The handwriting was on the wall…
Ostensibly, newly axed WHB sports talker Kevin Kietzman took a bullet for likening Chiefs coach Andy Reid‘s failures to keep wayward football stars like Tyreek Hill and Kareem Hunt out of trouble, to the personal tragedies of Reid’s sons.
But according to local promoter Brett Mosiman, that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“People didn’t like Kietzman the last year or two,” Mosiman says. “And the minute he went after Reid, it was over. I think he got what he deserved; he’s a tool.
“He kind of went off the rails and became more and more of a dickhead,” Mosiman adds. “He got kind of nasty; but it’s one thing to stir the pot, but another to do character assassination and he paid the price.
“I listened to his show almost every day and he was wrong on Tyreek Hill. He went for Tyreek’s jugular and he never apologized for that.
“But you know what really got him fired? He went after KU and said that they’re going to get a lot of penalties and Bill Self’s a cheater. And WHB has both KU basketball and KU football on.”
As for Kietzman’s future, “Kietzman will have to leave Kansas City,” Mosiman predicts. “Nobody will hire him in Kansas City. If it had only been the Jayhawk stuff, 610 Sports would hire him because it would have been a coup.”
For the record, 610 Sports did indeed go after Kietzman tooth and nail several years back – which would have driven a stake through WHB’s heart at the time – but KK remained true to his “friends”and now former colleagues.
What a difference a decade makes!
Kietzman could’ve survived this, but:
1. He chose to blame the listeners for not understanding what he meant.
2. Once that didn’t work, he was more defiant than apologetic. On all 3 tv stations.
3. He (falsely) thought he was bigger than the teams he covered.
Pride, fall.
Kinda seems fairly clear to me as well, that he felt – to borrow a popular term among Dems of late – that he was above the law
Though it continues be moved/erased/is nigh on disappearing afore our ears and eyes, there remains a faint conceptual line demarcation somewhere, even midst of our ‘take no prisoners’ world century 21: sports, politics, e tutto il resto.
Could there be possible correlation Kietzman’s inference Reid’s results as manager of people, Chiefs/parent? I believe it can be argued: anyone does not minimum consider such is naive and/or disingenuous.
Accountability should be contagious, and start with that man or woman in the mirror.
Nod a vague line, airing such opinion Kietzman’s in public not decent or smart recent history affirms, point no return crossed case broadcaster. That temporarily, the latest Hill/Chiefs fiasco has taken a back seat doesn’t obscure where emanated that opinion nod coach and players, the broadcaster’s specific takes resulting in his on-air demise.
Lack of discipline is epidemic Chiefs as society, as Kerouac references ad nauseam. Ownership, coaches, players and broadcasters are guilty, but hardly alone. As for a consequence/punishment any: one fan banned (laser light), one broadcaster fired (comments), one (Chiefs) player released another not, spectre of video apparently greater than audio augmented a dubious past history as well that presented more recently by him.
Innocent unless/until proven guilty court of law, public opinion and NFL CBA three distinct venues. Hopefully, a lack of discipline on and off the field – go hand in hand, my opine – doesn’t result further embarrassment… or death; Kansas City’s history of team/player tragedy going back its first year here should be a roadmap guide them – upshot – get it right NFL/Chiefs. not what is convenient or profitable, ‘less case the latter it is via a previous lesson learned.
I always thought Kietzman was a cowardly d-bag (he always seemed to insinuate things instead of coming right out and saying them…leaving himself an “out”), but I can’t believe he was canned for those comments.
Maybe I’m not “woke” enough, but this whole PC culture is beyond belief. Facebook/twitter/etc have given a (powerful) voice to all the morons in the country, and now it’s a race to the bottom.
I’m not sure that I made the exact reasons for KK’s beheading abundantly clear…
There’s a bit more I’d like to add, then to a retrospective on his contributions to sports talk in Kansas City – which were – love him, or hate him -HUGE!
Hello? Didn’t K remember the plight of Don Imus a dozen years ago? Though never getting Howard Stern numbers, Imus found a niche and built a strong following with his faux-jaded takes on politics and media issues. Then all it took was three words and, poof, where’s the following? He misread the changed mood and paid the ultimate price.
Kietzman crossed a line that better DJs (Jim Rome, for one, who’s show was wisely picked up by WHB, then dumped) have learned to navigate.
What’s his future? Certainly no on-air musings on local corporate radio anymore. He’ll just stow away his buyout and after a year or two may show up doing a low-key podcast.
Don Fortune = Ann Curry
My bet is some right wing political stuff. He was heading that way with a sports veneer.
“Hello?”
– hi
“Didn’t”
– don’t confess yet… lemme read you your rights first.
“K”
– yes, what is it now?
“remember the plight of Don Imus a dozen years ago?”
– I ‘member (Kerouac worked radio years ago/met Don his then owned ranch, NM.)
