From a Clear Channel press release:

Announcing the new appointment, Clear Channel Louisville Market President Bill Gentry said, “Dave’s disturbed sense of humor matches up well with Tony’s. Plus, Tony could use some adult supervision.”

Jennings commented: “I’m looking forward to tapping into Tony’s keen sports mind. Once I get past the foam, of course.”

Tony Vanetti warmly welcomed his new partner to the Afternoon Underdogs show: “I’ve been hosting this show alone for three months, and this is the best they could do? Really?”

You sports nerds excited?

Jennings starts on July 26th, replacing Adam Neft.

But take a look at this story’s headline on the WHAS site:

No big deal, right?

Then look at the Tweet promoting the story:

What does “Hispanic” have to do with anything?

It’s not an attack. I’m legitimately asking. Because some say it’s a big deal, some say it’s not. (It really could matter when it comes to this particular story because LMPD is asking for the public’s help.)

Aww, how sad. Corrupt Joe Prather has to be replaced on the Louisville-Southern Indiana Bridges Authority. [C-J]

Burrell must’ve been drunk again? He got mad, cursed and walked out of a mayoral forum. [FOX41]

On Thursday – Earth Day – Greg Fischer will hold a press conference to unveil energy and environmental services plans. 10:00 A.M. On the lawn of Riverside, the Farnsley-Moreman Landing. The Sierra Club and others will join him. [Media Advisory]

Everybody is all excited that the Courier-Journal endorsed Jack Conway instead of Daniel Mongiardo. [WFPL]

Abraham Lincoln was enslaved in chain link fencing for Thunder Over Louisville. [Fat Lip]

Can you believe Goldman Sachs is giving its staff more than $5 billion in pay and bonuses in the wake of government fraud charges? [HuffPo]

Jerry Abramson is still pretending that he has no idea if LG&E will be put up for sale. [C-J]

Lexington’s Leland Conway and a bunch of teabaggers are throwing a party to deny global warming. They’re tired of the “greenies.”  The Lexington teabaggers don’t realize it’s just a Clear Channel publicity stunt. [Facebook Link]

Will Hoge will open for James McMurty at the WFPK Derby Festival Wednesday Evening Concert on April 28. 7:00 P.M. Great Lawn. Free admission if you’ve got a Pegasus Pin. [Press Release]

While definitely conservative (she describes herself as “recovering dirty-foot-hippie-liberal”), I’m not quite sure why everybody is freaking out over her new role.

Here’s why: More than 130 applications were reviewed and dozens of talented radio honchos were interviewed for the job. She’s been at this thing for 14 years. She’s a quick study, if you listen to any of her archived programming, and is no stranger to dealing with government buttcramps and people like me with egos the size of Red China. And it doesn’t hurt that she’s got a heart.

According to WHAS Operations Manager Kelly Carls, “Mandy really stood out for her energy, enthusiasm and dedication to giving listeners an interesting, informative and engaging radio program. We believe she will really connect with the 84WHAS audience.” Which is precisely how she should be judged– by how she’s able to connect with her entire audience, not just the right-wing. And we’ve gotta stop comparing her to Francene. Because that’s setting the bar just a little too high, to say the least.

Here’s what Connell had to say about her new job, “To say that I am excited is a massive understatement. Not only do I get to join a heritage radio station like 84WHAS, I get to live in Louisville, which has more amazing restaurants than I dreamed possible. I couldn’t ask for a better new home! I can’t wait to dig in, metaphorically and literally.” Little does she know, she’ll have to REALLY dig in the next time there’s an ice storm, otherwise she’s likely to be trapped in her home for seven or eight months.

So, if I can give her a chance to show her true colors and talent, why can’t the rest of you? Let’s give her a break.

Now for the interesting and unprofessional stuff: I zoomed in on her high-res headshot and it appears that she is a fan of the gays (good mark)… because a gay clearly did her makeup.

She loves our dumbest president in history, Dubya, and his brother, Jeb:

And like I mentioned above, she’s got a good heart. She and her husband founded Cigars for Soldiers, an organization that gives back to our military personnel. Aside from the auto-playing music on the charity’s website that caused me indigestion, the organization has done a lot of good by needed relief and comfort to thousands of soliders– and not just by giving them cigars.

Unlike some unethical “journalists” (including those who think no one else knows they’re on the take) who are quick to attack, I’m not tossing her to the wolves just yet. Let’s see how she handles the job before we start throwing stones. There will be plenty of time for that in a few months.

