from the Reno Gazette-Journal
March 30th, 2001
I was bugged by radio station format changes at an early age. I remember being 11 or 12 when my favorite station went from Duran Duran and Def Leppard to Elvis and the oldies bunch.
More recently, a rather cool station here, KZZF, went from playing great modern rock, to oldies, and have since come back around to an '80s format. It was a bold station, one where you heard songs no station here ever play. Bands like Ride and the Afghan Whigs had a chance on this station. One day I tuned in and there was Martha and the Vandella's "Heat Wave."
I quickly dialed the station and asked 'Did you change your format?' to the voice on the other end. 'Yes,' was the sullen-sounding response.
KRZQ, at 100.9 FM, was the most recent airwave shakeup. The "extreme" rock station first canceled Howard Stern, then "Loveline," and now, from what sources tell me, the new music "Wake the Neighbors" program and local music show "The Scene" have not been airing.
I guess it started going south when they cut out the all-request "Yesterday's Lunch," a show that played requests a minimum of four years old. I haven't heard "Bitchin' Camaro" since. I should have known something was wrong when I heard enough Metallica to think I was tuned to the wrong station. I'm sorry, but Metallica hasn't been "extreme" since about 1988. Furthermore, Bush hasn't been extreme in the last five years either.
So I called KRZQ General Manager April Clark to ask what the changes were all about. She told me that the changes were based on decisions made by her and her corporate bosses.
"We sat down and said '(Howard) Stern's contract is up in a month, and we had to make some hard decisions and decided it would be best if Stern wouldn't be a part of it.
"It hasn't been fun," Clark said of the incessantly ringing phones from disappointed listeners. "When you have somebody like Stern, you're going to get very loyal listeners."
Stern was picked up this week by KZZZ, 1270 AM. Clark noted Stern's controversial nature as part of the reason for dropping his show. Seems to me they'd also want to change the name of the lunchtime game "Wanna Do A Line?" where listeners are challenged to name the song from which a lyric comes. I think making light of cocaine abuse is kinda controversial.
Meanwhile Clark said "Loveline" was dropped solely because it didn't get any ratings.
As for "Wake the Neighbors," Clark says they're looking for someone to continue the show after it's creator left for a job in Las Vegas. She also says there are no plans to drop "The Scene" from Sunday, although it wasn't heard this week.
I highly recommend retaining an outlet for local musicians to be heard. KRZQ has the only one I know of, and there is some good stuff out there by Reno-area bands. An hour or two a week isn't a sacrifice. But let's give the station a chance to show us its new stuff. Clark says the station is moving away from the "extreme" label for a broader appeal. Even she's not sure what that means yet.
from allaccess.com
March 23, 2001
--snips--
RENO sees an AM shakeup, as the 1270 frequency flips from Sports KPLY to Talk KZZZ (THE BUZZ) on MONDAY (3/26), with HOWARD STERN returning to the market for mornings, and WESTWOOD ONE's TOM LEYKIS (formerly heard on crosstown KPTT-A) and FISHER ENTERTAINMENT's ED TYLL and JOHN AND JEFF also aboard.
--snips--
from the Reno Gazette-Journal
March 23rd, 2001
It didn't take long for the self-proclaimed "King of All Media" to make his way back to Reno airwaves.
Last week, KRZQ, 100.9-FM, announced it would no longer carry Howard Stern's popular morning radio show. But Thursday, Mike West of Americom Broadcasting, announced that Stern would be the foundation for a new station his company will launch Monday.
This means not only the return of Stern's program, which is consistently ranked No. 1 or No. 2 among Reno morning shows, but a shakeup on the AM dial. West said sports radio KPLY, which currently airs on 1270 AM, will move to 1230 AM, replacing KCBN. Those two stations now air the same signal.
The shift will allow 1270 AM to become KZZZ, a new talk station nicknamed The Buzz.
"Anything sports related, will move over to 1230 and will keep the name KPLY Sports Radio," West said. 1270-AM will focus on talk-related programs like Stern's and "The Don & Mike Show," which will move from KPLY. West said the changes make KPLY less schizophrenic, allowing it to focus solely on sports.
