Longtime former KTTV weatherman Mark Thompson, most recently a regular guest and guest host on KFI AM 640′s Tim Conway Jr. show, has a new podcast. And if the second episode of “The Edge” featuring Dateline‘s Josh Mankiewicz is any indication, this conversation series is a keeper.

Thompson and co-host Heather Ankeny welcomed Mankiewicz to  the program’s “new outdoor studio overlooking Los Angeles and the Pacific Ocean.” The veteran NBC TV crime reporter touches on many intriguing topics including Princess Diana, the trial of Jodi Arias and something he was once told by an LAPD homicide-robbery division vet:

The detective said to me, ‘You can classify almost all murders under three motives: money; love; pride.’ And the truth is, that does take care of, or explain, a huge number of murders. ‘I wanted his drugs, I wanted to sell them’ – money; ‘I didn’t want to be married to my wife anymore’ – and sometimes love is the absence of love, or it’s the desire to live with another person…

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It sure didn’t take long for KLOS-FM to officially fill the Mark & Brian void.

In a press release this morning from Cumulus Media, it was revealed that starting September 4, Heidi Hamilton and Frank Kramer will be settling into the still-warm chairs of Mark Thompson and Brian Phelps. It’s a wise choice. The likable pair have been doing their thing ably for many years on Star 98.7, KLSX 97.1 and, most recently, the Internet:

“After a long and thoughtful search which overwhelmed us with great, established talent and new talent waiting to be discovered both in and out of radio, I couldn’t be more pleased with the selection of The Heidi & Frank Show to continue on the tradition that Mark and Brian set in place with 25 years of Hall of Fame radio,” said John Dickey, co-COO of Cumulus Media…

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It was the end of an era this week on KLOS-FM (95.5) as Mark & Brian signed off for the final time after a 25-year run.

Fans were anticipating Mark Thompson‘s departure from the morning show after he announced his retirement, but Brian Phelps was expected to remain at the station. Unfortunately, he was unable to reach a deal with Cumulus Media Inc., the parent company of KLOS.

Instead, Phelps will start a podcast with comedian Jill Whelan. 

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It’s not quite as momentous as Mark Thompson’s recently announced decision to retire from the Mark and Brian morning show after 25 years.

Still, via All Access Music Group comes the news that KLOS has now also lost its program director Jack Silver. He was separately overseeing, for a longer time at La Cienega Blvd. HQ,  the operations of sister station KABC 790 AM:

“I feel great about what we’ve done here for the past two years at KLOS, particularly,” Silver told All Access. “I’m leaving on a high note, with Top 5 Adults 25-54, and #2 Men 25-54 total week at KLOS. We knocked both JACK FM and THE SOUND off their perches. I’m a certified PPM proven winner, and I’m ready for the next challenge.”

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Huge scoop for Don Barrett at LARadio.com.

In an exclusive two-part interview available to website members, Mark Thompson (pictured, at right), co-host of KLOS-FM’s long-running Mark and Brian, confirmed that he will be retiring from active duty this summer. Although he might still engage in the odd bit of work for the station, he warned his regular morning zoo co-hosting days are officially numbered.

Per Radio-Info.com’s quick pick-up of the Barrett item:

Thompson says retiring has been on his mind, as he finished a plan to relocate to the Charlotte area with his wife. Thompson says the new house on Lake Norman has a studio and he’ll be available for occasional work, but he’s ready to quit doing the morning routine alongside Brian Phelps.

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“They’re curing their heartache with big doses of man medicine,” reports Mark Thompson. “Smokin’ hot firemen… sizzling old west cowboys… steamy bare-chested soldiers… and hot cops, in and out of uniform. The kinds of guys that really get these women’s horns up.”

A very thorough and objective investigation of a strip club. Is that man sweat we smell or an Emmy?

Per E&P: The Tribune Co. named Marc Chase president of Tribune Interactive with a press release that lives up to the company’s new-found sense of humor (so long as you’re not making fun of Sam Zell, that is).

The press release begins: “Another freaking Clear Channel Communications executive on the payroll and this one’s been named President of Tribune Interactive.”

And it goes on from there in a manner that will likely make employees feel so much better about newsroom job cuts and dwindling resources.

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