Walton and Johnson to return on 97.5 KIOL

Sigh. From the day that KLOL changed formats, the rumor has always been that morning DJs Walton and Johnson would return somewhere to pollute the airwaves. New rock station KIOL has been teasing about a “big announcement” the past week or so, and now it’s official. They’re apparently on as of today. All I can say is it’s nice I finally added KACC to my radio dial. Via blogHOUSTON.

(They also say that Jim Pruett and Outlaw Dave may be back as well. That’s fine, though neither here nor there as far as my tuning in is concerned. Honestly, the longer they keep the DJ-free jukebox format, the better.)

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71 Responses to Walton and Johnson to return on 97.5 KIOL

  1. Ted Barlow says:

    I had noticed that my skin was inexplicably crawling. Now I know why.

  2. Michael says:

    Ted:
    So, it’s effectively unwithdrawl symptoms? Are you seeing lame-o Billboards with “johnson” innuendoes?

  3. Jim D says:

    Maybe it’s a good thing I still can’t pick up 97.5 here at UH.

    On the other hand, I do miss Outlaw Dave.

  4. ed says:

    ah do declare I have the vapors now that Walton & Johnson are back on the air! seriously, they are talented guys even if you don’t like their politics.

  5. Lauren says:

    I think Walton and Johnson are intellegent and funny guys! I am extremely happy that they are back on the air and we don’t have to suffer with boring DJ’s on the other stations laughing at the weather and having callers call in with stories about their children! Go W&J! And, KIOL has been a great station thus far and I believe they will become a landmark on the Houston airwaves.

  6. Ty says:

    I think it was poor judgement on the part of Clear Channel that they leave very devout listeners to hang in the wind. They would’ve done better to inform them of the situation and let the listeners know there would be a station to take up the R&R slack. As it is, they pissed thousands off and left a bad taste for the Clear Channel Corp. in all those listeners mouths. A great percentage of the ex-KLOL listeners are knowlidgable people who understand who it was that created this situation(or distroyed KLOL). I guarantee that I will do my best to NOT patronize ANY of the advertisers running spots on ANY Clear Channel station I may hear. Chances of that are very slim now that we’ve 97.5, but I’ve got to make my personal stand somewhere and I think that’s the best way. If their advertisers don’t make as much money, they won’t spend as much with Clear Channel. If Clear Channel can’t bring in the money they need, they’ll either change formats in an attempt to re-up the ratings or sell the station. If it’s a large enough effect, perhaps they’ll sell their business(wishfull thinking). Loyalty means nothing to many these days. It’s apparent Clear Channel had no loyalty to it’s listeners, why should we be loyal to them. My loyalty lies with the hard working, day to day schmucks that make my day enjoyable, no matter the format(Charles!). So bring on Walton and Johnson, Jim Pruett and Outlaw Dave because Lauren’s right! As I’ve told my wife and friends many times since the demise of KLOL, “I’m tired of all these goodie-goodie, we’re all happy, bubble gum fluf replacements like 94.5. I’m past ready for some ‘Kick me in the teeth’ Rock and Roll”! Go KIol!

  7. G says:

    well……..i’m never ready for a bunch of jaw-jacking in the morning, but it’s apparently inevitable. although i still pine for the Stevens and Pruitt of the 80’s and 90’s, i’m willing to put up with W&J for a coupla hours to have a real rock station in town.

  8. Laurie says:

    I live in Beaumont and we can catch 97.5. No one in Beaumont is happy about this Walton and Johnson thing. Perhaps they were funny before (we couldn’t catch KLOL), but from what we’re hearing now, it’s the same unfunny morning b.s. as every other unfunny morning b.s. radio program. If people want talk, they should tune to talk radio. Otherwise, just play the music.

