wednesday oddems: wheredeego? whydeego? the mystery of allan prell, the nerve of lou pate, KIRO, KIRO, KIRO!

The station is abuzz. KIRO staffers can't figure out wha hoppened to 9 to noon host, Allan Prell who disappeared into dead air so suddenly in the middle of last week. As we reported, staff was surprised he was fired on a Wednesday; not a Friday, customary for this kind of termination. This has the appearance of a sudden punishment or purge for something embarrassing or compromising. Why was he fired just two days before the Arbitron trends came out?  It's more logical, and customary to boot somebody after bad numbers. They were amazed he was fired so soon after the major promotional event, the Battle of the Talk Show Hosts. Did management know his days were numbered, employees wonder, even as they promo-ed him?
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Today at BlatherWatch, Prell's disappearance and firing rivaled the buzz and the hits we got when in April we reported on Rev. Ken Hutcherson, the Kirkland evangelical mega-preacher who stared down Microsoft last year in the name of the Lord, and defeated the landmark gay rights bill before the Legislature. We were surprised at this intense interest in Prell--KIRO's firing of local sports icon Tony Ventrella Monday didn't generate anywhere near the interest. (A reader wrote today that Ventrella "made the mostly benign Dave Ross, seem like a wild man.") Ventrella's picture and bio is still on the KIRO website, Prell's was wiped before anyone missed him. Prell just disappeared, Ventrella was fired, then allowed to stay for one last show last night and he bid the listeners adieu. That's rare on radio--also rare was the memo in the employee mailboxes saying that Ventrella was returning to the business world or some such.
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If BlatherWatch commenters had anything to say about it, Prell would have been saved and Dori Monson would have been booted.
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The name on everyone's lips is Ciscoe Morris, the quirky ex-lawnboy and who does the gardening show on Saturdays. He keeps popping up in conversations as the next 9 to nooner to replace Prell. His Wisconsin accent may be a liability, but on the upside, he  still speaks better English than New York Vinnie and has more broadcasting experience than Frank Shiers.
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Last week, while we were porking out in the Palouse, we missed that the vote on the union contract at KIRO and KTTH was completed and the AFTRA contract was decertified. In other words, the fools led by Lou Pate, (KIRO m-f, 1-5a) threw out their own union representation. The first vote was in May and it was a tie, with three votes in dispute. The NLRB examined the questioned votes, and disqualified two, leaving one to decide: union, yes; or union, no. An email from the union, identified to all concerned that the person who cast the disputed vote was none other than Michael Medved (KTTH m-f, 12-3p), the nationally syndicated neocon who broadcasts from Seattle. Medved is one of those who made no public stance on the union. Now, of course, everyone knows that he voted for decertification of the union he'd been a member of for nearly 30 years. At least he was true to his conservative union-hating principles. Not so true to his alleged progressive principals was Lexus liberal Mike Webb (KIRO m-f, 9p-1a) who favored the union-busting, even as he class-baits and decries "corporate masters," while hypocritically blowing off his own right to collective bargaining. 
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Speaking of blow-jobs, a quick-fingered producer cut conservative overnighter Lou Pate's remarks at the Battle of the Talk Show Hosts, when he reportedly said  that blow-jobs were the only thing about Bill Clinton he could identify with. The audience at home didn't get to hear that, but they did catch Pate's remark suggesting  KY Jelly for Mike Webb's penetrating problems. Mr. Clendening was not amused.
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Comments

[sparky]

Cisco for three hours, 5 days a week?

Be honest..you said that just to make everyone start screaming in horror........

[ulscub]

hmm....maybe they ARE dumb enough to put Ciscoe in there!

[sig]

I'd rather listen to that rodadendrens guy than Frank Shiers. I heard he was a liberal until he heard KIRO needed a conservative. He sucks. I don't ever want to hear about his daughter who lites up his life or whatever. Enough already!

[sparky]

sig....9am-12 pm turn OFF Kiro,
go to 1090 KPTK and listen to Thom Hartmann.

And no, he doesnt pay me to advertise his show on this site....its just that he is so excellent..

[maggie b]

We loved Allan. We sure as won't be spending much time listening to KIRO if this Frank Shire is the new guy. He's horrible. Allan was weird, but really smart and funny. Shire isn't even weird.

[the boxer dog]

Ciscoe never seems to resolve a question on his show, its always "oooh la lah" and Brussel sprouts shit. I can't see him doing his Beavis and Butthead routine for 3 hrs every day.

[Andrew]

If Ciscoe talked about anything besides planting stuff he'd be like another Tony Ventrela but worse. He's good for those one hour weekend plant shows but not three hours of various topics every day.

[SpamButcher]

Sounds like New York Vinnie gets the 6-9pm slot for the foreseeable future:

http://www.kiro710.com/show_details.jsp?iShowId=52675

So they boot one say-nothing sports guy to replace him with another say-nothing sports guy?

[umo]

If the number of people posting about the firing of Alan Prell actually listened to his show...he would still be on the air.

[Lump]

How long will it be before KIRO solicits for donations like Hot Air America to stay on the air?
By the time KIRO gets someone that satisfies all of you, no one will be interested in listening. After being gone for almost 2 weeks in the land of blondes, blue eyes, fierce scary bar maids, I come back and nothing has changed. Me thinks most of you don't have a much of a life, cept Michael at least got out of town and downed a few bottles of grape.

[umo]

KIRO needs to go to an all-music format. Play Sinatra, Striesand, Warwick, Johnny Mathis and Matt Munro songs from the 1960s. KIRO will draw big ratings like KIXI.

[joanie]

Get Charles Jaco back. What an awesome lineup that would be! Jaco/macho Monson/Ross! Or Ross/macho Monson/Jaco! No way either Morris or Vinnie! I can't imagine listening to either of them every day! Tonight it drove me to KUOW and gladly so because I heard a great Alternative Radio segment! Maybe I'll stay there! Except, weekend progamming sucks as it does everywhere!

[chris]

Go back to the bottle lumpy

[Brooke]

"Tonight it drove me to KUOW"

I've also been tuning in to KUOW more than before. I enjoy "The Conversation" and "All Things Considered."

As for radio on the weekends, NPR is great with "This American Life" & "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me;" and I enjoy Bob Brinker on KIRO.