hannity, Mark Lavin and Laura Ingram ....

[old curmudgeon]

Let me guess.

Although popular, not the icon Rush or Sean.

A call from the Chicago mafia, and poof!

Like any smart general, pick off the less able to fight first.

[hoagy62]

Offend? Probably Queen Christine, Boy Zero, and 99% of the Dhimmis in Seattle.

This sucks beyond all known reason.

I plan on writing KVI to let them know I’ll no longer be using their sponsors. The ‘pogrom’ has begun!

[Honor above all]

No offense, but listening to Kirby was pretty difficult. He always sounded as though he had a handful of marbles in his mouth. He was sincere and appreciably conservative but after awhile his show was stale. Just sayin’

[matt1234]

Sad news. Kirby is very good. I'll miss listening to him.

I wish they had shortened his show instead. It's 4 hours. Who else does a 4-hour show? No one that I know of.

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[kaila]

I agree with you.
I stopped listening to Kirby about 3 years ago. Sometimes, when there was a story that generated huge interest- he would ignore it.
I would then turn to another station to listen to that story.
He was getting out of touch and boring.

[Ramius]

Dang... I’ve been a KVI listener for about 20 years. I remember when Kirby started with his evening show.

Something really bad has been happening at KVI since they lost Rush to KTTH.

[SkyDancer]

Just sent KVI and email asking them if they know what happened to the Post-Intelligencer. (it was a lib rag that folded here in Seattle, good riddance)

[DennisR]

Unbelievable!

[Publius]

Please ping the chapter.

[RobRoy]

I stopped listening to all talk radio since Nov. 4, 2008. I was a big fan of Kirby but his “valley speak” got on my wife’s nerves.

I was there with him in Westlake park when we shut down Hillary’s health care boondoggle. This is a shame.

[NavyCanDo]

You have got to be kidding me? Kirby Gone from KVI? KVI hasn't made a stupid move like that since they dropped Rush, who KTTH picked up. Kirby is the last of the great Northwest conservative radio host.

[Carl LaFong]

There’s a talk guy in the NE Ohio area named Howie Chizek who’s been doing a 5 hour daily show since the 1970s.He’s got to be ready for the rubber room when he retires.

[matt1234]

There’s a talk guy in the NE Ohio area named Howie Chizek who’s been doing a 5 hour daily show since the 1970s.

Five hours. That's amazing. Must be exhausting.

[dila813]

They set him free?

Now he can be truly free to say what he wants, I hope he does some PJTV while he sets up for a come back.

[Dacula]

Neal Boortz does a 4 1/2 hour show from Atlanta.

http://boortz.com/nealz_nuze/index.html

[rockrr]

Sorry to hear this Kirby. KVI continues to deliberately seek its own demise through irrelevance...

[jonrick46]

Fisher Communications may be feeling the competition from the Glen Beck show which comes on KTTH at 7:00 AM. Kirby's show ran from 6 to 9 AM there is no telling what impact it had on Kirby's show.

Kirby Wilbur has been a community activist from the very beginning. He organized the 1994 Westlake Health Care Rally against Hillary Clinton in Seattle. It was that protest that reverberated around the country and I believe it was the death blow to Hillary Care.

I know Kirby Wilbur has been instrumental in the local Tea Party movement. On the 30th of October, Kirby held a rally with other organizers of the Tea Party Express at the Puyallup Fairgrounds Expo Center. Over 5,000 people attended.

Kirby was also instrumental in the building of a memorial at Seattle's University of Washington for U of W alumnai who received the Medal of Honor. He was absent from his show this Veteran's Day for the dedication of that memorial:

I hope Kirby finds a new outlet for his voice in the Northwest.

[schu]

My guess is Glen Beck was hurting Kirby's ratings pretty bad.

He is a good local host. Without him, there is not much reason to listen to KVI.

AM - now who?
Dennis Miller over Rush?
Hannity is the worst debater
Laura Ing is OK
Weisback?
Levin needs to get some guests
Brian and the Judge rerun
George Norre's (sp) space aliens (it can be entertaining)

They are probably going all syndicated.

schu

[NavyCanDo]

Listeners have been trying to get Kirby to run for political office. Having Kirby and Susan Hutchison smack down Cantwell and Murray would be sweet.

[radiohead]

I listened to Kirby when I lived in Seattle. I wonder where he’s going to go - there aren’t many media outlets for a conservative in Seattle, are there?

Does anyone in Seattle remember the guy they used to have in the afternoon, early evening - he was a younger guy and in the military. He left the station for a while for training, I’m not sure if he saw combat or not, came back and got married and resumed his show. Who was that and is he still on the air?

