BlatherWatch

KVI’s Peter Weissbach hires illegals, according to report

It’s one of those tropes you always hear on right-wing talk radio: bust the employers of undocumented workers, and the problem will be solved.
 
But in a Seattle Times story today, an Obama administration strategy that does just that has backfired on far-right talkhost, KVI Peter Weissbach, 62, (m-f, 5-6p) who’s gotten very rich running Seattle Building Maintenance, a janitorial service that employs the very illegals he rants against the government not busting!. (At, of course, the miserly wages that corporations can get away with paying such workers).

The talk radio monday-through-friday revolution

Watching the historic health care debate on C-Span, we marveled at our senators actually working on a Saturday. (yea, Sen. Franken!)

But Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and the Mr. Doctor Michael Savage say this is  “rape” of the Land of the Free by the president and the Democratic congress! Dori Monson says it's criminal.

Billy Bob: blame jane shannon!

Billy Bob (whose name is neither Billy nor Bob) worked long in the Seattle radio market wearing a suit. He says the experience heightened his sense of irony, augmented his influences, and diminished his circle of friends.

By Billy Bob

Soon, we may run out of radio people to talk about, but until then, step aside Dear Abby.  For I have some more of our readers’ bone-headed questions and my incredibly insightful retorts.

Dear Billy: I see all this crap on your stupid Blatherwatch and the message boards attacking Bonneville for firing morning news gal Jane Shannon from KIRO's Gregg Hersholt show. But don't you think Bonneville knows what they're doing? The ratings are at an all-time low. Revenue is off. I'm sure they do research and I'm sure they had good reasons for getting rid of Jane. Signed, Eastlake Insider

Dear EI:  Yes, Jane Shannon is primarily responsible for KIRO's decline.

Kirby speaks out!

Kirby Wilbur, freshly dismissed after 16 years at KVI, is speaking out on his blog. Sounds like his is just another case of Fisher Communications acting badly with the trusted help.

GM Jim Clayton said Friday in statement that the termination was for poor ratings.

Kirby says Clayton had to say something after the station was bombarded with 700 emails, a flood of phone calls and the loss of Kiel Mortgage, a significant account.

‘Mouthing off’ survived the KVI purge

We’re happy to report that the fledgling, Mouthing Off,(KVI 6-7p Sundays) has survived to blab another day…

Seattle veteran talk host, Kirby Wilbur was fired after 16 years at KVI and ignominiously led out the back door last week with his stuff in a cardboard box.

The little show with KVI producers Dave Carson, and Kevin Dodrill is masculine, libertarian, off-beat, and funny. It is, however, but a hopeful glimmer in what appears to be the sunsetting of KVI and Seattle local programming.

KVI, as we know it, is gone: what's next?

We gotta say it. Kirby Wilbur, despite we disagree with his antediluvian politics, is one of the nicest guys in Seattle radio.

He’s a friend of BlatherWatch, though we gave him plenty reasons not to be (sorry about the crack about the donuts, Kirb). He wrote a letter of reference for David Goldstein, (a flaming liberal, but a friend too) helping him land a job at KIRO. Young talent including Luke Burbank and David Boze,  Matt Haver, Dave Carson, and Jen Andrews worked for him and owe Kirby plenty. (Read Boze's homage here). Kirby could be conservative without being an asshole- a rarity these days.

UPDATED: Kirby Wilbur, 1993-2009 R.I.P.

UPDATE: Kirby will be replaced with Laura Ingraham and John Gibson. Behold the new syndic-robot KVI. (Weissbach doesn't count- they don't pay him). See below for new schedule.

The Seattle early morning earscape has again felt a seismic shift: With the typical Fisher aplomb, Kirby Wilbur has been fired from KVI, the morning after his birthday!

Green shoots for fisher radio?

Fisher radio (KOMO, KVI, KPLZ) is looking better despite a 3rd quarter report that contains this dreary bullet point:

Radio revenue decreased 49% in the third quarter compared to the third quarter of 2008. Excluding the financial impact of the Seattle Mariners broadcast contract in 2008, radio revenue declined 21% over the same period.

Election night, 2009: liberals- 3; talk radio- 0

Liberals had a good night in Washington.

(photo: Dow Constantine)

Once again, it’s plain that despite the bluster, the blather, and hours of blatant advocacy, conservative talk radio KIROFM, KTTH, and KVI are origami tigers when it comes to delivering votes for conservative candidates, and conservative candidates.

Floyd brown: GOP toilet-diver pushes for impeachment

 Make no mistake. We're now in the middle of a bloodless coup – the takeover of an entire nation by the hate-America crowd – a cold-blooded gang that despises America's prosperity, our standing in the world, our trust in God and our generosity and goodness. ~~ Floyd Brown

After a brief hiatus, our old friend and Northwest homey, Floyd Brown is back.

Who's Floyd Brown, you ask?