An ayoda on radio

  We're sorry to report a body found near San Francisco's Pier 39 has been identified as Jeffrey Vandergrift . Better known as "JV," he was the morning man at iHeart's WiLD 94.9 (KYLD-San Francisco). Vandegrift was last seen on February 23. He had challenging health issues, including a difficult recovery from Lyme Disease. JV chronicled his encounter with the illness on social media. His survivors include his wife, Natasha Yi, who was also featured on his morning show. NPR West facilty on Jefferson Boulevard in Culver City Cut cut:  National Public Radio, probably better known by its initials NPR, announced layoffs which will result in $30 million in savings. About 100 jobs, ten percent of their workforce, was cut. This follows a freeze on most new hires, internships, and travel back in November 2022, saving $20 million. Additionally, NPR has "stopped production" with four of their podcasts,  Invisibilia, Louder Than a Riot, Rough Translation, and ...

  I was reminded by both Elizabeth McDonnell and Don Barrett, the latter via LARadio.com (still updated daily with past stories) that it's been eight (8) years since the passing of Joe McDonnell, aka "Big Joe," "The Big Nasty," etc.  Joe was always good to me, anytime I needed a quote or occasionally some background info on a story I was doing, he was always available and helpful. And he was always a kick to listen to, albeit I did listen to him at more than one venue. Tom Hoffarth, former sports media columnist for the Daily News , summed it up nicely:  Courtesy https://samehereglobal.org/profile-tom-hoffarth/ I found it interesting that Joe always put on his resume that he was the Los Angeles Daily News Sports Talk host of the decade during the 1990s. He also made the number one spot of my annual list of the best sports talk show hosts so many times that I stopped counting. The one thing you could always count on with Joe was he offered an unfiltered opinion...

  LA radio lovin’:   A recent Los Angeles Times story highlighted how local listeners were loyal fans of dedication shows , programs where the talent would take listener calls or letters (nowadays it’s emails) and hear about a current love, a lost love, or something related. Writer Julia Carmel offered her own tale about wanting her own dedication:   A few weeks after moving to Los Angeles last August, my partner and I were driving home from the movies when we came across the voice of Art Laboe on the radio, chatting with KDAY 93.5 FM callers late on a Sunday night. “Why have you never dedicated a song to me?” I asked them as we rolled up to a stop sign.   “Because it’s corny,” they replied. “But I’ll do it if you really want.” The streets were quiet when we turned onto my block a few minutes later. We lingered in the car for a minute to hear a stranger pour her heart out to Laboe — and thousands of listeners. Laboe died last October, but his impact on th...

  Live in L.A. : We reported last week that Ryan Seacrest is leaving his co-hosting duties with Kelly Ripa on the syndicated “Live with Kelly and Ryan.” Seacrest also stated he’ll be returning to Los Angeles and continue his morning duties at KIIS-FM, while continuing his work with Dick Clark Productions (“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve”) and his charitable foundation. He'll also continue hosting "American Idol" on ABC-TV. Seacrest said he first thought he’d be doing “Live” for three years when he came aboard in 2017, but signed a second three-year contract in 2020. His return to Los Angeles has raised some questions. One is Seacrest’s announcement was a surprise to at least several at the iHeart headquarters in Burbank (“we had never heard about this”). A second question is where the KIIS-FM morning host will call his residence. Back in November, Seacrest sold his Beverly Hillshome for $51 million , far less than the original asking price of $80 million. He also ...

  After a six year run, Ryan Seacrest  announced he's leaving "Live with Kelly and Ryan," the number one daytime TV show. Here's what he posted on Instagram : I’m going to miss my work wife and all the laughter we share. When I signed on to host Live in 2017 it was meant to be for 3 years, but I loved the job and working with Kelly so much that I extended my time and last year I made the decision to stay on for one more final season.   I’ve been grateful to be able to share a cup of coffee with our viewers everyday, one of the best parts of the gig.     I’ll be transitioning out of Live this Spring to shoot the 21st season of American Idol in LA, continue my radio show on KIIS-FM and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve, and focus my summer on opening three more Ryan Seacrest Foundation Studios in pediatric hospitals across the country.   I’m looking forward to coming back to guest host in the future and Kelly, I promise to forever share my food pho...

  KPCC no more, sort of:  The Los Angeles Times, as well as other media outlets, are letting their readers know that local NPR affiliate KPCC is rebranding themselves as "LAist 89.3." As it turns out, the station's subscribers were informed of this change at the beginning of the year. Larry Mantle , the host of "Air Talk," KPCC...er, LAist 89.3's signature program, authored a letter sent out earlier in January. Here's some of what he said: For the last five years, you've heard us refer you to LAist.com, and our reporters refer themselves as being part of the KPCC and LAist newsroom. But the truth is, this has caused confusion among many of our listeners and supporters - and if I'm being honest, a little confusion among us as well! This new, unified cohesive brand will bring together our radio (LAist 89.3), digital news site (LAist.com), and podcasts (LAist Studios) under one name that clearly identifies what we are all about: serving Southern Ca...

  So what were you doing in 1980? That was when Fred Roggin debuted as the weekend sports anchor on KNBC-TV, now better known as “NBC4 LA.” He’s spent 42 years at the same station, sitting behind the sports desk, while also interviewing athletes on his show “Going Roggin,” bantering with Petros Papadakis after Sunday Night Football on “The Challenge,” and doing news-focused shows including “The Filter.” Though it’s now known Roggin will be leaving behind the nightly sportscasts on Thursday evening , he’s making it clear he’s not retiring.  Rodney Peete, Fred Roggin “I don’t want a party, I don’t want a cake – I’m still working! I’m just not going to do the nightly news,” said Roggin. He’s looking forward to doing more creative endeavors such as producing TV programs, create and complete other projects, both sports and not sports related. He also continues his weekday show with Rodney Peete on AM 570 “L.A. Sports” (KLAC). Eric Dickerson, Fred Roggin, Rodney Peete “Radio is m...