KVI "circling the drain"

(photo: Kirby, Carleen & Matt in better days)

They describe KVI as a "hellhole," a lifeless, atmosphere where creativity, vision, and paranoia has replaced hope, faith and charity.

Staffers are discouraged, bored, fearful, and disheartened. Many have been laid off or fired already -- lifers watch spellbound as the heritage Seattle station "circles the drain."

"Sometimes I envy those who have already been fired," someone told us. "I don't want to be the last rat off the ship."

General manager Jim Clayton, a Fox teevee veteran from New York is seen as stuck managing the radio stations, a situation he abhors. Most believe he hates radio in general, and KVI in particular. That's not a great situation for once-loyal employees who thought they'd have long careers in Fisher radio.

It's exacerbated by middle managers who are seen as blindered, timid and interested only in keeping their own jobs.

                         (photo: Jim Clayton)

It doesn't inspire confidence that KVI is lodged in studios in Fisher Plaza, the lavish, downtown, high-tech space that could be sold out from under them at anytime. "It's weird to know the company can't afford the ground we're standing on," says a sales person, "We hope [the building] doesn't sell anytime soon, but at the same time we know the company's in trouble if it doesn't sell it."

KVI managers pump staffers up with hopeful visions that they'll get Rush Limbaugh back and the former glories will be restored. "It's a pipe dream," says a producer. "How much does Rush cost? half a million bucks a year? These jerks aren't about to spend that kind of money on radio, especially KVI."

(The station helped propel Rush to national fame in the early '90's, but after 12 years, they ignominiously lost him to KTTH in 2003, a stumble from which KVI has never really recovered).

Once number one in talk radio in the Seattle market, the station has only one locally produced program left: Kirby & Company, (m-f, 5-9a) which most agree won't be around after its host, Kirby Wilbur's contract is up in late 2009.

"Clayton hates Kirby, too," says the producer. and points to the way the morning show -- once no. 3 in its early morning time slot -- was handled.

After complaints that Wilbur was doing "1993 radio in 2007, " and that he was unwilling to change with the times, programmers changed the Kirby Wilbur Show to Kirby & Co. and added news anchor Carleen Johnson, and producer Matt Haver as on-air talent.

This was to add new dynamic to the show -- Carleen, the sharp-tongued, working mom, and Matt, the loose-cannoned libertarian would, they hoped, develop some chemistry and make the show more attractive to women and younger people.

But typical of the recent institutional attitude towards Wilbur, there was little further attention or development given the show after the initial push, and renaming. It was allowed to founder with two inexperienced -- though promising -- talents and no guidance or supervision.

They pulled the plug on it six months later: except they didn't tell anyone; the show is still called Kirby & Co., it really should be called just Kirby -- Haver has been run off, and Carleen is on maternity leave. 

"They let Matt go, but they didn't have the balls to tell Carleen," says a source, "They're afraid of her."

Most say that once Kirby's out of the way, the syndicated Laura Ingraham, now heard pre-recorded at 3p, will be slipped live into the morning slot.

"There's no vision, no hope of developing anything," says a source who asked to be nameless, "There is zero interest in expanding this station's listenership."

The neglect is no accident, the station has been given a death sentence by management. If not death, the comatose state of scraping along run by robots with syndicated shows called down from the birds -- an ignoble plight for a once noble heritage station.

As progressives, we should be happy... we're not, it's sad.

Comments

[Duffman]

Wow! Sounds worse than I thought. Too bad; they were once a dynamic force...and now reduced to this.
Lo siento mucho.

[X3NA]

...Carleen, the sharp-tongued, working mom, and Matt, the loose-cannoned libertarian would, they hoped, develop some chemistry and make the show more attractive to women and younger people...

Yeah, that went over about as well has having an animated Colonel Sanders sing "hip-hop", he only came across as a big dork. Speaking of which...Kirby is circling the drain but he won't go down? We call those "floaters". They don't flush due to a high fat content.

[joanie]

I don't like KVI. I don't like Kirby or Carleen.

But, ever since the book Megatrends was a best seller, business models began to change. Way more middle management and management by MBA instead of hard work and this expectation that everybody could be in a service industry. It stank then and it still does.

Give radio back to local owners, fire the middle managers, and let people talk, or sing or sell. Diversify it and quit looking for mega bucks which is all mega trends was ever worth and then only for it's author.

Anybody remember who that guy was?

[KFI Bryan]

All in all, I should've stayed at KIRO. But then again, it's worked out pretty well.
I met Jim Clayton once...when he fired me. Inshallah broheim!

[sparky]

John Naisbitt wrote Megatrends.

