KCRW-FM Strife Causes Resignations

Most of KCRW-FM’s (89.9) Saturday night radio personalities quit on the air last weekend, some explaining to listeners that they were allowed inadequate in-studio rehearsal time and others saying their shows were not listed in the upcoming June program guide.

The five members of “The Cool and the Crazy” show, which began at 6 p.m., said on air that they were resigning because for four consecutive weeks they had been bumped from scheduled rehearsal time and were generally treated “as second-class citizens,” according to the show’s host and producer, Ron Spencer.

“Our program is the most highly produced (at the station),” he said Tuesday. “We produce comedy bits that take hours to prepare.” Since February, Spencer claimed, celebrity guest-hosts had been given studio priority at the last minute. As a result, he said, “the Crazies” were forced to recycle some old material each week.

“They had tremendous internal difficulty within the crew, and that must have been compounded by trouble they had getting in the studio,” said Ruth Hirschman, general manager of KCRW. “They may have had a legitimate grievance, but they never came to me about it.”

Spencer denied that “The Cool and the Crazy” were experiencing inner strife and added that they are seeking a new forum for their show.

Michael Ochs and Jack Cheesborough, two other KCRW hosts, said their resignations were prompted by the apparent cancellations of their shows, as indicated in the June program guide.

“I said I quit because I refused to work for anyone who fires me,” said “Archives Alive” host Michael Ochs. “It was discourteous not to tell.”

Hirschman said she had planned to notify the deejays this week that she was revamping the Saturday night lineup.

“The Cool and Crazy” show, which has consistently drawn a large audience, was still listed in the program guide and was scheduled to remain on the air indefinitely, she contended.

The new Saturday night programs will be: “Whadd’ya Know?,” a National Public Radio comedy quiz show, 6-8 p.m.; “Gumbo YaYa,” featuring Cajun music, 8-9 p.m.; and a music show featuring Mara Zhelutka, 9-11 p.m. The rest of the schedule remains the same.