KFAN in Minneapolis has long enjoyed big ratings, serving as one of iHeartMedia’s best local sports radio stories. The Power Trip morning show in particular has had a ton to do with the station’s dominance.
But on Tuesday, Chris Hawkey, Cory Cove, and Paul ‘Meatsauce’ Lambert didn’t mince words. Minneapolis listeners learned, the trio are not happy with recent decisions by their corporate bosses.
As first reported by Bring Me The News, the morning team suggested corporate executives are trying to kill their show. A later start time, increased commercials during podcasts, and changes to the station’s music didn’t sit well with the show.
“It’s the beginning of the end,” said Chris Hawkey. “I’ll tell you why. They took away our music, and they’re playing 700,000 commercials during each podcast.”
Hawkey continued by delivering his strongest commentary: “I think they’re trying to kill us so they don’t have to pay us anymore. And I mean that. I’m airing my dirty laundry on the air. I think that’s what’s happening. I’ve been puzzled about this since they talked to us about it. I think they’re trying to fire us without having to fire us because if they fire us they have to give us severance pay, but if they just drive our ratings into the ground then they don’t have to fire us.”
The trio expressed frustration with a later start time of 6am, suggesting that it was financially motivated. Cory Cove though said of the decision that they had a choice and when a 6am start time was offered he voted in favor of it. Lambert and Hawkey didn’t sound convinced that they had a lot of say in the matter. On Wednesday though, the show was back on at 5:30am CT. Program Director Chad Abbott was credited for making it happen.
“We’re back on the air at 5:30, look at us, here we are,” said Hawkey. “We had some discussions and it worked out just fine, right? Did you guys have any discussions or was it just me?” Cove confirmed he spoke with management too, leading Hawkey to follow up: “Props to [KFAN Program Director Chad Abbott] for coming to our defense yesterday. Thank you, Chad, for being our guy. He’s always our guy. I like Chad.”
Another area of contention for the show were increased commercials inside the station’s podcasts. Cove said, “There are indiscriminate breaks. It’s not like the commercial breaks for the podcasts happen when we throw it to break. It’s just thrown indiscriminately anywhere. People are going ‘it’s hard to listen to initials when halfway through the question you go on a :60 commercial break. By the time you come back I forget what the clues were. We have nothing to do with that.”
KFAN’s VP of Digital Sales AJ Mansour weighed in on the issue on X. He told the station’s followers he was aware of the issue, and working to fix it.
Hawkey made it clear he’s not satisfied with the company’s approach, stating emphatically “I would rather burn this building to the ground and stand in the middle of it as it burns than have that happen. I hate it. They’re trying to kill my baby.”
