KARN fires Program Director Dave Elswick, News Director and Morning Host

Little Rock's KARN, which has been in decline for years under corporate ownership, has apparently decided to do away with their three key local on air voices: PD and afternoon host Dave Elswick, News Director Jack Heinritz and morning host Bob Steel. If this were three days earlier, I'd think it was a radio April Fools gag, but nope. WTF is going on in the Cumulus building? Is it part of a corporate strategy to reduce the number of local employees and just air all network stuff? They've been a shell of a news department for years already. I'd occasionally run into Jack while out covering stories, but not that often, and I never saw anyone else. When I worked at KARN 20 years ago it had a large news staff, all local programming during the midday except for Rush, and employees were treated respectfully by then-local owner Ted Snyder, who took great pride in his station.

Here's channel 4's account: http://www.arkansasmatters.com/story/d/story/karn-fires-3-radio-hosts/30004/NWngizdQw0GeImmAfZGmXw

Here's Dave Elswick's Facebook post:

https://www.facebook.com/dave.elswick.1/posts/10202326238490098

Sure, the ratings have been down, but I'm sure a large part of that is corporate not giving the station what it needed to succeed. On more than one occasion when I saw Jack at stories, he pointed at his mic stand on a podium, telling me he had to buy it out of his own pocket because there was no budget for equipment. Also, stupid decisions like being briefly forced to run Cumulus's Gerardo Rivera Radio Show from 9 to 11? I'm sure people in Arkansas loved that.

It was once a mainstream station with Pat Lynch in the Morning, balancing Rush Limbaugh in the afternoon, with straight news blocks in morning and afternoon drives and not overly political shows in the evening like Gil Gross and Jim Bohannon.

Is this the end of having a commercial news/talk station with any local content on the air in Little Rock? Sure seems like it.

Wow, shocking. I lived in Little Rock for a while and would tune in. I was under the impression this station way a pillar of the community.

Looks Bad for KARN

I preferred Elswick to Lynch, I am surprised that ratings are down. I know Ray Lincoln was hard to replace and the old guy that used to spout sports stats was a hoot, but I think getting rid of its "backbone" crew will send KARN to the showers.

Good Riddance to Elswick--Positive Move

Arrogant Elswick needs to be somewhere else--away from here--too bad for Steele and Heinritz--they were good additions

Bad move.

Doc Washout is the arrogant one. I don't necessarily disagree with him but Elswick is top notch. The broadcasts from the Heritage Foundation in D.C. were awesome. Oh well. Turn up the muzakl and push the button.