Some stations help listeners cope, others drop the ball.

When Charles "Cookie" Thornton went on a killing rampage at the Kirkwood City Hall during the city council meeting, most people who were not near a television probably timed to KMOX (1120 AM). KMOX is still the place we turn to when disaster hits, and the station never fails to deliver the story.

The "Two Johns," Carney and Grayson, did a great job that night. A tragedy this immense even intrudes into the sunshine, lollipops and rainbows of the FM morning shows. Or at least it should have.

Guy Phillips, morning host on KYKY (98.1 FM) says he has encountered only a few situations in his long career where a story was so tragic. He added that it is doubly difficult for a show that is entertainment-based when something of this nature happens in the community. But, he said, "We owe it to our listeners to let them express their thoughts" and added, "It is cathartic for them and for us."

He said Phillips and Company still did their show and still laughed and had fun, but the mood was more somber.

The "Smash Morning Show" on KLOU (103.3 FM) handled it pretty well. Smash opened the phones and let listeners talk for the entire morning.

At KWMU (90.7 FM), News Director Bill Raack, who lives in Kirkwood, quickly sent the story to NPR for national airing. KWMU has 11 local newscasts during the day, but none after 7 p.m., which is when the shootings occurred. Follow-ups were aired all the next day, both locally and for NPR. Later, funerals of the victims and of the shooter were covered as well. The latter report explored the racial angle in which some black residents felt Thornton was driven to his murderous action because of his feuding with Kirkwood officials. KWMU's "St. Louis On The Air" also aired commentary about the shootings.

But the biggest urban station in the market showed just how badly syndicated out-of-town programming hurts the community. Amidst a racially charged situation with the community crying out for healing, the syndicated "Steve Harvey Show" aired on KMJM (104.9 FM). Broadcasting from Chicago, Harvey never mentioned the tragedy while I was listening. He certainly could not have given it the cover age it deserved. However, Tony Scott really reached out on his locally produced show in the afternoon on KMJM.

On KSD (93.7 FM), Craig Cornett blew it big time, mentioning the tragedy early in the show and then never bringing it up again. Morning hosts need to be in touch with the hot local topic every day and remember that listeners only tune in for short periods and certainly not for the entire four hours.

Over at WIL (92.3 FM), Cornbread says, "I did dedicate time to the tragedy and took calls on it. We talked about it for about an hour of the four-hour show. My listeners tried to makes heads or tails out of the matter, and it was heartfelt by all."

J.C. Corcoran of KHIT (96.3 FM) was missing from action. He had chosen days before the tragedy to make remarks about wanting to use an AK-47 to shoot officials at AmerenUE because his power went off during the Super Bowl. He also used a black dialect to stereotype an official of the utility. He's been suspended for four weeks. Had he commented on the killings the following day, I'm sure it would have been controversial, but also thought-provoking.

Paul Harris, a casualty of the budget slashing at KMOX, says he is now offering podcasts of his "Knuckleheads in the News" feature at www.harrisonline.com. Harris was part of budget cuts by CBS across the country that also left some veteran KEZK (102.5 FM) personalities out of work. Morning co-host Cindy Collins, newsman Jim Cox and overnight personality Mike Parnell were let go.

Mark Reardon takes over the afternoon slot on KMOX. Reardon started his career at the late KYMC (89.7 FM) a 10-watt radio station once operated by the YMCA. KMOX breaks up the late night "Two Johns, No Waiting" show with John Carney and Jon Grayson. While that show may have been the best on KMOX, it is unheard of in these days to pay two salaries in a non-drive-time slot. Carney will handle 8-11 p.m., and Grayson now holds down 11 p.m.-2 a.m.

There were also budget cuts at Emmis this past month. KSHE (94.7 FM) personality Mikki Gray was let go, along with Emmett Andrews of KPNT (105.7 FM). Five people who worked behind the scenes also lost their jobs.

Management at KTRS (550 AM) continues to make moves that defy all logic. The station has eliminated local weekend newscasts. Listeners now get ABC news at the top of the hour, followed by a national ABC sportscast. Competitor KMOX has been running promos pointing out that its news department operates 24/7. However, KMOX is often running sports play-by-play over the weekend. KTRS provided an alternative during those times.

Joe Sonderman is a traffic producer and anchor for Total Traffic, and reporter and on-air personality for KLOU (103.3 FM).