KDKA names midday host
Pittsburgh: KDKA (1020) has a new midday host. Kevin Miller, late of "Supertalk" WWTN-FM (99.7) in Nashville, Tenn., will take over the airchair from 12:15 to 3 p.m. weekdays starting May 14. The move truncates the 12 p.m. "total news hour" and also bumps Fred Honsberger back to the 3 p.m. afternoon drive shift he had held at KDKA until fairly recently.
In a prepared statement, KDKA program and news director Marshall Adams said he was impressed with Miller's ability to take "ownership of hot issues, and how involved he gets in his material." That includes Miller's coverage of the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when he paid his own way to New York City to report from "Ground Zero."
A native of northeast Ohio and a former Army reservist, Miller previously worked in North Carolina, Alabama and New Hampshire and has also contributed to MSNBC, Fox and CNN; various websites and articles describe his politics as conservative (among other indications, he's been a guest of the Heritage Foundation, which supports generally conservative causes and candidates).
Miller is a good "get" for KDKA. A rising star in the talk radio field, Miller was five times named "Commentator of the Year" in Alabama broadcasting by the Associated Press and also was a finalist for the NAB's Marconi Award. While at WPTF in Raleigh, N.C., he regularly appeared on Nancy Grace's CNN talk show to discuss the Duke University lacrosse team investigation. His stay at WWTN was relatively brief, running from August 2006 until his show was canceled abruptly in March. (The station still hasn't deleted his bio from its website.)
Besides his obvious news-talk credentials, Miller also brings to Pittsburgh what the Triangle Business Journal in Raleigh called "a self-deprecating humor typified by the description he chose for himself as 'the round mound of sound.'"
A KDKA release quotes Miller as saying that working in Pittsburgh is "a dream come true ... Personally and professionally, it's thrilling to be a part of the heritage and tradition of KDKA." In addition to his 3 to 5 p.m. hosting duties, Honsberger is expected to become a key contributor to KDKA's hourlong newscast that begins at 5 p.m., Adams said. The noon news will become a 15-minute broadcast anchored by KDKA's Barbara Boylan.
Readers’ Forum
Thanks for the info on Kevin Miller. Personally I haven’t listened to KDKA-AM for a long time, and am at work when Mr. Miller will be on the air. I’m curious though, why is it important to point out that he appears to lean conservative? I don’t see why its important. If he was “liberal” would that have been pointed out in the article too?
Scott - May 03, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Why don’t they go back to calling the now-Honsberger-contributing news hour what it’s trying to emulate anyway: 90 to 6?
Yes, yes, I know—that was the past, etc. Sometimes getting rid of traditions and format elements on a whim loses more than it gains. Tell me that since KDKA dropped the 90 to 6 moniker over 7 years ago that the station has been going up.
Mind you, this new hire has promise and we all hope it all works out for everyone. Maybe the ship has stopped listing to port and is just waiting and bobbing.
Johnny Morgan - May 03, 2007 at 11:59 pm
Yes, if he were “liberal” I would have pointed that out, too, Scott. When you’re hiring a talk radio host to discuss political issues, it’s newsworthy to note where they stand on them.
Besides, I wasn’t aware that “conservative” was a slur.
Jason Togyer (URL) - May 04, 2007 at 09:08 am
Jason, thanks for the reply. In no way do I care which way he leans, I was just wondering why it was pointed out that he leans conservative, but you answered that. As for the last sentence, I didn’t expect to see that, because I never hinted anything of the sort. I am a little afraid to ever post anything on PBRTV anymore. I thought I was going to like this new format.
Scott - May 04, 2007 at 09:30 am
Sorry, Scott, I may be answering questions that weren’t asked —- I apologize and didn’t mean any offense. Thanks for your reply and please keep reading PBRTV!
Jason Togyer (URL) - May 04, 2007 at 11:41 am
Hi Jason – Good looking blog. I listened to Miller briefly a couple of times this month. It’s a put-on, right? He sounded like he was drunk today—hopped and skipped from criticizing the “intellectuals” at PennDOT (re: road salting), to the foreigners buying up America to Hillary Clinton not knowing anything about the economy. He just shoehorns in any piece of arch-conservative red meat that he can wrap his mind around. I give the newscaster his props today—he mercilessly slammed Miller for brainlessly criticizing road workers. When Miller realized he was being dissed he said, “Don’t you have a news cast to do?”, to which our hero snapped back, “I did until you started talking to me!”
Zippy - January 22, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I am really glad to see K. Miller disciplined for this comments on the radio…. I was listenting the other day, when he played the black tv shows over and over (jeffersons) and his constant beating on Obama…. This country has gotten way out of line. This kind of conduct by a talk show host does nothing more than breed and spread hate. Honsburger also needs a good cleaning up…. These two do nothing more than try to taunt and incite people into hateful situations…. No room in this country for this kind of behavior, and they are getting paid for it….Lets broadcast some good music. Both of these guys need a new line of work. Maybe a pick and shovel will change their attitudes….Greed, Jealousy and Hate is what this country is thriving on these days. We must change this and no better place to start than these two. Then get Rush, Beck, and the rest of the talking hate spreaders and give em a nice job in a rock yard….Time for a change…
Adam - October 15, 2008 at 4:47 pm
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