Life, death, tedia on KIRO weekends

When things happen on local weekend radio anymore, it’s like the proverbial tree falling in the woods: there’s nobody there not to hear it.

(photo: Larry Rice)

First, before we forget: KIROFM’s Phil the News Junkie is gone, done, pau, kaput, finished, history, all she wrote. etc. Phil was, is Phil Vandevort, Dori Monson's producer which, in better days was reason enough to get your own show on KIRO and keep it despite no one listened besides your immediate family. We’d have done an classic BlatherWatch RIP, but it’s old news (how old we're not sure) and not exactly a scoop - a dandelion falling in the forest, in fact. PTNJ was off and on again on days when the SeaHawks and the Mariners weren't playing and was like the corpse in a murder mystery movie that’s been dressed with a hat and propped up in plain public site and everyone goes on about their business for days thinking he’s just a passed-out drunk. PTNJ is long dead, and the Bonnevillains never gave it an obit.

On a more positive note: KIROFM’s a new live & local show: voila the newly-birthed MyNorthwest Weekend with Larry Rice; Saturday and Sundays, 12-4p.

This is for you ifn case you care to uproot from the excellent KPLU or KUOW programming you’re likely hooked on. (Public radio really shines on weekends as opposed to commercial radio which has gone all infomercial-y, best-of-y or brokered vitamin/financial guru on us.

Instead of whatever the fuck it was they used to run Saturdays and Sundays from 12-4p: KIROFM has now given us four hours of KOMO-style live-anchored news, sports and “expanded traffic reports” hosted by former teevee weather guy, Larry Rice. (Why, you ask, should the already interminable traffic reports be expanded on weekends when there’s less traffic?  The answer is: to hear the audio stylings of traffic Goddess RC Katz, of course).

It’s radio wallpaper, 50% of which seems to be endorsement ads with Don O’Neill using his famously feigned personality.

We said KOMO-like… but the new show is without the edge of say KOMO’s 9 to noon with Brian Calvert & Nancy Barrick, but is this format and news emphasis something we might see expanded on KIRO as Bonneville puts a new face on its cluster? (Lisa Brooks filled-in on Sunday (great to hear her: she went to KIRO in the Great 2010 Talent Swap with KOMO).

Larry Rice is no stranger to Seattle- he’s been at KIRO doing reporting and anchoring for a year and a half, but he’s better known in these parts, as the erstwhile ayem and noon weather guy (er, meteorologist) and wing man to Harry Wappler on KIRO-TV from 1987-1995.
 
He came back to Seattle after being rudely fired from an ace-boom weather dude gig at Albuquerque’s KOB-TV. (He was April Zepeda-ed- no severance, no reason given- except worse- they fired him by phone and sent his personal belongs to home by snail mail).

Comments

[Rich]

sounds to me like the weekends at KIRO were 20 yrs ago with weekend northwest with another weather guy Rick Van Cise

[Holcumbhelper]

Yeah, I agree, Rich. Wasn't anything wrong with that either. KIRO was great. Can they be great again? Heard Lisa Brooks in for Larry Sunday too. She's a pro. I'd like to hear her every day. Smart, friendly, with a great voice.

[dale from albuquerque]

We miss Larry here in Burque...he was the best of the bunch.

[Rich]

yes, Lisa does have a great voice!!

[KIRO vet]

Swapped Lisa for Jane Shannon - kind of a push. They're both pros, and great. Nice people too. Glad they demoted Hersholt, and pulled the plug on Vandervort. Dave and Dori have the midday locked up, not sure if they can change that. Bet they're wishing Dave would retire. KIRO needs something to get them going again.

[Obama is a black man]

BREAKING

Kirby Wilbur substituting for Dori!

YES!

[Duffman]

Yes OIABM, I'm listening and I'm very surprised at his improved diction clarity of speech. Wonder if he took my suggestion and got voice/radio lessons (ala: Ron Bailie School Of Broadcast type). He definitely sounds better and lends credence to my guess that we may soon find him permanently on KIRO in some capacity.

[Andrew]

looks like he lost a bit of weight

[Ryder]

If Phil The News Junkie is gone forever then why does he still have a comment page on the KIRO web-site?

[Duffman]

Yeah, Ryder I'm not grasping that, either? May be the Show is history but they let him have a blog, etc...sort of like they're doing with Luke Burbank and TBTL?...don't understand that one too??

[BrianBT]

KOMO's Nine to Noon has an "edge"? Are you smoking crack? She sounds like she's 90 and he sounds like he's lecturing to a nursery school class. Unless the edge comes with pablum and Ensure, you're hearing something I can't fathom.

[Rob]

Couldn't have said it better myself, BrianBT.

[Ted Smith]

From the St. Paul address on KOB-TV's license, it appears that the station is still owned by Hubbard.

Hubbard was well-known in the past as a highly professional operation, but firing someone by phone is really low-class. I guess that the lawyers have taken over.

[Pat Pollard]

I like None to Noon on in the background of my day. Edge? probably not. they have a wider range of information than KOMO does for the rest of the day, and unlike the Munson Show, None to Noon doesn't make me want to throw the radio at my wife.

[NoBS]

Glad to hear Hersholt was demoted. He sounds increasingly insecure, always trying to get the last word and pitifully laughing at his own corny jokes. I don't think 9 to noon has an edge but it does break from the too often repeated news. Brian Calvert and Linda Thomas would sound good together if it's supposed to be a social media show.

[12th Man]

I remember when KIRO's Saturday Morning News use to go until Noon, but nowadays it goes until 9. I sure miss KNWX. I'd like to hear both KIRO-FM & KTTH-AM become the Cougs new Westside flagship stations. Furthermore, i remember when Wayne Cody had a Sea Gal on named Keri Kangas on a 1983 broadcast of Sportsline & i wanted to call in & talk to her, but my mom wouldn't let me. I would of loved it if Kangas(now Scarff)took me to Canada to see the Canucks play or to a Mariners game when they were in the Kingdome.

[John Doe]

In response to 12th Man's comment, it's time that there was a Facebook page dedicated to former Sea Gals.

[Hawk Fan]

I'm sure that Kangas remembers when NBC(who would carry the Seahawks almost every week from 1977-97 when NBC had telecast rights to the National Football League's AFC package in which Seattle was in the AFC West)use to have the Major League Baseball Game of the Week on Saturdays during Baseball season when NBC had Baseball before losing it to CBS following the '89 season. Fox has the National Pastime nowadays. I wonder if she watches the NHL on NBC? I'm sure she remembers when NBC had the NBA from 1990-2002.

[12th Man]

It's too bad that KIRO never gave Kangas her own show.

[Hawk Fan]

If then-Sea Gal Keri Kangas had taken me to Baltimore to see the Mariners play the Orioles, we could of tried one of those Eskay Orioles Hot Dogs.