As some radio listeners learned early this morning, Mark Kaye and Kris Gamble were fired from one of the top-rated shows in DC after completing yesterday’s program. And, as a statement posted on Kaye’s Web site indicates, they’re taking it rather hard:

…We are still processing this surprising turn-of-events. Summer 2006 was our best ratings period ever. We are Number 1 with Women 18-34 (Hot 99.5’s Key Demographic) and had a 9.0 share overall. While we are baffled by the decision of Hot 99.5’s management, we respect that it was theirs to make. We look forward to bringing our Number 1 Rated Morning Show to a new outlet soon.

The duo will be replaced on November 13 with a Florida deejay named Kane, according to the station’s management. A popular sidekick from the show, known as Teapot Tim, had recently been let go from the program, and a search had been underway for a replacement. All plans are now on hold until the new deejay arrives.

A side mess, too, has developed as some media watchers have questioned why the Washington Post failed to cover the story today. Dave Hughes, writer of the DCRTV Washington/Baltimore media site, has sounded off:

So, let’s see. The morning show (”The Hot Morning Mess” ) on one of DC’s top-rated (5th in the last round of Arbitrons) radio stations (Hot 99.5) gets canned Wednesday and the Washington Post doesn’t make the slightest mention of it in Thursday’s Style section. Anyone wonder why the frigging rag’s circulation is down 3 percent in almost every quarter? Quarter after quarter?

Heck, if bow-tied blue-blood Tucker Carlson had farted on “Dancing With The Stars” you just know that LA-based TV scribe Lisa de Moraes would have penned 30 paragraphs about it. Or, if she was on one of her lengthy vacations, one of the wire services would have covered it and the “Reliable Source” gals would have done a bang-up re-write job. Sheesh.

Guess we’ll have to wait to see if the Post makes a mention of this development tomorrow.