Jabulani Leffall is tired of being on someone else’s time
For a man who hosted a public-radio talk show, Jabulani Leffall speaks a lot about revolution. He referenced it during his on-air resignation January 16 as host of KCUR 89.3’s Central Standard. “This is a new world order on Central Standard and my last broadcast at KCUR 89.3 FM. I’m Jabulani Leffall, signing off in the words of Gil Scott-Heron: The revolution will not be televised. The revolution is live.”
Leffall’s so-called revolution is against conventional journalism, a 9-to-5 workday, and his own broadcast career. He said he made the choice to walk away from KCUR in an instant, on live radio.
“I made a conscious decision in one minute to end it,” Leffall told The Pitch. “That one minute was between 10:57 and 10:58.”
The Pitch reached Leffall on his cellphone a few hours after the surprise resignation. “Hi, you’re on SoundCloud,” Leffall answered. “Who am I talking to?” A Pitch reporter identified himself and asked Leffall why he quit the job he’d held since October 2010 (in the time slot previously held by local broadcast legend Walt Bodine).
Leffall, 37, agreed to talk about his decision to quit. But the interview complicated the story of his departure from the public-radio station. Leffall steered the conversation into strange territory, referencing race, eavesdropping, space aliens and God’s existence.
