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Thursday, August 23, 2007

Ken Vincent’s Departure From KUOW Is Hitting Some Listeners Harder Than Others

posted by on August 23 at 15:18 PM

From the mailbag…

For the love of all that is holy, chasing Ken Vincent out of KUOW with asinine management decisions and insane control-freak politics must at least be a venal sin, if not a mortal one. After spending two years in the Peace Corps and only getting the occasional stray wave of BBC’s Caribbean Service on the shortwave, I wept real tears when I heard Ken’s voice again upon returning to Seattle. To me he epitomized KUOW. He made the day move along faster, he cracked corny jokes, he told us what the weather was in Forks sometimes… I loved Ken. He was an integral part of my day for years on end.

This is a travesty, and I hope Jeff Hansen’s head gets served on a platter. And then I hope Steve Scher, Marcie Sillman, Dave Beck, Ross Reynolds, Derek Wang and Patricia Murphy all get raises. They deserve it if they have to put up with this shit.

Michelle Swanson

RSS icon Comments

1

i only listen to KUOW but this is fucking ridiculous. perhaps it is good they fired him because obviously his cult of personality attracted sobbing idiot kneejerk liberals.

Posted by Bellevue Ave | August 23, 2007 3:37 PM
2

In Williamsburg WNYC was always on at home. When I moved here two years ago to work for as a software project manager, I first looked on J-date for parties,I looked for a cool hipster Temple, then I looked for NPR


What as dissapointment! (radio that is, Jewish life in Seattle is great!) Maybe The Stranger can start a radion station?

Posted by Livnat | August 23, 2007 3:40 PM
3

Except no raise for Steve Scher.

Posted by Ummm | August 23, 2007 3:49 PM
4

KUOW is such boring radio, with even more boring listeners. I'm sure Ken Vincent will be happy doing something else.

Posted by yawn. | August 23, 2007 4:00 PM
5

Speaking of boring radio, isn't time for the weekly announcement of the Stranger Hour?

Posted by whatever | August 23, 2007 4:26 PM
6

Seriously, nothing beats the hosts on KBCS in the morning, especially between 9-12 everyday. A little BBC, good jazz, and local matters. It's far better for your constitution.

Posted by KBCS! | August 23, 2007 4:51 PM
7

hear ya @ 6. love the thursday morning 'vintage jazz' with al barnes on kbcs.

Posted by Lloyd Clydesdale | August 23, 2007 4:59 PM
8

Um, Steve Scher does not deserve a raise. He is an intellectual lightweight, and I turn off NPR immediately whenever he comes on. I often stream NPR from Boston or New York instead while he's on. Why can't he be the one who left?

Posted by owza | August 23, 2007 5:14 PM
9

I listen to NPR a lot. But mostly for the national stuff. Most of the local programs don't do much for me. I was pissed when they dropped Fresh Air, which I love. Ross Reynolds' voice grates my nerves, and I can't stand "The Conversation". "The Beat" is worse, and Megan Sukys sounds like a hyperventilatiing 12 year old on too much caffeine. I thought Ken Vincent was better than most of the other locals, but I'm somewhat indifferent to his leaving. I do wish Ross Reynolds would have left instead.

Posted by SDA in SEA | August 23, 2007 5:24 PM
10

Coming from MN, MPR kicks ass over Puget Sound Public Radio- KNOW is way better than KUOW. I can't even get KUOW clearly in Issaquah or Kent. WTF? You can get KNOW anywhere within a 75mi radius of downtown Minneapolis.

And canceling "Fresh Air" is stupid- best show on NPR. After "Prairie Home Companion", of course.

Posted by Big Sven | August 23, 2007 5:38 PM
11

There's a Stranger hour on the radio?

Man, another hour I have to purposefully avoid ...

Posted by Will in Seattle | August 23, 2007 5:55 PM
12

Corry Paul Tyler, 29, an Army captain and 1999 West Point graduate from Woodbine, Ga., was among 14 soldiers killed in the crash of a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Kirkuk in northern Iraq on Wednesday.Tyler, on his third deployment to Iraq, is survived by his wife, Kathy, and three small children in the Tacoma area.
A couple excerpts from Dan Savage\'s \"Say yes to War\" article October 2002:

\"War may be bad for children and other living things, but there are times when peace is worse for children and other living things, and this is one of those times. Saying no to war in Iraq means saying yes to the continued oppression of the Iraqi people.\"

\"In the meantime, invading and rebuilding Iraq will not only free the Iraqi people, it will also make the Saudis aware of the consequences they face if they continue to oppress their own people while exporting terrorism and terrorists. The War on Iraq will make it clear to our friends and enemies in the Middle East (and elsewhere) that we mean business: Free your people, reform your societies, liberalize, and democratize... or we\'re going to come over there, remove you from power, free your people, and reform your societies for ourselves.
\"

Posted by .... | August 23, 2007 9:20 PM
13

Big Sven @10, I used to live in Minnesota too, many years ago. You'll recall of course, that all of Minnesota is flat as a pancake. It only takes about 5 watts to broadcast 75 miles in Minnesota.

