KIRO radio host is let go after felony charge filed

Radio talk-show host Mike Webb has been fired from his job at KIRO radio after he was charged earlier this month with making a fraudulent insurance claim.

A spokesman for KIRO confirmed Wednesday that Webb, who pleaded not guilty to the felony charge last week, is no longer with parent company Entercom and will no longer have his liberal show on KIRO-AM (710). The spokesman did not provide further details.

Attempts to reach Webb or his attorney for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful. Webb allegedly made a fraudulent claim after an accident June 28, when his Lexus was struck by an uninsured driver.

According to charging papers filed in King County Superior Court, Webb allegedly produced a forged document indicating he bought an insurance policy with Geico before the accident.

The insurance company said that Webb, 50, bought the policy online one day after the accident. Geico denied coverage of the nearly $6,000 in damage.

Webb, however, insisted that he had purchased the policy online more than a month before the accident, and during an interview with an insurance adjuster, he produced copies of bank statements that purported to show payments made to Geico on May 20 and June 7.

Webb, who flatly denied the charge last week, said he believes it may be the result of an insurance-company snafu caused by a clerical or computer error.

The charge may underline a potential problem with online policies, according to Webb's attorney, in which there can be a lag between the time the policy is confirmed and when it goes into effect.

Webb also said that he and his attorney, Bradley Marshall, are looking into the possibility that the incident was caused by a computer hacker who "hates" his show and hoped to cause Webb trouble.

Charging documents say that at the time of the accident, Webb produced an insurance card for a policy with National Merit that had not been in effect since 2001. Webb said last week that he mistakenly grabbed the old card.

Webb's arrest and the filing of charges were first reported by Michael Hood on his Web log, http://blatherwatch.blogs.com, where Webb's termination was a topic of discussion Wednesday.

Webb has worked for KIRO since the mid-1990s.

In a goodbye note to his listeners, Webb wrote in his Web log, "Thank You For Your Friendship during these past 35 years on the radio, especially the past 10, where we had a chance to really get to know one another and offer an alternative to the disgusting, corporate-driven nonsense masquerading as talk radio. ... So Long, Mike."

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com