Valley PR Blog

Chuck Powell’s classy goodbye from Edge 103.9

By Dan Wool on April 28th, 2008 In Media

Sorry Chuck, this is “me making a fuss over you” — you deserve it. I guess you could say that you had me at “My nuts…and I can reach them…with my mouth…how cool is that?”

We’re the same age and we moved to Phoenix around the same time. I moved here from a major market and was so pleased to find your major market-style show — on a cool music station at that. Happy trails and best of luck — I hope someone’s smart enough to hire you here in Phoenix — or better yet L.A., where they actually know how to build businesses around talent.

For the readers:

Best practice: In case you missed it, here’s a link to Chuck Powell’s classy goodbye on The Edge 103.9 this morning — maybe he should go into PR. Being classy is always the best revenge.

Worst practice: While lionizing Powell on its site, The Edge logo’s already changed to “Adam all morning…alternative rock all day.” Sheesh, at least let the guy leave the building.

Comments

I never listened to Chuck, only because I can’t stand the music format on that station. But I did interact with Chuck a few years ago when I was doing Media Relations with the Fiesta Bowl Block Party. He was not only very professional and great to work with, very handsome and had a great voice. (Don’t tell my boyfriend…) Anyway, I hope another station in town is able to grab him before a bigger market swoops in. But, hey, its not the first time a great personality leaves because of management changes.

Yeah, I’m gonna miss Chuck too. He was one of the few things that kept me from moving to satellite radio.

he was the best thing about the station, by far. the show kinda took a bit of a downturn though when “sir laughs-a-lot” (i forget his name, but he laughed at everything) left the morning show. it messed up the dynamic chuck had going. but yeah, chuck rocks.

I wrote the station a scathing email letting them know what a mistake they have made and that they have lost a listener. I cannot stand when stations, that have good local shows, sell out to the national shows. I am going to listen to X-96, a station in Utah on my computer now. It’s a great local show that the station is smart enough to keep.

Your feelings completely resonate with me. I was about 4 songs in on the morning commute when I realized something horrible had happened. Best wishes Chuck and hopefully you and Jerry find a home here in AZ. Maybe even look into podcasting/satellite as that market looks soon to take over where radio is falling short.

I was out of town yesterday so I didn’t realize something was wrong until today. The show has been slowly picked off for a few weeks now, first Drew and Corey were let go and now the show is just gone. Chuck has always been professional and classy, which will be a marked change with the Edge picking up Adam. I hope another Phoenix station picks him up, he will be sorely missed.

Didn’t they try this once already on their sister station? Change formats only to have the new format fail and now they’re called 101.5 Jamz or something like that? Geez… big business never learns.

Opps, wanna say. Good Luck Chuck! Hope to hear you on the radio again in Phoenix!

Has my favorite morning show lost its spark?…

This morning Molly showed me an interesting link from the Phoenix Business Journal:
Adam Carolla is bringing his crass humor back to the Phoenix airwaves. The Comedy Central and MTV personality will anchor the morning drive shift for KEDJ-FM 103.9 star…

To Chuck,
Just heard the news of your departure from The Edge. Sorry to hear that some pin head locked in a cubicle decided that your show was not making the cash any more!!! Bad decision!!! I have been listening for the last 2 years either on the air or via the web and I have really enjoyed your show!! Too bad management was not listening!!! In a world where the all mighty dollar determines life or death, we the listeners are all going to loose with your departure. Good luck in all future endeavors and try not to take it personally…it’s just dickheads trying to save their asses by screwing others!!!
Thanks for all of your hard work!!!

One of the saddest days in my life, was the day Chuck Powell was canned and to put a topper on the cake, Adam Corolla is replacing him. What a farce. Chuck Powell has more talent, better sense of humor and timing than Adam ever had. Besides which, Chuck is more articulate. He got me through some rough patches and sad times. He made me LOL many many times.
I hope Chuck stays in the Valley of the Sun and brings 103.9 to its knees. I will not listen to the Edge again because I do not like their music format.
They play the same artist and songs over and over again. These are bad times but I hope Chuck rebounds
on a better station. I wish him all great things and hope his future is brighter. Remember, when one door closes, another will open.
With my deepest respect.

