Kim Peterson
Encyclopedia
Kim Peterson is a US television and radio journalist. From 1992 through 2006, he hosted a radio
talk show on WGST-AM in Atlanta, GA. A United States Marine, he served in the Vietnam War
. Before becoming a radio host, Peterson was a television
anchor in Chicago
and New Orleans.Peterson was on rival news-talk station WSB before he came to WGST. After his firing from WSB Peterson would refer to his former employer as WSOB and WBS (and sometimes We Suck and Blither).
Peterson is a donor for the Marine's Toys for Tots
Christmas
drive, and from 1997–2005, he produced a comedy bits CD, donating all the proceeds to the drive. In addition, he hosted an annual charity golf
tournament. Peterson is an avid motorcycle
enthusiast.
From December 2005 to May 5, 2006, WGST began firing Peterson's support team. Jim Gossett, a celebrity impersonator who did the voices of Ronald Reagan
, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush
, and Johnny Carson
among others, quit in December 2005. Two months later, WGST-AM's Sports Director Pete Davis was fired for reasons not disclosed by WGST-AM. The last firing was on May 5, when Peterson's producer, Wayne Kitchens, was terminated. Kitchens told an online media outlet (Buzz) that management was upset when he didn’t bleep out an anti-Muslim statement Peterson said on the air the week prior to his firing. Kitchens has speculated that the firings were an attempt to force Peterson to quit.
Peterson's final broadcast for WGST was on November 20, 2006, the station announcing the next day that he was no longer on the air.
. Referred to himself as "The Stain" after being called that by an angry listener named Rick. Known for giving other hosts nicknames, such as: Tom Hughes
("The King." Fellow broadcaster who hosted AM-Atlanta on WGST
), Sam Memmolo "Shadetree Mechanic," host of a weekend radio show on WGST
, Stu Klitenic
("The Bank Robber," baseball
radio pre-game and post-game announcer for the Atlanta Braves
), Mark Lemke
("The Lemmer," former Second baseman
for the Atlanta Braves
who is now pre-game and post-game radio announcer for the baseball club.), Dave McBride ("Mac the Mechanic", works with Memmolo on his weekend radio program.), Gene Henssler ("Dr. Gene, The Money Machine," Chair of the Henssler Group, a financial consulting firm in the metro Atlanta area.). He has been married and divorced twice, most recently from Elizabeth, an attorney whom he referred to on air as "the Fantasy Goddess". Kim also referred to former morning show host Sean Hannity as "Hannie-pie" and "The Tin Man."
WGST and Kim Peterson produced a "best-of" highlights audio CD of his show, every year from 1996 to 2005, called the Kimmer Komedy Klassics. These featured the funniest spots, advertisements, commentaries and newsmaker line calls for that year. One year, the CD included an additional DVD of the Kimmer roast event. The final CD released in December 2005, included a bonus disc which contained all 10 years of Kimmer Komedy Klassics in mp3 format. All CD sales profits were donated to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program as part of the WGST yearly Christmas fund drive.
Kim Peterson also had his regular listeners that called in frequently to his show. The group ranged from an outspoken, liberal caller he referred to as "Commie Dave" who was eventually given 60 seconds per week to rant, to Helper John and the police and truck drivers that called in just to say hello. Kim Peterson's regular staff included producer Wayne ("No Offense!) Kitchens now works for Eagle 106.7 FM, the late Keith Kalland (1951-2002) and now Art "Madman" Merrhing with the traffic reports, and Pete "Snake" Davis at 5:15 with his daily sport segment which Kim Peterson referred to as the "Holy Crap It's Sports" segment.
One popular feature of Peterson's program was known as "Flush The Lines". He would tell listeners to call en masse and would put everyone who called onto the air for just a few seconds to make a (usually comedic) remark.
As of about noon November 21, 2006 Kimmer's page on the WGST.com website was taken down, and at 3 PM it was announced that The Dave Ramsey
Show (originating from flagship 99.7 FM WWTN
Nashville) will air live from 3-7pm in the Atlanta market from now on. Kimmer, along with the last remaining vestiges of local talent on WGST, Denny Schaffer
and Tom Hughes
, were fired on November 21 as part of the nationwide restructuring of ClearChannel's radio properties. http://www.radioandrecords.com/radiomonitor/news/format/talk/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003410716
On March 13, 2007 it was posted on an Atlanta radio blog that Peterson had refused an unnamed offer and would retire from radio. The blog writer, Rodney Ho, confirmed this with Peterson.
