Akron Radio: WNIR Weekend Talker Bob Earley Walks

Bob Earley

Bob Earley, a host on talk-radio station WNIR 100.1 FM for close to a decade, resigned Friday morning after a disagreement with management, according to ohio.com.

Bill Klaus, WNIR CEO and station manager, said, “We had a disagreement in the direction of [Earley’s] weekend program and he chose to resign.”

He declined to elaborate.

Earley said the disagreement began with his plan to have Jennifer Downey, president of erotic-goods chain Ambiance, on his show Sunday. Downey has often appeared in local media, and those appearances are especially common around Valentine’s Day.

According to Earley, Bob Klaus — Bill’s brother, and WNIR’s president and general sales manager — at first approved Downey going on Earley’s show, but later balked. After some back-and-forth, Bob Klaus finally said no.

As a local concert promoter and event chairman of the Rockin’ on the River concert series in Cuyahoga Falls, Earley said he also had a business connection to Ambiance as one of the sponsors of Rockin’ on the River. He was not sure if the chance of frank talk about sex was the only thing worrying the Klauses, or if the Ambiance/Rockin’ relationship was part of the problem.

WNIR 100.1 FM (4.2kw) 60dBu Coverage

Earley has been a substitute host on the station since 2005 and has hosted a Saturday and Sunday evening show since 2009. His departure continues a string of changes at the station; besides Piatt and Fuller, WNIR personalities Howie Chizek and Tom Erickson died in June and November 2012 respectively, with Chizek succeeded by Denning and Erickson by Jim Isabella.

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