Swing & A Miss For Kevin Klein
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.”
• 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.”