‘Irreverence’ once went with the territory, personality radio. Even then, a line marked ‘do not cross’, ably assisted by the letters FC and C (as young master K discovered, aft merging two $ponsor commercials his comment referencing ‘how well’ the deux went together – US Army and tampons; on to the next station’s microphone, lesson learnt.)
Where’s the line today, talk radio? There ’tis, KK found it a place referred ‘don’t **** where you eat’. He didn’t say anything others haven’t already considered, his Cosell-esque sin was ‘telling it like it is’, his opinion. I am not convinced he was wrong as to substance, just venue and perhaps style those who never enjoyed his. Decorum, now serving number 999,999..
😎
Rick
Please expound on the DF-AC line.
Simple. Schadenfreude.
AC suspected – with reason – that Matt Lauer had her pushed out of the Today Show. Back then Lauer was untouchable at NBC for his perceived ability to garner ratings. Then a few years later he got caught up in the #MeToo maelstrom and was quickly dispatched. If AC felt even a brief moment of vindication she never let on publicly.
Don Fortune’s afternoon drive time show was once the go-to place for KC Sports Talk. But his act had grown stale and KK, then on 1510am, began an insurgency that finally dethroned the now-former avatar of KC sports radio and scampered down to Florida.
Now there are differences. It took about a couple of decades for the turnaround to come to Kietzman. Again, no public comment (that I know of) from Fortune on how the tables finally turned on him, but one wonders what he’s thinking in his apparent retirement.
So the same…but different.
610 Sports NEVER went after Kietzman. 610 Sports has NEVER had any sort of conversation with Kietzman.
Au contraire, Dave…
Speak for yourself.
Check with Bob Zuroweste, your predecessor!
OK…I may stand corrected….Entercom. Not 610
I just came across this article, so sorry my comments are a little late.
This is pretty pathetic on all sides to be honest. I’m shocked that KK was fired because he made comments that are critical of an NFL Coach. Were those comments over the line? Some would say so. Were they racist? Homophobic? Anti-semitic? No, they were insensitive. That’s all.
A lot of Kansas City fans don’t like the guy. He’s arrogant. He’s a douche. He’s mean. Blah blah freaking blah. Have you listened to some of the people that call in? Talk about arrogant, ignorant and everything in between.
I don’t know Andy Reid personally. Seems like a good dude from what is portrayed in the media. But the guy is not perfect. He should be able to handle criticism just as much as anyone else. Regardless of whether you like or hate (there is no longer any “middle” on anything) our President, the abuse he takes from the media every day is a million times worse than anything said by Kevin Keitzman. But those reporters are often idolized and seen as warriors of the truth.
Unfortunately, this is a perfect example of the pussification of America. People get their feewings huwt and they want someone to pay the price. I don’t know if Andy had anything to do with this or not, but if he did, then he’s not near the leader or man I thought he is. He’s just another puss, who can’t handle criticism.
Ball up! Be a freakin’ man. To all the KK haters out there, why did you keep listening to the show? Why were you so outraged all the time? Because many of you are too stupid to even flip a channel. Good lord, grow up. I seriously worry what our country is going to be like in 10 years when so many people are so easily offended by EVERY SINGLE THING.
Scary times. Scary times indeed.
Keitzman has been a colossal douchenozzle for a LONG time. Here’s a guy that was plowing one of his interns while still married to his first wife. The intern in question is now his wife, and her catcher’s mitt of a face hasn’t gotten any prettier over the years. Keitzman alienated the entire Mizzou fanbase in Kansas City during conference realignment, and was DEAD wrong on almost every single issue during that crazy time.
All that being said, his firing (or whatever they want to call it) was complete hypocritical bullshit. Here’s a guy that was paid for years to be a sports shock, but one comment about Andy Reid gets him fired? Come on. Chad Boeger is a giant pussy and didn’t have the balls to tell the SJW’s to go eff themselves. But he’s a kU alum, so what do you expect?
The truth is all KU fans have wanted KK’s head for years because he’s the only sports radio host in KC who would point out the warts on KU sports. His harsh criticism of Reid finally gave them something to blow out of proportion and run with nationally (likely thanks to KU grads in national sports reporting positions). Soren Petro is married to a KU grad, so he’s grown increasingly weak in criticizing KU (don’t want to mess up those lovely family trips to Allen Fieldhouse). Add this to all the KU grads and other hosts who don’t want to “rock the KU boat” to ensure job security, and you can see why KC sports talk just lost a key player in bringing well-rounded news to its Midwest audience. BTW, Brett Mosiman went to KU too, so his “informed” opinion is no surprise.
Interesting perspective, Howard…
I agree that KC lost one of its more critical public voices in KK.
That he maybe wasn’t the nicest guy apparently hurt him as well.
I think Brett mainly came down on KK for his Chiefs views, but clearly he’s a total, die hard KU lover.
Pretty outspoken though and gives sports matters a lot of thought.
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