Fescoe, who abruptly left KFNS (590 AM) last month after three years at the station to return to Kansas City for family reasons, started there this week at KCSP as host of the sports-talk radio station's morning drive-time show. And unlike some who have left the St. Louis market, Fescoe took no shots.

"It was a great learning experience there for me, it was great career-wise," Fescoe said. "I learned a lot from Jason Barrett (KFNS' programing director when he arrived) and (KFNS owner) Big League Broadcasting. I learned more there than anywhere else in my career.''

One of the most important lessons was to not become a co-host with someone he doesn't know. That's what he experienced at KFNS, when he was hired in 2007 to replace Jim Hayes as Tim McKernan's co-host on the station's morning drive-time show.

The program had been a ratings hit but was dismantled in a lengthy series of moves that included the departure of Martin Kilcoyne and culminated with Hayes' firing. McKernan was extremely unhappy, soon wanted out of his contract and Fescoe was in a tough spot.

"It was very difficult,'' Fescoe said. "But I don't blame Tim McKernan. He didn't know what was going on. Some guy comes in from Kansas City that Tim doesn't know and is expected to start working with him right away — I didn't know Tim, he didn't know me.''

McKernan concurs.

"He's a good guy who got put in a difficult spot — one that would have been tough for anybody," McKernan said.

"BIZARRE SITUATION''

Fescoe said he didn't even meet McKernan until four days before they began working together.

"It was just a bizarre situation,'' Fescoe said.

There was a perception in several corners then that McKernan was brooding because of the loss of his former co-hosts, and some people insinuated that McKernan wanted to tank the show. That angered him at the time — and he still bristles at that notion.

"That is absolutely not true," he said, adding that he offered to management to restructure the show. "I still had two years left then on my contract. Why would I not want the show to be a success?"

But he said it quickly became evident that he and Fescoe wouldn't mesh, and that in order for his style of impromptu, interactive conversation to succeed he must work with two co-hosts.

"Chemistry is the intangible,'' McKernan said, adding that the reason the show didn't work "was not Bob Fescoe's fault or my fault. It was just the circumstances."

McKernan eventually got out of his contract and ended up at competitor KSLG (1380 AM), where he remains in a three-man setup with Hayes and Doug Vaughn.

After the Fescoe-McKernan partnership was broken up, Fescoe was demoted to Rams reporter before being fired after a year at KFNS. But he continued in a part-time role and was rehired full time a short time later after Kevin Slaten was fired. Fescoe had been manning the afternoon drive-time slot, with Jay Randolph Jr., before leaving.

His wife recently had a baby and they wanted to be closer to relatives who live in the Kansas City area, and he landed his new job shortly after returning to KC. Now Fescoe said he has no regrets about his stay in St. Louis.

"I'm glad I came over there," he said.

He and McKernan communicated this week for the first time since McKernan left KFNS 2 1/2 years ago.

They "exchanged pleasantries via Facebook and we had a good conversation," McKernan said.

LINEUP CARD

There have been several recent moves, with another coming next week, on the sports-talk front:

At KFNS: Howard Balzer and Andy Strickland have been named to work with Randolph, on KFNS' afternoon drive show for "an indefinite period,'' station general manager Dave Greene said, giving it a three-man cast again. Before Fescoe left, Joe DeNiro was fired in October.

At KSLG: Joe Pelusi, Charlie Marlow, Mike Wellington, and Hanna Hercules are in the 11 a.m.-1 p.m. slot at 1380 AM, followed by Evan Makovsky from 1-2 p.m. Brian McKenna (with Mark Klose and Vic Porcelli) and Mike Zarrick most recently had been manning those slots.

At WXOS: Bob Stelton starts Monday at 101.1 FM as Bryan Burwell's co host. He replaces Pat Parris, whose contract was bought out in November. Stelton has worked for Sporting News Radio and for local stations in Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles.