KIRO signs luke burbank for new evening show

Former NPR host, Metro Traffic reporter, KVI producer, and erstwhile comedian Luke Burbank has inked a contract to host a new show in the 7-10p, weeknightly slot on KIRO.

The new show will premier Jan. 7.

Rumors have been flying for months that a new show will be produced by Jen Andrews. Is this it? Burbank won't say, but we're guessing it is. In case you don't know who Andrews is- she's the virtuosa KIRO producer who helped hoist schlock jocks Ron & Don (KIRO m-f, 3-6p) into the credibility belt last year before quitting in disgust.

Burbank describes the upcoming show as "an often tedious, but occasionally thrilling trip into Luke Burbank's brain."

"It's going to be an entertaining, interesting, awesome- sometimes frustrating- three hours of radio every night."  says Burbank, cryptically.

Frustrating? "You know frustrating like real life, sometimes, some people are going to hate the show." "The [programming] management said to me, 'This show is not for us. If we turn it on and we don't know what you're talking about, that's good.'" 

Bonneville Communications who owns KIRO and PD Rod Arquette have been in the industry forefront trying new formatics to attract new audiences to the radie-yo.

Burbank quit a long association with NPR earlier this month and returned to his native Seattle from New York where, with Alison Stewart, he co-hosted the experimental Bryant Park Project which launched in August.

In November, Burbank announced his decision to leave New York and his crappy $4000 a month apartment to spend more time with his daughter, Addie, who will be 14 in February.

"Living 3000 miles aways from your kid really sucks; you miss her all the time; wonder if you have your priorities straight. All this makes your getting up at 3 a.m. particularly unpleasant."

The evening slot has languished as Sportstalk with Mike Brown doing a yeoman's job place-holding since New York Vinnie was scuttled in August.

Luke Burbank, 32, is a Nathan Hale alum, and well-known around Radiotown. While a UW student he interned at KUOW, and worked Metro Traffic. He's been at KJR sports radio; was once fired from a country music station. and says he's had "every possible lowly gig in Seattle radio;" One of the lowliest of which was his own Saturday show on KVI, which he says was" ridiculously bad," and short-lived.

He put in a year producer for the quirky Peter Weissbach on KVI; then produced for Kirby Wilbur's (KVI, 5-9a) show. Luke has worked for public radio full time for years- as a writer and producer for Weekday, and the late, great Rewind with Bill Radke. He's been an NPR national reporter, and got noticed by the NPR suits after sub-hosting on the witty quiz show, Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me (KUOW Saturdays, 10-11a).

Read Luke Burbank holding forth in Blatherwatch's 2007 hit series, The Producers- here, here, here, and here.

Comments

[Anti KIRO]

Another lame decision by the same gentlemen that extended Don and Ron to an additional 3 years.

Basically the radio station is unlistenable. Back to satellite for me.

BTW...Where's the RIP for Mike Brown?

[DT]

Good. Never heard the guy, but KIRO, and especially Seattle radio in general, needs more politically diversity.

Seattle is heavily Democratic. Why aren't there more Democrats on local talk radio?

It will be good to have Jen Andrews back. I always wondered what happened to her. She has a great voice. So she was disgusted by R&D? She didn't let it show.

[abob]

Top Breaking News Items:
Eggnog on sale at Albertsons.
KIRO hired Luke Burbank

[Rev]

You read it here first. Over a month ago, on November 15, I predicted in this blog that KIRO would give that slot to Luke Burbank.

Nict to know that somebody at KIRO is paying attention.

[rosco]

Why no mention of his invention of the nectarine?

[Ryder]

First: Who listens to the radio between 7pm & 10 pm?

2nd: Who is he and why should I care?

3rd: Me, I would prefer that KIRO run repeats of the B. J. Shea show.

4th: Me, if I owned a talk radio station, I'd shut down between 7pm and 5 am.

5th: Me, I like rabbits

[Simon]

and I like turtles.

[LeeAnn]

Of course, Ryder... we wouldn't want anything to come between you and your Girls Gone Wild videos!

[KnowItAll]

He'll last 6 months, tops. He has never stayed anywhere in one place.

[yingleyangle]

We have always liked listening to Luke. He's positive, and funny and I'll bet his show won't be very political. He has never been a political guy. At least he won't be conservative like 99% of those on the radio in seattle.

[SeattleDan]

Apparently your commenters never listen to NPR. Luke was a presence at KUOW before he left for a more national NPR gig. He's done a number of things, not the least of which has been either a panelist or a substitute host for Peter Sagal on "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me".

Why all the cynicism? He's a funny guy and AM radio listeners should be pleasantly suprised.

[Claude]

SeattleDan, did you read the post? Michael wrote all about Luke on NPR. I too am glad to have him back in town. Can't imagine he would be all that happy on commercial radio.

[abob]

I feel sorry for radio hacks like Alan Prell, Rick Miller, Fred Ebert and Erin Hart. KIRO would rather hire a neophyte like Luke Burbank for the 7-10pm slot than any of those washed up has beens.

[Toxic Loan]

The guy looks like one of those geeks that alway had his hand up in class.

