The Mysterious Departure of KOA's Reggie McDaniel

Reggie McDaniel Movie and restaurant reviewer Reggie McDaniel is a longtime presence on KOA/850 AM, having hosted weekend shows and popped up Fridays during Mike Rosen's chatfest and The Ride Home, the afternoon-drive program co-hosted by Dave Logan and Lois Melkonian. But he's been absent from the air for several...

By Michael Roberts

August 7, 2008

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Reggie McDaniel

Movie and restaurant reviewer Reggie McDaniel is a longtime presence on KOA/850 AM, having hosted weekend shows and popped up Fridays during Mike Rosen's chatfest and The Ride Home, the afternoon-drive program co-hosted by Dave Logan and Lois Melkonian. But he's been absent from the air for several weeks, and while his web page remains on KOA's site, it hasn't been updated for over a month. So what's the deal? McDaniel couldn't be reached for comment, but Kris Olinger, who oversees KOA and the other AM signals owned by Clear Channel Denver, reveals that he's currently on indefinite hiatus that could turn out to be permanent.

"Reggie’s deal is complicated," she maintains via e-mail. "He needed to get the money out of his 401K so he could get his business up and running. In order to do that he had to 'retire.'" She adds that "he may be back when he gets his financial situation in order. We've been telling people he left to focus on his business."

The vagueness of this explanation may lead to speculation that McDaniel is struggling with health issues of the sort that have plagued him on and off in recent years -- but according to Olinger, he was feeling fine the last time they spoke. Until McDaniel resurfaces, then, the only thing listeners know for certain is that he's gone. -- Michael Roberts

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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