By Sasha Park · Originally reported by Richard Horgan (2013) · Wayback archive →
In mid-April 2013, KCRW’s Le Show host Harry Shearer talked publicly about being downsized at KCRW — speaking with KPCC’s Mike Roe on the Without a Net podcast about the end of his long-running tenure at the Santa Monica public-radio station.
Then
Harry Shearer had been hosting Le Show — his weekly satirical-news-and-music radio show — on KCRW for years. The show’s mix of political satire, cultural commentary, and Shearer’s voice work (drawing on his Simpsons character roster, This Is Spinal Tap persona, and broader voice-acting career) had been one of KCRW’s signature properties. The KCRW transition was framed as a downsizing rather than a contentious departure.
Now
Harry Shearer continued Le Show after the KCRW exit — the show went directly to listeners via podcast and continued via stations across the country in syndication. Fifteen years on, Le Show is one of the longest-running independent satire-and-news shows in U.S. radio history. Shearer’s Simpsons run continued through 2025 across the show’s record-breaking 36-season run. Mike Roe continued at KPCC through subsequent editorial roles, with the station eventually rebranding parts of its operation under the LAist banner.
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