‘Voice of the Northwest’ now heard on HBO

The erstwhile “Voice of North Idaho” is still trying to shake off the cobwebs after he was dumped from the KVNI lineup by parent company KXLY last Tuesday. Fan fave Dick Haugen has posted two comments at Huckleberries Online (HBO) since KXLY fired him sans explanation – the first to say that he was a budget-cut casualty. On Sunday, he added that he received no severance pay despite a decade and a half at the Coeur d’Alene station. Dick told my online readers that he “would like to take some time off but the bank still wants their money each month. Darn. I feel real bad for my former co-workers who are on the receiving end of the public’s outrage on what’s happened. Would love to comment on events but holding tongue for now.” Dick plans to attend this morning’s Chamber of Commerce Upbeat Breakfast at 7 o’clock at the Coeur d’Alene Resort, where Her Sandiness, Mayor Sandi Bloem, will be giving her annual State of the City address – “to say hi to some folks.” In his online note Sunday, Dick grumbled: “Guess this means I’ll have to pay my own way for breakfast. No media free-bees anymore” … BTW, the hubbub about Dick’s firing prompted KVNI oldie-but-goodie Joe Lyons (“The Lyons Den”) to comment at HBO that he, too, had gotten the boot back when. Joe: “I learned the hard way that no matter what the audience thinks management doesn’t want people with that kind of power around. They are afraid they will have to pay us more.” (Read: Mamas, don’t let your boys grow up to be radio announcers.)