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The decision to not renew his contract after 20 consecutive years of service — 23 overall, including a previous stint — was announced as having been a joint move by the club, telecaster FanDuel Sports Network and radio flagship station WXOS (101.1 FM). Also ousted among other developments was Jamie Rivers, the primary TV analyst for the past two seasons, as the team is turning to a simulcast model in which the radio call of Chris Kerber and Joey Vitale also will be heard on the telecasts. (Rivers will return to his previous slot on the pregame/postgame TV analyst roster.)

There has been a major outpouring of fan anger over the banishment of Kelly and the disrespect to his family’s deep legacy with the team and in the city.

Kelly’s father, Dan Kelly, was hired in the team’s second season (1968-69) to call games and became legendarily synonymous with hockey broadcasting not only in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ but across two countries via top-tier national assignments in the U.S. and Canada. The elder Kelly’s brother, Hal, did some fill-in work in the team’s early years, and John’s brother, Dan P. Kelly, was the club’s radio voice in the late 1990s. The Kellys are broadcasting royalty in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½, like the Bucks and now Carays.

The Blues have been so important to the family that they took the Stanley Cup to Dan's grave after the team finally won it in 2019 — three decades after he died.

Fans’ ire was further fueled when Blues President Chris Zimmerman said he “definitely wouldn’t characterize it as a cost-cut move,� which some perceived as balderdash and others as a shot at Kelly. The ouster has sullied the Blues’ reputation as a fan-friendly, do-the-right-thing organization, and the club has tried to spray perfume on this putrid procedure.

The team headlined by Kelly’s trademark “Thank you, thank you, thank you� call for big moments, with the underlying text saying the thank yous are for “20 years of memorable calls during some of the biggest moments in our history, thank you John Kelly.�

Zimmerman said in the statement that announced Kelly’s ouster: “John Kelly’s legacy as the television voice of the Blues will forever be treasured and respected. John holds a place of high honor with the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Blues.â€�

Blues owner Tom Stillman issued his own statement, saying in part that “John has been a tremendous ambassador for the organization, and his professionalism and passion for Blues hockey have helped to expand our fan base to new levels.�

Then why the heck was he treated without any of that respect, honor or passion? Kelly turns 65 next week — couldn’t something at least have been worked out for him to do a final season that would give him, the club and the telecaster a feel-good finish instead of this blue bloodbath?

Adding to the indignity is that he was told he was out in July — making it tough to find a job for the approaching season just a couple of months before camps open.

While Zimmerman was praising Kelly out of one side of his mouth, the other side wasn’t as rosy.

Speaking of Kerber and Vitale, he said: “We believe that we’ve got one of the best in the business and a team between the two of them that has chemistry, a commitment to the game, a commitment to learning, a commitment to our brand that is going to give us a dynamic, fresh broadcast.�

While that might be true, it also implies that Kelly and Rivers didn’t have all those traits. Of course the broadcasts weren’t as electric since dynamic analyst Darren Pang left two summers ago for a better deal in Chicago. But Pang, who had his own battles with what now is FanDuel Sports Network over the years, was a rare talent — as evidenced by the Blackhawks’ lucrative offer to him and national networks eager to hire him to moonlight.

And a “fresh broadcast?� Kerber and Vitale have worked together for six years! If fans were so unhappy with the TV announcers, they could have turned down the sound and listened on radio.

Zimmerman also said that Kerber, who is going into his 26th season broadcasting the team, “has earned this moment and opportunity to connect with a much broader audience.�

Fair enough. There has been more pizzaz on the radio broadcasts, more of an entertainment-oriented approach that TV apparently wants. So why not just have the crews switch roles, with Kerber and Vitale going to television and Kelly and Rivers to radio to keep separate broadcasts? After all, Rivers already is a co-host on 101.1 and the station wouldn't have to share him with TV anymore.

Meanwhile, Kerber is in a tough spot. He didn't ask for this and has been close with Kelly, so close that he graciously turned over the radio microphone to Kelly to call the second period of the Blues' 2019 Stanley Cup Final games. Kelly otherwise would have missed out because there were only national TV broadcasts and Kerber wanted Kelly to experience calling the Blues in the Final, as Kelly's dad had done.

Kerber said Wednesday on 101.1 of replacing his friend: “That is the single most difficult part. ... I have nothing but complete admiration for John Kelly. I have nothing but complete respect for John Kelly. ... The utmost respect for not just John but the name, the heritage, what they meant to this franchise.�

This is not the first messy exit for a prominent Blues broadcaster. The club and Ken Wilson had a very ugly breakup two decades ago when Kelly was hired as his replacement.

Blended broadcasts

Broadcasting on radio and TV are distinctly different — or should be. A radio listener needs a lot more description than the television watcher, quite simply because one can generally see what’s happening and the other can’t. So there will be a lot of wasted verbiage on TV if the radio listener is being treated properly. Or the radio listener will be left to guess what’s happening if there aren’t more details given than are needed on TV. One, or both, will be impacted.

The moves come under new management at Main Street Media Group, FanDuel Sports Network’s parent company. It has TV rights to 13 NBA teams and eight each in MLB and the NHL, and longtime ESPN executive Norby Williamson was hired in January as FDSN's president of production and programming. The telecaster now has final say on its Blues broadcasters, which hasn’t always been the case.

Williamson would be expected to cut costs — after all, Main Street is what has emerged from its bankrupt predecessor and changes are necessary in an evolving broadcast environment. Main Street’s slicing included the firing this spring of executive producers at the company's regional outlets nationwide, including Larry Mago in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. That follows the retirement last September of Jack Donovan, who ran what now is FDSN’s ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ operations for three decades out of offices located in the city. The company’s local operations now are run from out of town.

But any FanDuel Sports Network involvement wouldn’t prevent the Blues from putting Kelly on radio.

“We want to sincerely thank John for his exceptional work in the booth throughout his career,� Williamson said in the statement announcing the changes. “He’s been a true pro and solid ambassador for the Blues organization, and we deeply appreciate the impact he’s made over the years.�

Then why not keep him? Do all the partners really believe a one-size-fits-all model is better than ones tailored for distinctly different audiences?

A FanDuel Sports Network spokesperson said neither Williamson nor Jay Rothman, the man Williamson hired last spring to oversee the company’s NHL broadcasts, would be available for an interview to comment beyond what was in the canned statement.

Zimmerman called FDSN executives “a team of visionaries and the very best at what they do, and that’s good news for Blues fans.�

That eventually might be true. But to have foresight also requires hindsight, especially in ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½. Tradition and history are revered here and the way this has been handled is an insult to a highly respected man, his iconic family plus a loyal and passionate fan base. Although it is believed the Blues are giving Kelly a financial payment, something they are not obligated to do, the way the rest of this has been handled is unfortunate. And rude.

Kelly still isn’t ready to speak publicly about the situation but took the high road in a social media post after the news was announced. He even thanked FanDuel Sports Network in a farewell statement that also saluted the fans, whose “unwavering support has meant everything to me and my family.�

That was a classy gesture — unlike much of the way Kelly has been treated this month.

Cards don’t plan simulcasts

The Cardinals aren’t seeking to follow the Blues down the simulcasting trail, team senior vice president of business operations Anuk Karunaratne said.

“We’ve never discussed it,� he said. “Never thought about it.�

Last week, it was announced that KMOX (104.1 FM, 1120 AM) will remain as the flagship station of the team’s radio network under a multiyear extension. FanDuel Sports Network is the club’s local TV and video streaming provider.