The return of Rock 101 (sort of...)
Fox26 News (okay, not the most reliable source) announced Tuesday that Cumulus Media will resurrect the format and on-air personalities from the now defunct Rock 101, KLOL (a Clear Channel station), which was pulled off the air because of reduced ratings. Among the DJs being resurrected are Walton & Johnson, Stevens & Pruett, and Outlaw Dave.
First of all, let me say that Outlaw Dave Rocked! He played kick-butt Rock & Roll. He was smart, promoted tolerance, and always had the most luscious, yet intelligent, entourage (Lock Stebenhausen excepted, of course). I hope the new studio has a web cam.
On the other hand, these other “personalities” may put Cumulus Media in the same financial boat that prompted Clear Channel to bail.
Stevens & Pruett were yanked from KLOL a few years ago because of dismal numbers. They pandered to the lowest-common-denominator humor market, and it bit them in the part of the body they talked about the most. There were already plenty of fart-joke, ditzy-babe morning shows saturating the market, and these guys didn't play enough music to make up for their mediocrity.
Clear Channel replaced them with Walton & Johnson, a proven formula show from Louisiana. Unfortunately, the silly voices they offered didn't disguise the ignorant opinions they spewed, and again they didn't play enough music to keep listeners. This undoubtedly contributed to Clear Channel's overall decision to dump the whole station.
Of course, the other Clear Channel stations attempted to pick up KLOL's abandoned listeners. KKRW (93.7, The Arrow) added Ozzy, Guns 'N Roses, and others to their classic rock lineup (although they could have passed on Metallica and other alloys), and KKBZ (94.5, The Buzz) well, kept playing alternative rock, although they toned down on the tuneless shoutfests that have passed for music lately.
The biggest losses from the demise of KLOL were the music, the legend, and the culture. I have T-shirts from just about every KLOL blood drive for the past dozen years, and bumper stickers for every incarnation from Chrome Dome to the Runaway Radio. I’ve met DJs like Moby, Donna McKensie, Dayna Steele and others, and they were friendly and unpretentious - not like the prima donnas from the morning shows (Radio Gods? Yeah, right).
So, power to ya, Cumulus. Bring us back the real rock radio we grew up with. Just don’t expect much from your morning shows. I know I’ll be listening elsewhere then, though I’ve yet to find a morning show in this town that actually plays music and doesn’t spend most of its airtime on air-headed babblers and stupid gimmicks.
Coincidently, the new station will be broadcast at 97.5 FM. Anyone remember 97 Rocks? That was the station, and the frequency, that Moby was on before he moved to KLOL. Wouldn’t it be cool to have Moby and Outlaw Dave on the air on 97 Rocks? Fantasy Football would have nothing on that team…
First of all, let me say that Outlaw Dave Rocked! He played kick-butt Rock & Roll. He was smart, promoted tolerance, and always had the most luscious, yet intelligent, entourage (Lock Stebenhausen excepted, of course). I hope the new studio has a web cam.
On the other hand, these other “personalities” may put Cumulus Media in the same financial boat that prompted Clear Channel to bail.
Stevens & Pruett were yanked from KLOL a few years ago because of dismal numbers. They pandered to the lowest-common-denominator humor market, and it bit them in the part of the body they talked about the most. There were already plenty of fart-joke, ditzy-babe morning shows saturating the market, and these guys didn't play enough music to make up for their mediocrity.
Clear Channel replaced them with Walton & Johnson, a proven formula show from Louisiana. Unfortunately, the silly voices they offered didn't disguise the ignorant opinions they spewed, and again they didn't play enough music to keep listeners. This undoubtedly contributed to Clear Channel's overall decision to dump the whole station.
Of course, the other Clear Channel stations attempted to pick up KLOL's abandoned listeners. KKRW (93.7, The Arrow) added Ozzy, Guns 'N Roses, and others to their classic rock lineup (although they could have passed on Metallica and other alloys), and KKBZ (94.5, The Buzz) well, kept playing alternative rock, although they toned down on the tuneless shoutfests that have passed for music lately.
The biggest losses from the demise of KLOL were the music, the legend, and the culture. I have T-shirts from just about every KLOL blood drive for the past dozen years, and bumper stickers for every incarnation from Chrome Dome to the Runaway Radio. I’ve met DJs like Moby, Donna McKensie, Dayna Steele and others, and they were friendly and unpretentious - not like the prima donnas from the morning shows (Radio Gods? Yeah, right).
So, power to ya, Cumulus. Bring us back the real rock radio we grew up with. Just don’t expect much from your morning shows. I know I’ll be listening elsewhere then, though I’ve yet to find a morning show in this town that actually plays music and doesn’t spend most of its airtime on air-headed babblers and stupid gimmicks.
Coincidently, the new station will be broadcast at 97.5 FM. Anyone remember 97 Rocks? That was the station, and the frequency, that Moby was on before he moved to KLOL. Wouldn’t it be cool to have Moby and Outlaw Dave on the air on 97 Rocks? Fantasy Football would have nothing on that team…
posted by Wyld Card at
8:44 AM
1 Comments:
97 Rock was actually 96.5 I remember b/c my father bought a new Buick w/a digital radio and we couldn't figure out why it was 96.5 and they called it 97.
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Anonymous, at 1:06 AM
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