As per usual, our Day Two reaction on the exit of morning co-host Chuck Booms from CBS Radio Cleveland sports talker WKRK/92.3 “The Fan”.
This morning, Booms’ long-time partner Kevin Kiley and morning producer J.G. Spooner were about as open as possible about the Euclid native’s departure.
Kiley says didn’t know what precipitated Booms’ exit from the Halle Building on Thursday.
But he said he was “sad” about the end of the latest incarnation of “Kiley and Booms”, noting that he “came to Cleveland not to work in radio, but to work with Chuck”…calling him more than once a “massive talent”.
Kiley and his producer Spooner took calls from listeners all morning…some who missed Booms, some celebrating his exit. Certainly, when it comes to the phrase “polarizing radio personality”, it’s easy to find a picture of Chuck Booms.
The show, Kiley said, will go on, and there will be many configurations to find out who will pair with him.
Evening host Ken Carman is mentioned most frequently among the station’s fans (online, at least) as the person they think should get a ticket to morning drive…though some of his current fans are concerned that the time slot isn’t compatible with some of the things he does now in the evenings.
We’d also expect other Fan talent to sit in with Kevin Kiley over the next few weeks, and maybe others. We haven’t heard any plans yet, and it would seem from listening to Kevin Kiley this morning, the station itself may not have a plan…yet.
As controversial a talent as Chuck Booms is, if “something happened”, if he “stepped over a line” as at least one caller said this morning…well, as we said on our social media accounts last night, we “haven’t even heard any credible, unverified rumor” about any event that may have led to Booms’ being locked out of the Halle Building.
That’s not at all to say that he did nothing to precipitate the end of “Kiley and Booms” after nearly four years.
But we submit this from All Access this morning, concerning “The Fan’s” sister (brother?) sports talker in Sacramento:
ALL ACCESS hears the budget cuts at CBS RADIO in SACRAMENTO which led to the departure of Hot AC KZZO (NOW 100.5)/SACRAMENTO and APD/MD/night personality HUNTER QUINN (NET NEWS 5/8) also claimed the jobs of Sports KHTK-A morning co-host KEITH BROOKS and longtime KHTK Executive Producer LITTLE JOE PITTMAN as well as Promotions Director CORINNE STUBBS. Morning co-host CARMICHAEL DAVE continues solo.
OMW readers are well aware of the recent contract expiration exit of someone else in the Halle Building, former hot AC WQAL/104.1 “Q104” morning host Allan Fee. (Uh oh, there go the comments on his OMW item again…)
OMW hears at least two other off-air staffers are also out at CBS Radio’s local cluster.
With all this controversy, could Chuck Booms’ exit from “92.3 The Fan” be the result of the latest budget cut?
i didn’t have any problem with his passion….but his constant interruption of kevin kiely….guest interviews and the callers…to me was just unacceptable
You missed the most obvious revelation this morning. Kiley has never communicated with Booms outside the show. Very telling about their marriage of convenience.
I dunno Eric. Is that so odd? Made me think, and I rarely contact the folks I spend 40-50 hours a week with outside the office. Maybe when I was in my twenties we would go out together or catch a game or something. Once age and family sets in that stuff stops.
No one else finds it odd that Kiley has not contacted Booms even ONE TIME in the 14 years they’ve been together??? Not ONCE??? Not even a 30 second call to say “Hey, sucks you were fired. Good luck in the future.”
This has to be about remuneration. Chuck has been the same Chuck for months now. No controversy, new teeth, nothing obvious.
i’m just glad that idiot is gone. no one i know could stand listening to him. now i can start listening to the show again!
It had more to do with ratings slippage than anything else. Their ratings had gone from a 3.8 to a 2.5 in the past 6 months. If that continues, expect more changes.
Chuck Booms carried that show just like he did on the original Kiley and Booms show. They complimented each other well because Booms is jumpy and spiteful and at times irreverent, but still knowledgeable. Kiley is monotonous and mundane and vanilla. This is 92.3’s loss.