Amidon out in KOST shake-up

Kim Amidon, half of what had been the longest-running morning show in Los Angeles radio, has been taken off the air at KOST-FM (103.5).

She and Mark Wallengren hosted the “Mark and Kim Morning Show” for nearly 22 years, but when their contracts ended, only his was renewed. Friday morning, flying solo, Wallengren choked up as he told listeners, “We are a family here, and we feel like part of us is gone. Kim Amidon is no longer with the show.”

Greg Ashlock, L.A.-area president of Clear Channel Communications, the radio chain that owns KOST and seven other stations in the market, called Amidon “an amazing talent who was with us a long time and did a lot for not only the station but for women in radio.”

Nevertheless, he said in an interview, “In order to move forward, you have to be willing to make changes, and they’re not easy, and they’re not comfortable.”

Ashlock said the station was planning a “new direction” for the morning show. He wouldn’t disclose details but said the “overall presentation of the station” would not change.

“I understand there are going to be loyal listeners who are rightly upset, and they should be,” Ashlock said. “Hopefully we move forward and create an even better show and have it run 20 years.”

The departure is all the more stunning because of KOST’s unusual stability. Only two weeks ago, the station celebrated its 25th anniversary. Beside Wallengren and Amidon, KOST’s midday, afternoon and evening hosts have all been with the station two decades or longer.

-- Steve Carney