According to the Atlanta Radio Blog by Rodney Ho, Kim Peterson left Atlanta for good in late June 2007. He bought a place with his older brother Gene in western Massachusetts in the Berkshire mountains, where Peterson can play golf and ride his Harley. Peterson also purchased a place in Palm Beach, Fla. to play golf in the winter.
Starting in April 2010, Kim Peterson has partnered with Josh Price of the website Conservative Beacon to do a series of podcasts. In addition to remembering his WGST radio show, Kimmer will be offering his opinion on current events.
Kim Peterson is heard sporadically as a guest on Denny Schaffer's show on WGKA in Atlanta. He also made an appearance on Rusty Humphries new local show on WGST on January 3, 2011.
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
talk show on WGST-AM in Atlanta, GA. A United States Marine, he served in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Before becoming a radio host, Peterson was a television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
anchor in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and New Orleans.Peterson was on rival news-talk station WSB before he came to WGST. After his firing from WSB Peterson would refer to his former employer as WSOB and WBS (and sometimes We Suck and Blither).
Peterson is a donor for the Marine's Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which donates toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The program was founded in 1947 by reservist Major William L...
Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
drive, and from 1997–2005, he produced a comedy bits CD, donating all the proceeds to the drive. In addition, he hosted an annual charity golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournament. Peterson is an avid motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
enthusiast.
From December 2005 to May 5, 2006, WGST began firing Peterson's support team. Jim Gossett, a celebrity impersonator who did the voices of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, and Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
among others, quit in December 2005. Two months later, WGST-AM's Sports Director Pete Davis was fired for reasons not disclosed by WGST-AM. The last firing was on May 5, when Peterson's producer, Wayne Kitchens, was terminated. Kitchens told an online media outlet (Buzz) that management was upset when he didn’t bleep out an anti-Muslim statement Peterson said on the air the week prior to his firing. Kitchens has speculated that the firings were an attempt to force Peterson to quit.
Peterson's final broadcast for WGST was on November 20, 2006, the station announcing the next day that he was no longer on the air.
The Kimmer Show
The Kimmer Show was the afternoon talk host on Atlanta's WGSTWGST (AM)
WGST AM 640 is a radio station licensed in the city of Atlanta, Georgia operating at a frequency of 640 kHz with 50,000 watts of power during the daytime, and 1,000 watts of power during nighttime hours...
. Referred to himself as "The Stain" after being called that by an angry listener named Rick. Known for giving other hosts nicknames, such as: Tom Hughes
Tom Hughes
Thomas Eyre Forrest Hughes AO QC is a former Australian politician and a prominent barrister practicing at Blackstone Chambers in Sydney. He was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1963 to 1972, representing first the seat of Parkes and then the seat of Berowra...
("The King." Fellow broadcaster who hosted AM-Atlanta on WGST
WGST (AM)
WGST AM 640 is a radio station licensed in the city of Atlanta, Georgia operating at a frequency of 640 kHz with 50,000 watts of power during the daytime, and 1,000 watts of power during nighttime hours...
), Sam Memmolo "Shadetree Mechanic," host of a weekend radio show on WGST
WGST (AM)
WGST AM 640 is a radio station licensed in the city of Atlanta, Georgia operating at a frequency of 640 kHz with 50,000 watts of power during the daytime, and 1,000 watts of power during nighttime hours...
, Stu Klitenic
Stu Klitenic
Stu Klitenic is a sports radio host, most recently the host of the Atlanta Braves postgame show with Mark Lemke. During the late 1980s he was Sports Director at television station KTVI in St. Louis, Missouri. He also worked at WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio during the mid 1980's...
("The Bank Robber," baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
radio pre-game and post-game announcer for the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
), Mark Lemke
Mark Lemke
Mark Alan Lemke is a former Major League Baseball player. Nicknamed "The Lemmer", he was a popular second baseman for the Atlanta Braves from to .-Biography:...
