KSGF names successor to departed Jericho

Jeremy Elwood Web Editor Springfield talk radio station KSGF has found a new host to fill the morning spot left vacant by the sudden, unexplained departure of Vincent David Jericho. Nick Reed will fill the 6–9 a.m. time slot for the Journal Broadcast Group station beginning April 5. Reed spent the last two years as host for WISN-AM and WOKY-AM in Milwaukee, where Journal has its base of operations. Reed started his career with Columbia-based Zimmer Radio Group. "Nick has been the exclusive fill-in host for some of the biggest names in talk radio in the Milwaukee market," Springfield Operations Vice President and General Manager Rex Hansen said in a news release. "We're excited to bring that caliber and quality to the listeners in Springfield." While KSGF has filled its morning opening, Jericho also has moved on. The polarizing host, who spent seven years with the Journal station, launched an Internet-only show, dubbed "Jericho Only," on March 1. The four-hour show features a widened scope from his previous offering. The first hour focuses on events in southwest Missouri, with subsequent hours looking at events with a statewide, national and global perspective. Global listeners are encouraged to call in and offer viewpoints and comments via Skype. Jericho remains tight-lipped on the circumstances behind his late December departure. He did point to comments by former KY3 reporter David Catanese to the KY3 Political Notebook, saying he had talked with Republican leaders who intimated that Jericho's comments about Republican leaders may have led in part to the abrupt change. The post has since been removed from KY3's blog, but Fired Up Missouri has excerpts. "They're hinting that this definitely had to do with his constant barrage of attacks on Congressman Roy Blunt and Mavis Busiek, the 7th District [Congressional Republican Committee] executive director," Catanese said, according to the left-leaning political blog. "They're not saying that Roy Blunt got somebody fired, but they're saying that there was a build up there and that had to do something with him leaving." Jericho says his new show is focused on creating a community among Christian conservatives, adding that the Internet format gives him more freedom. "Certainly I'm a lot freer to express my ideas," he said. "I'm not encumbered from sharing my faith more and integrating my faith with conservative ideas." Another unique aspect of the show is free advertising for businesses that, as Jericho says, are new or struggling. "If we can create an opportunity for small businesses to survive and ultimately thrive in southwest Missouri, that will help everyone," he said. "When you take into account the multiplier effect of a small business, the impact is profound. Obviously that's something we couldn't have done working for a publicly traded company." The free advertising idea is part of the community-building concept, an idea he says is important considering that more Americans are unsure about the country's future stability. "I think if we can build a local fabric where we really do work together and are more dependent on each other and encourage each other, people in southwest Missouri can overcome any challenge," he said.