A loss for L.A. -- and the rest of the nation

I awoke, as I usually do, to the witticisms of the L.A.-based Adam Carolla Show -- only to find Carolla and his sidekicks Teresa Strasser and Bryan Bishop discussing the imminent demise of their show, due to CBS Radio's desire to switch to a cheaper, musical format.

Carolla's common-man, common-sense comedy has been one of L.A.'s greatest natural resources in recent years, going back to his many years as co-host of KROQ's Loveline. His radio show had some rough patches (you could imagine this move as karmic retribution for his overuse of people like David Allen Grier, who is hysterical in all the wrong ways), but the show was at its best when Carolla, Strasser and Bishop simply bantered about the small and great events of the day. When no guests, or callers, or Danny Bonaduce, were there to step all over their subtle and perceptive humor, they shined best.

Carolla will say hard things that others are too timid to say -- out of sincerity and intellectual honesty, not out of a ratings-driven desire to shock. Strasser is a genuine public intellectual, a bright writer who managed to succeed in morning radio in a venue beyond NPR. (Now that is a shock.) Bishop is a sound-drop master and a foil who can add humor with perfect timing, by pressing a button or making a quip. Their ratings were solid and profitable -- yet they and other KLSX personalities have been forced off because CBS Radio felt a need to search for a still-better profit margin.

The word is that Carolla and his gang will continue to podcast in some form at AdamCarolla.com, which takes away some of the sting. Carolla will also get to spend more time at home while enjoying a contract payout, which will take away much more of the sting for him personally. But he could do well to add Loveline back to his routine, as his replacement there has been brainlessly circling the lower rings of Dante's radio inferno. Given how the digital video generation has no idea how to relate authentically with real human beings, Carolla's funny, spot-on relationship wisdom is crucial.

As for Strasser and Bishop, they deserve other new platforms soon for their many talents. Stay tuned to see what happens next in their careers.