[rawhide]

Anyone know the market share Wilbur is drawing? If it is high enough, I would look for another station to try and sign him?

[NavyCanDo]

The theory of ratings while up against Glenn Beck on KTTH doesn't wash. If ratings is what it is all about then why Dennis Miller up against Rush? And why bring back Weissbach? I don't listen to either and I don't know who does.

[sionnsar]

OMG, this is terrible!

Thanks to Publius for the ping.

Say WA? Evergreen State ping

Quick link: WA State Board

FReepmail sionnsar if you want on or off this ping list.
Ping sionnsar if you see a Washington state related thread.

[sionnsar]

Without Laura Ingram I’d just remove KVI from the radio programming. Guess it’ll be language tapes on the way to work now.

[SkyDancer]

I’m going to listen on the Internet as I do Rush ...

[NavyCanDo]

For those who don't know who Kirby is, read these comments.

http://best.king5.com/kirby-wilber/biz/124440

As a listener to KVI since they went from playing oldies, to playing this new radio host called Rush Limbaugh, I am deeply saddened by this news. Having a KVI license plate cover got me out of two tickets, even. But now with this other than the Levin show, I'm done with them.

[sionnsar]

Oh. She’s in that slot now. That is probably too much acid first thing in the morning. Stick wioth the tapes.

[sionnsar]

Yah. I just unsubscribed from all their e-mails.

[sionnsar]

Brian Suits. (sp? on both names) Haven’t heard him in a while.

[Ramius]

Does anyone in Seattle remember the guy they used to have in the afternoon, early evening - he was a younger guy and in the military. He left the station for a while for training, I’m not sure if he saw combat or not, came back and got married and resumed his show. Who was that and is he still on the air?

That was Bryan Suits. Yah, he was a reservist Lt (IIRC) and was deployed to Iraq for a while, then came back. I really enjoyed his show, and hated that he got sacked. I don't know what he's doing now.

I have really gotten used to waking up to Kirby in the morning all these years. I have really enjoyed his show. I don't want to switch to Glenn Beck in the morning. I like him OK, but he's just a little too intense and emotional so freaking early in the morning. Kirby was just the thing.

I really wonder what's going on over there at KVI. If this is just about ratings going head-to-head with Beck, I think that's a mistake. He's a nice alternative to Beck.

[rockrr]

I hated the way they “disappeared” him. That’s when I (mostly) quit listening to KVI. It was a pity because I really liked Kirby...

[NavyCanDo]

And he is so much more than a talk show host. He is a conservative activist like few others in the business. He was able to get people involved who normally would not. When he asked callers to call a phone number, like a school principle who expelled a child for having a nail clippers, the Kirby Army burned up the phone lines. When he ask callers to send money in to assist a fallen officers wife and kids, his listeners doubled the expectations.
And I have stood shoulder to shoulder with Kirby at numerous Support the Troop Rallies where all other local radio host were AWOL. I'll miss him

[NavyCanDo]

If they were so concerned about ratings why put Dennis Miller up against Rush? And before Dennis they stuck Dr. Laura up against Rush, and that was during the election year when you would think a show much better suited for conservative talk would of been better in that slot.

[rahbert]

Wow - thats too bad. At least he talked about local issues
(he lives in Duvall, I think). I can’t stand the madman
whom KTTH runs in the morning before Rush, so I’ll point
my browser at WB AP and listen to Hal Jay do DFW drivetime and then Mark Davis.

I hope they put something useful in that slot.

[friendlyfred]

Kirby was brought into the office after his program ended this morning and told that his contract would not be renewed at the end of the year.
Fisher Broadcasting, parent company of KVI Seattle, has just shot themselves in the heart.
I would like to know managements reasons for terminating a truely intelligent, compassionate, and articulate broadcaster. Can't be ratings. Could it be the Chicago mob picking off people one at a time??
Did the FCC Czar put pressure on KVI??

[radiohead]

Thanks. Brian Suits it is! I’m going to snoop around the internet and see what I find.

[radiohead]

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).

[hoagy62]

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.

[Ramius]

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.

[Ramius]

Woah! Way cool for Bryan! Score... big market score.

[jonrick46]

I raise the question of ratings but it may just be a simple matter of cutting costs. Weissbach is a case in point. They pay him peanuts and that is why he is on. We will soon know more details. This is what Kirby wrote on his Facebook:

“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.

[jonrick46]

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.

[jonrick46]

"Kirby's show ran from 6 to 9 AM

Correction: Kirby's show ran from 5 to 9 AM. I can't believe I made that mistake!

[jonrick46]

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.

[cmsgop]

I live in Duvall , I see Kirby shopping, he's like the greatest guy ever, wife too, very sad about this. Kirby is a teacher, he will always teach......