What's more, folks who like the wild antics of Stern and similar broadcasters will have a place to turn throughout the day.
"We're making everybody happy," West said.
The Stern show's availability came as a surprise, but West said he's pleased The Buzz was able to nab it. The station now has a powerful one-two punch for listeners in the 18- to 49-year-old age group. Stern is No. 1 with that demographic and Don & Mike are No. 2.
Other Buzz programming will include The Ed Tyll Show, The Tom Leykis Show, and the John and Jeff Show. Stern's show isn't governed by the strict time guidelines most radio programming is. Though it is scheduled to run from 6 to 10 a.m. each weekday, it often runs longer. West says The Buzz won't cut it short.
"We'll broadcast the whole thing," he said. "We'll go from start to finish."
The addition of The Buzz is the latest in a host of radio programming changes that have rocked the Reno market. Things initially shook up when KDOT, 104.5-FM, released Stern's toughest competition, "Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning," and began airing a local program. In the wake of that move, KRZQ released Stern and the late-night show "Loveline." Station promos are now hinting that KRZQ will pick up "Rob, Arnie and Dawn."
from FMQB.com
March 19, 2001
PD Guy Dark told fmqb a replacement for Stern would be announced shortly.
An informed source tells fmqb the new KRZQ morning program will be the syndicated Rob, Arnie & Dawn, a show synonymous with crosstown KDOT for years.
Now based at KISW/Seattle, Rob, Arnie & Dawn ended their relationship with KDOT earlier this month, after the two parties couldn't agree on financial terms for contract renewal (fmqb 3/2).
from the Reno Gazette-Journal
March 17th, 2001
Shock jock Howard Stern, known for his raunchy on-air banter and political provocation, won’t join northern Nevadans for breakfast anymore.
On Friday, Reno alternative radio station KRZQ (100.9 FM) announced it had terminated Stern’s contract, effective immediately.
NextMedia Group, KRZQ’s parent company, has not revealed what programming will fill Stern’s 6 to 10:30 a.m. time slot. Until that decision is made, morning listeners will be served music programming where Stern once held forth with one-on-one interviews with strippers and transvestites.
During its five-year run, Stern’s show was the area’s second most popular morning radio offering, attracting a large and loyal following. April Clark, a NextMedia Group representative, says she anticipates an outcry from disappointed fans.
"I just know I’m going to get tons of phone calls," she says. "A lot of people really like (Stern’s) show. But the company has decided to take the station in a new direction."
Exactly what that direction is has yet to be determined, but Clark says listeners can expect an announcement of programming changes in the next two weeks.
Reno Gazette-Journal Poll:
"Do you agree with KRZQ's decision to cancel shock jock Howard Stern's show after its five-year run over Reno's airwaves?"
To vote in the poll, go here (then page down).
To get the latest poll results, go here.
March 16, 2001
KRZQ has cancelled Howard in Reno, effective today. News reports cite KRZQ management as wanting to go in a different direction, although they have no idea what direction that may be in, except even lower than they are now.
I will miss Stern. However, I won't miss the dreadful way KRZQ presented the show...inserting breaks whenever they felt like it, etc...
Sucks for us...at least this frees up a button on my car radio.
Here is an excerpt from the Sacramento Bee talking about Howard and his ratings in Reno. Thanks to Jeff for sending it in on 3/18/98.
Howard Stern's radio show can be heard in Sacramento, as Reno's KRZQ (FM 96.5) has been reaching into a few areas in and around the city. A Citrus Heights caller said Stern comes in loud and clear both at home and on his car radio. Another reader in Orangevale had a similar report. KRZQ transmits from Slide Mountain at 10,000 feet, which helps its signal come down the mountain.
"You can get Stern on J Street for some reason," said Rob "Blaze" Brooks, operations manager at KRZQ. "Cal Expo is another good area for the signal, and Citrus Heights to Roseville." Stern is on 6-11a.m. weekday mornings. His show, according to Brooks, is No. 1 in the Reno area among men ages 18 to 34 and 25 to 54. "It took Howard about six months to really kick in up here," he said.
Back to ratings.
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