Three of KDKA Radio's primary on-air hosts -- Mike Pintek, Paul Alexander and Mike Romigh -- have been let go in a staff shake-up.

The changes, the first phase of an extensive overhaul at the news/talk station, also included a pink slip for news reporter Kyle Anthony.

Starting Monday, KDKA-TV investigative reporter Marty Griffin will take over the 9 a.m. to noon shift that had been hosted by Mr. Pintek for years. Interim hosts will be used in the other time slots until the station unveils new nighttime and sports shows in the next few weeks.

In an e-mail to a listener, Mr. Pintek said he had been "summarily and unceremoniously fired." He called it "sudden, unexpected, shocking and deeply disappointing after nearly 24 years" at KDKA.

KDKA may have had its eyes on the ratings when it decided to revamp its longtime lineup.

Keith Clark, vice president of programming for CBS Radio Pittsburgh, cited a need to create programming that's compelling enough to keep listeners from switching frequencies. The new brand of KDKA talk "is going to be something you can't find anywhere else on the radio dial," he said.

When FM talk station WPGB-FM (104.7) signed on with a roster of heavyweight syndicated talent two years ago, many wondered what effect it might have on KDKA, which has been the dominant force in local radio for decades.

While KDKA remains No. 1 in overall ratings, with WPGB in sixth place according to Arbitron Inc., it has lost ground among the 25-to-54-year-old audience that is valued by advertisers and is also a core audience of talk radio.

In the most recent ratings for that coveted demographic, WPGB tied for third place with oldies station WWSW-FM, behind rock station WDVE-FM in first place and country WDSY-FM in second. In the same ratings period, KDKA tied for ninth place with rock station WRKZ-FM among the same age group.

Add competition from other radio talkers, full-time sports talk stations and newer competitors in satellite radio, podcasts and online Webcasts, and its slice of the pie gets even smaller.

KDKA-AM (1020) hasn't made any major changes to its daily lineup since former morning host John Cigna's departure in December 2001. Both Mr. Pintek and Mr. Romigh had been fixtures on KDKA for years, which is unusual in radio.

The newest addition to the KDKA lineup, which still includes Larry Richert in morning drive and Fred Honsberger in afternoon drive, is "The Real Deal -- Inside With Marty Griffin." The show will look at issues of the day and investigate scams and listener problems, attempting to capitalize on Mr. Griffin's identity and experience as an investigative reporter.

Mr. Griffin has worked as a KDKA Radio replacement and also was host of a show on news station KRLD-AM in Dallas. He will continue to work on the KDKA-TV investigative team.

Mr. Clark said listener response to Mr. Griffin prompted the station to consider him as a candidate for a permanent air shift. "Marty came in in a fill-in role and knocked the cover off the ball. He's made a real connection with the audience. We wanted to find a place to create a full-time show for him."

Mr. Clark said the show will have a strong, harder news orientation, with a heavy emphasis on local stories.

The evening sports talk show is also being redesigned, Mr. Clark said. "There's a lot of general sports talk in Pittsburgh. We want to create sports programming that doesn't sound like all the other sports programming in town."

Mr. Alexander, who joined KDKA Radio in 2002 as a sports talk host, will continue in a fill-in role for KDKA-TV, said Christopher Pike, the television station's general manager.

One possibility for the 8 p.m. to midnight shift previously held by Mr. Romigh is John McIntire. Mr. Clark said that if Mr. McIntire, who hosts a weekly Saturday night show on KDKA, was interested in the slot, "we would consider him, but no final decision has been made."

"Radio, like television, is constantly looking for hit shows," Mr. Clark said. "We're looking for different kinds of talk shows that appeal to a wide variety of people. There's a ton of political talk out there, and we do our share of it. But we think KDKA's broader appeal audience is demanding more than political talk. There's more to talk than politics."

The station is also making a few changes behind the scenes. P.J. Kumanchik, KDKA assistant program director and executive producer, will become executive producer of the KDKA morning news show with Larry Richert. Promotions director Jeff Hathhorn moves to morning news editor and sports reporter.

First Published: December 30, 2005, 5:00 a.m.