Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Vincent David Jericho: No Longer Hosting KSGF's Morning Show

My first tip that Vincent David Jericho is no longer going to be hosting the morning show for KSGF came when a friend of mine told me all references to Vince had been wiped clean from KSGF's Web site.

This morning I received an email from another friend telling me Jericho's producer Kortni Williams said that as of yesterday afternoon Vince no longer worked for KSGF.

A few moments ago, Williams confirmed it via email:


Jackie,

Vince is no longer with Journal Broadcast Group and KSGF. It’s a personnel matter and our policy prohibits me from discussing this any further.

Kortni

I inquired as to whether Vince would be contractually prohibited from communicating with me about the circumstances surrounding his departure. Williams was not aware of any contract and stated that she, herself, is not under contract.


I have offered Jericho an opportunity to contact me and discuss what happened to cause his departure from the station. I hope he will take me up on that offer as I know many people would like to know why their favorite local radio talk show host has left.


I believe Jericho paved the way for real dialog about local issues in Springfield. In particular, he opened the door for discussion about our local government and local politics.

Prior to Jericho, many (if not all) residents of Springfield were afraid to publicly question or criticize local government leaders. Whether this was justified or not is not the issue, I believe it is a fact that residents of Springfield feared repercussion if they questioned or exposed policy and behind the scenes action accepted and performed by the Springfield City Council and City staff.


Jericho voraciously and fearlessly questioned and on occasion attacked the actions of City government powers that be and was still standing at the end of the day...that is, until yesterday afternoon...

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35 comments:

Jason said...

I'm sure some corners will be celebrating this but there's nothing to celebrate when someone loses a job in an economy like this. It's bad enough that it happened at this time of year but it's not uncommon in the radio business for this kind of thing to happen during the holidays when people are paying the least amount of attention.

I hope he finds another job and way to support his family soon.

Frank said...

Now this may sound harsh because a man lost his job, but Jericho was always quick to ask for someones firing. I think it's about time KSGF came to it senses and let him go. I'm a talk radio junkie, so just like a junkie I'll take it even if its bad stuff.

The word professional and Jericho should not be mentioned in the same sentence (except for this one time). Jericho would often read a full length article and then go right to the callers. It would seem from the time the show aired (6am) till it ended (9am), he was running out the clock. Jericho was more interested in promoting himself then entertaining his audiance.
I would however, be entertained when he would have one of his many meltdowns. It would turn into Jericho's Therapy Session, where he would breakdown, and his groupies would call to console him.

Another one of Jericho's traits were to ambush a big name guest. I'm sure Jericho thought he was victorious when he sandbagged John Podhorist, but if you played the tape back you would see how Jericho had his head handed to him by Podhorist. When his Michael Steale interview was mentioned in the Hufington Post, Jericho was expecting a call to be on the O'Reilly Factor. The way he treated Bill Frist was dispicable. He told Frist to shut-up and he called him a pompas ass, because he did not think Frist was conservative enough. Before Frist was a US Senator he was a renowned surgeon. He was credited with saving General Patrius' life, who had suffered a gunshot wound.

Jericho seemed to think he was the arbiter of who was a conservative, patriot, or a Christian.

Now I hope Jericho lands on his feet. He might want to try a career in the porter-potty profession, being he has such a fecal fixation (Re: Jericho's blog).

Now I thought about signing this Lenny the Lizard, because this was Jericho's way of making fun of my accent. But, this did not bother me, because my Brooklyn accent is an American accent.

Regards Frank

tom said...

Losing employment at this time of year and for the ails of some family members cuts to the core of any corporate decision. I remember listening to Dave Hayes on KSGF before VDJ arrived. The difference in demeanor was quite apparent how Vince went out of his way to research aspects of the life in around the city known as SPFD. People could go an discuss issues on KSGF where the opportunity to go other places did not exist. He will be missed in this city and what he brought to this city as an *in your face* radio personality will not be duplicated since it appears this also could get you dismissed from your employment. SPFD/SPPD had a voice on his show and he pointed out the hypocrisy on the local scene when it came to support those in uniform who perform task that make this city livable. It is quite a shame that city staff, and city administration used these members of our community like a political hot potato to get what they wanted which was more money from the pockets of the consumer instead of addressing this in a means that wouldn't have dire consequences to everyone north of Chestnut Expressway and businesses city wide.

Judy said...

Jackie,

I just heard from a friend that Vince was no longer at KSGF...I am sad to hear of his leaving, for whatever reason.

Vince did a couple of shows on adoption for a group that I co-founded with a local birth mother. He also hooked us up with Bob Dixon who can help get the records in Missouri opened for adoptees.

Vince is a great guy and we need more people like him that are willing to stand up for those who cannot be vocal for themselves.

Judy Mills

Anonymous said...

interesting blog
God bless you

Chestnut Expressway said...

Could it be the show ratings ?
I would think not.

Could it be the overall dismal economy and the need to work and promote ads for his show almost 24/7 ? Could be.

Could it be the rising cost of health insurance for Vince and Mrs. Vince ? (if the station was providing it) very, very likely.

