BREAKING: Bob Rivers out at KZOK!

Bob Rivers is out at KZOK, his morning daypart will no longer be a talk show. He will make the formal announcement Friday. This is big. He's big. The word iconic comes to mind (tho' we're loath to use it). There's a non-compete, but this starts all manner of speculation: where will he go, and will KIRO hire him?

Here's a leaked letter from a salesperson to a KZOK client:

The Bob Rivers Show and CBS Radio could not come to terms over recent contract negotiations and as of October 1^st the Bob Rivers Show will no longer be on KZOK.  The separation is amicable and Bob will announce the decision at the end of tomorrows (9/30) show.  There is a 6 month non-compete and I do not have any information that they have a deal with any other group.

Change is tough but KZOK has a plan to make it through this transition. KZOK is a top billing station for the cluster and CBS is being proactive with a solid plan.

We have a cash contest that will start on October 4^th. The goal is to recycle our music cume into AM drive from other dayparts. Contesting will continue in to 2011 as well as a heavy marketing push throughout 2011.  

We will temporarily (2-weeks) move Gary Crow from mid day to AMD. Gary is a high profile personality and well known in the market. Auditions start this week for a morning host. The daypart will be music focused and will not be a talk show.

Thank you!

Jonathan Crowder

Account Executive

CBS RADIO

KZOK│KMPS│KJAQ│KPTK

Comments

[CorporateBook]

Bob Rivers is a has-been. It is over for him. KIRO would never be stupid enough to pay the kind of $ he wants.

[Fred]

Actually, he already did his goodbye today. If you re-read the leaked e-mail it says "as of 10/1 the show won't be on".

Yes, it's all about the $$$. Guess Bob didn't get the word that things are tough in radio these days.

[julie l. olson]

I don't care what the reason is to pull bob rivers off the air. Idiots. never listening to kzok again

[Rev. Sysyphus]

His style for the past year became too focused on his own pet projects and his guests were dull. He became more like Pat Cashman every day. Then having Spike sing most every twisted tune instead of whoever could sing it well made me think he was trying to become the new Weird Al by having 1 singer only. I listen to audio books on the iPod for the morning drive now as pretty much every morning chat show in Seattle is unlistenable.

[Bruce Kaye]

Bob was funny when he first got to Seattle. Then on KISW...loved his twisted tunes. When it was a mix of music and "bits" it was fun. When it became a talkfest...that was way too much and I drifted away. It will be nice to have music on KZOK on the morning drive.

[Workin Guy]

Good bye Rivers!

I can not relate to Mr. River's, with his airplanes, his boats, his 2 home in Orcas Island ....

I say welcome in someone new and fresh and if you are going to not listen to KZOK ever again ... don't let the door hit you in the behind!

[NoBS]

I'd like hearing Bob, Spike and Joe on KIRO. The new setting might freshen up their perspectives. With the exception of Linda Thomas, you could get rid of the whole news staff at KIRO and who would miss them? How many people are there anyway? Likely a clean swap of their salaries for Bob's.

[Roberta Kelley]

I won't be listening to KZOK any more. I love the Bob Rivers group in the AM. I am sick over this!!!

[john]

actually just started listening to Bob and crew. too bad. I liked them. what's left? BJ? that boring guy on KMTT? seattle radio is starting to suck like the rest of the country.

break out the CD's and MP3 players. not much worth listening to anymore.

[josh wezem,an]

I wont be listening to kzok ever again. Bob rivers was the staple of the morning show. I loved listening to him in the mornings on kisw and when changes happened to the bj shea morning experience i switched to him. Big blunder kzok! You should have found a way to keep him no matter what. Im done.

[Clearwater]

Is this O'Neill's idea of turning the Seattle radio world upside-down?

[sparky]

I was wondering the same thing...

[Coiler]

It was bound to happen with a local show that had several people on the payroll.

Thom Hartmann's local show in Portland has gone from 3 people to Thom leaving, to his replacement by himself, which indicates the writing on the wall for live and local radio.