  9. Jillian says:

    Laurie, your comment was very rude about The Walton & Johnson morning show. You obviously do not have an interest in current events or a sense of humor. These guys are great! How could you dog the best morning show in Texas?!? They are here to brighten up our mornings before we head off to work. My husband doesn’t even do that for me sometimes! Believe me, after their show is complete for the day, you will get your fix of music. If you need to listen to music that bad, just play some CD’s. In the meantime, Walton and Johnson are here to stay!!!

  10. J says:

    Yawn. Don’t let ’em get to you Laurie. You’re right. Radio officially sucks all around. We used to be able to get music on the radio and we used to watch music videos on MTV. Even satellite has it’s fair share of mindless chatter. Let’s swap CDs.

  11. TD says:

    I also don’t care for Clear Channels corporate moves and would welcome back Stevens and Pruett in a second. When it comes to Houston’s radio line up I have never been that impressed. KLOL never seemed to get the right format in my opinion, but not that the Buzz did either. I think 97.5 is doing a great job so far and play a better mix of music than KLOL, The Buzz or 93.7 ever did.

    As far as Walton and Johnson I think they could be better. I can’t stand listening to (johnson) try to act like several different people. It’s clear to me he is the voice of all of them. Get a better gimick!

    So now there is the other guy Rod Ryan, this guy thinks he so great and his head has swollen so much his hair is falling out of my radio! I can’t stand listening to this guy either, it’s all about him and how great he thinks he is!

    I won’t even get into Dean and rog (that says it all!). Look at the way they advertise around Houston! (my opinion again) They spell Rodge “rog” ? I pronounce that just as it looks “rawg”. Spell it better like is should be “Rodge”.

    Houston radio needs an overhaul and so far 97.5 has started in the right direction although I would have preferred Stevens and Pruett !

    Now I feel better

    😉

  12. Unhappy says:

    I was so excited when 97.5 came back on the air playing the best Rock n Roll I’ve heard in years. I never changed the station until Walton and Johnson arrived. They talk way too much … about some really lame topics. Give your listeners some credit for being intelligent. There at least needs to be a few songs every hour during the morning drive time ….otherwise …. you’ve probably lost a lot of new listeners. Give the listeners what they want … and it’s not Walton and Johnson.

    🙁

  13. james says:

    i thought this was going to be a good station till watlman and johnson showed up. now i’ll find anouther station to listen to.

  14. velcro sister says:

    KIOL 97.5 sounds alot like the 101 I’ve been missing. Although W & J are not my favorites – I’m not far from the office. The rest of the day & night, it’s great! Where is our ole buddy O.D.? He’s the one I really miss. Pruett’s voice is back on a commercial. I saw Stevens in his black Porsche over on Post Oak the other day – he looks exactly the same! Wouldn’t it be awesome if they could get all the old KLOL Gang together – a Reunion Broadcast: Steven’s & Pruett, Lanny, Donna Mc, Outlaw Dave, Locke – of course, maybe even Dana Steele … brings back some great memories. I grew up on 101 – ROCK ON : )

  15. SCOTT T. says:

    Walton & Johnson are here to stay!!!! If you dont like it listen to tho old channel,if you think you are that special … Opinions are like a.sh.les blah blah blah BLAH

  16. Don Dickerson says:

    So far I’m not too unhappy with KIOL. Better music than the old 101, BUT…still the “same old stuff”, music you can hear on the Buzz or the Arrow. Sure wish they would explore a format like the old KKZR, they would get alot more listening time from me. Led Zep and AC/DC are good, but how about Pantera? Slayer? Slipknot? Damageplan? Motorhead? And of the bands they do play, some tunes other than the S.O.S. would be nice. I won’t complain too much though. It’s in english and it’s rock and I can actually turn the radio on without immediately turning it off (except in the mornings when they wanna talk, and I want music)!

  17. RJ Munthe says:

    Walton & Johnson are back. Accept it. The playlist is what http://www.rockaid.com fought for. Just stop being so complainty, we got it back. I am happy with KIOL. Some people say they aren’t, but I say it is perfect.

  18. New old listener says:

    I’m glad to hear W&J are back “in town”. Yeah, I know where they are, I’m from N’awlins but live here now.

