Yes, Droopy, you got the job

On February 23, Roger Hedgecock, announced on the air that March 27 would be his last day hosting his nationally syndicated three-hour talk show on KFMB (760 AM). He started his career as a radio-show host soon after a campaign-funds scandal led to his resignation as San Diego mayor in 1995.

Hedgecock’s syndicator, Arlington, Virginia-based Radio America, has announced that Chad Benson, who has done voice-over work as the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Droopy the Dog, will fill the 3 to 6 p.m weekday slot.

Hedgecock’s politically driven show started at KSDO (AM 1130), moved to KOGO (AM 600), and then four years ago to KFMB. Hedgecock says he will continue to be a political commentator for KFMB-TV (Channel 8) and will contribute a short radio commentary each weekday at about 5 p.m.

The change “was a complete surprise,” says Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers magazine, which covers the talk-radio industry. “No one saw it coming.”

Was it a matter of replacing Hedgecock, 68, with Benson, 44, who was described by Radio America as “…a rising star…part of the new generation of talk-show hosts”? Or have stations around the country opted to not pick up his show?

On the air Monday, Hedgecock said that “about 100 stations” carry his show, but the Radio America website did not list Hedgecock’s current affiliates. A call to COO and Radio America spokesman Mike Paradiso was not returned.

Or could Hedgecock’s sidelining have come about because KFMB felt it was time for a change, which caused the host to lose his flagship home base? KFMB has been steadily losing ground to KOGO in the past six months since KOGO started focusing more on live news and less on syndicated talk shows. KOGO doubled its ratings since October and is now 13th in the Arbitron ratings among all listeners, eclipsing KFMB’s 18th place.

Because Hedgecock’s show airs in different markets across the country, he’s never been able to focus on local issues.

Though KFMB turns the microphone over to Sacramento-based Armstrong & Getty Show in the important drive-time morning hours, the station may be moving toward live-and-local programming. When Hedgecock leaves his afternoon slot, KFMB will go with a local host, Mike Slater, who currently is heard 9 a.m. to noon.

Hedgecock, who regularly implored listeners to “hold their feet to the fire,” said on Monday that he “reached a transition point in my life” and that he always “spoke as an American,” speaking up for the “role of the individual and the rights of private property…. When I started, people told me nobody wanted to talk about politics on the air. This was before Rush [Limbaugh] and Sean [Hannity]. It turns out a lot of people did.” (Note: Limbaugh began his talk-radio career in 1984.)

Update 2/25, 9 a.m.

Responding to a request for comment, KFMB program director Dave Sniff said that Hedgecock made a "transition in life" decision. He said he'd prefer it if Hedgecock stuck around for another year or two. He would not go into who would replace Hedgecock, but one insider claims that KFMB plans to switch live and local talk shows from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., which means the syndicated Sean Hannity Show would soon be taken off the air.