It’s one thing to be let go from your job when you work in sports media. It’s another thing to have the rug pulled out from underneath you and your final show unceremoniously canceled. And yet, that’s the fate that met longtime San Diego sports radio host John Kentera, who was working for 97.3 The Fan.
Kentera was fired from the station this week as he told the San Diego Union-Tribune that management wanted to take his timeslot in a different direction. However, after revealing the news on Thursday, the station then went ahead and canceled what would be his final show on Friday. Kentera tweeted that he was notified by management he wouldn’t be able to do his last show.
I have been notified by station management that I will not be on the air today to do my final show. Thanks for all your support. Happy Holidays to you and your family.
— John Kentera (@CoachKentera44) December 22, 2023
Here’s more from the San Diego Union-Tribune:
Kentera had planned to broadcast one final time from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. on 97.3-FM The Fan. However, Kentera said management told him not to come into work on Friday. The station will run CBS Radio national programming in his time slot.
[…]
Kentera told the Union-Tribune on Thursday that he had been fired, with Friday as his last show. Station executives “wanted to make a change in midday … go to a less caller-driven show,” he said. Audacy executives Michael Valenzuela and Adam Klug have not responded to requests for comment. Audacy, which runs 97.3-FM, has yet to announce Kentera’s replacement.
It’s clear that Kentera wasn’t removed because of poor ratings. According to Barrett Sports Media, Kentera’s program was the highest rated show in its timeslot in the market. 97.3 The Fan is the flagship station for the San Diego Padres and the station’s X account was promoting what ended up being his final show on Thursday as though nothing was out of the ordinary.
A radio station wanting to change directions is their prerogative, but to then not allow Kentera to do one final show seems like an unnecessary move, especially considering he’s been a mainstay in San Diego sports radio for four decades.
