Aimerito Among On-Air Hosts Fired at FM Stations

In a stunning sweep Friday, Chancellor Media Corp. fired many of the on-air hosts at radio stations KBIG-FM (104.3) and KIBB-FM (100.3) and said it would be changing the latter’s format Wednesday evening.

Hardest hit was KIBB, which reportedly lost all of its broadcasters as Chancellor, which bought the station from Viacom in July, said it was abandoning its urban dance format but was keeping the new format a secret.

According to one of the fired hosts, who was talking in a hushed voice and said he was cleaning out his desk: “All the air talent–weekdays and weekends–is gone. Everybody had a standard meeting where they were told they were going to start with a clean slate and a new format.”

KIBB executives were unavailable for comment.

Meanwhile, KBIG, an adult contemporary music station that Chancellor acquired Oct. 1, fired two of its broadcast veterans: Sylvia Aimerito, who was the 5-10 a.m. host, and Mark Taylor, who had been in the 10 a.m.-3 p.m. slot for nine years.

Aimerito, 42, had been doing morning drive for 10 years at the station, and for the past 14 months was one of the few women in the Los Angeles radio market who hosted her own morning show.

Also let go at KBIG was Paul Freeman, a longtime Los Angeles broadcaster who had joined the station last year and read the news on Aimerito’s show.

Aimerito, who has worked in Los Angeles radio since 1978, had taken the day off Friday because she was feeling “under the weather.” She said she got a call at home from general manager Ed Krampf.

“I just wish I had a chance to say goodbye to my listeners, who were totally awesome. I’ll miss them the most,” she said.

Trying to sound upbeat, Aimerito added: “So it’s on to the next adventure.”

Taylor, 47, who had gone to the station’s offices in Glendale, was told the news just before he was to go on air. “I sensed something was coming,” said Taylor, who previously worked at KFI. “I couldn’t get the time of day from Steve Streit”–the station’s new program director and vice president for national adult contemporary programming at Chancellor Media.

Krampf, in a brief phone interview, confirmed the departure of Aimerito. “As with any corporate transition, changes are always anticipated and inevitable,” he said, adding that Aimerito was a “tremendous human being, a tremendous person. That’s the end of the story.”

Asked whether ratings were a factor in the decision to replace her, Krampf replied that “it was a combination of many factors. Ratings were a part of it.”

Janine Wolf, who has been working at KBIG on weekends, will fill in for Aimerito until a permanent replacement is found. “We are in the process of recruiting and looking at some of the best talent in the country,” Krampf said.

Before Taylor’s fate was known, Krampf was asked if any more changes were in the works. “Not right now,” he said.

Reached a second time, Krampf said he had “no more comments to make today. I’m done with you,” adding: “There is nothing in it for me.”

In the most recent Arbitron ratings, covering last summer, KBIG was tied for 16th in morning drive with a 2.3% share of audience. Overall from 6 a.m. to midnight, KBIG was tied for 12th with a 2.3% share among listeners 12 and older.

The Arbitron survey ranked KIBB 23rd, with a 1.7% share.