Courtesy St. Louis Post Dispatch

(June 26, 2009) Management at KSLG (1380 AM) has made a contract offer to the hosts of its morning show, but sources say the proposal isn't palatable to the cast and a tussle could be developing between the sides. The show is the reigning leader in market share in that slot among the sports stations.

Two of the hosts — Tim McKernan (left) and Jim Hayes — are under contract until mid-September, and their terms called for KSLG to make them "a legitimate'' offer by mid-June or else they could talk to other stations about picking up the program as soon as the KSLG deal expires. Failure to make a "legitimate," or "good-faith" offer could void a non-compete clause that KSLG could use to keep them from going to a competitor until March. (The other cast member, Doug Vaughn, does not have a contract.)

McKernan did not want to discuss the matter and Hayes merely said that "we all like it at (KSLG) and we all hope it works out.''

But sources said they don't consider the offer to be in good faith. KSLG general manager John Helmkamp played the situation down, terming the talks "typical negotiations, nothing out of the ordinary at this point. We've both made progress."

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