On Radio: Religious station drops host of afternoon show
Thor Tolo is out at KGNW-AM
By BILL VIRGIN
SEATTLE P-I REPORTER
July 3

Religious broadcaster KGNW-AM/820 has dropped its afternoon local-talk host and is looking for a replacement.

Thor Tolo, who joined KGNW in 2004 after working as a sports-talk host at Pittsburgh's legendary KDKA-AM, worked his last show for the Seattle station June 25.

KGNW posted on its Web site that it has decided to "go in a different direction" with "Live in Seattle," heard 4-6 p.m. weekdays. It promises both familiar and "new and exciting voices" in that time slot as it looks for a new host.

Operations manager Tom Clendening declined to elaborate on the "different direction" the station wants to turn to, other than to say that KGNW, operated by Salem Communications, is trying to find "someone who fits the station."

He hopes to name the new host in the next 30 days.

Tolo said he leaves "with no regrets and with head held high. ... I would love to stay in broadcasting" -- he has worked in both radio and TV -- "and I would love to pursue that in the Puget Sound region."

One candidate for that job, who is doing a fill-in stint on the show this week, is Michelle Mendoza. She had been host of "Living Christian," a daily talk show on KCIS-AM/630, until September, when the station dropped the show because of budget cuts.

Since then she's been doing an online version of the show while talking with other radio stations about syndicating the program. "It would be really exciting if we could make KGNW the flagship station, then build (a network of stations) slowly," Mendoza said.

Clendening hasn't announced yet who else will be getting a tryout in the "Live in Seattle" slot.

In other radio notes:

*The musical/political/satirical group The Capitol Steps performs "Politics Takes a Holiday" on "Weekday" at 9 a.m. Friday on KUOW-FM/94.9.

*XM satellite radio is doing another salute to famed Seattle rock station KJR-AM, part of a series in which it re-creates the sounds of 1960s AM stations. The show airs 1-6 p.m. Friday on XM's channel 6.

*"Audioasis" presents live performances by Aqueduct and Rusty Willoughby from the High Dive in Fremont, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Saturday on KEXP-FM/90.3.

*Jim Wilke's "Jazz Northwest" at 1 p.m. Sunday on KPLU-FM/88.5 features recent performances by the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra.

*"Voices of Diversity" at 6 p.m. Wednesday on KBCS-FM/ 91.3 looks at the effect of the mortgage crisis in Washington.

P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin@seattlepi.com.