    The only problem with the station is that I can’t pick them up well in downtown Houston, better in Kingwood. What are they running, 50 watts??

  19. Dj Rage says:

    No they are a full power station broadcasting at 100,000 watts. The reason their signal is weak in downtown and areas on the west side of town is because they’re transmitter tower is located between here and Beaumont in Devers TX. Unlike other Houston stations whos broadcast towers are located in Missouri City giving much better reception to the Houston area. Unfortunately KIOL is not in a position to move their broadcast facilities closer to town. However I do know that their owner Cumulus Media is in the process of moving 103.7 out of Conroe to the La Porte area. Word is that when the new station is up and running they plan to move KIOL to 103.7. Which will provide a much stronger signal to the Houston area.

  20. Todd says:

    I am happy that Walton and Johnson are back on the air. And for those of you who are not you can always change the station.

  21. JUSTIN says:

    THANK YOU RADIO GAWDS! I AM HAPPY W&J ARE BCK ON THE AIR. NOW JUST BRING BACK JIM PRUETT, LOCKE AND OUTLAW DAVE. ALSO PUMP UP THE ROCK AND ROLL AND DUMP THE HAIR BANDS. KEEP IT UP BOYS!

  22. Paul says:

    heard a great song Friday 3/18 on the W&J show, but would like to know the artist. it was by a woman singing to a child about his father bringing home a new “mommy”. any help out there? like the new station, but could go for some “off-the-wall” music like back when FM was “underground” stuff. most listeners today have no idea what that’s about, i fear.
    ROCK ON & throw in some blues from time to time!!!

  23. Kramer says:

    I for one have no opinon on W&J because I’m hardly ever awake then. I’m here to talk about what really matters. THE MUSIC. Sure KLOL was a good station and had alot of good songs. But KIOL is playing the same stuff. It’s nothing new. I agree 100% with DAN Dickerson here. Sure the music is good but lets play some more metal here. Even if its after 10pm or so. Just play some darn metal. Houston and the sorounding cities have a large metal following with no station. Give us a station to tune into.

    For one Metal listeners are loyal to thier music and will tune in as long as thiers something good on. Unlike most of these new age boy band b.s listners who go with what thier told to. Plus it would be the only F.M metal station so it would completly dominate the metal socity.

    Just play some damn metal

  24. Vale says:

    I’m proud to be a 10%er. I know alot of Rock music fans don’t care for morning shows or W&J for that matter, but I been all across this country and trust me. There is no other morning show anywhere that can hold a candle to this program. You could be listening to Bob and Tom or the W&J knockoffs Johnboy and Billy(I think). Thank the Radio Gawds for stepping in and not allowing you to be subjected to this nonsense.

  25. ken delaney says:

    We needed a R&R station like KIOL but I didn’t need the W&J program in the AM. But….. keep playing the music!

  26. liberdave says:

    First off… You cant refer to W&J as “the Radio Gawds” (Justin!) That term was used for Stevens & Pruett… (Grego was earning it.) Second of all… I cant stand listening to a radio show that isn’t even PRODUCED in Houston! S&P made you feel like these guys KNEW you, i mean, you could listen for 10 minutes and they would drop like a street corner or an area of town or something that YOU could relate to! W&J is just spewwing generic morning talk. S&P were much better commentators! W&J seem to be just reading from a script. (A bland one at that!) and.. Ok… we are the 4th (or 5th?) largest city in the U.S., we have the right demographies for it (lots of suburban sprawl) why dont we have a metal station? If CC wanted to make real money, they would look at all the money people are spending at Numbers, Engine Room, etc.. and capitalize on the “Anti-pop” scene they would RAKE it in… 94.5 offers very little that KRBE dosen’t. Look at the models in LA and hell, even Austin has a good station or two. When Z-Rock died umpteen years ago, so did Houston’s chance for good music. The people that run Huston radio are consevative fiscal hermits and CC is the ring leader…

  27. kenneth sanders says:

    the techs AT RONCATER TOYOTA WANT THE MUSIC HARD
    AND HEAVY

  28. jw says:

    Walton & Johnson aren’t the greatest, but they are a HELL of a lot better than those assclowns Bob & Tom. Those guys are complete tools.

