Nick Cattles debuts in Grant Napear’s old time slot on KHTK

There was a major shakeup at Sports 1140 KHTK on Tuesday as new program director Nick Cattles debuted his afternoon radio show in the time slot that once belonged to Grant Napear.

KHTK announced a revamped lineup featuring “The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross” from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and “The Nick Cattles Show” from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Cattles made his debut Tuesday, 19 months after the radio station parted ways with Napear, a former KHTK host and Kings play-by-play announcer who was fired in June 2020 amid accusations of racial insensitivity.

Cattles is a Rhode Island native who earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Rhode Island. Cattles came to Sacramento from ESPN Radio 94.1 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where he had hosted an afternoon show since 2017. He previously worked for WBZ-FM 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston and WPRV 790-AM in Rhode Island.

“I couldn’t be happier or more excited to join a brand with such a rich tradition,” Cattles said in a news release from Bonneville International, which owns KHTK. “I look forward to this challenge and doing whatever I can to make sure KHTK remains the king of sports talk in Sacramento.”

The sports talk landscape in Sacramento has changed since Napear left the local airwaves in 2020. KHTK faces stiff competition for afternoon listeners from “D-Lo & KC” with Damien Barling and Kenny Caraway from noon to 4 p.m. on ESPN 1320.

Napear is suing Bonneville for wrongful termination. He is seeking an amount in excess of $75,000 in damages for wrongful termination, discrimination and retaliation, according to a complaint filed in Sacramento federal court.

Napear’s downfall came when former Kings center DeMarcus Cousins took to Twitter to ask Napear for his opinion of the Black Lives Matter movement. Napear replied: “ALL LIVES MATTER … EVERY SINGLE ONE.”

Former Kings players Chris Webber and Matt Barnes responded to Napear’s tweet, adding to the backlash.

“Demarcus we know and have known who grant is,” Webber tweeted. “The team knows as well. I’ve told them many times. They’ve seen it. They know who he is.”

Barnes, who joined Kings TV as a game analyst this season, tweeted: “Would expect nothing less from a closet racist.”

Napear said he was unaware the phrase “All Lives Matter” was seen as disparaging to Black Lives Matter, but he was swiftly fired from his radio job amid a social media firestorm. He also resigned from his position as play-by-play announcer on Kings television broadcasts, a role he held for 32 years.

Ross, KHTK’s former program director, has hosted the station’s afternoon show since Napear’s departure. Ross moved to the morning show Tuesday, joining Carmichael Dave and executive producer Justin Marshall, who is known on the show as JayMarZZ.