Mady

I was shocked and dismayed to hear Chuck’s farewell yesterday, and then nearly lost it when I later learned he would be replaced by the like of Adam Corrolla. I sent an email to Bruce St. James (the programming director at 103.9) to express my dismay and my total loss of interest in the station. I was articulate and gracious. The response I recieved was nothing short of absolute mockery and belittling. Way to treat your loyal listener fan-base, you corporate sell-out jackasses!

Well theedge has lost is “edge,” and its just another sellout like all the other radio stations! I agree with alot of the other comments I sure hope we hear Chuck again in the Valley. His humor is witty and soo very original!! I will miss hearing all his clever shows and games! My drive to work is now going to suck and am switching to only listening to my iPod - Chuck and his Morning Ritual was the only reason I listened to the radio!! Thanks to Riviera Broadcast Group - they must think all Phoenix radio listeners are stupid, so they replace Chuck with non-talented, non-funny & no wit - Carolla - who has only had his “radio” show since 2006!!
Will miss you Chuck - former edge103.9 listener!!

I’m really disappointed the Edge is dying. I HAD listened to them through middle school and high school currently. It used to have great music and programs, but this is the signal that the station is dead.

This is what will move me to listen to my MP3 player in the car full time, and not listen to the Edge. Radio in Phoenix is terrible. Stations keep changing formats and programs, the best example being 101.5.

I hope to hear Chuck on another show soon. Until then, thank you Chuck so much for years of laughs along with Vince, Heather, Drew, Cool Kid, and many other personalities that had been a part of the old Edge that is no more.

Not only has the Suns’ season concluded prematurely, thanks (again) to the Spurs, but also, Chuck Powell’s Morning Ritual no longer exists. This has been a crappy, crappy week for Phoenix so far, and it’s only Tuesday night.

I was thinking of writing a “That Guy” on the guy who sells out to big media in the name of the almighty dollar, and emailing it to the program director (THAT GUY). Then I decided that no one could write a “That Guy” better than Chuck, and it would be ludicrous for me to try.

In any case, the Morning Ritual made me laugh so many mornings on my way home from the overnight shift at the psych hospital where I work - it was an excellent way to decompress after a hectic day (or, night). And it was clear that Chuck and his crew are intelligent, classy people who deserve something far better than the Edge had to offer. Count me in (or out?) as another lost listener.

I am really sad about this and hope to find Chuck Powell (and Colin Boyd!) again soon.

I’ve listened to Chuck since the days he and Vince tore it up on XTRA Sports 910AM - and my two cents are those were his glory days.

The dude is a genius when it comes to sports. It bugged me even more than the crappy Killers song played over and over and over that they had someone else do sports reports on the morning ritual.

We’ll follow Chuck wherever you go.

i’ve listened to 103.9 since i moved to the valley in 2001. losing chuck powell and gaining adam carolla was a serious setback to The Edge’s cool factor. it’s worse than the Suns trading Marion for Shaq. 10x worse. i guess i’m moving to KUPD. bye Edge, i’ll remember good things about you (i’ll just block your final crappy decision from my memory).

Yeah man, its crap they fired him. I can’t believe it. It ruined my freakin week. I like the music on the Edge but its getting old, and i only listened to it because it was already tuned in the morning to the ritual.

Edge just lost this listener…

I for one look forward to what Chuck’s gonna be up to. I think he’s going to find a new freedom he didn’t have before and he’s going to make great things happen and The “Edge” is going to suffer and have a huge backfire because of it.

In honor of Chuck Powell, I had to write my own That Guy.

That Guy! (inspired by, of course, Chuck Powell)

Today, 103.9 The Edge listeners pay tribute…to That Guy. You know, that guy, who runs an independently minded radio station and then sells out by firing one of the funniest people in the valley for big name recognition which will only backfire in the long run.

Yes, That Guy, who years ago started a radio station to stick it to the man, but in the process has only become that man with the stick…well, you know. That guy has all kinds of support and love from the entire Phoenix valley for having a radio station with the funniest morning show on the air, but instead decides that the next logical step for success would be to have someone who’s flopped twice in the valley replace what’s working well and is currently making Taco Bell commercials.