    Glad they’re bringing back Outlaw Dave, etc, but the music is still pretty tired.

    What’s the deal with W&J, is one of them the voice of all the characters?

  29. TurboPSD says:

    liberdave: the W&J show is produced in Houston! Drop your Liberal crap!

  30. jackie says:

    97.5 is awesome & if there were some deep cuts from the older rock groups the station wauld be even better.
    NO VELVET REVOLVER!!!
    I WANT THE 4/20 SONGS BACK AND THE TWISTED AUDIO BY UNCLE NASTY!
    KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

  31. Colby says:

    Im so happy that waldon and johnson are back. THEY ARE JUST SIMPLY THE BEST!!! I wish they would kick that mega 101 shit off the air and put back rock 101 klol. It just sounds better than mega 101. Its just so gay. I hope they find a way to get back rock 101 and drop that mega shit. You go waldon and johnson, you guys are the best.

  32. Don says:

    I very much enjoyed listening to KLOL for so many
    years. When ounger, I got the local cable company to put it on cable, and we would hook up
    our fm radios , so we could listen. Eventually cable systems changed, and we lost KLOL, but many of us erected outdoor fm antennas to listen.
    We even had our own version of KLOL for a while at a station called Nova 104, but it went away. Yet KLOL 101 continued and every chance I could get it, I listened. We would loose it later because of a local station that was close in frequency. In the last months I heard that the format changed and was very glad to get the news that KIOL at 97.5mhz would take up where KLOL left off. I have also been a fan of Walton & Johnson and would listen to them when they were networked to our city on a local station, but that changed, and now I am very happy to be able to hear them again. I hope that this is the LAST time anyone tampers with a legend and legacy that KLOL left. I am glad that the people of Houston and surrounding communities prompted a mind set that brought KIOL to the fore front of rock radio in HOUSTON. The rest, are merely “pretenders” in the market. My best good wishes go to the staff and supporters of the new 97.5, KIOL fm, in Houston !
    Don
    Lake Charles, Louisiana

  33. me says:

    agree i could have done with out walton and johnson. thae are the reason i stoped listening to klol in the mornings. Bring back S&P. But other than W&j i really enjoy the station glad to have a station with this format back.

  34. Corky says:

    I love the music on KIOL 97.5, but like several of the posters here I cannot stand to listen to Walton and Johnson, don’t care much for the Transvestite sounding voice…plus the humor is lacking or too off-color to enjoy,maybe more suited to 13-16 year old crowds…So I wait and listen in the afternoons.
    I can’t even pick it up on my radio in my office. I hope the signal gets boosted a little more soon…Rock on!

  35. Jason says:

    Does anyone here know the URL of the official website for the new KIOL? If so, could you please post it?

    Thanks.

  36. Skinny says:

    Talk about old and tired, that’s S&P. There was just tooo much lesbo talk. I would much rather hear W&J talk about a few current events with a humor twist. Start listening when they sign on in the mornings. Priceless.

  37. Kenny J says:

    I was hoping to get a format like the BONE. I don’t really care for Dallas but the Bone radio kicks some serious ass. When I travel to Dallas I’ve got my radio set to 93.3. Now KIOL can take some lessons from them on programming. Now for W&J get those clowns off the air I won’t even listen in the mornings until thier shift is over. Must be a money thing KIOL can’t afford much and those guys work for free. Now I would like to here Outlaw Dave I was wondering where he went to.

  38. Dawn says:

    Thought the format could use a little kick. I love the format but it seems like they play the same songs over and over and don’t include more newer stuff. It also wouldn’t hurt if they threw in some heavier stuff like Don Dickerson had mentioned.

