It appears the Padres’ new radio station is going to become more fan-friendly, in name as well as in content.

A controversial social media post on March 26 by a 97.3 The Machine morning show host Kevin Klein — who never ended up getting on the air — put the radio station at odds with the Padres just three days before the 2018 season opened.

The two sides spent the past two weeks working toward a resolution and now Entercom, which owns the local station, has decided to change 97.3 The Machine from its month-old talk/comedy/music format to all-sports and rebrand itself as 97.3 The Fan.

The change will begin at 5 a.m. Thursday.


Midday host Dan Sileo will move to mornings from 5 to 9 a.m. The syndicated Jim Rome show will air from 9 a.m. to noon. In the afternoon, another syndicated show with Doug Gottlieb will air from noon until 3 p.m., followed by a show featuring Tony Gwynn Jr. and Chris Ello from 3 to 7 p.m.

Klein, who stirred up the controversy, will not be on the station, although a statement released late Wednesday by Entercom does not mention his name.

Two weeks ago, Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler said the Padres were “very uncomfortable” with a format change he claimed never was discussed with the team.

The club “put them on notice,” Fowler added.


“Should this be the home of what we consider to be family entertainment, Padres baseball? That’s the question,” Fowler said then. “Based on what’s happened the last few weeks, this is almost shock-jock radio. Obviously, that’s not what we intended to be involved in.”

In a statement Wednesday, Fowler said, “We have had numerous discussions over the last two weeks with Entercom’s local and national management about our expectations for the radio home of the San Diego Padres. They have assured us that the challenges we faced with 97.3 FM at the beginning of this season have been addressed and that steps have been taken to make sure they are not repeated.

“We believe that their new format better reflects the values of the Padres and the San Diego community as a whole, and we appreciate Entercom’s willingness to listen to our concerns and adjust their content.”

The organization did not allow employees to go on the station the past two weeks as they work to resolve the situation, although a Padres spokesperson said: “Based on the revised format, our meetings and assurances from 97.3 management, the team will be supplying personnel for interviews in the near future.”


With the format change, 97.3 The Fan joins The Mighty 1090-AM and XTRA 1360-AM to give San Diego three all-sports radio stations in what already was considered an oversaturated market segment. Arbitron ratings for February had 97.3 (before its March format change) and 1090 tied for 23rd place with a 1.6 rating among listeners 6 and older and 1360 tied for 28th with a 0.7 rating.

The Padres signed a five-year deal with Entercom that began with the 2017 season. The team’s games were broadcast on 94.9 FM last year, but a switch to 97.3 FM was made starting in spring training.

“After a recent off-air tweet, we took the opportunity to step back, listen to the important feedback from the community and our partners, the Padres, and reevaluate the path forward,” Bob Bolinger, SVP and Market Manager for Entercom San Diego, said in a statement. “The station was always going to be largely about sports and we determined the right thing to do was to go 100% all-in. We look forward to building 97.3 THE FAN into San Diego’s best sports station, delivering the highest quality content and listening experience for the people of this great community.”

In a phone interview after the announcement, Bolinger was asked if he believes San Diego can support three all-sports radio stations, if the Padres requested the station format be changed and about Sileo’s ongoing involvement.


Bolinger said he did not want to be quoted beyond the statement, saying it speaks for itself.

It was indicated that management has complete confidence in Sileo.

The Machine attracted some controversy by hiring Sileo, a former Mighty 1090 host who came to San Diego four years ago with a history of controversial statements and faced allegations of racism, sexism and anti-Semitism in prior workplaces.

Between 2012 and 2013, he was fired by three Florida radio stations, once for remarks he made on air and twice for things he tweeted. He landed with The Mighty 1090, the Padres’ former flagship station, in early 2014.


“I’ve stepped on my(self) so many times in this business,” Sileo told the Union-Tribune in an interview that year. “But I also think that’s what makes me somebody that people want to tune in to. That wonder of, what will he say next? Will he get fired for something today?”

Earlier this year the Padres said Sileo would not be involved with their broadcasts.

The controversy began three days before the Padres’ season opener when Klein put out on social media a promo for his new morning show on 97.3 The Machine. It pictured the Coronado bridge with the word “JUMP*” in large capital letters and “*to a new morning show” in much smaller letters. The tweet was criticized for its insensitivity to suicide; more than 400 people have jumped to their deaths over the Coronado bridge’s 50-year history.

Apologies came from the Padres, Entercom and Klein and the promo was removed from social media.


The last tweet from Kevin Klein Live came on March 28, a day before his show was to debut: “To all of the other radio shows who are spending this morning talking about us, you’re welcome.

“And thank you in advance for being so boring and unoriginal, that your audience will soon be all ours.”

Klein’s show never did air on 97.3.

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