Go a single mile anywhere in Seattle and you'll encounter more elevation change than in the entire state of Minnesota. Makes radio broadcasting a little harder, and requires a lot more power.

KUOW can and should be criticized for many things, but its broadcast range is not one of them.

Posted by SDA in SEA | August 23, 2007 9:36 PM
14

Vincent stumbled a lot when reading his copy - after all these years - and has a Seattle pansy voice

New blood is needed with the voice of deceased Mike Webb, and the same vigor, hump hump grind

Posted by lee wong | August 23, 2007 10:29 PM
15

Doesn't Amanda Wild, formerly of KCMU (now KEXP) work for KUOW now? I love her voice and her attitude, and I hear it pop up ever now and then, but she doesn't seem to have a show of her own or anything.

Posted by Sean | August 23, 2007 10:49 PM
16

I started listening to KUOW (with great enjoyment) in 1999, but had to quit two years into W's first term. The changes were too obvious and too heartbreaking. Before we all knew how bad it was going to be, the KUOW/NPR changes made it obvious that power still corrupts in the U.S. (And then things really hit the fan, including Bush's shocking PBS manipulations.) I remember noting that Ken Vincent was capable of greatness, but that he seemed to be being shoehorned into an extremely disappointing format, that valued "he said, she said" and the retarded opinions of callers-in more than true expertise. The proof was in the pudding when his producer sat in for him. Can't remember the producer's name, but the producer frequently lost his place and forgot what he was talking about. Because I do this, I know that it means your mind is elsewhere and you don't really care; what you're talking about is a means to an end. In fact, this absent-mindedness might even be a precursor to alcoholism (ahem), because you're publicly and consistently doing something you don't really believe in. Al Franken made that impression a lot towards the end of his Air America Radio show.

Posted by Amelia | August 23, 2007 11:18 PM
17

@10 - FM radio is line of sight and there are hills/ridges in this area. Hence KXOT sounds like shit on the north side of queen ann but sounds aight on cap hill, and KUOW doesn\'t make it into the .

minnesota is flat, washington is not. ergo, quod erat demonstrandum.

Posted by asshattery all around | August 24, 2007 10:27 AM
18

@10 - FM radio is line of sight and there are hills/ridges in this area. Hence KXOT sounds like shit on the north side of queen ann but sounds aight on cap hill, and KUOW doesn\'t make it into the .

minnesota is flat, washington is not. ergo, quod erat demonstrandum.

Posted by asshattery all around | August 24, 2007 10:28 AM
19

@10 - FM radio is line of sight and there are hills/ridges in this area. Hence KXOT sounds like shit on the north side of queen ann but sounds aight on cap hill, and KUOW doesn\'t make it into the .

minnesota is flat, washington is not. ergo, quod erat demonstrandum.

Posted by asshattery all around | August 24, 2007 10:28 AM
20

@10 - FM radio is line of sight and there are hills/ridges in this area. Hence KXOT sounds like shit on the north side of queen ann but sounds aight on cap hill, and KUOW doesn\'t make it into the .

minnesota is flat, washington is not. ergo, quod erat demonstrandum.

Posted by asshattery all around | August 24, 2007 10:28 AM
21

@10 - FM radio is line of sight and there are hills/ridges in this area. Hence KXOT sounds like shit on the north side of queen ann but sounds aight on cap hill, and KUOW doesn\'t make it into the .

minnesota is flat, washington is not. ergo, quod erat demonstrandum.

Posted by asshattery all around | August 24, 2007 10:28 AM
22

@10 - FM radio is line of sight and there are hills/ridges in this area. Hence KXOT sounds like shit on the north side of queen ann but sounds aight on cap hill, and KUOW doesn\'t make it into the .

minnesota is flat, washington is not. ergo, quod erat demonstrandum.

Posted by asshattery all around | August 24, 2007 10:29 AM
23

Hansen's a fucking tool who epitomizes the Peter Principle: incompetence rises to it's own level. Ken worked at the station for close to 25 years, through all kinds of management changes. His resignation is only the tip of the iceberg of discontent at KUOW. Hansen is single-handedly destroying the morale of a station full of talented veteran broadcasters.

Way to go, Jeffy.

You fucking tool.

Posted by steph | August 24, 2007 10:51 AM
24

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25

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