    I love the line up all except for Wendy Miller. I was a fan but I noticed she NEVER has female listeners on the air and doesn’t take their calls. Females also NEVER win any of her contest. Strange isn’t is?

    So because she doesn’t prefer to have female listeners I turn the channel at 10a and return to KIOL at 2p when Outlaw comes on.

    All in all it’s nice to have KIOL I love the way the have told CC to f’off. CC is the devil spawn, sorry bastards.

    Oh and Jason http://www.houstonrock975.com/

  39. Efrain Hernandez says:

    Houston, we have a problem and I believe only Walton and Johnson can solve it. They educate us about everything that goes on in the world. They have a sarcastic way of teaching us listeners but thats what keeps us listening for more. How many times has anyone ever fallen asleep in a Government or History class because of boring teachers. We should have more teachers like these guys in our classes teaching. Its enough that our education in Texas ranks like 49th out of 50 states next to Louisiana being the 50th and last state behind in education standards. Its amazing how many times I have been commented how smart I was at work. I don’t tell them that its because of Walton and Johnson. That’s my secret. My girlfriend who has a bachelors in finance is amazed everytime she mentions to me ” did you hear about or did you know that” and amazingly I already know or heard about it on the walton and johnson show. I am still in college and need about 3 and a half more yrs to finish. I have a 3.8 gpa. Keep walton and johnson on the air in Houston. It should be heard all over Texas. San Antonio, Dallas and Austin so that politicians can learn to be honest and be for the people and not for themselves.

  40. Joe says:

    After reading (and being disappointed by most of) all this syntax-challenged, sheltered living, knuckle dragging, fanny swatting, fist fighting, fizzy yellow beer drinking, “who farted?” exclaiming, “play sum ‘Skynnard” yelling, moustache-sporting, run-on sentence writing, pan-sexual redneck drivel, I’ve got to rant. First: what the devil happened to AOR radio? I can distinctly remember back around ’85 when you could hear Crash (“in your dash”) play a string of songs like It Keeps You Rockin’ by Billy Squire, Big City Nights by the Scorpions, Hurts So Good by John Cougar, Hell’s Bells by AC/DC, I Won’t Be Home Tonight by Tony Carey, Rock Rock ’til You Drop by Def Leppard, Rainbow in the Dark by DIO, and Chain Lightning by .38 Special. If you’re too old or have smoked too much weed to remember those days, & perhaps you’re thinking, “Nuh-uh! They’d never have played that variety of songs back to back!” (or some similar expression of doubt crafted in the alcohol soaked remainder of your brain), I’ve got news for you: they did. “How do you know?” you ask, allowing a deeply inhaled puff of peculiar smelling smoke to escape your cold sore damaged lips. Answer: I used to record it to cassettes – another antique concept – right off the radio. Those tapes sound pretty fuzzy now, but, when I find myself lamenting the death of AOR & can’t pick up the only station in the territory with the ‘nads to rock (KACC), I’ll pull out those tapes & listen. This was back when there were TWO rock stations on the air: KSRR (97 Rock) & KLOL. Imagine that, all of you mouth-breathers under the age of 35.
    Second: Walton & Johnson are anything but funny. Their brand of “humor” & “discussion” (I use the terms loosely) belongs on C&W formatted radio. That nonsense was considered “edgy” about 20 years ago… you know – when Moby & Matthews were doing it (there’s an evil joke in here somewhere). Toilet jokes, sex jokes, & gay jokes may have been funny when you were 14 years old, but unless your sense of humor & your geo-political perspective never have progressed beyond the gym locker room of your junior high school, they are no longer funny. Yet here we are, 20 years later with the same old manure, different delivery boys.
    It doesn’t speak well of the greater Houston area’s listener ship.
    And no, it’s not that I am offended by the content of the jokes, nor is it that I don’t understand the jokes. It’s that they are no funnier than when your 6 year-old comes home from school & screams, “Daddy! I have a joke! Um! Um! Um! Um what’s… why did… okay! Knock knock!” And you, wincing but playing along say, “Who’s there?” And before you can get “there” out, your child screams, “Chicken butt!!!” then falls on the floor laughing. And – inwardly at least – you grimace, because you realize that this is only the beginning of your kid’s amateurish attempts at being a comedian, and dark thoughts of him or her trying this & other stupid jokes out at your cocktail parties on your friends & colleagues begin to fill your consciousness & ruin your day…
    …or not. You may very well be drying your eyes right now from laughing so hard at the words “chicken butt.” If so, then you probably do not appreciate my rant.
    Am I the only one who misses Dana Steele & Charlie Weiss & the traffic master, Lanny Griffeth with traffic in bondage? At least they played some music. The highlight of rock & roll radio history in Houston was when Z-Rock came to town. The shark man, while not all that funny or original, played some music, and it was all heavy rock.
    Third: Walton & Johnson are anything but funny. (It bears repeating.)
    Last: to the person who made the disparaging remark about hair-metal, following up with a rhetorical request for blues & southern rock: a defiantly upraised middle-finger pointed in your acne pock marked face. You can suck it, fatty. To those intelligent, ridiculously good-looking, sophisticated people who appreciate the AOR format (i.e. KBNE “the Bone” in Dallas, & KISS fm in San Antonio), keep the faith, & tune in online. Maybe we can kill this soul-less reincarnation again.

