Turns out the buzz was true. Meet your new KHOW afternoon-drive team: Michael Brown and David Sirota.
This shift, which goes into effect on July 16, required plenty of other shuffling. At KOA, Andy Lindahl, who's served as a fill-in and background guy for various programs over the years, will host a show in Brown's old weekday evening KOA slot, while veteran local personality Gloria Neal has been given the AM 760 morning-show microphone. Get the details in a Clear Channel press release below, immediately after one from Sirota, who's currently on vacation (at least that's what he told me when I e-mailed him about the scuttlebutt a day or so ago). He sent a statement that arrived about a microsecond after the company's announcement.
That leaves Brown, the former FEMA boss under George W. Bush (the man who dubbed him "Brownie"), to speak for the new combo pack. According to him, the new team has "been ready to go for at least a week or two" -- implying that plans were in place before the announcement about attorneys Dan Caplis and Craig Silverman was made.
As for the genesis of the concept, Brown traces it to the handful of times he and Sirota subbed for KOA's Mike Rosen. "We were both kind of shocked occasionally when we'd be debating an argument and realize we were both saying exactly the same thing," he notes, laughing.Not that this is likely to happen too frequently. In the beginning, Caplis and Silverman were advertised as philosophical opposites, but over their eight years on the air, they both wound up on the conservative side of the fence more often than not. In contrast, no one would mistake Brown and Sirota for mirror images of each other.
"There are plenty of people from my ideological spectrum who don't like David," Brown acknowledges, "and a lot of people who listen to David who really despise me. But I think what they'll find is that David and I, despite our political differences, actually like each other. So I hope what they hear is an example of two guys who actually do come from different perspectives, but who may agree on a few things, and who aren't known for carrying water for anybody."
The current punditry landscape tends to encourage media consumers to seek out people with whom they already agree. The Brown-Sirota tandem flies in the face of that concept, and Brown feels that's a good thing.
"On our respective shows, David and I have always encouraged our listeners to listen to different opinions. I often tell my listeners, 'Don't just listen to Fox News, don't just read the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal.' You have to remember that everyone presents things from a different perspective, and you should listen to all of them.
"Not to get too grandiose, but I think this is a cutting-edge idea. There's a segment of society that feels both sides have gotten too shrill. But I think that if David and I disagree, we'll do it in a way that will actually compel people to listen to the differences. And I love the time -- the drive home. I think people who tune in when they're getting off work will find it informative and entertaining to listen to two guys really trying to figure out what's going on in the world. And they might even learn something from us, I hope."
Here's the Sirota statement, followed by the Clear Channel release:
FYI: Attached is the press release from Clear Channel Media and Entertainment officially announcing the launching of The Rundown with Sirota & Brown. The show will air weekdays from 3 to 7pm and will start on July 16th on Colorado's top-rated talk station AM7630 KHOW.As the name implies, I'll be co-hosting the show with President George W. Bush's former FEMA director Michael Brown. Because we both come to the show after hosting successful Colorado talk shows on our own, we've built in solo time on the show for each of us. Schedule-wise, I will be solo-hosting two hours per week on the show (Tuesday and Thursday from 6pm to 7pm) and Michael will have solo host three hours per week on the show (Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6pm to 7pm).
After 3 plus years hosting the award-winning morning show on AM760, I will definitely miss my current job. Creating a show rooted in journalism has been a truly amazing experience. I've certainly gained some enemies among politicians and the powers that be, but that's OK with me. Speaking truth to power isn't about winning friends - it's about telling the truth no matter how inconvenient that truth is. And seeing my AM760 morning show do so well in the talk radio ratings has been incredibly gratifying - it means there's a huge audience that's sick of the "Democrat versus Republican" bloviating and that craves real hard-hitting journalism.
That journalistic mission is what I am focused on bringing into The Rundown -- and I'm thrilled at the opportunity, especially with it starting in the middle of a presidential campaign in one of the most important swing states in America.
Make no mistake about it -- while politics will certainly be one topic on our show, The Rundown will be focused on continuing our work to build a much different kind of talk radio -- one that isn't rooted in the tired old "left versus right" model, but that covers a much broader spectrum of topics including culture, entertainment, sports and everything in between.
That's what both Michael and I have spent the last few years doing on our separate shows, and what The Rundown will be all about. And no doubt, we're going to produce a show that tells the truth, pulls no punches -- and has a whole lot of fun in the process.
850 KOA, 630 KHOW AND AM 760 ANNOUNCE NEW TALK SHOWSDenver, Colo. -- June 29, 2012 -- Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Denver today announced new live and local shows for 850 KOA, 630 KHOW and AM 760 (KKZN). PrimeTime Sports with Andy Lindahl will broadcast on 850 KOA, The Rundown with Sirota & Brown will broadcast on 630 KHOW and The Gloria Neal Show will broadcast on AM 760.
850 KOA will feature PrimeTime Sports with Andy Lindahl, beginning Monday, July 9. Lindahl has been with 850 KOA since 1999, serving as a sports anchor and reporter. He co-hosts Broncos GameDay, Broncos PrimeTime and serves as a sideline reporter for 850 KOA's Denver Broncos and University of Colorado Football broadcasts. PrimeTime Sports with Andy Lindahl will air weeknights from 7-10:00 p.m. and will be heard immediately following most weeknight Colorado Rockies games.
Beginning Monday, July 16, 630 KHOW will feature The Rundown with Sirota & Brown weekdays from 3-7:00 p.m. Co-hosts, David Sirota and Michael Brown, will discuss a unique mix of topics, including culture, politics and entertainment. Sirota is a best-selling author, nationally-syndicated newspaper columnist and most recently served as morning show host on AM 760. He has previously hosted nationally-syndicated radio programs and is a frequent guest on MSNBC and Current TV. Brown most recently served as evening host on 850 KOA and was the former Undersecretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush.
The Gloria Neal Show will broadcast on AM 760, Colorado's Progressive Talk, beginning Monday, July 16, from 7-10:00 a.m. Neal is a seasoned media personality and reporter for CBS4 (KCNC-TV) in Denver. She also previously served as a news anchor for 850 KOA. The Gloria Neal Show will focus on news-driven topics, guests, listener discussions and local and national news stories.
Fans can listen to 850 KOA, 630 KHOW and AM 760, on the stations' websites, www.850koa.com, www.khow.com and www.am760.net, as well as on iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio mobile app, Clear Channel's best-in-class customizable digital listening service, that delivers everything listeners want in one free, fully-integrated service: instant access to more than 1,000 of the nation's most popular live broadcast and digital-only radio stations from 150 cities, plus user-created Custom Stations inspired by favorite artists and songs.
About Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Denver: Clear Channel Denver owns and operates KOA-AM; KHOW-AM; KKZN-AM; KBCO-FM; KBPIFM; KPTT-FM; KRFX-FM; KTCL-FM and is part of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment.
More from our Media archive: "Update: Dan Caplis on end of KHOW's Caplis & Silverman show."