It’s painful when a friend loses his job—even if that friend is someone you’ve never met.

For talk-radio fans in the thirty-eight states that receive the powerful signal of Boston’s CBS Radio affiliate WBZ-AM, the two most important hours of the weekend were on Saturday night between 7:00pm and 9:00pm Eastern. For most of this decade, that timeslot was occupied by an outstanding host named Pat Desmarais.

Desmarais, who had appeared on radio stations in New York, New Hampshire and Massachusetts prior to his tenure at WBZ, was an intellectually vibrant host, a man unafraid to defend positions generally considered unpopular in the station’s home state. A proud Republican who was firm in his support of President Bush and the Iraq War, Desmarais accepted ideological challenges from callers with sharply differing perspectives—and emerged from almost all of these fights with his head held high.

Often, I would cringe as caller after caller went after Desmarais with ruthless aggression, attacking the alleged stupidity of his views. Desmarais stood his ground with style and a smile; he was the very definition of cool under pressure.

I called into Desmarais’ show several times between 2005 and 2008. Sometimes, I would dial the station’s number as soon as the show came on, hoping that I would be the first caller. I didn’t do this out of ego; I did this because I knew he would face a crush of criticism for his markedly conservative views, and I wanted him to know that there were a few listeners who thought his views were, well, right on.

Desmarais often filled in for the station’s weekday hosts, and he always delivered a strong performance. Just a few weeks ago, he substituted for WBZ’s talk-radio MVP, Dan Rea, and put on a show that maintained Rea’s high standards. (Would that some of Rush Limbaugh’s fill-ins did the same honor for him!)

I hoped that Desmarais would have a bright future at WBZ. Unfortunately, the cloudy economy deferred that dream.

At the end of December, Desmarais was laid off along with fellow Saturday-night host Lovell Dyett; Steve LeVeille, who hosted weeknights from midnight to 5:00am Eastern, was also let go. CBS Radio is obviously feeling the acute pain of the slowing economy, and it was determined that Desmarais, Dyett and LeVeille had to be released to alleviate the hurt the company is suffering. (CBS Radio also released veteran hosts in other markets, a sign of the company’s tough economic situation.)

The decision to release Dyett and LeVeille has sparked outrage; civil-rights activists in Boston are crying foul about Dyett’s departure (Dyett was one of Boston’s most visible black media figures for decades), and LeVeille’s fans have flooded message boards and e-mail in-boxes with complaints about his layoff. Yet Desmarais’ departure doesn’t seem to have generated similar outrage. Why?

I’m not outraged by Desmarais’ ouster. I understand that CBS Radio is battling grim economic conditions. Yet I can’t help feeling heartbroken and disappointed. Having worked for WBZ a decade ago, I know that the station’s managers are trying to do the best they can under difficult circumstances. They do not deserve the harsh condemnation they are receiving from the fans of LeVeille and Dyett.

I just wish the health of the radio business had remained strong, so that talented men like Desmarais, LeVeille and Dyett would still have a chance to ply their trade at the station. Perhaps LeVeille and Dyett will have the opportunity to appear in another news/talk venue in the future. Desmarais should also have such an opportunity.

I’d bet the bank that even the folks who despised Desmarais during his tenure at WBZ wish he was back on the air now. Desmarais treated all callers with respect, even the ones who thought he was a right-wing troglodyte. Like Rea, Desmarais was humble in a medium that seems to reward hubris. Every second of his time on WBZ’s airwaves was filled to capacity with class.

I’m pessimistic about a lot of things these days—whether our country is still as strong as it was in earlier generations, whether the popular culture will ever value anything besides ignorance and shock value, whether the Republican Party will ever get its act together. However, I have to be optimistic about the future health of the economy and, specifically, the future health of the radio business—because such optimism is the only way I’ll ever have a chance to hear Pat Desmarais’ wonderful voice again.