[sparky]

Forest Gump explains the mortgage mess:

Mortgage Backed Securities are like boxes of chocolates. Criminals on Wall Street stole a few chocolates from the boxes and replaced them with turds. Their criminal buddies at Standard & Poor rated these boxes AAA Investment Grade chocolates. These boxes were then sold all over the world to investors. Eventually somebody bites into a turd and discovers the crime. Suddenly nobody trusts American chocolates anymore worldwide.
Hank Paulson now wants the American taxpayers to buy up and hold all these boxes of turd-infested chocolates for $700 billion dollars until the market for turds returns to normal. Meanwhile, Hank's buddies, the Wall Street criminals who stole all the good chocolates are not being investigated, arrested, or indicted.
Mama always said: 'Sniff the chocolates first, Forrest'.

[joanie]

Funny.

Seattle's schools are closed tomorrow as well. Actually, not good for those of us in classrooms. The last thing we want to do is go back and finish up December '08 in January '09.

I'm going to try to get some of my kids to meet me at school next week to finish up our projects.

[sparky]

This is great

[AprilMayJune]

'Mama always said: 'Sniff the chocolates first, Forrest'

This makes so much sense! Thanks for putting it all together.

[AprilMayJune]

'Mama always said: 'Sniff the chocolates first, Forrest'

This makes so much sense! Thanks for putting it all together.

[RobP]

KVI's problems began when they ran Paul Duckworth out of town and gave the programming reins to Dennis Kelly - a guy who can barely program a VCR, let alone a radio station. Just look what's happened to KVI since he took over in '04.

And Duckworth? He's PD at WMAL in the "other Washington" - a market bigger than Seattle. Guess he had the last laugh.

[Tommy008]

God Suits just doesn't want to leave,does he? Give it a rest Bryan. he's like a guest at your party who's been politely asked to leave because he's so obnoxious, but keeps coming to the back door to pop his head in for a moment and tell everyone that he's now hanging with some folks at a party down the street that's s omuch cooler than yours. Pal,come back here and kvell over your new career in LA to your heart's content. The important thing is- you're off my air, in my town.

[chucks]

Many of us like hearing from Suits there Tommy. I still listen to his show now and then. It just was a little better with a NW connection.

[joanie]

And I liked him, too, but not on the radio. I liked his posts on BW. It was fun having him chime in. Scrilla kept things interesting along with several others.

[KFI Bryan]

Tommy's just pissed because his prediction is 6 months past relevant.
And besides, I'm FROM Seattle and still own a house there.

However, I will confirm that my motivation is indeed that of an annoying party guest, so he's spot on.

[KS]

KVI has slipped off the tracks over the past 6-10 years and is looking more like a sinking ship. It has always been the station that the Seattle liberal self proclaimed holier than thou elite loves to criticize and ridicule showing their intolerance for opinions different from theirs. They have made some strange programming moves though. I like Kirby most of the time, whereas progressive sourpusses like Ph(Jo)anie may not.

Their programming went downhill when Duckworth left. They should have kept Suits, but had him team with someone else like Kennedy, but their programming guy Kelley wasn't sharp enough to see that - now look at him & Kennedy in LA LA land. Carlson & Schram did not help matters much there. So Salem radio may move in if Fisher sells out - hmm... Dennis Miller is coming in February. Time will tell.

[Phil]

Bryan suits has done a lot better than his enemies at Fisher. As I recoal, he never did hit the unemployment lines as so many at Fisher have and will.

[Duffman]

Is any one able to access the KVI web site?

[Puget Sound]

just did.
you weren't
DWI -Drinking Whilst Internetting where you?

[Duffman]

Yep...some rich coffee; can you provide the link? :)

[Puget Sound]

http://www.kvi.com/
hope this helps mr. Duff...

[Duffman]

Thx Puts...strange I still can't get the page up??? Hmmmmm...

[Duffman]

Pic of 'Jim Clayton' looks like a young version of Robert Goulet.

[Herbalizer]

Suits is a C grade talk show host.

Kirby is just another fundamentalist Christian dip shit.

Carlson was the only guy with any talent and now he's gone.

Bye bye KVI.

[herfyburger]

Wow, stellar reporting...

"A sales rep said.."

Because we all know how in the know sales people are. Go ask a car salesman about the innerworkings of the auto industry.

Michael has been predicting the downfall (incorrectly I might add) of every non liberal for years. Everytime, the dunces lap it up but it never comes true. Dori is more popular than ever, Rush is dominating the ratings, and Seattles answer to Charles Manson (aka Dave Ross) gets about 5 listeners a day.

[Jo]

I think KVI needs to steal Dori from KIRO. With all those ads Dori does KVI would be rolling in the dough and I wouldn't have to change the channel in the afternoon.

[gabe asher]

kiro's not hugely better off. They still have Dave & Dori, but that's really it. No afternoon or evening show, much less overnight. Even if you count in KTTH, all they've really got is Dave Bose. No more morning show...they should have kept Siegel.

Neither station seems to have a clue of developing new talent. I can't believe that the market for talk radio died within a space of 5 years or so. You can't surf the internet in your car, while doing housework, while at work, etc.

[KS]

Didn't you know ? It's all Bush's fault...