‘Dave, Ken, and Molly’ show to relaunch under KHQ as ‘Dave and Molly’

The “Dave, Ken, and Molly” radio show, whose 30-year run was abruptly canceled by KXLY management in June, has been given a new platform by Nonstop Local’s KHQ and is set to return to air by late September, minus one of its original stars.

Following the broadcasting of what she and her co-hosts believed to be a typical episode of the show, Molly Allen recounted the community response to the news that they would no longer be featured on the station.

“I think that you can understand that things happen within corporations, but to not get to say goodbye …” Allen said. “I think for the community – that really shook everybody. I think they were sad. I mean, we’re part of people’s routines.”

Some listeners reached out to KHQ following the show’s cancellation, urging the news group to step in and save the show. Despite having been out of the radio game for decades, President of the KHQ Broadcast Division Neal Boling said it would be a shame to let the “local broadcast legends” slip away.

“We have the advantage of being one of the only locally owned and operated TV stations in America, and to be authentically local, you have to have that authentic talent in your community,” Boling said. “And certainly, Dave, Molly and Ken defined that for us.”

Having himself tuned in to a handful of the Dave, Ken and Molly shows, Boling said that he thinks their success is due to their relatability.

“I mean, they’re just the kind of folks that you just want to sit at your breakfast table in the morning and riff on the news and current events,” he said. “And that kind of relatability is gold in our business.”

While the cancellation of the radio show meant that the three hosts were out of a job, host Dave Sposito said that more than anything, the group was “a wreck” mentally. Sposito said KHQ reaching out was a “blessing in many ways.”

“To have it all taken away in one day with no notice or anything like that, that was a pretty tough moment,” he said. “So I think it’s gonna feel extra good when we’re back at it and back in the routine and telling our stories.”

The structure of the show will undergo a number of changes, including taking on a more content-driven style that lends to creating podcasts. The biggest change for longtime listeners, though, will be that host Ken Hopkins will not be joining Allen and Sposito in the relaunch.

Hopkins announced his retirement from the show alongside the news of its return, leaving it to be rebranded as the “Dave and Molly” show. Though Hopkins did not immediately respond to The Spokesman-Review Monday, Sposito said he thinks Hopkins just “wants to enjoy his life.”

“He’s in a good place right now,” Sposito said. “And we’re all happy to see that.”

Sposito and Allen both said that Hopkins will continue to be a visitor on the show as he pleases, and that his presence will remain in the stories they tell.

“I think there’ll be flavors of Ken, and of course it will be different, but I think the listeners will get enough of what it is that we bring to Spokane,” Allen said. “You know, the heart will still be there.”

A celebration of the show’s return and Hopkins’ retirement will be held at the Fox Theater on September 17 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Though free to the public, attendees must make a reservation on the Fox Theater’s website prior to arrival. Information on when and where the show will be broadcast by KHQ will be revealed at the event.

“We’ll have treats and everything for people, and it’ll be kind of a memories night,” Sposito said. “And then we’ll make the big announcement that the show continues and we’ll keep it going for as long as we can.”