I would hope those who can might give Vince a spot to work, as he is very capable of a number of things, until he once again can do what he does very well.

Josh Martin said...

I always found it interesting that he would speak on the air about his low standard of living... essentially complaining about how little he was apparently being paid. Maybe they got tired of that?

Unknown said...

I'm happy to see him go. Pompous ass, indeed!

As a "conservative," I'm sure Mr. Jericho holds no ill will toward Journal Broadcast Group; if he were worth keeping, they would've kept him. Capitalism, right?

And so he wasn't worth keeping, or much else that I recall.

I wonder what he will change his name to now...

Lynn said...

Josh, I think you are right. Sure makes it hard to recruit new employees when you have one talking on the air about how poorly he his paid. I heard him mention it more than once and thought, dude, you need to be careful. If corporate hears that, you are seriously hosed. No way to know, but unfortunately, I think he may have had a hand in his own demise.

Anonymous said...

Jason 4:56 pm and Jason 2:23 am--- are they the same Jason as in Jason Wirt and Life of Jason?

Didn't he and Jericho have a feud going?

Jason closed up his blog really fast and moved to Nashville to start a church. Wonder how that's going?

tom said...

ANON they are different Jason's. Joason 4:56 is the Life of Jason while the other is a hit and run blogger.

Unknown said...

I have mixed emotions on this one...

…timing is poor (its the holidays), he has a sick wife, and losing a job is devastating for anyone. That stinks. And he was an absolute joy of a train wreck to listen to (bad metaphor mix on that one, I know). I will miss the 10 minutes a morning I laughed at him.

…but he clearly wasn’t a good broadcaster, show host, or commentator. So it was coming for a while and we all knew it.

I’ll lay it out like this: I had never heard such oblivious incompetence on the air in my life. The man genuinely believed he was a gifted, intelligent broadcaster when he was nothing of the sort. He was dull and dim and really unfunny. He wasn't much of an investigator or journalist, and his people he surrounded himself with was either as poorly suited as he was (his producer, the dreadful Askinosie) or they outshined him to the point where he limited their involvement in the show (most of the news folks who actually had talent). There are bad hosts in this area: Booms, Billy Long, that guy KSGF had on at 5:00pm for a while… they are not good. But they didn’t pretend to walk on water or promote themselves endlessly like VDJ did. So while they aren’t really good at their jobs - Booms could be because he used to be very funny, but I think he may have just given up – they aren’t really pro’s like Vince thought he was. So it’s didn’t seem so bad. At least you don’t want to laugh at them like you did Vince. Okay, maybe Billy Long…

There is a story here that I want to hear, though. The wipe job they have done on KSGF is impressive; it’s as if he didn’t even exist. Something happened that we don’t know about. VDJ has moved around the country a lot, so it may just be that he keeps wearing out his welcome. Or it could be something more. He got pretty entrenched in this community and he has a big loud mouth that he likes to use, so we may just get to hear it (if it can be spun positively for him of course). This isn’t like Hayes leaving. Most people didn’t even know he was here. This was a bigger deal. I hope we get the whole story.

Lets close by remembering some dumb stuff Vince did… In his first week he accused the police of being involved in the drug problem (then quickly retracted), he brought the Guardian Angels to town then dropped it like a hot potato when it didn’t make him a civic hero, he thought upside down Christmas tree’s were satanic (which is awesomely stupid in every way), he took innumerable crank calls (I know – I made a few of them), he insulted the local Fire fighters and threw a hissy when they didn’t play paintball with him, he cried on the radio about a Shania Twain song that reminded him of something sad, he bragged about his former lofty credit status and ability to “buy a convertible Celica off the lot” but that he wasn’t in quite the same financial shape he once was in, he called his producer the “best in business“ when I’m pretty sure she’s retarded… I could go on forever.

One bright point.. his ice storm stuff was priceless. The hours of sheer entertainment he brought to me and my family as we laughed at him and the crank callers was invaluable. Bless you, VDJ.

Flyon Duvall said...

Begging for odd jobs on the air on an almost daily basis lately because his employer wasn't paying him enough to make ends meet probably wasn't the smartest move.

Anonymous said...

With Vince gone,

could Tom Carlson soon overthrow the Mayor's office ???

From the CFP, it looks like JQH might be a little late again on his Expo Hotel. Thank goodness we still have lilly-smith in power & control.

Jason said...

The first comment was mine, anonymous person. The church is going just fine. We have a building, we're doing construction and hope to have the campus open by Easter.

Not that you really cared when you asked that...but there's the answer.

Anonymous said...

Vince was able to at least slow down and re-arrange the local dimwit mafia that had had too much power and control of the City for far too long.

I would guess the City is 300 million dollars down because of these local clowns.

Look for the new JQH hotel to save us all by 2012.

With the internet who really needs a radio station ??

tom said...

ANON 9:37

The figure is actually double what you thought and that doesn't include the 243 MILLION in police/fire retirement pension fund debt. Almost a BBBBBBBBB-illion in debt for a city that has 152 Thousand residents.

