Talk radio Kevin Kline has Coronado Bridge problem

“It looks like Kevin Klein staged his own suicide jump.”

That’s what one competitor said when the ribald radio talk show host was a no-show for his first day on the San Diego airwaves. Klein had come under fire for the Padres for his Twitter post that equated a deadly jump off the Coronado Bridge to a “jump” into his new show.

The new 97.3 The Machine had said for the four weeks it's been on the air that Klein would be holding down mornings starting Thursday, March 29. But the Padres have recently suggested they might just end their play-by-play relationship with the station due to Klein’s insensitive post.

No mention was made on the 97.3 FM airwaves during the 6 to 10 a.m. hours about why Klein wasn’t on the air as promised. The station continued to air the mix of classic rock and comedy bits it's been airing since the station debuted March 1. And Dan Sileo, the host that starts his show at 10 a.m. weekdays made no mention of Klein’s no-show.

Klein is not shy about using Twitter. He took hits at other local morning shows for being so “boring and unoriginal…your audience soon will be ours.” On Wednesday, March 28, the day before Klein’s new show was to begin, he posted that the launch was only “T-24 hours” away. And the day before that he said “We kick of the show on Thursday.” His Twitter account went radio silent when the show never materialsed on Thursday.

Entercom employees say there was a morning meeting Thursday between Klein and Entercom executives including general manager Bob Bollinger and Operations Director Kevin Callahan. Entercom owns 97.3 The Machine and four other local stations. The Entercom staffers say Klein did not look happy after the meeting but no announcement was forthcoming.

In January Klein was fired from an Entercom-owned KITS in San Francisco. Three years ago former Playboy model Elizabeth Dickson accepted a settlement after she sued Klein and Playboy magazine over a photo shoot that involved a trick golf shot Klein attempted from a tee mounted in Dicksom’s backside.

Attempts to reach local Entercom executives were not successful.

While Klein’s suicide joke and the possible Padres departure from 97.3 drew exposure from other media outlets, no one bothered to ask the local photographer who took the shot of the Coronado Bridge. And that may lead to even more problems for Entercom.

Jesse Cuevas says he was not contacted about the photo. “It’s a horrible way to use it, connecting it suicide. I think it is a serious issue. This all has personal meaning to me. I have been told that because it was used in this way, there is no way I could ever sell for anyone else to use.” He says he contacted Entercom’s legal department via the internet. “I might pursue [doing] more.”

Entercom is no stranger to having radio stunts go wrong. In 2007 one of their Sacramento stations staged a “Hold your wee for a Wii” contest. Contestants had to hold as much water as they could without urinating. The winner got a Nintendo Wii video game console. One of those contestants died from water intoxication and her family sued Entercom. Facing federal repercussions, Entercom eventually decided to surrender that station’s frequency to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), costing Entercom millions it would have gotten had it sold the station.

Entercom is in the second of a five-year contract to carry the Padres play-by-play. Details were not made public, but one insider guesses the deal is worth about $1.5 million a year.

Last year the Padres games were carried on 94.9 FM. This year Entercom moved the games to 97.3 which has an inferior signal and does not reach parts of North County. Proving that the Padres were possibly unhappy with the arrangement, last week Entercom's Bollinger contacted the owners of Escondido-based 1450-AM KFSD about simulcasting Padres games with 97.3 to compensate for 97.3's spotty North County coverage. No word if those discussions led to a deal.

Until 2016, the Padres were heard on sports station Mighty 1090.