More changes at KIRO/KTTH. Princely Program Director Rod Arquette has resigned and will leave at the end of March. We’ve been wondering when a head might roll after the dive after KIRO’s ill-fated flip to FM, but we’re not really sure if this be one of them. Photo: Seattle Times.
Arquette's been in town since 2007, and had an inauspicious beginning, to say the least. Arquette was at one time, Vice President of Bonneville's Programming and Operations. Long-lived with Bonneville, we're not sure if Arquette will stay with the company.
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS (from All Access):
After attending school in Texas, began my career as morning jock and news guy for KADQ-FM in Rexburg, Idaho. After my work covering the Teton Dam Flood in 1976, offered a job and moved into news at KBOI-AM in Boise. Spent 2 years in Idaho before moving to Salt Lake City in 1979 where I went to work for an all news station KWMS as a news anchor and eventually News Director. Moved to KUTV Ch 2 as a producer, reporter and fill-in TV anchor. Moved back to radio in 1988 as News Director of KSL Radio. Promoted to Program Director and then V.P. of News and Operations. Moved to Seattle in the spring of 2007 to become PD of KIRO/KTTH.
wow..a blood bath today.
Posted by: sparky | February 24, 2010 at 06:32 PM
What exactly are the qualifications needed to be a PD? I, for the life of me, can't figure out how this idea to move KIRO to FM was a well informed one. I don't mean to toot my own horn but WE ALL PREDICTED THIS WOULD HAPPEN FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
I even remember how they tried to fake listeners into thinking this AM/FM simulcast was permanent only to *surprise* reveal that the AM side was moving to sports - ON APRIL 1ST OF ALL DAYS.
Posted by: Andrew | February 24, 2010 at 09:25 PM
Wonder if Dennis Kelly is dusting off his resume?
Posted by: I work for kiro now | February 24, 2010 at 09:28 PM
They should snatch Dennis up. At least he seems to have some awareness of reality. "FM political talk" is an epitaph not a business model.
Posted by: Andrew | February 24, 2010 at 09:31 PM
Dennis Kelly spent his entire tenure at KOMO trying to bury KIRO. Why would KIRO now hire Dennis Kelly? He stole information, shared private KIRO memos with KOMO staff, raided KIRO staff to staff his KOMO etc. Seems like Dennis Kelly has burned that bridge.
Posted by: Nantuckett | February 24, 2010 at 09:39 PM
I'd start looking for a job RIGHT NOW if I were Ron and Don or Frank Shiers.
Posted by: Genuine Listener | February 24, 2010 at 09:57 PM
I say put talk back on KIRO-AM and turn it back into the cash cow its supposed to be, the put sports on FM, since its a dead format anyway.
Or, put oldies back on FM. Trade one throw away format for another.
As for Arquette being a vice president of programming - wouldn't his being give the job of programming be considered a demotion? Were his bosses trying to tell him something, long ago?
Posted by: Ray | February 25, 2010 at 06:26 AM
I meant to say wouldn't his being assigned to program KIRO be a demotion from being a VP?
Posted by: Ray | February 25, 2010 at 06:28 AM
Arquette is a sacrificial lamb. The real heads that need to roll are higher up in Bonneville. I was there when Arch Madsen was Pres. of Bonnevile. He was a visionary and would fire anyone who did not do local enterprise for the poor and needy. The new bunch came in and made profit their number one goal, with public service last. WHAT A WASTE!
Posted by: Bill Wippel | February 25, 2010 at 10:22 AM
Frankly, I have reached the point to where I wish someone would burn the whole KIRO building to the ground. Let them plow it under and turn the property into a city park for dogs to run loose and crap all over everything.
Anyone with me on this?
Posted by: Ryder | February 25, 2010 at 10:52 AM
Ryder... there's already a dog park just up the street, under I-5; used to run my dog there before shows.
Posted by: Goldy | February 25, 2010 at 11:44 AM
Okay then, we'll make it a park for pigeons to relieve themselves.
Posted by: Ryder | February 25, 2010 at 12:13 PM
I want Tom Clendenning back.
