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therealkfi.com

Gee, a disgruntled former employee puts a website together.

Something tells me KFI will continue to live on...
 
pbf1 said:
Gee, a disgruntled former employee puts a website together.

Something tells me KFI will continue to live on...

True, but a lot of what was disclosed I had already long ago discerned on my own. I have always know about the fact that John and Ken are phonies. But often times phony unfortunately makes good radio. I think that everyone knew that Howard Stern was not the pervert that he pretended to be on the air, but it was sure good listening. Phil Hendrie's phony self voiced callers were a hoot as well.

Having been in the business years ago I also know that a radio station with talented personalities is not always a place of love, respect and tranquility, egos clash daily. I do fault John Kobylt for having been such an a-hole over the issue, he didn't have to agree and that disagreement could have been good radio instead of leaving the listeners embarrassed at having overheard the tirade of a spoiled brat.

I also felt that Bill Handel went over the top in his profanity laden bout with Jamie White. He would have been fired if he was not the top rated morning talk show host in LA. I do not believe that John Kobylt should have been fired but he, not Ziegler should have been suspended. The unfortunate fact is that John Q. public does not want facts and issues, he wants to be amused and that is where J.Z. went wrong in thinking otherwise, especially with Clear Channel Los Angeles.

With the twenty some studios in the Pinnacle Building they could have found some place to put Ziegler. The way John Kobylt is always ranting about the video equipment for Handel's show they may have to move somebody again. Kobylt also had a fit about all of the Handel promotion on KFI web site. Now they have more John and Ken up and a lot less of Handel.
 
In early 2005, I was promoted to the 7 pm position. The day before I took over the slot, local legend Phil Hendrie used me as a derogatory character in his final segment on KFI. The remainder of my time at KFI was a rollercoaster ride that included many great shows and incredible highs (huge cover story in Atlantic Monthly, writing “The Death of Free Speech,” “breaking” the John Kerry “stuck in Iraq” story, etc) as well as numerous mistakes on my part (too many to mention them all here) and even more devastating lows. This story will focus on what really happened at KFI, what I learned there, and what listeners to that station (as well as talk radio in general) should know about what KFI is really all about.

I remember Ziegler was on Handel's show that morning and wasn't exactly nice to Phil either, and that was Phil's retaliation. Premiere fed it out but KFI unplugged him, and Phil acknowledged it.
 
90210 said:
But it was John K's show that Ziegler disrespected.

That is one way to look at it. Another way would have been to refute in kind calling Ziggler on his views on Iraq views which as a fan I did not support and had sent Zig a number of e-mails to personally refute. The dispute on a reasonably intelligent level would have been "stimulating" talk radio. Actually threatening J.Z. with physical injury and then going on into a childish tantrum was not at all stimulating and left me feeling embarrassed for having heard what I just did. I was literally stunned and have boycotted J and K ever since.

Ziegler's central error was to be naive enough to think that KFI management actually wanted intelligently presented opposing views with relevance to current events. The closest they get to that is Handel's morning show, the rest is professional wrestling for the radio.
 
My first thought was Ziegler needs an editor...but I loved the rant. And you're right, KFI will march on not matter what he says. I found his litle side comment about Robin's husband right on. (And Robin probably agrees...)
 
nmoore6676 said:
Ziegler's central error was to be naive enough to think that KFI management actually wanted intelligently presented opposing views with relevance to current events.
Absolutely correct. He didn't get it (what KFI is all about) and that's why he's not there any more.

Although his rant is interesting reading, regardless of how frivolous his points are, his personal attacks on inocent people who have nothing to do with the situation, such as the description made about John K's wife or Bill's kids, are far out of line.
 
So Mister Z is having his Jerry Maguire moment. Soon, his little manifesto will make its way from email box to email box at the Clear Channel offices. Some will pat him on the back but behind the scenes it’s only a manner of time before a redacted version will be posted after the lawyers jump all over him.

This is the type of essay one writes and throws away.

Get rid of the anger and move on with your life Mister Z.
 