[dre72]

Only listened to KZOK to hear Bob Rivers. No reason to listen to KZOK now. Yeah, Bob may have talked too much, but at least he had a way of making you think of the other side of the argument. Is that such a sin?

[Rat_Bastard]

I could never listen to the morning "whacky, funny crew" on any station even when I was in Jr. High...
If Rivers ends up at KIRO, that will be the end of my listening there for sure.
I'm barely hanging on as a Dori fan because of the constant ads with Ron and Don.
Any more of that stuff and KIRO will be gone from my radios for good.

[Tommy008]

Dori's still an insufferable douchebag, but just from a standpoint of technical radio show values can you imagine The Jessica Gottesman Show, or The,like, Luke Burbank Show, replacing him......this would be a case of "be careful whatr you wish for" from Hell...... yes , replace Dori, but not with people already in Seattel radio.....we're sick of them....

[Tommy008]

i don't know Rivers, but perhaps he could be the exception to my rule and could replace Monson nicely.... i don't think Rivers ever tried to slyly pretend to be the head coach of his girls basketball team for years when he was erally just the shmuck assistant coach all along ( until very recently)

[Tommy008]

don't touch my boys at 3 p.m.

[Tommy008]

yes, send Dori packing to KVI and move Rivers in his spot. KIRO talkradio has always been the class of Seattle talkradio and still is, despite its flaws. Monson doesn't really fit in at a class act station anymore , if he ever did. KVi has always had people of substandard class such as Kirby and Bryan Suits. Monson will fit in there nicely, at 9 am, going up against the fat man.

[ExPatBrit]

Interesting, KZOK had a short statement about the show being MIA this morning at 6am.

Followed by :"Funeral for a friend" a bit melodramatic I think!

[nighthoot]

I'm saddened and can't understand why such a great show with an obviously large audience isn't worth keeping them happy? What, are they going overseas like the rest of corporate America to find cheap labor now?

[Angela]

What a sad thing. The show is what got me to work each day. These people are like family to us loyal fans. Please come back!!

[Greg]

My afternoon radio station tuning usually stays where I left it in the morning. Looks like Kiro gets me back - even with the obnoxious duo of Ron and Don...

[Andrew]

I'm surprised to hear DOn' O'Neil give such a strong endorsement to the competition. Should Bob Rivers be picked up by another station for morning commute, he's effectively recommending that people not listen to the KIRO morning news crew.

Also don't blame this all on KZOK. For all we know it's Bob River's fault. Perhaps he demanded more. Perhaps station revenues are down and he's demanding the same pay regardless.

[MstngSally]

Or, just perhaps he is coming to KIRO to occupy the morning slot. That would certainly be compatible with Don's high praise. The world of radio is convoluted and confusing and twisted.

[bldgdoc]

I smell a reality series in the near future. cockadoodle doo!!!

[Mike Barer]

Robin And Maynard would be a good replacement. They now Seattle.

[dave, not dave ross]

dead air would be better than the geriatric Maynard and that midevil hag Robin, they 'now' seattle my ass

[dave, not dave ross]

however, rivers seems to be revered by local talent, ron and don have been gushing and bj on kisw convinced the station to allow a facebook tribute to rivers.

[PJ54]

Bye bye, Bob, glad you're leaving. Talk shows are boring, and KZOK should have wall to wall music.

[Steve L]

Conservative Bob good riddance to a stale, dull, in it for a payday ,mailing it in " rich boy."

[franco popular]

oh gawwwd dont tell me im stuck with bj the 6th grader!!! what a bunch of assholes..no wonder rr left he was the only clever one.. bob rivers tho dumb, was at least more mature..he never knew the meanings of simple words..and spike never knows when to pick his spots..wud do accents at the drop of a hat.still what else is there? stern is gone so whos left bryan suits on am the thank you for your service war hero?

[Trocar]

If KIRO or any station hires Bob Rivers, they won't be hiring his whole posse. Economics these days preclude big zoos with lots of animals. Bob will be flying with maybe the News Chick, and Metro Traffic... and oh yeah, no music.

