Originally posted Thursday, August 1, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Brian Moote, who spent two years on the Bert Show, lost his job as a morning host on Los Angeles top 40 station AMP 97.1 last week.
He was only there about 18 months.
Moote declined to comment and his agent Heather Cohen did not get back to me.
AMP, which competes against powerhouse KISS with Ryan Seacrest, decided to go for a more music-intensive show with less personality and since Moote was there to spice in the funny, he became the odd man out.
He has not addressed his departure on social media but the stand-up comic did post a photo of himself looking shocked after it happened without comment beyond: “Hit me with your best captions for my new profile pic.”
Among the comments: “Miss you on the AM show! We have to protest!” Another said: “Don't get me wrong, Edgar and Chelsea are great but they're too much unicorns, rainbows and sunshine. You added that perfect balance with your realistic view of the world ( dare I say cynicism).” And a third: “I miss the comedy! I feel like now it's more 20 something nonsense from Chelsea and Tamara than more music.”
He left the Bert Show early last year amicably. Getting your own morning show in the No. 2 market in America is hard to say no to. But it was a brand new show and he was teamed with Edgar Sotelo and Chelsea Briggs. They had never worked together before.
>>RELATED: Brian's first day on air with his new morning how in early 2018
Weiss, in a text, felt that his friend Moote got the short end of the stick, that Entercom (which owns AMP and in Atlanta, Star 94.1) showed no patience.
"You can't just throw three people into a studio together and assume there is gonna be massive growth immediately," Weiss wrote.
In 2001, when Susquehanna launched the Bert Show on Q100, management was eminently patient and gave Bert a chance to let his show grow gradually, first with 18 to 34 female listeners, then a broader audience. Within five years, he was beating Star 94.1's Steve & Vikki across key demographics and has been a dominant presence in Atlanta radio ever since - even with staff turnover.
When Moote left the Bert Show, he told listeners he hoped to emulate Weiss in L.A. "I'm a competitive person," he said. "I'm never afraid to take risks. Bert took a risk and built something that is respected nationally. The love and support he's earned from the cities we're syndicated especially Atlanta is something really special. I benefited by growing as a radio personality and coming up with ideas."
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