Posted by: KIROkid | February 25, 2010 at 12:18 PM
I think what has happened in general is that the stations have had a few bad books for reasons that were always beyond their control, and so they slaughtered schedules that had remained unchanged for years at time and replaced good talent and moved things that didn't need to be moved only to discover that abandoming conventional radio wisdom made the bleeding even worse. The TBTL/Ron & Don thing just didn't work. Having a station made up entirely nationaly syndicated programs didn't work. Now I suspect other losing stations will do as KVI has done and try to roll the clock back to a more prosperous time and pander more directly to locally minded old, white consvervatives who want news mixed with political talk and whose radios only receive AM signals.
Posted by: Andrew | February 25, 2010 at 12:29 PM
I was getting tired of kiss-ass R&D calling him the 'Rodfather'.
Posted by: Genuine Listener | February 25, 2010 at 02:17 PM
I agree with the above...bring back the old KIRO-AM. I can't believe that it will do worse that now....
Posted by: J. Whorfin | February 25, 2010 at 05:32 PM
"than now"
Posted by: J. Whorfin | February 25, 2010 at 05:33 PM
What a dysfunctional radio station.
Sadly KIRO was once the "King" of the Pacific NW...it's almost as if it's deteriorated to a high school station.
Years ago I incessantly listened.Leading companies in the region used to advertise. Now all the adverisements are about gutter filters, window blinds and boiler room mortgage companies.
Posted by: Old timer | February 25, 2010 at 06:24 PM
Rod Arquette is just another in a long line of talentless Seattle PD's. Seattle and Seattle radio are the richer without the likes of Arquette and Dennis Kelly.
If talent was a barrel of tits, these two would fall in, then come up sucking their thumbs.
Posted by: jackrebney | February 25, 2010 at 06:48 PM
Goldy, was it your dog that tore up the carpet that Dori is always bitching about?
Posted by: drool | February 25, 2010 at 06:51 PM
drool... is Dori bitching about something? How out of character.
Posted by: Goldy | February 25, 2010 at 10:56 PM
Let Greggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg run it.
Posted by: Sclub | February 26, 2010 at 05:31 PM
Do you really think that Rod made the sole unequivocal call on moving KIRO to FM? PD's alone don't make those kind of decisions. I think he did the best he could with the hand he was dealt. The transition of N/T to FM was promoed to death not only on air, but on TV and via direct mail. Many other big markets have successful N/T stations on FM, why not Seattle? Again I'll assert that moving N/T "back" to AM is NOT an option. Don't you think that long-term carriage contracts were signed with ESPN, Mariners & Seahawks? Watch for KIRO-FM to launch another multimedia ad campaign for the Spring. They're not ready to stick a fork in this yet.
Posted by: Dangerous Dan | February 27, 2010 at 03:46 AM
Start over!
Scrap the whole damn thing, start over with new talent. Its 2010, lets break some got damn talent. Ron and Don dont count, Dave and Dori are tomorrow's Mike Siegel.
Posted by: BigSid | March 01, 2010 at 10:17 AM
When I tune into 97.7 fm in Bellingham and Birch Bay- everything seems to be in French; so I just listen to Schram and Carlson on KOMO 1000- comes in loud and clear up here.
Posted by: William J Harrison | March 04, 2010 at 05:41 PM
I have the same problem when tuning into 97.3 fm up here in Whatcom County; does anyone know what AM frequency KIRO's legendary talk station is on these days?
Posted by: William J Harrison | March 04, 2010 at 05:47 PM
The FM signal doesn't even come in clear in the Edmonds bowl. Get on the west side of the hill overlooking the sound and the station fades like the M's in August.
When the switchover happened, I remember KIRO saying something about how they knew there were pockets of reception trouble around town and were going to do something about it, but AFAIK nothing ever happened.
Posted by: TomF | March 04, 2010 at 07:44 PM
I worked for Rod at KSL in Salt Lake City - he is not a good man in my opinion. Very disingenuous, disloyal and not well liked by employees. to top it off he has a lisp for crying out loud!
Posted by: Dan White | February 05, 2011 at 09:17 AM
He does have an annoying lisp, and mispronounces a lot of other words. Most annoyingly, he says "representive", instead of "representative". He has the most fake, annoying laugh. He acts like he is listening to people, when it's obvious he's not really paying attention: he'll say "uh huh, uh huh" several times while someone is talking. I can't stand him, but I can't stop from listening to make fun of him!
Posted by: Adam H | February 11, 2013 at 05:36 PM