KHOW afternoon host David Sirota and Clear Channel part ways

[Colorado Media Newsroom]

Just a few months after being moved from mornings on Liberal Talker KKZN 760 AM to an afternoon show with former George W. Bush administration FEMA director Michael D. Brown (The Rundown with Sirota and Brown) on KHOW 630 AM, David Sirota has been let go.

From his Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/rocktheboat/posts/10151322139130536

After almost 4 years of working in radio, I no longer work at Clear Channel Denver.

My heartfelt thanks go out to Lee Larsen, Kris Olinger and Jay Marvin who originally gave me the opportunity to add radio to the many venues in which I do my journalism work. I'm also thankful to John Turk for being such a good partner in producing award-winning radio over the nearly four years we've worked together. And I'm sincerely grateful to all the listeners who consistently and up until the end kept rewarding my radio work with strong ratings.

I'm looking forward to continuing and expanding my journalism in my ongoing newspaper column, magazine writing, book writing and television work. As always, you can find all of my various work linked at http://www.davidsirota.com/. You can also always email me at ds@davidsirota.com, follow me on Twitter @davidsirota or find me right here on Facebook.

Thank you all for your ongoing support over so many years. I'm really looking forward to 2013 and beyond!

[Colorado Media Newsroom]

From The Denver Post:

http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/files/2012/08/sirota-highres-199x300.jpg (http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2012/08/21/david-sirotas-lamentations-media/10634/david-sirota-photo-shoot-with-clear-channel-colorado-by-zach-lipp/)
David Sirota

David Sirota, the liberal author, columnist and talk-show host who had been paired with Michael Brown on Clear Channel’s KHOW, put out word today that he is no long employed by Clear Channel. “After almost 4 years of working in radio, I no longer work at Clear Channel Denver,” he told followers on Facebook and via an online newsletter. He’ll continue his journalistic efforts elsewhere, no further explanation. Sirota did not return calls for comment.
His bosses were no more forthcoming. Here’s the statement from Greg Foster, vice president- programming, Clear Channel Media + Entertainment:
“We wish David Sirota the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his service. We look forward to continuing our commitment to live, local talk programming on TalkRadio 630 KHOW. Michael Brown will continue to be heard weekday afternoons from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. on TalkRadio 630 KHOW.”
Apparently both sides have agreed not to discuss the change. From the outside, it always did seem like an odd pairing.


More... (http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2013/01/07/sirota-clear-channel/12279/)

[Rob]

From Westword:

http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2013/01/david_sirota_out_khow_michael_brown.php

Syndicated columnist and devoted conversation starter David Sirota is out at KHOW.
As you'll recall, Sirota left the morning program at AM 760 this past June to team with former FEMA director Michael Brown for an afternoon drive show at that station's larger, more powerful sister signal. We're told Clear Channel, owner of both outlets, is preparing a statement at this writing, but Sirota has confirmed his departure.

Here's what Sirota posted a short time ago on Facebook:

After almost 4 years of working in radio, I no longer work at Clear Channel Denver.
My heartfelt thanks go out to Lee Larsen, Kris Olinger and Jay Marvin, who originally gave me the opportunity to add radio to the many venues in which I do my journalism work. I'm also thankful to John Turk for being such a good partner in producing award-winning radio over the nearly four years we've worked together. And I'm sincerely grateful to all the listeners who consistently and up until the end kept rewarding my radio work with strong ratings.

I'm looking forward to continuing and expanding my journalism in my ongoing newspaper column, magazine writing, book writing and television work. As always, you can find all of my various work linked at http://www.davidsirota.com/. You can also always e-mail me at ds@davidsirota.com, follow me on Twitter @davidsirota or find me right here on Facebook.

Thank you all for your ongoing support over so many years. I'm really looking forward to 2013 and beyond!

75
A promotional image for a verbal showdown between Sirota and Brown.

Thus far, we've been unable to reach Brown, who'll now helm what KHOW's website dubs The Michael Brown Show. As for Sirota, he declines to expand on the Facebook post above.

That leaves plenty of room for speculation, and you can bet there'll be no shortage of it. One likely spin will be ideological, given that Sirota's was one of the rare voices at Clear Channel's Denver cluster to regularly espouse progressive opinions. Countering this take will be suggestions that Sirota rubbed management the wrong way as a result of several high profile dust up -- most recently in October, when he used the word "motherfucker" at a public event dubbed the Battle of the Talk Show Hosts. (He let a "Goddamn" slip on the air at least once as well.) Also likely to add to the chatter is the fact that he and Brown were not on the air together during a number of recent programs, suggesting that their may have been enmity between them that went beyond disagreements about the issues of the day.

And don't forget: Sirota's exit takes place against the backdrop of December layoffs at Clear Channel not just locally but nationally -- a phenomenon labeled "National Firing Day" by one disappeared air personality, KBPI veteran Uncle Nasty.

So...is this change about money? Or something more?

[Colorado Media Newsroom]

From All Access:

183

CCM+E Talk KHOW-A (TALKRADIO 630)/DENVER host DAVID SIROTA has posted on his FACEBOOK page that he's exited the station, writing "After almost 4 years of working in radio, I no longer work at CLEAR CHANNEL DENVER."
THE DENVER POST spoke with VP/Programming GREG FOSTER, who told the paper "We wish DAVID SIROTA the best in his future endeavors and thank him for his service. We look forward to continuing our commitment to live, local Talk programming on TALKRADIO 630 KHOW. MICHAEL BROWN will continue to be heard weekday afternoons from 3-7p."

more (http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/113989/david-sirota-out-at-khow-a?ref=rss)