Memo to self: set radio button for 650 AM.
Houston listeners will get a chance to hear for themselves Monday, when Stern’s show debuts on KIKK-AM (650) during morning drive time. It will mark the first time Stern’s show has aired in Houston.
The station has dumped business news for a “hot talk” format with Stern as its centerpiece. He will appear from 6 to 11 a.m. weekdays on the station, which has dubbed itself “KIKK-A** Talk.”
“It’s exciting to give Houston another programming alternative,” said Bill Van Rysdam, director of programming for KIKK and KILT-AM (610), both owned by Infinity Broadcasting.
“We understand that it’s not everybody’s tastes, but that’s OK.”
I don’t know how often I’ll tune in – truthfully, even if it’s every day, all I’ll get is a few minutes erly in the morning on my way to work – but I’ll tune in, and we’ll see how I like it.
This cracked me up:
Stern’s show does well in Dallas but flopped in Austin and New Orleans, where it was regularly beaten by Walton & Johnson. The duo is heard here weekday mornings on KLOL-FM (101.1).
“In spite of his tens of millions of dollars in free PR and his nationwide prime-time cable exposure nightly on E! TV, Stern continues to have a dismal record in the face of real competition,” John Walton wrote the Chronicle in an e-mail message.
Um, right, which would explain his nationwide exposure and fame. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
UPDATE: Say what you want about Stern, his show didn’t break for a commercial once during my 15-minute drive to work. I can’t recall any other “morning show” in Houston ever doing that.
“In spite of his tens of millions of dollars in free PR and his nationwide prime-time cable exposure nightly on E! TV, Stern continues to have a dismal record in the face of real competition,” John Walton wrote the Chronicle in an e-mail message.
Listen, I don’t get what the big deal is with Howard Stern anyway. He stole most of his act from Imus, who stole his act from Wolfman Jack. (And I’m old enough to remember Wolfman Jack on WNBC-AM, now WFAN-AM.) On the other hand, as Imus puts it, people would rather hear about boners and breasts than politics in the morning.
I heard this morning on the way in. And while they didn’t break for a commercial during my 20 minute drive, I wish they had.
Color me underwhelmed.
He went for a good 20 minutes at a stretch, followed by 10 minutes of commercials.
I was interested enough to give it another listen. Compared to just about every other DJ in the Houston area, Stern can at least string together two coherent sentences without lapsing into hip catchphrases or slaughtering the language. I can see how the nonstop Clear Channel/FCC bashing could get old quick, however.
I hadn’t seen “KIKK-A radio” spelled out until now, and it now makes a little sense, but just hearing it, it struck me as a hilarious example of a self-disproving label: We’re so kick-ass we have to say “A” instead of that naughty word for one’s buttocks, for pete’s sake!
I think the man is pretty funny. I actually switched off my satellite radio to listen to it. I was laughing out loud this morning.
I just wish I could get AM650 reception. On my third AM antenna and still no luck.
Just my opinion. I’m sure the whole country doesn’t believe what i believe. H.S. is only a stepping stone to what radio will soon be like… Soon you will have radio shows with little 7″ screens so you can see your DJ in action. Your wild DJ, in effort to make his high ratings, will occasionally drop in some sexy girls to his radio show and have them pose naked while he’s live on the radio. After the public accepts that, then, we’ll get real time streaming video of listeners having oral sex via radiovision. OH it gets better, soon we’ll get gay radiovision, you can listen to YMCA, and watch other gays masturbating. I can’t wait! Give me more tasteless radio!