Monday, April 9, 2018

San Diego Radio: Entercom Expected To Blow-Up 'The Machine'

UPDATE 4/10/18: Kevin Klein and the afternoon Men’s Room have been removed from the station website.

Earlier Posting...

Blame it on a P-R stunt gone bad. Here's what we expect expect to happen at KEGY, perhaps as soon as today:

1. KEGY to rebrand 97.3 as 'the Fan'

2. New Morning Kevin Klein is gone. He never made to on-air

3. Dan Sileo to become new morning drive host

4. New host for middays

The changes at the Guy-talk Sports/Comedy/Music hybrid KEGY 97.3 The Machine are the fallout as Entercom struggles to recover from a recent Klein Tweet which cause an uproar in the community and more specifically with new business partner:  MLB San Diego Padres,

Kevin Klein Tweet
Kevin Klein Tweet outraged people because it made light of suicide with the word “JUMP” paired with a picture of the Coronado bridge.

When this all started, the Padres let it be known they were not happy with their new flagship radio station.

It didn't take long for the MLB Padres to issue a statement from Executive Chairman Ron Fowler and General Partner Peter Seidler:

Kevin Klein
“We find the comments made last night by Entercom’s employee offensive, insensitive and completely unacceptable. Mental illness and suicide are not joking matters. Additionally, we’ve expressed our concerns to Entercom around the tone and direction of the station they have chosen to create.

“It’s important for our fans to know that our agreement with Entercom to move to 97.3 was an opportunity to expand our pre and postgame coverage and it was done well before we knew the format, the tone or the talent lineup.

“We believe Entercom owes San Diego an apology. And, even though we do not have ultimate control over Entercom’s programming beyond our game broadcasts, we apologize for the behavior of the station.”

Dan Sileo
It was also reports the Padres were demanding that 97.3 change their programming to to more “family friendly” content.

Sileo was hired by San Diego's The Mighty 1090 AM (XEPRS-AM) in February 2014 for mornings.

In 2017, he was named #20 on Jason Barrett's Top 20 Morning Sports Radio Shows in America. Sileo named to the 2017 Talker's TOP 100 Sports Talk Radio shows in America in at #31. Sileo in 2018 of January would leave "The Mighty 1090 AM" morning drive show for crosstown Entercom's 97.3 FM "The Machine" from 10am-2pm doing general talk radio.

When The Machine was launched in March, the new format promised to engage and entertain San Diego’s audience with a unique mix of compelling personalities, comedy, sports and curated classic rock music.

“97.3 The Machine will offer San Diego listeners a one of a kind station that combines all of the elements they have been craving: captivating talent, comedy, rock and sports,” said Bob Bolinger, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom San Diego. “We’re excited to fill this void in San Diego and will continue to add even more compelling content to the station’s lineup to serve both listeners and local partners.”

The 'Jump" Tweet has derailed Entercom's plans.  Stay tuned..

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