‘Dave, Ken and Molly’ radio show canceled at KXLY amid corporate restructuring

After decades on the air, 92.9 ZZU’s “Dave, Ken and Molly” show was canceled Thursday along with other morning radio at KXLY.

In a statement first reported by the station itself, a representative of KXLY parent company Morgan Murphy Media said the cancellations were part of corporate restructuring at the station.

“We are restructuring operations to reflect current economic conditions while maintaining our commitment to our loyal listeners, partners, and community into the future,” said Morgan Murphy Media VP of Radio Tery Garras in a statement. Morgan Murphy Media is based in Madison, Wisconsin.

A staple of Spokane morning commutes for decades, “Dave Ken and Molly” was one of the most prominent radio programs in the city – having won the Inlander’s “Best Of” for a combined total of 26 years. At that time, Dave Sposito and Ken Hopkins were known as the “Breakfast Boys.” They later added Molly Allen and rebranded to the show’s current name .

The trio had their last show Thursday morning. In a Facebook post, Allen confirmed the stars did not know it was their last time on the air.

“Confirming that yesterday was the last ‘Dave, Ken and Molly’ show. I’m sorry that we didn’t get to say goodbye to you all. Spokane has been so good to us. Obviously, this was not our decision. Thank you for over 30 years of love and support,” she wrote on Facebook.

Both Allen and Sposito declined to be interviewed on Friday.

“There’s not much that I can say right now… But we were the top rated show for many, many years… And none of us saw this coming… Still sort of processing it all,” Sposito wrote in a statement.

Spokane resident Rick Clark began listening to the show when he was 18. He is now 53. To him, the three hosts were “family.”

“As someone who has experienced a lot of struggle in Spokane most of my life, even being homeless at times, the radio show was a connection to the world moving around me,” he said.

Hearing of the show’s cancellation was a “kick to the stomach,” he added.

“I totally understand that sometimes good things have to end. But what I don’t understand is how it ended. I wish we could’ve spent a week or two leading up to the end so they could play classic clips and listeners could call in and tell these three amazing souls what they mean to them,” Clark said.

The KXLY 920 News Now morning show was also among the casualties Thursday. News Now morning co-anchor Dave Spencer wrote on Facebook that “all good things must come to an end.”

“I am very blessed to have spent 22 of my 33 years in professional broadcasting at KXLY. Ken Hopkins gave me my first job in 1991 at KZZU and I am forever grateful,” Spencer said in a statement to The Spokesman-Review. “I had the privilege of spending several years as the producer for Dave Ken and Molly before switching to News Radio. I am heartbroken for them as well as my producer Steve West who just joined our team 8 months ago. KXLY for me has never been a job, it’s been like a second home…a second family. So many great friends…so many great memories. It’s been an honor to have been on the air for a mere sliver of the 100+ years KXLY 920 has been broadcasting across the Inland Northwest.”

Representatives of KXLY and Morgan Murphy Media did not respond to a request for comment on Friday, and it remains unclear if the canceled shows will be replaced with new original programming or nationally syndicated radio shows.