“Well we gotta change with the times,” That Guy says in insecure defense. Yes, That Guy, it is important to change with the times, but not by getting rid of the best thing on your station and replacing him with someone who was only funny 10 years ago. Not to mention the only reason he was ever funny in the first place was because he was only playing off of someone much funnier than him that was right next to him. And let’s not forget the magic of editing that he had at the time as well, condensing all his nonsense into just 30 minutes. And now you want him to ramble on for 5 straight hours, live?!?

Now right now, That Guy is conducting polls to see how The Edge listeners would feel about having a one-hit-wonders-of-the-80s hour every weekend and is saying, “Well I’d rather be That Guy than ‘I’m afraid to change with the times man’.” Well, That Guy, this segment isn’t called “I’m afraid to change with the times man” it’s called That Guy. And secondly, everyone will agree that it’s important to change with the times, but you don’t see the Suns getting rid of Steve Nash while trying to talk Larry Bird back out of retirement. I’m also willing to bet you won’t see movie theaters dropping Iron Man and Speed Racer in favor of the latest Uwe Bolle and Jimmy Fallon movies. It’d be like Apple offering a top-of-the-line computer that comes ready-to-go with Windows98! It just doesn’t make sense! Most companies (or in your case, corporations) tend to stick with what’s working really well in their favor and build everything else up to that standard. In your case, you took a big step backward. Not in the literal sense, but in the sense that Neil Armstrong was talking about when he walked on the moon. It was more of a giant leap — back.

If what I’ve said to you today has offended you in any way, there’s probably a good reason for it, you’re the idiot that fired Chuck Powell and started the downward spiral that will ultimately turn 103.9 “The Edge” into another ClearChannel clone.
Thanks, That Guuuuyyy!

I just can’t believe they want Adam Carolla over Chuck. What morons, well, here’s one more listener that’ll be switching stations, please keep us posted on where Chuck Powell takes his show.

Well, it’s official 103.9 now totally sucks. Adam sucked on FreeFM 101.5, and now he’s going to suck on 103.9. Thanks a freaking lot. Any other good alternative stations in Phoenix or just back to the MP3 player?

Once I heard the advertisement announcing Carolla’s arrival, I had to take 103.9 off my presets. The station’s music is too repetitive (including 90 minutes of the 90’s) to listen to without the Morning Ritual. I’m a courier, and would listen every morning during work. Mostly I’ll miss Chuck’s sense of humor and commitment to consistent radio bits–something we never hear anymore. He made me laugh everyday; even if I wasn’t tuned in, I always knew to go back at 9:45 for Freak du Jour or at 8:00 on a Wed. for Last Character Standing. I want to be able to listen to the radio in the morning, so I hope we get him back on a local station soon!

I only listened to this station because of chuck and the morning ritual. This was by far the best morning show I have ever listened to. I appreciate Chuck’s creative ideas and PG humor. I hate listening to the other morning shows like Jon Jay and Rich, and you will never catch me listening to Adam Carolla.

Farewell edge 1039 has you have lost a loyal listener and supporter.

As for Chuck, keep us updated on your plans because I am a big fan!

I came to your website in search of Chuck Powell and hoping to find that he has been picked up by another radio station in our valley. I became a big Edge fan mainly because of him and I do sorely miss his morning show. Stay with us Chuck and make “That Guy” who took away our Morning Ritual kiss all our a**es for ruining our mornings and may his lips deflate forever after doing so!

I’m disappointed. When I was first in the Valley 4 years ago i fell in love with the Edge, becuase they played what was on my MP3 player. And Chuck & Vince were funny, laugh out loud funny, which is embarassing when you’re listening through headphones at work.
But then the music started changing, Vince left, and now this. I liked “independent radio” and not the forced corporate playlists. It’s too bad and I guess that’s pretty much it for me listening to the Edge. except perhaps for the Ska-Punk show.
Best of luck Chuck! I hope you find a great new station to work on. You’re funny, witty, great delivery and voice, and the best radio game shows ever.
and now, back to the music on the MP3 players…

Yes, I too emailed KEDJ the morning the ax came down on Chuck. The response was preposterous! I was told by the PD that the Valley’s #1 rated morning show for the last 10-12 years is a syndicated one… WTF?! Stern’s not on terrestrial radio, dolt! I seem to remember many, many Best of Phoenix polls listing The Morning Ritual as #1… TMR was one of the only reasons that I too listened to KEDJ on my drive in to work each day. Now I am going to crank up my iPod as well each morning. KEDJ - when you off’d Thrillride and Cory you were on watch, now you are dead to me.

