Kennedy and Suits

[nmoore6676]

Did anyone catch the "train wreck" when the dynamic duo took over "Handel On The News" this morning?

I can honestly say that I have not heard anything so embarrassing since my days overseeing "Public Access" at the now defunct Valley Cable TV.

 

[radiohawkins]

LOL! Why did they take over? How does there 7-10 show sound?

 

[nmoore6676]

LOL! Why did they take over? How does there 7-10 show sound?

Handel is off the England, he will be back on Monday broadcasting from there so it was one day. As to their 7 to 10 show did you ever see Public Access TV? If so you'll have the idea. :'(

 

[gcreedle239]

Yah, I knew it would be pretty funny and not the way they intended. Who's big idea was it to put a pair that has barely worked together long enough to remember each other's names and throw the both of the into Handels' slot -- not by themselves -- but with the regular large and rambunctious crew. In total, there must have been 15 mics open. A lot like the early days at KLSX Talk. Just a big blob of blab.

 

[cm454]

From what I gather, the KFI shows that really hum, are the ones that were started/created by previous administrations.

L.A. ain't Denver.

 

[gcreedle239]

While I agree with your comment about KFI's previous administration, DGH's one pick of I could never understand was Jeff Levy. Both at KFI and then again at 1070. Just goes to show picking talent is a game of percentages.

 

[nmoore6676]

While I agree with your comment about KFI's previous administration, DGH's one pick of I could never understand was Jeff Levy. Both at KFI and then again at 1070. Just goes to show picking talent is a game of percentages.

As the resident computer geek on here (or at least one of them) I used to listen to Jeff on KFI where I thought that it was ok, better than anything local anyway. Then he I think he got into a money dispute withe the new sheriff at KFI and both he and Melinda Lee (the cooking lady) defected to CBS. I'm not sure how the connection came to be but KFI lucked out and got Leo Laporte to replace Levy and in my humble opinion their computer show improved exponentially. I also in truth liked "The Two Hot Tamles" who replaced Melinda better so there are two wins for the new team though cooking has now given over to fitness. Jeff Levy has now moved to KRLA Sunday afternoons.

Ziegler was another sort of win, he in my opinion was better than the competition in that slot, at least until KRLA picked up Dennis Miller. The weekends have not been good for KFI, except for "Handel on The Law" and Laporte, the only listenable show is Wayne Resnick, Captain Dye being on leave now to do a movie.

The most pitiful thing though is Brian Suits, I was actually uncomfortable listening to him stumble around and try to make some kind of coherent conversation. To give management credit they must have heard what I did and tried to fix it. Unfortunately the solution is kind of like a desperate sailor whose boat is taking water and sinking so he drills holes in the bottom to let the water drain out.

In the end though you have to give them an "E" for effort, they haven't sold the time to infomercials, yet.

 

[calguy]

While I agree with your comment about KFI's previous administration, DGH's one pick of I could never understand was Jeff Levy. Both at KFI and then again at 1070. Just goes to show picking talent is a game of percentages.

As the resident computer geek on here (or at least one of them) I used to listen to Jeff on KFI where I thought that it was ok, better than anything local anyway. Then he I think he got into a money dispute withe the new sheriff at KFI and both he and Melinda Lee (the cooking lady) defected to CBS.

Actually there was no money dispute. Jeff Levy and Melinda Lee were offered more money by Hall to work at KNX and they jumped ship. KFI scrambled and came up with Leo & the Hot Tamales. While Jeff is knowledgeable he's nowhere close to Leo in presentation. Leo is smooth as silk and a whole lot easier on the ears. What David G. Hall did was sell Levy & Lee to CBS as a way to bring in some dollars and it worked at first by selling packages to sponsors that created a quick influx of cash for the company.

As for Suits & Kennedy, I doubt it'll last.

By the way, DGH hired many, many people over the years who were nowhere close to good enough for the nation's second largest market. Plus he inherited many of the talent from the previous program director. For every success Hall had in picking talent, he's had dozens of failures if not more. Fortunately for him, no one seems to remember the bad choices.

 

[gcreedle239]

Calguy is right, DGH brought Jeff and Melinda over the KNX as a "coup" at the time. And he's correct that the deal was driven by easy ad money (at the time) in the food/computer sectors. But WRT Jeff Levy, at what cost? I, too, am a computer guy and Jeff's antiquated advice, passive/aggressive nature with callers and flem-ridden voice took KNX down several notches every time he was on. Leo LaPorte NEVER bores an audience walking step by step walk-thrus of dialogue screens and always broadens out the question to serve the general audience. Plus Leo always has a smile in his voice; I could count down from 15 and Jeff would already be getting short with the caller.

As far as DGH, I liked some of the chances he took, like Karel and Andrew and Rabbi Mentz. While ultimately not strong enough to draw a wide audience, both picked topics and put enough energy into their shows to qualify as "more stimulating radio". Ziegler had potential, but let his pig-headedness and political dogma get in the way of entertaining 100% of the time. Suits and Kennedy seem to put no effort into their show, its just blab. They should have panned Thursday night how to take control and be in control of the Handel Show, but they just winged it and the results showed. NOT the way to cross-build audience. The fact that that team has no visible room for growth makes me wonder about RB's talent judgement. Or maybe the talent pool is just that bad. Phil Hendrie on KFI at his prime made me forget about Prime time TV. Too bad a timeslot with such potential has seemingly been written off.

 

[gcreedle239]

A few other weekend talent notes: Jesus Christ celebrated his 10 year anniversary, a show that began as a (very funny and enlightening) bit of Handel. If DGH gave Neil S the chance to do it (it is early Sunday morning, so not much risk) then more power to him. I'm not religious, but I'm always impressed and interested in that show and even at that timeslot, it adds to the KFI image. Julian Michaels' fitness show is very listenable even though I'm not in the show's demo. That was probably a RB pick and a good one (for two hours and minus any brush fire emergencies). And Wayne Resnick always works hard to entertain regardless of the the shift (shaft?) he asked to perform. And who else plays Edgar Winter's Frankenstein as bumper music?

 

[mred]

the show has suffered because Paul the Wall is gone, Suits doesn't fit the station well, and some of his comments are thread bare, and he is too tight in the crouch.

 

[allaninsimi]

Suits seems not to understand the mentality of the KFI listener base, that has developed around the causes espoused by John & Ken. Sure it comes off sometimes like Archie Bunker, but the rantings of J&K touch
a cord of anti-bullshit, and to a lesser extent contempt for the motives of city councils, planners, and those who dream up revenue enhancement schemes, to soak the now suffering "over-bled" public.
Suits was commenting on the traffic cameras, that hand out $500 tickets to the same folks who have to buy $5 per gallon gas. The news report showed that 89 % of the revenue was from tickets given for
right turns at a red, with ANYTHING less than a dead stop. That could be say, 1/8 of a miles per hour...no matter...whack a $500 fine for the violator. Millions being wrung out of the public. Suits said it was great...The law is the law. This may be the attitude of the police establishment..who make something like 90 grand a year, but the John and Ken audience wants to hit the real bad guys, like red light runners, drag racers, and the usual gang connected, or stoned felony grade drivers! His experience in Iraq makes him see the public as PERPS, and potential threat to their partner's back. The police/foot soldier "Buddy", above
the good of the public offends most regular people... not just gang creeps, and felons. The law abiding public needs to be part of the body of "good guys"... I'm a vet too, but we don't want a police state Mr. Suits!!!