Niceties don't get ratings, and controversy does. Over the top and phoney, this day and age, gets you noticed unless you are so phoney it becomes sickly stupid.
 
After what I said about CC in the MR. K. thread, I had no idea exactly how disfuctional Clear Channel LA was. After ready Ziegler's spiel, one has to wonder exactly who is more full of it.

But this one sentence probably says as much as possible about Mssrs. Kobylt and Ziegler. This from page 2 of www.therealkffi.com:

To their credit, they are masters at getting away with and apparently benefiting from these tactics. They did it with Katrina, the Iraq War, the Dubai Ports deal, Virginia Tech, Wildfires, Mark Foley, John Mark Karr, and numerous other stories that fit their agenda-driven criteria of being vulnerable to their prodigious powers of manipulation as they play on the base instincts and ignorance of their audience.

again.....

base instincts and ignorance of their audience.

Ahh, the contempt. Because, Mr. Ziegler, the John and Ken audience is/was as much yours as it it s thiers. And either you feel that they are base and ignorant......or the audience you were trying to reach was such.

The kindergarten capers that have hallmarked the 20 years of KFI exisitance are almost legendary, from Tom Leykis' still-unexplained firing to the time two weekenders put out a story in air that the female host they were leading into was killed in a car accident (the "victim," the very-much-alive Deborah Rich, was noticibly angry when the merry pranksters allowed her to go on the air at 6pm to do the legal.) One would say that someone with a level of maturity should have....and probalbly still should....step in and save KFI's reputation, but that reputation is that of Animal House....and as long as the numbers are high, why bother?
 
Interesting read so far (still on page 1).

The fact Ziggy wrote it, adds some credibility. It's not like it's a disgruntled board op who got fired for not showing up to work.
 
Shoot From Hip said:
Some people understand that radio is show biz, some don't.

Some do and some don't, the real problem is that there are people in our society who sadly rely upon "talk radio" as an information source.

Quote
To their credit, they are masters at getting away with and apparently benefiting from these tactics. They did it with Katrina, the Iraq War, the Dubai Ports deal, Virginia Tech, Wildfires, Mark Foley, John Mark Karr, and numerous other stories that fit their agenda-driven criteria of being vulnerable to their prodigious powers of manipulation as they play on the base instincts and ignorance of their audience.

There are informative people doing talk radio but they are not the ones with the ratings and headlines. With the impending elections and the primary hoopla I am scared for the future because the John and Ken crowd is winning this nation in real life as well as on the air. I truly believe that Ziegler believed in bringing the real issues and truth to light but his demise does not bode well for us all.
 
Wow! Living in a top 30 market, I see/hear about quite a bit of drama, but wow! It seems to me like both John and Zigler have some serious arrogance issues - the difference is John is management protected because he pulls in ad clients, while Zigler isn't nearly as popular, so he's to different standards.

Neither has clean hands in this affair it looks like, but I must say the Clear Channel drama is really getting out of hand. Whose idea was it to stuff everyone together in one building in Burbank? Ever since they moved together Dees was canned; we've had the Bill Handle KYSR fiasco, and apparently now Ziggy v. John hate each other.
 
John and Ken phonies?

Only having an opinion to suit the ratings?

Really?

LOL

John and Ken are the purest of media whores, whatever garners ratings, they will say it, and, because they are so vapid, they can sleep at night.

Good for Ziegler. So much of Talk Radio is pure and utter BS, but people buy it without knowing....
 
Don Paschal said:
Has anyone sent this to Leykis??


None of this involves scantily clad women of very low self esteem, therefore a perv like Leykis wouldn't care.

Besides, he has enough problems, entering middle age as an obese, balding oaf trying to pretend he is 20 and hip.
 
Legend City said:
Don Paschal said:
Has anyone sent this to Leykis??


None of this involves scantily clad women of very low self esteem, therefore a perv like Leykis wouldn't care.

Besides, he has enough problems, entering middle age as an obese, balding oaf trying to pretend he is 20 and hip.

For anyone who hasn't listened recently, Leykis is on a real tear ripping on other hosts. Seems to be Rick Dees' time as of late.
 
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