An before I'm attacked YES I can and do have proof of this much debt

Unknown said...

Hit and run? Really?

tom said...

yeah hit and run....that is for those people who have started a blogger profile however they either don't write a blog, refuse to link it to their name, or have just created a profile so they can post to other bloggers writings and rantings. which would you be ??

Anonymous said...

FROM: jusdefacts
Ok, this news has definitely left some of us in shock; Frank not included.

Yes, it's true, to publicly dis your employer about the pay or lack-thereof would seemingly be a gamble on the surface.

Nevertheless, most of us have co-workers who are able to say/do whatever they please, with no repercussions-a most glaring embarrassing truth of the "fair market" concept : managerial ineptitude, laziness and or complicity.

I listen to Ned Reynolds (legendary KY3 sportscaster for 40+ yrs)and Scott Puryear (currently with Drury and formerly w/ News-Leader)on @ 98.7 9a-11a. They often complain and joke about Meyer Communications' lack of compensation...and are going into their NINTH YEAR on the air!

Herd-like speculation is great for gold mine map salesman, but not for this blog.

Going off on the dude is not producticve and a waste of our time.

I would like to continue to see and support the effort to push back or at least further expose the slimy, hidden, "good-ol'boy" and girl tactics in this area.

Let's find out what happened and determine that if Vince is headed outta town, to continue to rally the cause for productive improvement in this area.

Anonymous said...

I think lots of people agree with VDJ but literally hate his approach. His delivery, no matter how much I agree with him is about as pleasent as a "manual" prostate exam. There are much easier and more effective ways to share and get information. That's the problem and I'd bet why he got fired.

Anonymous said...

From : jusdefacts

we don't know he was fired, we en masse don't know anything. this episode is an occurance in a microcasm of what occurs in full scale in the area. not just here, to be sure, but this is where we live.

yes his delivery was agitative, but not necesssarily abbrasive. therein lies the difference and distinction; both in action and observation

therefore filter and use what you can. who else is really trying? others for sure, but do we see them, hear them? where can we contribute to their cause??

my hunch is that there is a lot unsaid on this whole situation that only a few know, but we would all like to learn

Hint: if anyone does know please share

Anonymous said...

"yes his delivery was agitative, but not necesssarily abbrasive"

Thats like comparing getting shot by a shotgun or a .50 caliber rifle. They are both are very unpleasent.

The good he could do for the conservative side of any issue is ruined by his delivery. Until he changes that, he will only continue to dwindle into insignifigance.

Anonymous said...

I am not surprised Mr. Jericho is gone. All too often his attitude and the tone of discussion was very negative. I had to discontinue listening to the show in the morning because it affected my day. The format was inappropriate for an early morning show and real "downer". The negativity was primarily created by the host's personal feelings and beliefs, and added to by all of his other regular "complainers". I hope he can find peace and joy in another endeavor. He seemed to be a tormented man.

Jeb HillBill said...

Do not worry Springfield some new clown will change his name come to town, and claim to be a good ole boy repug just like ya'all mouth breathers 80 IQ hilltards who love me some jeebus.

Anonymous said...

He will be sorely missed

Anonymous said...

Who will be missed?

Anonymous said...

I am back to listening to KSGF in the morning!! I loved Dave and Michelle but had to stop listening when they hired that narcissistic pompous ass Jericho - so full of his own importance. (And I'm a conservative so this isn't about ideology.) Everything was always about him and how wonderful he was...

Anonymous said...

I wonder how all of Jericho Drones are going to function without their marching orders from Jericho.

Jeff said...

I went on the "Defense of Vince" Facebook page and raised my question of what is going on. I am very suspect about the situation, mainly from life experience. Vince mentioned that I may be questioning his character---I said actually not, but what is going on. I got no answer. Forget his nonsense about non-compete and privacy. The bottom line with me is that Vince had devolved to name calling instead of factual debate & conversation. I moved here over 3 years ago and am shocked at the liberal/leftist influence here. Vince's name calling and focusing of attacks on people on the right actually does make me question his real agenda and loyalty.

tom said...

by people on the "right" do you mean republicans or conservatives..? they are not interchangable in 95% of the cases.

Jeff said...

actually I meant to say Americans. Jericho's focus (attacks), at least to me, seemed to be on those who are at least trying to do some good based on the foundational values of this country. When his narrative began to emulate that of the leftists, he lost a large portion of his listeners. The silence is deafening Mr. Jericho

Jeff said...

Bottom line for me is that I truly hope I end up with egg on my face over this and that Vince has been wronged and ends up in a better place. But life is not always that way and the evidence points in another direction.

antijerko said...

GOOD RIDDANCE, THIS CLOWN SUCKS THE FIST TIP I KNEW HE WAS GONE WHEN I COULD LISTEN FOR MORE THAN 2 MINUTES WITHOUT FALLIN ASLEEP,WHAT A NO TALENT SCHMUCK, thanks to the great ksgf for gettin rid of this pinhead,,know what i'm talkin aboot,, go back to america jr

Anonymous said...

tell jerko what you think, join facebook page "Vincent David Jericho sucks"