("The Lemmer," former Second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
for the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
who is now pre-game and post-game radio announcer for the baseball club.), Dave McBride ("Mac the Mechanic", works with Memmolo on his weekend radio program.), Gene Henssler ("Dr. Gene, The Money Machine," Chair of the Henssler Group, a financial consulting firm in the metro Atlanta area.). He has been married and divorced twice, most recently from Elizabeth, an attorney whom he referred to on air as "the Fantasy Goddess". Kim also referred to former morning show host Sean Hannity as "Hannie-pie" and "The Tin Man."
WGST and Kim Peterson produced a "best-of" highlights audio CD of his show, every year from 1996 to 2005, called the Kimmer Komedy Klassics. These featured the funniest spots, advertisements, commentaries and newsmaker line calls for that year. One year, the CD included an additional DVD of the Kimmer roast event. The final CD released in December 2005, included a bonus disc which contained all 10 years of Kimmer Komedy Klassics in mp3 format. All CD sales profits were donated to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program as part of the WGST yearly Christmas fund drive.
Kim Peterson also had his regular listeners that called in frequently to his show. The group ranged from an outspoken, liberal caller he referred to as "Commie Dave" who was eventually given 60 seconds per week to rant, to Helper John and the police and truck drivers that called in just to say hello. Kim Peterson's regular staff included producer Wayne ("No Offense!) Kitchens now works for Eagle 106.7 FM, the late Keith Kalland (1951-2002) and now Art "Madman" Merrhing with the traffic reports, and Pete "Snake" Davis at 5:15 with his daily sport segment which Kim Peterson referred to as the "Holy Crap It's Sports" segment.
One popular feature of Peterson's program was known as "Flush The Lines". He would tell listeners to call en masse and would put everyone who called onto the air for just a few seconds to make a (usually comedic) remark.
As of about noon November 21, 2006 Kimmer's page on the WGST.com website was taken down, and at 3 PM it was announced that The Dave Ramsey
Dave Ramsey
David L. Ramsey III is an American financial author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker.Ramsey's syndicated radio program The Dave Ramsey Show is promoted with a tagline that "It's about your life and your money," and it is heard on over 450 radio stations throughout the...
Show (originating from flagship 99.7 FM WWTN
WWTN
WWTN is a 100 kW, Class C0 FM radio station serving the Nashville, Tennessee media market. Its dial position is 99.7 MHz. Home to many local and national talk radio shows, the station is marketed as SuperTalk 99.7 WTN...
Nashville) will air live from 3-7pm in the Atlanta market from now on. Kimmer, along with the last remaining vestiges of local talent on WGST, Denny Schaffer
Denny Schaffer
Denny Schaffer is a radio talk show host based in Atlanta. He currently hosts a new morning show on WRNO-FM in New Orleans. He previously hosted an evening show on WGKA/920 in Atlanta from 9 - 11 pm which WGKA moved to 8- 10 pm a few months before Denny was offered his current gig in New...
and Tom Hughes
Tom Hughes
Thomas Eyre Forrest Hughes AO QC is a former Australian politician and a prominent barrister practicing at Blackstone Chambers in Sydney. He was a Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1963 to 1972, representing first the seat of Parkes and then the seat of Berowra...
, were fired on November 21 as part of the nationwide restructuring of ClearChannel's radio properties. http://www.radioandrecords.com/radiomonitor/news/format/talk/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003410716
On March 13, 2007 it was posted on an Atlanta radio blog that Peterson had refused an unnamed offer and would retire from radio. The blog writer, Rodney Ho, confirmed this with Peterson.
According to the Atlanta Radio Blog by Rodney Ho, Kim Peterson left Atlanta for good in late June 2007. He bought a place with his older brother Gene in western Massachusetts in the Berkshire mountains, where Peterson can play golf and ride his Harley. Peterson also purchased a place in Palm Beach, Fla. to play golf in the winter.
Starting in April 2010, Kim Peterson has partnered with Josh Price of the website Conservative Beacon to do a series of podcasts. In addition to remembering his WGST radio show, Kimmer will be offering his opinion on current events.
Kim Peterson is heard sporadically as a guest on Denny Schaffer's show on WGKA in Atlanta. He also made an appearance on Rusty Humphries new local show on WGST on January 3, 2011.