I love it when a certain “journalist” refuses to link to me when I’m the only person with a particular story. Guess he’s treading water in fear that I’ll out him for something highly unethical. Interesting times, these days. [Deep, Hilarious Thoughts]

Mandy Connell was hired to take Francene’s old time slot at 84WHAS radio. [C-J & WHAS11]

Solutions to Louisville’s affording housing problem seem to be non-existent. And it doesn’t help that there’s only one mayoral candidate who really has the guts to talk about the problem in-depth. [Jonathan Meador]

Chick Inn on River Road has closed because of a rent increase of 40%. [C-J]

The Ice House Loft plans have been refined, so check them out.Though,  Ice Box Co-Labs isn’t Louisville’s first co-working environment. There have been a few, including one that was once above Jennica’s on East Market. (Doesn’t change the fact that this co-working joint is cool for this city.) [Broken Sidewalk]

Fairdale Bigfoot made us gag a little this week. Thank goodness he’s around to tell perverts how it is. [Consuming Louisville]

Dear Louisville Forum: Charging $25 to attend a mayoral debate/forum defeats the purpose entirely. [Business First]

A landmark Rubbertown study was was unveiled… and ignored. [FatLip]

A bazillion jobs are under mayoral control and the next mayor gets to appoint the folks who run the show. I.E., Greg Fischer will be appointing people close to Larry Clark and others that are already part of the problem in Louisville. [WFPL]

And that strongly opinionated and interesting character (with quite the background) will be the focus of an interview with Terry Meiners at 4:10 P.M. today.

So be sure to tune in to 840AM and WHAS.com at 3:00 & 4:10 this afternoon.

While no one will ever be able to fill Francene’s shoes (I’m obviously biased), I am pretty excited to hear the news.

But since then, WAMZ has been on the hunt for a replacement and the station has hired Chris Randolph from WMTX in Tampa. He’ll join Mel on the 5:00 to 10:00 A.M. wake-up shift. Randolph is a Shelbyville native and may be familiar to metro area radio listeners from his days on WDJZ, 98.9 KISS-FM and WQMF.

WAMZ Program Director Coyote Calhoun had this to say: “We are very excited to add this experienced market veteran to the WAMZ morning show. Chris has enjoyed much success in Louisville. We feel very fortunate to have found someone who knows the market so well and loves its people.”

And in Randolph’s own words, “The chance to work with Coyote Calhoun is a once-in-lifetime opportunity. He is one of the very reasons I’m in the business. I can’t wait to get started at one of the most highly-rated, legendary Country stations in America.” It looks like Randolph is excited to be back in town.

Will listeners welcome him with open arms?

Today I made another appearance on her program to complain about the corruption of Metro Animal Services’ Gilles Meloche and Mayor Jerry Abramson’s complicity. Juicy bits about a federal lawsuit potentially coming as soon as Friday.

More importantly, this isn’t about me. But about corruption in light of years and years of media reports. Give it a listen.

We love Francene. She’s one of the folks who deserves great credit for shedding light on this disgusting and heartbreaking situation.

And check this job listening at AllAccess.com, posted by K. Carls:

Are you ready to do mornings at one of America’s top-rated, heritage Country stations? WAMZ has its first morning opening in 17 years. You should have a strong record of ratings success in Country radio, as well as a thorough grasp of the Country audience and lifestyle. This position requires lots of community involvement, plus face time in front of listeners and clients. No beginners. If you’re a talented entertainer prepared to join a legendary radio station, send your best stuff to morning@wamz.com . M/F. EOE.

Based solely on the conversations we’ve had over the past 24 hours, Bobby Jack is definitely one of Louisville’s most favorite media personalities. And we hope he’s back on our radio waves ASAP.

“Quite honestly, Francene, I got a little chuckle out of it. It’s amazing the ingenuity of folks and what they can do these days… it is cut and pasted and spliced.”

He then compared the profanity-filled rant from Mongiardo it to the casino/slot machine mail piece of him. It’s clearly not randomly pieced together. The only editing is to put two separate recording sessions together.

Let’s listen again just to be safe:

And if you need a transcript, click here

He wouldn’t say the clip was a fake when pressed. Said Mongiardo says it’s doctored. “We’re not gonna allow these kind of political shenanigans.”

What’d Francene have to say about it all?

Read the rest by CLICKING HERE…