A heated contract dispute with management has forced the sports talk team off local airwaves for at least one day, perhaps longer. According to insiders, it’s highly probable that Scott Kaplan (left) and Billy Ray Smith will next be heard on classic-rock mainstay KGB-FM as that station’s permanent morning show.

While the move has not been officially confirmed, it coincides with a statement posted last Thursday on Kaplan and Smith’s personal website, www.thescottandbrshow.com [1]. In its entirety, the statement reads as follows:

“We are involved in a bitter contract dispute with 1090. As a result, we will not be on the air live Monday. Truth is, (we’re) not sure we will ever be on 1090 again. However, we are very confident we will be on the radio in SD within the next few weeks.”

Kaplan and Smith have co-hosted a morning sports talk show in San Diego since April 2001, when they debuted on XTRA-AM (690), a sports talk station that’s now a Spanish language outlet. Two years later, they moved to rival upstart XX Sports Radio, then known as “The Mighty 1090.”

If “Scott & BR” do move to KGB-FM, a move that’s rumored to take place within several weeks, possibly sooner, they will essentially replace the hugely popular “Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw” (DSC) morning show, which ruled the local airwaves for nearly 20 years.

That show abruptly ended its lengthy run in early January, when the show’s cast, which featured host Dave Rickards, Shelly Dunn and Cookie “Chainsaw” Randolph along with other on-air contributors, declined KGB-FM’s contract offer. Since their departure, KGB-FM, part of the Clear Channel local stable of outlets, has aired a music-heavy format of ’70s and ’80s classic rock.

Based on a web posting, it appears likely that Kaplan and Smith’s intended departure will face an aggressive legal challenge from XX Sports owner John Lynch.

A long-time local radio executive, Lynch is credited with launching the nation’s first all-sports radio format back in the ’80s with XTRA-AM. His current company, which also includes a classic rock station (The Walrus, 105.7FM) and a talk station (1700AM), is known as Broadcast Company of the Americas (BCA).

Just as Kaplan and Smith posted a statement on their website, Lynch’s sports station posted a statement on its website, www.xxsportsradio.com [5], which read in part:

“We are very sorry to inform you that Scott and BR will not be on the air until a dispute is resolved. BCA is currently in a contractual dispute with Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith, as a result of Scott and BR’s attempt to terminate their agreements prior to its scheduled expiration in 2012. BCA believes that its agreements with both Scott and BR remain in full force and effect, and that their attempted early termination is in violation of their agreements.”

If Kaplan and Smith do wind up at KGB-FM, the move will mark Clear Channel’s first major programming hire since the forced departures of two morning teams from its local radio lineup.

In addition to the “DSC” leaving KGB-FM, another popular team, Jeff & Jer, left Star 94.1FM last August, when their lucrative contracts were not renewed by Clear Channel.