Farwell Chuck (for the time being)… We will all miss your one of a kind sense of humor on our rides to work in the am. You have the unique ability to be outright hilarious and at the same time bring a touch of class to morning radio that I have never before experienced. There were many a moring when I literally spit my coffee out of my mouth in laughter while listening to your show. I will patiently wait and hope you land another gig in Phoenix. May the force be with you!

How could The Edge be so completely stupid and ignorant, that they put on one of the worst shows on radio on their station And get rid of the BEST SHOW EVER!!!! There is no better morning show host on radio than Chuck Powell and there was no beter show than The Morning Ritual. KEDJ started to sell out a few years ago and started to lose a little bit of my respect for them, but now with the onset of Adam Corolla and the completion of sell outum by the edge, I have completely lost respect for the station and i hence forth WILL NOT LISTEN to the station at all. This is an outrage that they would even do this, just to “broaden their listeners.” They’ve lost me and as you can see from the countless other comments by others who share the same sentiments as me, they’ve lost their entire listening audience. I hope that Corolla tanks AGAIN here in phoenix and the station realizes what a gigantic mistake they have made. I will deeply miss Chuck Powell and The Morning Ritual, I have listened to it from the start when Vince was still on and the show was amazing. No one else could have come up with what Chuck has, he is a comedy genius. Whoever picks him up, will own the airwaves. I hope now that he is free of the Edge he will be able to expand and reach out to his full potential and gain the popularity and respect I give him, his listeners give him, and all that he truly deserves. I will deeply miss you, Chuck Powell, all the laughs and jokes, LCS, Jerry the Dog, Freak-Dejore, That Guy, and everything else that you have come up with that have made my sides hurt from laughing. On more than one occasion I have almost crashed due to laughing way to hard because of you. Thankyou for everything, thankyou for making me laugh, thankyou for making the valley laugh. You will be deeply missed. Like the person before me said, THE EDGE IS DEAD TO ME. Good-bye preset. Goodbye Chuck Powell. Good-bye Edge.

-A Former Listener

Ever since my commute to work lowered to 5-10 minutes about 2 years ago, I lost the pleasure of listening to Chuck Powell and the Morning Ritual for very long periods of time. But I still always knew it was there, and always caught myself waiting in my car in the parking lot to hear as much of Chuck as I could. The show was different once Vince left and Heather had her baby, but always Chuck was professional and put everyone in a good mood to listen to him.

I heard an advertisement for the Adam Corolla show yesterday afternoon and thought “uh oh, no F’in way Chuck Powell and the morning ritual is over!” And sure enough, they’re gone.

I’ll always remember Jeep Cherokee, Frank Stein, Jerry the Dog and his LCS characters, but mostly I’ll remember how hard Vince, Heather, and Chuck used to make each other laugh, which, aside from the the real jokes and wittiness, made me laugh even harder. I’ll follow Chuck where ever he goes. If it is out of state, that’s fine, I’ll be able to stream it at work and listen all morning!

I’ll never listen to any other morning show, I really can’t stand any of them, except Chuck’s.

I liked Chuck Powell, but really didn’t think Last Character Standing and some of his bits were really all that funny. I need some comedy radio in the morning, I completely switched to sports talk after 101.5 changed formats. I’m glad to see Adam Carolla back, it’s too bad it had to be at the expense of Powell, but oh well. It’s be nice if Big O and Dukes were still here too but they went back to D.C. I think. Still don’t know if I’ll switch to Adam over Colin Cowherd on 620 AM but at least I have some options.

The decision to replace Chuck Powells morning show with Adam Carolla is the downfall of The Edge. He is an extremely talented, witty and hilarious personality and his Morning Ritual was the best show in the valley. His goodbye to his listeners was proof of his class and professionalism. His show alone kept me listening and I will faithfully follow if he does stay in the valley otherwise I guess it will be I pod or satelite radio. Management made a huge mistake on this one!

I also am done with the Edge. BIG mistake choosing Carolla over Chuck. I also think that Chuck Powell is a comedic genius. I have been embarrassed countless times laughing alone in my car, while the person in the car next to me looked over. I haven’t listened to 103.9 since he left. I did hear his farewell remarks on their web site. He is a class act. I hope to get to listen to him again, soon.

Here it is, May 20th, and being Chuckless continues to suck.

You are still sorely missed, friend.

I know you’ll excel; I just (selfishly, natch) hope to have the opportunity to be a fly on your wall again.

Thank you for healing my spirit with laughter for the past four years. Colin and Drew, too.

Bartender, another shot please…

-S

Any word yet on where in the world is Chuck Powell? At least he could go back to sports radio or something in Phoenix. It would also be nice if he had a myspace profile so we could stay updated on what’s going on.

Corolla Sux,

My name is Jake and I haven’t listened to the Edge in 3 weeks.

What are you people bitching about? That show was terrible. You should be listening to Holmberg on KUPD.

I miss the morning ritual. I wrote the edge to say they lost me as a listener and I got a form mail back from Bruce St. James. He said they would have gone out of business if they didn’t bring Adam Carolla in to replace the morning ritual. Whatever, if I can’t listen to the morning ritual then I will listen to AOL Radio. I can’t stand Adam Corolla. He should have stuck with the man show. Adam Carolla has nothing on the Morning Ritual. THE EDGE SUCKS NOW. I hope they play Country music next to stay in business. They are dead to me!

I’ve tried listening to the new Edge and can’t stand it. I’ll be deprogramming 103.9 from my car’s radio now. Even Mix 96.9 plays better music now that Chuck’s gone. I won’t ever be going to EdgeFest again either. I miss “That Guy” and “Freak de Speak” and Chuck and his crew’s witty dialogue. I hope that the station tanks now so that corporate feels some remorse for their terrible mistake.

Chuck made the morning show great and was a jewel for the city of Phoenix. Never have I been a fan of morning radio until listening to him…he’s humor for the intellegent listener. There’s no question Chuck will land on his feet, he’s the BEST at what he does…I just hope that he stays local

ADAM COROLLA SUCKS!!!! BRING BACK CHUCK! Chuck is what made 103.9’s terrible replays of music bearable. he was the best talkshow host I have ever heard. Adam Corolla is a nasally sellout punk that can’t make a joke to save his life. I want chuck back

I agree with Steve. You guys need to switch over to KUPD. The music is harder than The Edge, but Holmberg is hilarious! Check out the voices he does every Friday on the Guadalupe squares (around 9:40am).

Well looks like Chuck went back to sports radio. A quick search shows him at WKTY in Wisconsin. He’s listed right there in the On Air Schedule section.

Thanks for the update, Dan. I am truly sorry to hear that Chuck wasn’t picked up by another station here in PHX. He is already sorely missed! I can’t stand Adam Carolla and have not tuned in once since Chuck gave his gracious and sincere goodbye speech. I tried to listen to the EDGE one saturday morning and was appalled to find out that that Jackass Carolla is on saturdays too! Geez, give the listeners an f-ing break from his nonsense. The edge has definitely lost this morning listener. Go, Chuck! You rocked! Hope wisconsin is treating you well!!

chuck powell was the best thing that happened 2 the edge. i remember when they were independent. but basically a corporate douche bought them out & is slowly is killing them. adam corolla is a retard who thinks hes funny. we’ll all miss u chuck. the edge sux now. f**** adam corolla.

I wonder if Chuck is still at WKTY? I see that he is listed in their on-air listing, but I have tried to email him several times using the posted link. Each time my email comes back “mailbox unavailable or access denied”. Just wanted to let him know that he is missed.

Sign the Petition to bring our Chuck back:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/ourmorningritual

I went to school with Chuck from kindergarten through our junior year at southwestern. He was always voted the smartest, most athletic, the cutest and pretty much anything else that we had a vote on. Those idiots at the radio station have no clue.

I just listened to some old LCS replays I had in my iTunes, and thought, “I wonder what happened to Chuck?” and I found this site. I think a couple of comments from May about other stations are PR plants, but truthfully, KUPD is what I usually listen to now…though I think Holmberg’s a chauvinistic idiot, too.