  41. Victor Leach says:

    Houston is great for music and especilly ROCK!!
    I’m here in Texas prison doin my time and what a great way to do it by listening to 103.7 and Wendy Miller. I have no access to internet so drop me a snail mail note. Thanks.

    Victor Leach #500075
    C.T.Terrell Unit
    1300 F.M. 655
    Rosharon, Texas 77583-1625

    My friend curly sends his e-mail address.

  42. Brett says:

    Walton And Johnson are great! I love their take on the days issues although I don’t always agree. The music is great all day too. Better than KLOL was near the end, which was mostly Metallica and AC/DC. Keep it up KIOL, but get that station moved so I can pick up your signal west of Houston. I’m glad they’re all back, W&J, Wendy Miller, Jim Pruitt, Outlaw Dave and Locke. Get Pruitt on the air, not just doing commercials. W&J and Pruitt are zany characters.

  43. Joe Sanchez says:

    I must say, when stevens & pruitt first left the air, i was upset. i stopped listening to klol in the morning. i refused to listen to the new folks. one day as i was flipping thru the channels, i came across klol again, and heard something interesting. they were debating amongst themselves about the war in iraq. so i listened….and for the first time on any radio, tv or any kind of public airwaves, i heard opinions from two people who were not afraid to tell it like it was. they gained my respect that day, and i’ve been listening to them every day since then. and that was a little over a year ago! way to go guys! keep up the good job!!

  44. Dawn says:

    Joe: Go take your Gerital and have an enema. If you don’t like it change the channel.

  45. Jake says:

    I have loved the radio scene in Houston for a long long time. I’m not a big fan of W&J, but they have their followers just like any other morning show. If it were up to me, I’d like to see a lineup that included the best that Houston ever had… bring back Moby, Dayna Steele, S&P, Colonel St. James, and Outlaw Dave… and call the damn thing 97 Rock for cryin’ out loud! It’s not like Clear Channel’s ever gonna give up the rights to 101. Might as well bring back the other legend.

  46. mark says:

    well yall got your wish walton and johnson are gone but not forgoten they will be back sonner or latter

  47. patrick m. walsh says:

    How about some Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Dr Laura, G Gordon Liddy, Neal Boortz, Bob Grant, or Laura Ingraham?

    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

  48. Mark J Maloney says:

    Anyone who dogs Walton and Johnson is an idiot.

  49. deborah smith says:

    1 month ago i was listening and heard a report about diets and how much they cost a week. Does any one know how I can find out the details about that broadcast again?

  50. Randy says:

    does anyone know anything of the quanza song that played on W&J today.

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