KABC Keeps Fistell, Charged in Felony Case, Off the Air

Late-night talk-show host Ira Fistell, arrested last Friday for felony hit-and-run after leaving the scene of a fatal car accident, will not return to the KABC-AM (790) airwaves this week.

“We are re-evaluating (Fistell’s return) on a weekly basis,” said KABC programming director Bob Kay. Fistell is free on $20,000 bail.

“Our concern is that if Ira were to go back on the air, all of the calls would center around the unfortunate accident. That isn’t fair to Ira, nor to the families involved,” Kay explained.

He said that the decision was mutually reached Tuesday by Fistell, his Santa Monica-based attorney Marc A. Staenberg, KABC President George Green and station operation manager Al Brady Law. Neither Green nor Law could be reached for comment.

Staenberg said Wednesday that Fistell and KABC “have determined that (Fistell) can use the time to recuperate” from “the emotional upset of the accident,” but he did not say how long that would be.

Staenberg said Fistell was not suffering from any injuries stemming from last Thursday night’s collision, which resulted in the death of Jaynna Banks, 16, who was a passenger in a car driven by Josh DeJean, 19. DeJean, who suffered a broken bone in his neck, remains in stable condition at Midway Hospital Medical Center.

After the accident, police said, Fistell summoned his wife to the scene and left her there to talk to authorities while he took a cab to report for his 11 p.m.-4 a.m. shift at KABC.

The Los Angeles district attorney’s office won’t decide what formal charges to file against Fistell until police finalize the results of a reconstruction of the accident, which is planned this week, said LAPD traffic officer Mike Fischer.

Fistell, 53, was reached by phone at his home Monday but would not comment for the record. He has been ordered to report for arraignment in Municipal Court on March 17.

In order to control anticipated caller interest in Fistell’s situation, KABC issued a memo to all screeners that questions regarding Fistell would not be accepted. According to Kay, only one caller has tried to talk about the incident.

Kay did not explain why a similar memo was not issued for screeners at KABC’s sister station (also managed by Green and housed at the same La Cienega Boulevard facility), KMPC-AM (710).

Times staff writer Paul Feldman contributed to this story.