Kirby Wilbur
Encyclopedia
Kirby Wilbur is an American
radio personality and conservative political activist who hosted a local conservative talk radio morning show on KVI-AM in Seattle, Washington. He occasionally hosts The Sean Hannity Show
on a fill-in basis. He was elected the State Chairman of the Washington State Republican Party
in January 2011.
and raised in Seattle, graduating from Queen Anne High School and the University of Washington
. A real estate appraiser by profession, Wilbur was a frequent caller to Seattle talk radio stations when, in 1993, a producer at KVI-AM asked him to audition for an on-air position. He was first employed by the station as a substitute host, then began weekday evening broadcasts in 1993.
Wilbur, who has served as a delegate to three Republican National Convention
s, met his wife, Trina, while working on Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign. They have two sons, Nathan and Adam.
, the American Conservative Union
, Second Amendment Foundation
and Citizens United
.
, Say the Right Thing: Talk Radio's Favorite Conservative Quotes, Notes and Gloats, which was published by Merrill Press.
) time slot at KVI-AM in 1995 as The Kirby Wilbur Show. In 2006, the name of the program was changed to Kirby & Co. and began to feature occasional, but increasingly irregular, contributions by KVI news director Carleen Johnson and producer David Carson.
Frequent guests included "Brian the Movie Guy", a local movie reviewer who provides family-friendly film reviews. Famous guests included Donald Rumsfeld
, Laura Schlessinger
, and Dennis Miller
.
On 12 November 2009, a Thursday, Wilbur broadcast the last edition of his show. The KVI general manager indicated that the reason was declining ratings; no misconduct was cited.
Wilbur has been a frequent staple on the Talkers Magazine
"Heavy Hundred" list, an annual index of what the magazine bills as "the most important radio talk show hosts in America". In 2009, he appeared in position 72.
by a vote of 69 to 36 as Chair of the Washington State Republican Party in January 2011.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio personality and conservative political activist who hosted a local conservative talk radio morning show on KVI-AM in Seattle, Washington. He occasionally hosts The Sean Hannity Show
The Sean Hannity Show
The Sean Hannity Show is a talk radio show hosted by Sean Hannity on Citadel Media and Premiere Radio Networks. The program is broadcast live every weekday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m...
on a fill-in basis. He was elected the State Chairman of the Washington State Republican Party
Washington State Republican Party
The Washington State Republican Party is the state affiliate of the national Republican Party, headquartered in Bellevue.The Chairman of the Washington State Republican Party is Kirby Wilbur, former host of the morning drive show on 570 KVI radio in Seattle for over fourteen years. The Vice Chair...
in January 2011.
Early life and career
Wilbur was born in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and raised in Seattle, graduating from Queen Anne High School and the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
. A real estate appraiser by profession, Wilbur was a frequent caller to Seattle talk radio stations when, in 1993, a producer at KVI-AM asked him to audition for an on-air position. He was first employed by the station as a substitute host, then began weekday evening broadcasts in 1993.
Wilbur, who has served as a delegate to three Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
s, met his wife, Trina, while working on Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign. They have two sons, Nathan and Adam.
Activism
Wilbur is a member of the boards of directors of the Young America's FoundationYoung America's Foundation
Young America's Foundation is a conservative youth organization, founded in 1969, with a focus on sharing conservative ideas with students through conferences, campus lectures, seminars, posters, and activism initiatives.-History:...
, the American Conservative Union
American Conservative Union
The American Conservative Union is an American political organization advocating conservative policies, and is the oldest such conservative lobbying organization in the country.-Organization:...
, Second Amendment Foundation
Second Amendment Foundation
The Second Amendment Foundation or SAF is an educational- and legal-defense organization which describes its mission as “promoting a better understanding about our constitutional heritage to privately own and possess firearms...
and Citizens United
Citizens United
Citizens United is a conservative non-profit organization in the United States. Its president and chairman is David Bossie.-Overview:Citizens United describes its mission as being dedicated to restoring the United States government to "citizens' control" and to "assert American values of limited...
.
Writing
In 1999 Wilbur co-authored, with Floyd BrownFloyd Brown
Floyd Gregory Brown is an American author, speaker and media commentator. He is president of Excellentia Inc., a consulting company specializing in non-profit organizational strategy, development and marketing. Brown has also worked as a political consultant and conducted opposition research for...
, Say the Right Thing: Talk Radio's Favorite Conservative Quotes, Notes and Gloats, which was published by Merrill Press.
Kirby & Co.
Wilbur began hosting the 5:00am to 9:00am (PTPacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
) time slot at KVI-AM in 1995 as The Kirby Wilbur Show. In 2006, the name of the program was changed to Kirby & Co. and began to feature occasional, but increasingly irregular, contributions by KVI news director Carleen Johnson and producer David Carson.
Frequent guests included "Brian the Movie Guy", a local movie reviewer who provides family-friendly film reviews. Famous guests included Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
, Laura Schlessinger
Laura Schlessinger
Laura Catherine Schlessinger is an American talk radio host, socially conservative commentator and author. Her radio program consists mainly of her responses to callers' requests for personal advice and has occasionally featured her short monologues on social and political topics...
, and Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, sports commentator, and television and radio personality. He is known for his critical assessments laced with pop culture references...
.
On 12 November 2009, a Thursday, Wilbur broadcast the last edition of his show. The KVI general manager indicated that the reason was declining ratings; no misconduct was cited.
Wilbur has been a frequent staple on the Talkers Magazine
Talkers magazine
Talkers Magazine is a trade industry publication related to talk radio in the United States. Its slogan is "The Bible of Talk Radio and the New Talk Media"...
"Heavy Hundred" list, an annual index of what the magazine bills as "the most important radio talk show hosts in America". In 2009, he appeared in position 72.
The Sean Hannity Show
Since 2003 Wilbur has served as fill-in host on 11 episodes of the Sean Hannity Show.Chair of the Washington State Republican Party
Wilbur unseated Luke EsserLuke Esser
Luke Esser was the chairman of the Republican Party of Washington from 2007 to 2011. He was elected on January 27, 2007, when he defeated incumbent chairwoman Diane Tebelius, was re-elected in 2009, but lost to Kirby Wilbur in 2011....
by a vote of 69 to 36 as Chair of the Washington State Republican Party in January 2011.