Although he's still putting out his show online, talk radio host Jim Parisi is off the air after a shake-up at KVOI 1030-AM.
Doug Martin, president and general manager of Good News Radio Broadcasting, KVOI's parent company, said a slip in ratings in the nearly two years Parisi's show aired on the station spurred him to make the move.
Martin said the lack of collaboration between station management and Parisi, who broadcast his show off-site, contributed to a disconnect.
"It was difficult for us to work as a team," Martin said.
Parisi continues to produce his show at jimparisi.com online.
Two years ago, Parisi made a big splash when he left the KNST gig he'd held for years to head to KVOI for what Martin said was less pay. Martin said Parisi - who longed for more independence - approached him with the idea.
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"He didn't want someone telling him what to do," Martin said. "He wanted to do his own kind of show."
Dennis Miller's syndicated radio show now airs live weekdays on KVOI from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., and the show's tape-delayed third hour airs from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. Martin said initial reaction to the change has been neutral.
"I've made changes before and listeners have been really upset. Very emotional," Martin said. "It hasn't been that way this time."
Parisi said the parting was amicable - "there was never a tense word between us," he says - and he's excited about growing his audience online.
"To be blunt about it, I'm not an old radio guy who's been doing this my whole life," Parisi said, adding that he has no immediate interest in getting back on the air.
Parisi plans on adding more shows to his business and using them to grow ad revenue.
There is no stigma to being an Internet-only show, Parisi said.
"Nobody says no," Parisi said. "We tell the guests we're Internet-only, and they still say, 'We're in.' "
Library offering e-books for Kindles
Pima County Public Library has offered e-books since 2005, but that didn't do much good for Kindle users, whose devices were incompatible with the format offered.
Now the library has rectified the problem by getting rid of the compatibility issues, opening up the library's 4,000 digital books for Kindle downloading.
To check out a library e-book, you'll need a library card number and PIN. You can check out as many as five books at a time and can select a checkout period ranging from one to three weeks. You'll have to read quickly, because the e-books can't be renewed.
Go to www.library.pima.gov/digital to get started.
New channel coming next month
Starting Dec. 1, Ready TV will start airing on local cable networks. Arizona Public Media is programming the channel.
Focused on craft and do-it-yourself fare, shows on the channel will include cooking shows, "This Old House" and a slew of travel programs. Apparently the channel will consist mainly of reruns. Starting next month, you can catch it on Comcast 201 and Cox 82.
Contact reporter Phil Villarreal at 573-4130 or pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
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