San Diego Radio: Kevin Klein A No-Show At KEGY

The MLB Padres’ opening-day radio broadcast went on KEGY 97.3 The Machine as scheduled Thursday afternoon, although the station host who caused an uproar this week was not on the air for the scheduled debut of his new morning show.

Kevin Klein, a new radio host for 97.3, outraged people Monday when he posted a promo on social media that made light of suicide with the word “JUMP” paired with a picture of the Coronado bridge, report the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Klein’s new show was scheduled to debut in the 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. time slot, but he never went on the air. There was no immediate information from the station or Klein addressing the situation.

Rumors have swirled that the Padres will move their broadcasts to another station, although the club’s executive chairman, Ron Fowler, said before Thursday’s opener against the Milwaukee Brewers that nothing has been determined.

Padres are holding firm on evaluating the radio relationship by the end of next week, once the opening home stand is complete.

There’s no truth, Fowler insisted, that the Padres have pro-actively talked to other stations about a potential switch. He confirmed, however, that the team has been approached by two other stations.

Fowler has questioned the station format’s compatibility with the Padres’ brand, although voiding the contract likely would be complicated with the season already underway. Among other things, advertising would be problematic, both living up to agreements with current advertisers and/or generating advertising with a new company.

One solution could be switching to another Entercom station in San Diego. The Padres were broadcast on ALT 949 last season. The company owns three other stations in the San Diego market as well — KSON 103.7, KYXY 96.5 and SUNNY 98.1.