Film Critic Michael Medved Will Likely Get Kvi Talk Slot

Mike Siegel's time slot on "Hot Talk" KVI will likely be taken over by the film critic and author Michael Medved.

Medved is a cultural critic who frequently sits in for Rush Limbaugh.

"I heard Michael when he sat in for Rush and I was very impressed with his work," KVI program director Rob Dunlop said yesterday.

Medved also hosts the nationally broadcast PBS show "Sneak Previews," writes a film-review column for the New York Post, and is author of the book "Hollywood Versus America."

Medved tried the high-profile, noon-to-3 p.m. slot when he visited Seattle two weeks ago. He discussed a more permanent deal with KVI management after the show.

Medved also appeared with his wife, Diane, at the Meyedenbauer Center in Bellevue June 6, and spoke about the impact of Hollywood on the family. He called prime-time television ". . . the most violent ghetto in America."

The show will deal with politics, education, social issues, contemporary news and family topics.

Unlike most radio stations, which gear their programming to listeners' age, education level and lifestyle - variables known in the trade as psychographics - KVI's niche is patently political. KVI found a comfortable mesh between its conservative values and Medved's, Dunlop said.

Diane Medved, a clinical psychologist and author, will also appear on the show, and fill in for her husband when he travels to speaking engagements. She recently released her latest book, "The American Family," which she co-authored with Dan Quayle.

The Medveds will move with their three children to Seattle from their home in Venice, Calif., and live near their friend and colleague, KVI talk-show host Rabbi Daniel Lapin on Mercer Island.

Terms of the deal already have been agreed upon and the contract should be signed later this week.