Peter Laufer Fired By KPFA

Snipped from the Jive 95 newsgroup:

On Nov 16, 2007, at 12:44 PM, Peter Laufer wrote:

Welcome to mob rule at KPFA, and the wild and weird world of radio.

KPFA just fired me as host of their Sunday morning current affairs program (example shows can be heard at www.peterlaufer.com).

Reason?

"Intangible," says (interim, as she is always identified) program director Sasha Lilley, adding, "it's just not right for Sunday." She cited "overwhelming negative audience feedback."

There has been an active campaign against me by a group of KPFA activists who were miffed from the day I was hired because I am not a "person of color" and because of my "mainstream" credentials.

"I really like what you do on the air," she told me when she fired me via telephone. "You are certainly a team player and I have really admired that during your tenure here, as I have admired what you have brought to the airwaves."

The firing came two days after I moderated a benefit for KPFA in Berkeley that raised thousands of dollars, where the hundreds in the audience broke into hoots and hollers of applause when I introduced myself from the stage as the anchor of the KPFA Sunday show.

Incredibly, Lilley offered to tell the public that I was leaving "to go on to bigger and better things." I told her she better tell the public she fired me, because that was what I was telling the public.

"Free speech radio," the KPFA bumper sticker says. I guess that means the freedom to lie to the audience about why a staff employee is no longer on the air. And that's the way it is. What's the frequency Kenneth? Onward.

UPDATE: Laufer was profiled by Ben Fong-Torres in "Radio Waves" this past weekend in the Chronicle's Sunday Datebook. Ben is occasionally victimized by the early deadline (a week-and-a-half before the paper lands on your doorstep)...

KOIT Goes All Christmas, All The Time

The snow is on the ground, the presents are under the tree ... well, they aren't, but that ain't going to stop 96.5 KOIT from breaking out the Christmas music and going all festive on us.

...You have done all your shopping, haven't you?

Here's the announcement from the station:

We're pleased to announce that KOIT will begin All Christmas programming at 3pm this afternoon, Friday, November 16. You'll hear us play continuous Christmas favorites until 11:59pm on Christmas Day, Tuesday, December 25, so you can set 96.5 KOIT on your radio at home, in your car, or at work and enjoy all your Christmas favorites.

This will be our 6th year of special Christmas programming, and based on the calls and emails we have already received, this may be the best year ever! We appreciate you as a listener and a supporter of KOIT Christmas programming in the past, and we hope to be a part of your holiday celebrations again this year.

We have some special contests just for the holidays, such as Celine Dion tickets, family ticket 4-packs to Raggs Holiday Jam, the Brian Boitano Skating Spectacular, and some HoneyBaked Ham certificates. And, kick off your holiday today with the Embarcadero Building Lighting Ceremony and Winter Carnival.

All of us at 96.5 KOIT wanted to be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope you celebrate the season with us.

All the best.

Jack, Sherry, Larry, Laurie, Julie, Mark, and Linda
Your friends at KOIT

Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame Names Class of 2007

The Bay Area Radio Museum has announced the sixteen newest members of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame.

More than 6,000 votes were cast during the public voting, and a stellar group of legendary broadcasters has been chosen for induction as the Class of 2007:

• Don Barksdale (KROW, KWBR, KDIA)
• Don Bleu (KYUU, KIOI)
• Mike Cleary (KYA, KNBR)
• Frank Cope (KJBS)
• Belva Davis (KSAN, KWBR, KDIA)
• Jerry Dean (KJAZ)
• Jim Eason (KNEW, KGO, KSFO)
• Aaron Edwards (KSFO)
• Bud Foster (KLX, Oakland Oaks, San Francisco 49ers)
• Bob Kieve (owner of KLIV, KARA, KRTY)
• Ron Lyons (KEWB, KNEW, KNBR, KCBS)
• Franklin Mieuli (KHIP, Warriors, Giants and 49ers)
• Don Mozley (KCBS)
• Ronn Owens (KGO)
• Carter B. Smith (KRE, KSFO, KNBR, Magic 61, KABL)
• Ernie Smith (pioneer sportscaster, KYA, KFRC)

This year's honorees join the 37 members of the Hall that were inducted last year.

The Class of 2007 will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during a special ceremony that will take place on Wednesday, December 12, at the Doubletree Inn on the Berkeley Marina in conjunction with Broadcast Legends. The event is open to the public, but advance reservations are required.

Please click here to make your reservation.

KTRB Puts Lieberman "On The Beat"

This press release is just in from the friendly confines of KTRB at 1700 Montgomery Street in the City By The Bay:

RADIO STATION GOES BIG - “BIG VINNY,” THAT IS!

Rich “Big Vinny” Lieberman to Become AM 860 KTRB’s “Man On The Beat”

San Francisco (November 14, 2007) -- Starting this week, “KTRB’s Man On The Beat, Rich ‘Big Vinny’ Lieberman,” is going to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public via a series of weekly updated radio features that take a satirical and irreverent look at Bay Area life.

Rich Lieberman is a veteran of the Bay Area media scene, having worked at K-101 Radio in the 1980s as Sports Director, covering local sports and events including 3 Super Bowls, 2 World Series, and the 1984 Democratic National Convention. He then worked as a San Francisco correspondent for ABC radio, and spent 3 years doing work for the “Larry King Show” on Mutual Radio. Rich also achieved notoriety by playing the “Big Vinny” character in a prominent series of TV commercials from 2001 - 2003.

“Big Vinny” haunts the cool clubs within the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas scenes, and has the inside on Larry King's favorite breakfast hangout, “Nate and Al” in Beverly Hills. His little black book reads like a Who’s Who of Bay Area entertainers, athletes, media people, and politicians.

Rich “Big Vinny” Lieberman will be KTRB’s local “Man On The Beat” and will report all of the good local gossip when it comes to the hot clubs, the singles scene, and the latest Pam Dawber sightings, not to mention deliver a healthy dose of politically incorrect opinions!

Rich “Big Vinny” Lieberman said, “I believe that in order to make your case, you have to be passionate about what you believe in. I have some strong opinions and ideas that won't always be popular, but most definitely will strike a chord in your consciousness.”

KTRB Program Director Kevin Barrett said, “Rich is a throwback. He appreciates the greats like Herb Caen and Mike Royko. San Francisco is his beat, and we’re excited to have him on KTRB.”

Jim P. Pappas, KTRB Vice President and General Manager said, “Rich bleeds creative energy. He is a Bay Area native with a definite feel for what’s hot and what’s not. His feature will add to the entertainment value and diversity of our program line-up.”

RIP: Former KYA Jocks Stagg and Hawthorne

All Access reports today that Jim Stagg and Jim Hawthorne, both of whom were popular personalities on 1260/KYA in the late 1950s and early 1960s but went on to greater success elsewhere, have passed away.

Stagg, 72, who was also credited simply as "Stag" at KYA — his real name was Jimmy P. Staggs — went on to become a huge star at Chicago's WCFL. A popular morning personality at KYA, he was also part of a local novelty hit that parodied the 1960 presidential campaign. More about Stagg on the Radio-Info.com Chicago board.

Hawthorne reached the heights in L.A., where he sandwiched his work at KYA around stops at KXLA, KECA, KNX, KDAY, KIEV and KFWB. According to his website (www.JimHawthorne.com), "I went up there [KYA] for a year or so and re-formatted the station, created a gimmick called ‘voice your choice,’ and returned to So-Cal to KFWB (Color Radio) when it went on the air."