Inauguration day caused many Americans to overflow with pride and hope, unless they were among 1,850 people or nine percent of employees fired by Texas-based Clear Channel Communications Inc. yesterday.

From the broadcast behemoth's seven Honolulu stations, fewer than ten people were fired, primarily from sales, according to sources.

Employees were told that the Ryan-Seacresting of America, or expanding syndication of the personality's show, would not arrive on Hawaii shores.

It was known industry-wide the company would wield its ax while the country focused on the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

TheBuzz's morning inquiry was deflected to corporate communications, whose recorded greeting instructed media to make inquiries via e-mail. The reply to your columnist's questions about local impacts was, “;Out of respect to the people involved, we're not speaking to media during the day today.”;

Instead, copies of memos from Chief Executive Officer Mark Mays and President John Hogan were distributed.

Mays cited “;an unprecedented time of distress in the general economy and the ripple effects (that) have hit some of our largest customers hard.”;

Radio industry Web sites groaned under the crush of online traffic. AllAccess.com kept a running tally of the job losses, primarily affecting programming staff.

Of fins and concoctions

Jimmy Buffett's at the Beachcomber will open at 10 a.m. Mon. Feb. 2 with a traditional blessing, after which it will welcome the public.

The singer, entrepreneur and chief parrothead will perform at the restaurant and nightspot later in the month as part of a grand opening, according to publicist Kris Ferrara, though the date has not been set.

The restaurant was supposed to open at the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber late last year, but restaurant opening dates are often moving targets.

The eatery will be 21,000 square-feet and will seat about 500.

It has a stage upon which the icon is sure to perform, but it will be broken in by up-and-coming local talent, nightly.

Jimmy Buffett's is above the hotel lobby and has a retail store at street level offering Buffett-branded merchandise from Frozen Concoction Makers to CDs, apparel and tchotchkes.

The Honolulu Surfing Museum off the lobby, is also part of Jimmy Buffett's and will include displays of surfing artifacts and surf-inspired items from Hawaii and points beyond.