You could call ‘KSL Brightside’ a reboot, but it’s also a homecoming.
May 5, 2026, 8:12 AM
SALT LAKE CITY — A brand‑new show launched Monday on KSL NewsRadio, and while the program is fresh, the voices behind it are anything but. “KSL Brightside” with Ethan Millard and Alex Kirry brings two longtime friends and radio veterans back together after 20 years.
The energy behind the scenes feels a lot like a reunion. Millard and Kirry first teamed up two decades ago on “The Nightside Project,” a quirky, late‑night experiment that became a cult favorite.
“It is so great to be working with Alex every day,” Millard said, reflecting on the full‑circle moment.
Kirry, in classic Alex-fashion, added his own conditions for returning: “They asked us to fire this thing back up, and the conditions were I’m doing this only with Ethan — and ice cream sandwiches in the break room.”
Back then, neither of them knew the other. They were young, unpolished, and convinced the whole thing might end at any moment.
“We were just flying by the seat of our pants,” Kirry said. “We just assumed that this lucky journey was going to end pretty quick.”
Ethan Millard and Alex Kirry are pictured back in the KSL NewsRadio studio on the day of their show launch, KSL Brightside. (Istvan Bartos, KSL)
Millard remembers the pact they made early on: “I actually remember having this conversation where we said, look — we sink or swim together.”
If you ask them what bonded them, they’ll joke about “trauma bonding,” but there’s truth behind the humor.
“Our relationship was one forged by the insecurity of radio,” they said together, laughing. “Both of us (were) just afraid all the time we were going to get fired. We shared that together.”
Their partnership lasted until 2017, when “The Nightside Project” wrapped. Life moved on. Families grew. Careers shifted. But the chemistry never went away.
Kirry put it bluntly: “I was unmarried with no kids, and now — almost 20 years of marriage and seven kids.”
Millard added, “I am a much older person than when we started the program.”
And the world they’re returning to? Completely different.
“When you’re young, it’s really easy to have a strong opinion,” Millard said. “Our hope is that “KSL Brightside” will have a similar organic kind of feel and will just move and change depending on the season of people’s lives.”
“KSL Brightside” will stream an original hour live on YouTube from noon to 1 p.m. on weekdays, followed by a 1–3 p.m. broadcast on KSL NewsRadio. Episodes will also be available on all major podcast platforms.