I’m happy to see he’s landed somewhere, and I hope I can stream his show. I hate that it’s not local, cuz I was a big fan, too. In fact, days after I figured this out, I exchanged emails with the famed Bruce St. James. Below is some of our exchange.

From Me:
I just listened to Chuck’s farewell online, and while I knew something was going on because Cory disappeared and you were advertising Adam Corolla, I must say this is the most messed up decision this radio station has made for many years. I’ve been listening on and off for maybe 10 years, raising both my teenagers on it and suffering through Howard Stern, three weeks of no DJs and numerous other crazy ideas, but I’m downright pissed off that the powers that be are sending Chuck and team packing.

I don’t always have the opportunity to listen in the morning, but when I do, I always enjoy it, thinking of what I’d like to call in and say if I wasn’t driving. I always laughed when they replayed later in the day what I missed, and I’ve even downloaded multiple “Last Character Standing” episodes (as have my children) for my iPod. Chuck, Cory and you were finally a great team that worked really well together, with different points of view that made you intriguing and thought-provoking.

I’m not just sad the show is leaving, I’m boycotting. I’m not a big fan of the morning show on other stations, but I refuse to listen to the misogynist blathering of that monotone idiot Adam Corolla. Guess I’ll just have to listen to my CDs and re-tune my station to KUPD, flipping back for Robin and Sunday Morning Service. I even started liking the Top 10 you run on weekends, despite the terrible reception I get, but it was eons better than more of the same old 90s crap again and again (Robin’s 90 minutes being the exception).

So, BOO to you, whoever made the decision. My teens and I will take our ears elsewhere.

From Bruce (yes, it was all about money–f**k the loyal listeners):
My boss asked me to reply since I am the one responsible for Programming Decisions.

We are in the business of gathering the largest possible audience. Obviously, we wouldn’t make any change if we thought it would be a step backwards. Chuck Powell’s Morning Ritual has a loyal following and we respect that. Unfortunately, it’s not a large enough following for us to build a station upon. I’m sure you’ve heard the definition of insanity; doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We need some different results and hope you will give Adam a chance.

As for Adam, he had much higher ratings than we had at The Edge when they shut off Free-FM. One year ago Adam was in 4th while we were in 12th place. We believe Adam gives us a chance to grow since we DON’T have a large company backing us. Unlike corporate radio, we cannot afford to have a station lose money for the sake of heritage.

Chuck is brilliant and we all think he is the funniest, most clever guy we know. That does not mean he has a job forever at The Edge or in radio. Times change, people change and situations change. I hope you can appreciate that we’ve tried to make this change as respectful as possible.

——-

Well, I’m not back except for Sunday Morning Service and the occasional afternoon. The iPod won.

haters, adam is way better than chuck powell. I couldn’t even listen to his show it was terrible. I always listened to 98 then switched when they put adam back on. Chuck Powell was a talentless hack, and I couldn’t have seen him get booted off faster. His voice is annoying and obnoxious, adams is more mellow laid back cali style. I cant even listen to phoenix radio anymore, besides adam and the ska punk show.101.5 jamz sux

Anarchy

Michael

I just found this website but we have been missing chuck since he left. now that school is back in session we missed the laughs he gave us before school. does anyone know what happened to him? Where is he now? we would like to find him to hear him on the radio again. We have not tuned in to the edge since he left. Thanks, Best to you Chuck!

i am so pissed that chuck powell left.
i used to always listen to the morning ritual cuz it was the best.
now stupid adam corolla comes and hes not even funny.
i never listen to the edge in the morning anymore cuz its just annoying now

I would just like to say that i will miss chuck. He was one of the funniest people i have ever had the pleasure of listening too. Some times he would make me laugh so hard id start crying. Its a shame they let him go and a shame a great talent like him was replaced by a 2 bit schmuck like Adam Corola. You will be greatly missed by alot of fans here and we all wish you the best of luck out there.

Chuck you will be missed, the first and only morning show i have ever been hooked on. The Edge offers nothing now. What a bad move on their part…

what do we do now for monday night football??? wtf?? months have gone by and this is still affecting many of us- just ask flicka’s. i am lost!

He isnt on WKTY. He was 4 years ago. Still cant find him anywhere! Maybe he is just writing his book

http://radio.sportingnews.com/shows/chuck_powell/index.html

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