KFI AM 640 – More Egotistical Talk Radio

From the I Heart Talk Radio Why Did Lara Hermanson Get Fired news desk…

This morning around 5:45 a listener called in to the Bill Handel show to wax poetic about Paul T. Wall. (Completely deserving – Paul was awesome.)

Here’s what went down…

Bill: He left. He wasn’t thrown out of here like certain people at KFI. He was not tossed.

Caller: His voice was a better blend with yours.

Bill: I agree. (Todd, you’re out.)

Caller: And his music didn’t take center stage.

Bill: You’re right. He was very subtle; he was VERY good at what he did. (Todd, take a listen to this.) Yes, I couldn’t agree more.

So here’s the question. Was Lara fired because she was stealing the limelight from Bill? Interesting how he deflected the insults toward Todd when it was obvious who the true target was.

Is Dr. Laura the brand new Professor Trelawney?

On August 11, 2009 between 8:30 and 9:00 Bill Handel called Dr. Laura out as a liar.

As I listened to Bill go on and on yesterday about how Dr. Laura did NOT leave KFI of her own free will, how she did NOT have a contract with KFI, and that no one would willingly go from a 50,000 watt to a 5,000 watt station, I was puzzled.

I wondered why a nationally syndicated radio show would not have a legal contract with the stations that carry the show. (Is that what Handel on the Law would recommend?) I wondered why Dr. Laura would lie about this. And I wondered why KFI would care if she did lie. I mean, she’s a old lady with 21 years’ worth of history at the station. Can’t they let her save face (if that’s what she was attempting to do)? I thought, how does it benefit KFI to trash Dr. Laura?

This morning I had my light bulb moment.

Of course KFI would want to marginalize Dr. Laura! She has tons of loyal listeners. If those listeners see how KFI treated their morality guru and follow her over to KFWB, who will listen to this stupid “high-bread” show?

If KFI can metaphorically strip Dr. Laura of her fancy jeans, blouse, and custom-made rhinestone cowboy boots (Is that still the look she’s pulling these days?) and leave her exposed for all to mock and ridicule, no one will listen to KFWB.

Classy.

Wait, when did I get all John Ziegler-y?

LA’s most depressing crew

I need to begin by stating emphatically that my anger at KFI is not any kind of Who Moved My Cheese? attitude.

Trust me, I’ve learned my lesson about getting attached to talk radio hosts and shows and, sadly, even entire stations.

This is a much bigger issue about the current status and future of talk radio.

Let’s take the current issues one at a time.

Lara Hermanson

I don’t know why she was fired. I don’t know if the Armenians finally got her, or if the graphic telling of David Bowie dreams on the Pretty Good Podcast was at fault, or the picture of a giant male nurse on her computer’s desktop did her in. It could be one of those or any other number of reasons. Employees of KFI usually hold the party line pretty well, and Lara will do best not to get on Robin Bertolucci’s bad side (if she’s not there already), so I don’t think we’ll be getting a straight answer here.

Last week Lara recorded a podcast with her boyfriend, Dan Katz. They optimistically titled it “Episode 1,” so that leads me to believe there will be more to come.

Dr. Laura

This is a very sticky situation that I don’t think I can do justice right now. Here are the highlights.

The LA Times quoted Dr. Laura saying her contract with KFI was up and it was her decision to leave KFI for KFWB.

Bill Handel made a statement in the 8:00 hour this morning stating that KFI is upset about the quote, Dr. Laura did not have a contract with KFI, KFI absolutely fired her, KFI has 50,000 watts and KFWB (un-named) only has 5,000 watts, and Dr. Laura had terrible ratings.

Another Bill Handel Show

This show will be a nationally syndicated “high-bread” (Bill’s pronunciation) of Handel on the News and Handel on the Law. Sounds pretty lame to me.

Producer Michelle Kube emailed me that these are lean times and the decision to add another Handel show was a monetary decision. I find it VERY hard to believe Bill agreed to work 10 more hours a week for nothing. I’m sure KFI could have found someone else to work for whatever increase Bill got.

It’s times like these I wish KFI would go back to farming information.

I’m considering changing this blog to KFIsucks.com

What do you think? Is that domain already taken? Let’s see… It’s available! Please don’t steal it – I don’t have time to register it right now.

So, where to begin…

Lara Hermanson – fired. The most entertaining person on the Bill Handel show. Hmph, interesting decision.

Dr. Laura – fired. She’s moving to KFWB. I don’t really care one way or the other about this, but it’s what they’re replacing her with that really irritates me.

Bill Handel gets ANOTHER new show. That’s right. Bill is taking over the 12-2 slot. (I haven’t figured out what will be on from 2-3 yet. If you know, email me.) So let me add this up quickly…that makes…oh, nothing…THIRTY-FIVE hours of Bill Handel on per week. Is this was Los Angeles needs?!?!

UPDATE: John and Ken are expanding their show from 2-7. I just love the variety on this station.

I’ll add more details later. I have to go compete in a pool volleyball tournament.

Let’s make the most of this beautiful day

Or, The Many Adventures of Oso Loco, Cat Chin and Goat Pants.

Remember when Big Bird visited Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood? It was awesome, right?

Maybe you were a psychologically gifted four-year old and realized you were witnessing the odd convergence of two icons, which could only have been surpassed if Mr. Green Jeans met Whitney from Whitney and the Robot. (If you grew up in LA in the 70s you know what I’m talking about.)

Or maybe you were too busy eating granola and drinking Tang to register the significance.

Whatever. The point is it was cool. And a little weird.

Well, the 2009 equivalent happened yesterday. Lara Hermanson was a guest on the Pretty Good Podcast. Cool, right?

Sure, the PGP has had plenty of good guests – Tim Conway, Jr., Teresa Strasser, Brian Whitman, Lisa Donnelly (two n’s, two l’s). But Lara Hermanson? The funniest person ever to be on the Bill Handel Show?

I’m not going to give away any details – you need to experience it for yourself. Just know that I listen to a lot of podcasts (you already know that) and it’s been a long time since I’ve laughed out loud during one.

I did yesterday.

KFI…awesome music.

Robert Frost was a huge stud

Or, When I see birches bend to left and right.

Add one more to Leo Laporte’s already long list of technology-related podcasts. The inaugural episode of This Week in Google debuted on Saturday. Hosted by Leo, Gina Trapani and Jeff Jarvis, TWig “talks about the latest Google and cloud computing news.” (I don’t know what cloud computing news means. Shhh…don’t tell Leo.)

Even though I’m not a super computer geek, I decided to give it a listen. I mean, I like Google. I use Gmail.

I may have presumed too much.

One of Leo’s best attributes is that he makes technology make sense to normal people. People who know how to email and upload their own photos (ahem, Mom – you need to figure that out). People who know what Twitter is and wonder what the big deal is. People who have one or two computers they bought at a store, not seven computers in various stages of assembly they are building themselves.

On the other hand, this Gina Trapani goes on and on about android phones and pubsubhubbub. I mean, she really loves that pubsubhubbub. She said it like 10 times. Like it’s an everyday word. Like “elitist.”

While I don’t think this podcast is targeted to me, you Subway-eating, Tweeting, text editor-using (because Microsoft Office is too prosaic), Google fans will probably love it.

I’m going to go wash the geek off.

Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs
Broken across it, and one eye is weeping
From a twig’s having lashed across it open.