Swing & A Miss For Kevin Klein
• How NOT to set up the launch of a morning show… a cautionary tale… Kevin Klein hasn’t even cracked the mic yet at Entercom’s recently launched Rock-Sports-Comedy hybrid KEGY (97.3 The Machine)/San Diego — the new radio flagship of youuuur San Diego Padres — and he’s already created some serious controversy… and not the good kind. Klein, who is slated to debut in mornings on Thursday, didn’t exactly endear himself to his new community when he tweeted a photo of San Diego’s famed Coronado Bridge and the text “JUMP* … *to a new morning show.”
Klein’s ill-advised tweet happened to coincide with a front-page story in the San Diego Union-Tribune that discussed the unveiling of Coronado Bridge suicide prevention prototypes. According to the article, the Coronado Bridge now is the second-deadliest bridge in the U.S. for suicides. As the Union-Tribune reports, “The response on Twitter was swift, with some users asking Klein to delete the tweet (he refused), while others criticized him for its inappropriateness. Others called upon the Padres to address the matter, some suggesting the organization find a new radio station.” Oh, and the Padres’ home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers is Thursday.
On Tuesday morning, Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler and General Partner Peter Seidler issued a strongly worded statement that read, “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.
The statement continues, “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.”
• Shortly after noon on Tuesday, Klein tweeted this mea culpa, which read, “I’d like to sincerely apologize to San Diego and listeners of 97.3 for a distasteful and insensitive social media post. I know I’ve upset many people in America’s Finest City, and this is something I regret. The comment was reprehensible and inexcusable. I’ve failed at making a good first impression, but I hope that you will give me another chance to provide entertainment and good-natured laughs when I go on the air Thursday morning. Once again, I apologize to all the listeners and the to the city of San Diego.”
• Around 2pm, 97.3 The Machine posted its own regretful statement, which read, “We do not condone the comments made by Kevin Klein, which were insensitive and Kevin has apologized. On behalf of The Machine, we also sincerely apologize to our listeners and the entire city of San Diego. We understand that these comments were distasteful and hit at the core of an important issue that affects many people in our city.”