[Keith Craine]

Man, there are so many negative responses it's hard to respond. How about we shut off all live Seattle radio and just repeat KUOW radio on KIRO? Is there any positive responses folks?

K

[Tommy008]

wgat's positive about KIROfm? Ron and Don, Phil Hendrie....... Ciscoe......can't go with Dave Ross anymore...he's ok when he's on a trivial topic and not being clowned by himself with his political views..... kvi? nohting positive at all , ubless you call the sick pup local morning guy who gets his jollies and chuckles over playing a real tape of a guy rolling down a mountainside and screaming in agony as he breaks bones positive.....i don't.... his audience of fat middle-aged white men all get erections though, when he talks bullet caliber and gun model names/numbers.... i guess that's a positive for their wives...

[Tommy008]

Suits was rude to Steve Roberts, the ABC news commentator he has on on Mondays to discuss the news, aboout a half hour ago. Suits didn't like the comments Robers was making about immigration and felt he had to counter him. "You've said the wrong thing about immigration too many times Mr. Roberts, so I'm going to have to let you go." Suits interjected, sounding like an illmannered boorish clod. There was a pause befoer Roberts responded politely, in an awkward manner as if he was thinking "who the Hell is this bozo?" This the kind of thing that makes me trASH sUITS REGULARLY HERE. If youer goign to have the guy on, give him the right to express himself wihtout feeling the need to step in like a little rightwing control freak. I say that as someone who disagrees with Roberts' stance on immigration, and side with Suits to a large extent.

[edward edwardson]

Agreed, Tommy008.

While I might agree w/Suits on some issues, he's too taken with himself, too assured that his sarcasm provides an all-purpose escape clause. Sometimes he's even sarcastic about his sarcasm. Ooohh--self-referencing meta-sarcasm. Clever, huh?

Sarcasm isn't humor or wit; it's just an attitude, a common pose for the adolescent mind, easy for a witless person to adopt.

Basically, the guy's a drag. He'd make an OK weekend/substitute host, taken in small doses. But tedious when listened to every am. He wears poorly. I was flabbergasted when he was hired by an LA station.

But he probably won't be around much longer here, given the trajectory of KVI.

[barbatsea]

Bob Rivers' interviews with musicians were stellar - he obviously had great respect for them and he drew wonderful stories from them. His interviews with anyone else were insufferable. That's all.

[david]

After Luke Burbank gave up his evening conversation show with a whimper, Bob was one of the few, if not only (the old KJR Fish from a dozen years ago was another) who could conduct a radio program without yelling and screaming making it hard to tell the difference between the show and the commercials, e.g. sports announcers spending more time commercializing than announcing.

[Chainsaw Willie!]

Bob was funny. But radio has been ruined with too much chatter. I miss the old days when radio played music. I was happy to hear Crow the other morning, he spoke for a bit, AND THEN PLAYED SOME MUSIC.

I will be tuning into KZOK more now.

...Though I do hop Bob pops back up somewhere soon again, but this time mixes some tunes in with all the chatter.

[DanG]

Bring back Robin & Maynard! Been too long-otherwise there's always the stellar Howard Stern on Sirius!
Jim Rome/Petros & Money are great talk shows but all in all Seattle radio sucks!

[DAN STEEL]

GOOD LUCK KZOK BOB RIVERS & SPIKE WERE THE BEST. I WILL FOLLOW MR RIVERS WHEREVER HE GOES. HI MICKEY.

[steve goodrich]

Well, the two stations I have listed to during my am commute the last 5-6 yrs both suck so my sports knowledge with Mike and Mike has increased a ton.
Bring back Robin and Maynard and sprinkle a little music in.

[Shox R4]

No man learns but by pain or shame.The lesson sinks into his mind

[discount air max]

I'm quite happy, you are a good writer

[KS]

Bob Rivers has done a good job on KJR-95.7 in the mornings - a good listen. Spike and the crew bring back the old daze.