On Friday, the station played a promotional spot, based on the question "where is Kevin?" The now-former KLOS afternoon driver, Kevin Ryder, who co-hosted with Doug "Sluggo" Roberts, posted an Instagram video, running a portion of the spot, then stating "well I'm not there anymore! KLOS fired me!" as Ryder reached for some ice cream from his home freezer.
Much speculation is circulating why the KROQ veterans were released from the heritage classic rock station, who started afternoons at KLOS in 2021 amidst some decent fanfare. For 30 years, Ryder was half of the legendry KROQ morning team of "Kevin and Bean." Roberts, also a KROQ veteran, was serving at KLOS assistant program director and music director when he was teamed up with Ryder.
The station's owners, Meruelo Media, had already released their midday talent from their various properties in February, including Bryhana Monegain of Power 106 (KPWR); PJ Butta of KDAY; Carolina “Caro” Marquez from Cali 93.9 (KLLI); and Marci Wiser from KLOS. They also released Power 106 afternoon host DJ Felli Fel (real name James Andrew Corrine), a nearly quarter-century veteran of the hip-hop outlet. The company, which bills itself as" the only certified minority-owned media group in Los Angeles," also unloaded their sole TV property, Spanish language KWHY-TV, to Sunset Boulevard Broadcasting Corporation, an entity of the Church of Scientology, last month.
Meruelo is a privately-held company which also provides business consulting for construction companies, gaming, real estate, food services, and private equity / financial services. In 2019, they entered a local marketing agreement (LMA) before purchasing KLOS in 2019 from Cumulus Media for $43 million cash. It was hoped local ownership would provide an alternative to the sometimes drastic financial cuts practiced repeatedly by dominant radio corporate owners, iHeart Media and Audacy. Some believe Meruelo is exiting the volatile media business, while others believe the company is downsizing as owner Alex Meruelo contemplates retirement. Of note, last April he also sold his NHL franchise, the Arizona Coyotes.
In an interview with Variety, Ryder responded to the speculation Meruelo will be selling KLOS and their other radio stations. “I hope they sell it to somebody who cares about it,” he told the trade publication.
A Grad for Woody: Gina Grad has joined "The Woody Show," the Premier Networks syndicated morning show anchored at alternative ALT 98.7 (KYSR). Grad, the daughter of the late KNX sports anchor Steve Grad, is an established LA radio veteran, previously teamed up with Tim Conway Jr. on KLSX and Mark Thompson on The Sound 100.3 (KSWD). She was a news anchor at KFI on Conway's afternoon program and still serves as the station's imaging voice. Grad co-hosted "The Adam Carolla Show podcast from 2015 - 2023. She also has voiced video games, including Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V. She is seen on FOX 11 (KTTV), frequently appearing on "Good Day LA+."
Greg Gory, Jeff "Woody" Fife, Gina Grad, Jason "Menace" McMurry
The ALT 98.7 news release quotes morning host Jeff "Woody" Fife:
Gina came highly recommended by many, including a Radio Hall of Famer who will (and should) remain nameless…. ok, it was Mark Thompson (of Mark and Brian).” I was already a fan of her work with Adam Carolla, and after meeting her when I was a guest on Adam’s show, I knew that she would be my first call if the opportunity ever presented itself. She’s a total pro and a perfect fit for The Woody Show.
Anchors anew: LAist 89.3 (KPCC) has announced new local hosts anchoring their NPR news programs. Austin Cross, who also hosts the station's local program "Airtalk" on Fridays, provides local news during "Morning Edition" while Julia Paskin updates local stories during "All Things Considered" weekday afternoons.
Cross, an LA native and graduate of Azusa Pacific University (full disclosure, that's my day job), has been with the station for a decade. He formerly produced "Marketplace" for American Public Radio and both produced and reported for "Take Two," the midday program previously hosted by current Morning Edition host A Martinez. His first job after college was to produce business and financial news for KNX. Cross succeeds local news veteran Suzanne Whatley.
Paskin grew up in New York, the daughter of a single mom. She moved to Southern California to attend CalArts. She previously served as a reporter and producer for the Pasadena NPR station. Paskin moves over from anchoring the weekend "Morning Edition" to the weekday program. In 2021, she hosted an Apple podcast entitled "Pushed Out: LA's Unhoused Women," telling the stories of women who are experiencing homelessness after leaving an intimate partner abuse situation. Paskin fills the chair previous occupied by KLON / KKJZ / KPCC 30-year veteran Nick Roman.
A Sunday tribute: Much has been written about the passing of AP reporter Linda Deutsch, the Associated Press special correspondent reporter who specialized in covering criminal trials. It was Deutsch who was present when Charles Manson, O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson, plus so many others made their appearances in a Los Angeles courtroom.
Deutsch passed away on Sunday, September 1. Bob Brill was the KNX anchor chair that evening. Brill was previously the LA bureau chief for United Press International. He knew the reporter for the competing wire service, having covered many of the same trials. On Sunday night, Brill conducted a live conversation with retired KCBS / KCAL television reporter Dave Lopez and KNX veteran Pete Demitriou, sharing their tales about being in the courtroom with Deutsch, celebrating the life of a fellow journalist.
What's worth noting is many stations, including news and information outlets, run syndicated or pre-recorded (perhaps that's redundant nowadays) on weekends and even weekday evenings. It was a pleasant surprise to hear a live feature on a Sunday night about a significant story. Once again, radio proves it's perhaps the most nimble, accessible medium with a breaking story.
Coming up: The AM 1260 format wheel continues to spin. A review of their history and what's coming next. We'll have something in the next few days, stay tuned.
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