They should have given the slot to Bryan Styble the hardest working (and standing) man in news talk radio.

RIP Mike Brown 2004-2007

[abob]

Bryan Styble is like ten gallons of strong black coffee; when all you wanted was a cup.

[joanie]

Somebody put a-boob back to bed.

I am pretty happy with Rhodes/Malloy for that time slot. I'll check him out, however.

[DT]

I've been reading up on Luke, and so far, I like what I see. Here's an article on him by Susan Paynter.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/paynter/280831_paynt11.html

I particularly like this story Luke tells about his first interview for NPR.

"So he flew to Los Angeles to "take a meeting" with understandable trepidation.

"All my life, when I've had a choice between the appropriate response and something inappropriate, I go for the latter," Burbank said. "I got that from my mother."

The potential boss seemed a typically serious NPR type. And, when he asked, "So, what are your hobbies?" Burbank knew he ought to say adopting stray animals or working at a food bank. Instead he said, "I like drinking and gambling." Then he watched himself take off his suit jacket, roll up his sleeve, and show the man the queen and ace of hearts tattoos on his arm, thinking all the while, "Why am I doing this?"

The boss, J.J. Sutherland, cracked a grin and said, "You play poker? I love poker!" And he got the job.

The lesson, class, is "be yourself," which is what graduation speakers always say but rarely really mean."

[Upton]

I read Paynter's article, along with some other stuff as well. To put it bluntly, Burbank sounds like a real jerk.

[sparky]

the kinder, gentler DT is a pleasure to read and is obviously an intelligent person.

[RobP]

>>Somebody put a-boob back to bed.<<

Typical liberal retort. When you can't come up with something intelligent, resort to name calling.

[chucks]

yeh, I'm back. That 85 degree weather gets old after a while.
Glad to see that people are still rude to each other. Tis the season and all.
Chuck

Oh yes, what did you people do to DT. Has anybody made a police report? Somebody stealing ID's and web names again?

[sparky]

Hey chucks, welcome back. I hope you used sunscreen.
DT has promised to stick to the issues and stop critiquing the blog. I just thought I would tell him I appreciate it.

Tell us about your trip..the food, what you saw, what was the best part?

[Andrew]

"Somebody put a-boob back to bed.

I am pretty happy with Rhodes/Malloy for that time slot. I'll check him out, however.
Posted by: joanie | December 21, 2007 at 07:41 AM

Ditto!

[Andrew]

I say Ditto cause we all know that Joanie is posting as Aboob.

[joanie]

Typical liberal retort. When you can't come up with something intelligent, resort to name calling.

You have no sense of humor, Rob. You must be a Republican.

And Andrew, if you wish to think me A-boob, go right ahead. That would be a compliment to a-boob.

[PugetSound]

Joanie
Don't mind Andrew, he is young and just excited that adults respond to him at all.

[chucks]

Thanks for asking Sparky
We went to Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. We went to Guatemala to work on an elderly ladies home that had suffered storm damage. Got her fixed up. No real cost involved, just the labor of a few people. Did manage to get in a half day of tourist stuff. It was fun. The girl we hired to escort us spent a few years living in New York as a kid. She was a hoot. Picture a 28 yr old woman speaking ok English with a New York Vinnie accent. She took us to see some old Mayan ruins. The engineering of that era fascinates me. All of that building without MIT, Caltech or the UDub or building permits from the county. One of the ladies with us asked her about welfare programs in her country. Her answer was serious with a funny delivery. "We don't have welfare programs like your country. If you want food or a house, you have to go to work or you get neither". The food was very similar to Mexican, but I did develop a fondness for fried fritters and pepper stuffed cucumbers.
In Belize, the fare was very much British or Creole type. Creole is pretty much what I ate. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you want coffee, it is pretty much instant. Damn Brits turned um into tea drinkers.

[joanie]

Did you go with a church group, chuck?

[chucks]

No, don't belong to a church. Just have a friend that new of a need. He and his wife, me and my bride and another couple went on our own. We find vacationing that way very satisfying. You get to see a country without the trappings of being a tourist and get to spend a few hours making somebody's life a little better. Sometimes it just makes it easier to understand how good we have it here.

[joanie]

You're a good man, chuck, even if you are on the wrong path politically.

You'll never hear me say it again, however. :)

[pattern seeker]

Luke Burbank: "The management said to me, 'This show is not for us. If we turn it on and we don't know what you're talking about, that's good.'"

Nightside's ex-host Michael Castner: "[Bonneville CEO Bruce Reese] says he’s not meant to get it. If he understands what we’re doing, then we’re definitely not reaching the right audience." (slweekly.com)

Bryan Styble: "Ten seconds. Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Happy Winter Solstice!"

[sparky]

Very cool, chuck. That is the true Christmas spirit.

[Andrew]

The Andrew above is not the real Andrew.

[Jim]

I've been a lurker on this board for quite awhile, and thought it was time to dive in. A "young" talk show on AM won't fly, in my opinion. I think KIRO needs to blow up KBSG and put together an FM news product with Linda Thomas and some of the new, young voices I've heard on the station more recently. Then, Burbank's show might have a chance of getting noticed.