The Kevin and Sluggo Show was noticeably absent Friday afternoon at KLOS-FM in Los Angeles, as hosts Kevin Ryder and Doug “Sluggo” Roberts were given their release papers. The decision to eliminate KLOS' afternoon drive slot comes after Meruelo Media, which owns the show, made drastic cuts at several local radio stations, which also include KPWR-FM “Power 106,” KDAY-FM and KLLI-FM “Cali 93.9.”
Earlier this year, Meruelo cut all midday radio hosts at all four of its Los Angeles stations, as well as some part-time and off-air staff. At KLOS, that included midday radio host Marcy Weiser, who had been there since 2015. Also in February, Meruelo cut Power 106 afternoon radio host Philly Phil (real name James Andrew Currin), who had been at that station since 2000.
Ryder revealed the news of his and Roberts' departure on social media on Friday, noting that earlier that day KLOS had bizarrely announced a “Where's Kevin?” marketing campaign with Honda… just before he was let go.
It has been rumored for some time that Meruelo is looking to sell the stations, just as it sold its ownership of the Arizona Coyotes professional hockey team and recently sold Los Angeles TV station KWHY-TV (Channel 22) to the Church of Scientology.
Ryder, who confirmed his and Roberts' exits, diverse“I hope they sell it to someone who cares about it,” he said of KLOS.
Ryder and Roberts launched “Kevin and Sluggo” on KLOS in 2021, a year after Entercom, owner of KROQ, shocked the radio industry by pulling Ryder’s morning show, “Kevin in the Morning with Allie and Jensen” (the successor to the three-decade-long staple “Kevin and Ben”).
Prior to that, Sluggo soloed the afternoon drive shift at KLOS, where he joined in the summer of 2019. (Roberts also continues to host shows on SiriusXM.)
The duo of Ryder and Roberts was a reunion for KROQ, as Roberts had spent decades working on KROQ (as “Dog the Slug”, “Sluggo” and various variations of his character) while Ryder and Gene “Bean” Baxter joined KROQ in the mornings in early 1990. Kevin and Bean eventually topped the Los Angeles market's Hot 100 charts for much of the 2000s, and the duo were inducted into the NAB Hall of Fame and the Radio Hall of Fame.
Ryder has known Roberts for years, even before their time at KROQ. They both worked in the 1980s at Top 40 KZZP in Phoenix (where Baxter and former KROQ program director Kevin Weatherly also worked). At KZZP, Roberts ran the board of directors while Ryder and Baxter hosted the “Saturday Night Party Patrol.”
At the time of Ryder’s appointment, Meruelo Media Chairman and CEO Otto Padron emphasized the company’s commitment to live and local programming: “We are doubling down on our live and local programming efforts with one of the best in the business,” he said at the time. “Bringing Kevin Ryder to our team was a no-brainer, as this is the kind of bold and exciting move that brings compelling voices and relevant content to our much-deserved listeners.”
Disclaimer: This reporter was a regular guest on the Kevin and Sljo TV Discussion Show and was scheduled to appear on the show next Wednesday. Now, it appears he won't be appearing.
