It is local programming, and we know things are weird at KVI... but Peter Weissbach???
We confirmed it today that Peter Weissbach, the humor-free gypsy-prince of talk radio past will return to KVI -- he's finagled a one-hour, m-f, show starting Feb. 9.
They'll steal an hour from the syndicated Mark "Squeaky" LeVin which may be the best thing about this. They''ve probably promised Weissbach more -- they usually do with these 1-hour shoe horns into the schedule.
It's a bold, fresh start for the troubled station with a hackeneyed has-been.
KVI brought Weissbach to Seattle and even helped sponsor his U.S. citizenship. He was hired with great fanfare to replace John Carlson on the afternoon drive when the mop-topped reactionary started running for governor in 1999.
Weissbach (rhymes with pies-rack) recently stood KVI up at the last minute for a promised fill-in, telling them he was going over to Bonneville. He did KIRO's Dori Monson show over Christmas, we never thought he'd be allowed to darken the Fisher doors again.
(It was a mysterious hire -- he says he was in every part of the decision, but we're told KVI Program Director Travis Box was totally left out of the loopy loop, that hiring weissbach came down from above).
Hard-edged, contrary, a little brilliant but never beloved, Weissbach, 61, was fired eventually, and has been wandering the fill-in desert ever since.
An independently wealthy heir to a Vancouver (BC) recycling fortune, he's been known to buy his own way onto weekend programming, do packages for Forbes on Radio -- just about everything for years but wina regular radio gig.
He's filled in for Art Bell, and was considered in the process to replace Bell when he "retired." (George Noory eventually got the nod). We hear Weissback occasionally filling in for Michael Savage, Michael Medved, (who loaths him) and are reminded of what an annoying jerk he can be.
Well, I guess he will once again have an opportunity to 'trade an hour's worth of his life's energy for remuneration' as he is so fond of saying.
Gee, wonder what's in the planning (long-term) at KVI?
Posted by: Duffman | January 22, 2009 at 05:01 AM
B’lam- before Weissbach came to KVI he was working with either KOGO or KFMB in San Diego. We chatted about it before he interviewed me on his show ten years ago.
Posted by: rozskat | January 22, 2009 at 07:00 AM
Sounds right. KITZ, Silverdale, carried his show in 1995. He was originating from KOGO then.
Posted by: hfb | January 22, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Well, Travis Box is only "Program Director" in name only (if that's his real title...I think it's actually 'Senior Producer') but Dennis Kelly is the actual PD. Box can't take a dump without Kelly telling him it's OK.
Posted by: Corporate Suit | January 22, 2009 at 02:25 PM
He's paying to be on-air, they don't care about local programming.
Posted by: Thought I Saw A Bum | January 22, 2009 at 04:46 PM
Darryl 420 will be THRILLED!
Posted by: sparky | January 22, 2009 at 05:40 PM
Weissbach is an improvement over Mark Levin - Bush-bot. He is provacative in his own way - more libertarian - not a fan of Bush, but largely critical of us giving too much of our life energy to government.
Posted by: KS | January 23, 2009 at 10:21 PM
Peter is good but Mark Levin is the best, a real patriot. Liberalism is a mental disorder.
Posted by: David | March 11, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Michael Hood, I would suggest you go back to elementary school and learn how to apply correct grammar and spelling to your writing OR get someone to proof read and edit your work. If it is the sorry case that you do indeed already have someone doing this, I strongly advise you BOTH to go back to elementary school and brush up on the skills mentioned above.
I feel compelled to ask, do you really have nothing better to do with your time then to write a biased opinion on a local radio talk show host?
Posted by: Alexander Henry | October 17, 2009 at 07:19 PM
i agree he stinks all northwest radio stinks
Posted by: ray | October 20, 2009 at 09:02 PM
Well I guess now that KVI is going tits up financially by DUMPING real conservatives and bringing on worthless losers like Weissbach is a lesson on how NOT to run a radio station...
Posted by: juandos | November 25, 2009 at 11:41 AM
LOL Mark Levin a Bush bot?! Hahaha that is sooo far from the truth, either you've never listened to him, or ... you've never LISTENED to him.
Posted by: baiguai | December 14, 2009 at 05:22 PM