Quake Shakes Out Will, Willie

Radio Ink reports this morning that "Keeping It Real With Will & Willie," the KQKE/960 morning show starring Will Durst and Willie Brown, will be replaced by the syndicated Stephanie Miller program beginning next Monday (October 2) at 6 a.m.

Miller's call-in show will be beamed in from KTLK/Los Angeles to Clear Channel's foundering Bay Area "progressive talk" station, thereby furthering the cause of live and local programming.

...Or not.

Quoted in Radio Ink, KQKE program director Bob Agnew said, "We are very excited about adding Stephanie Miller to the mornings. From the minute the mike goes on, she is ON! Her energy level is so high it is infectious."

According to her website, "Steph" is the daughter of former U.S. Representative William Miller, who was losing GOP candidate Barry Goldwater's running mate in the 1964 Presidential election. If absolutely necessary, you may view pictures of her dogs by clicking here.

99.7 KFRC Gets Movin'

Shock and awe: 99.7 KFRC has abruptly switched from a bland mish-mash of Oldies-ish music to upbeat R&B-leaning Rhythmic Pop Contemporary as MOViN 99.7 (bizarre mixed caps theirs). The switch occurred at 10 a.m. this morning and is being streamed from the station's website at http://www.kfrc.com.

The switch follows the recent Movin' format segue at KZLA/Los Angeles, in which Smogville's legacy Country station was flipped, adding Rick Dees as its morning anchor.

CBS Radio/SF Market Manager Doug Harvill, quoted in Radio Online, said, "The MOViN format has exploded in popularity in markets such as Los Angeles, and has become an instant favorite in Seattle, achieving top-rated status among women 18-44 in only six weeks on the air. There is great demand among the Bay Area's diverse population for the MOViN blend of music and we look forward to making the most of this rare opportunity to launch an entirely new and different musical presentation."

No word on staff changes at the Bay Area version of Movin' ... but I'm guessing we'll see them soon.

UPDATE(S): As you may have noticed, CBS has eliminated the air staff from the station, at least temporarily, but expect wholesale changes. One rumor that is gaining momentum is that former 610/KFRC and KMEL voice Broadway Bill Lee, recently released from his obligations at WKTU/New York, might be heading in our direction.

Meanwhile, in the many years that I've been doing this, I have never received as many messages as I have regarding a single subject ... and (with maybe one or two exceptions) they have all been negative, blasting CBS for killing off KFRC.

If you haven't already, go to the KFRC/Movin99.7 website and let them know how you feel, positive or negative.

Personally, I've added 99.7 back to my presets on my car radio, and I had the station on almost the entire weekend, in the car and in my office. And, surprisingly, my wife — a/k/a Their Target Demographic — caught on and says she likes the station, too.

Go figure...

(And feel free to click on the "Comments" link just below to add your thoughts.)

Radio Dots & Dashes (September 7 Edition)

Sean Demery, who helped craft the sound and style at Live 105 (KITS) for the past four-plus years, has resigned as the station's program director, citing personal reasons.

As reported by FMQB on Thursday (September 7), Demery said "I love Live 105 and I love the people I work with. It's a good, good crew all around. GM Steve Dinardo makes it a fun place to work. What more could you ask for? But it's still time to go."

According to a follow-up report in AllAccess, Live 105's assistant program director/music director Aaron Axelson has been tapped to serve as the station's PD on an interim basis...

It was a pleasant surprise a few weeks ago to spot Monty Stickles looking hale and hearty in a TV ad for Walnut Creek's Varsity Painting. It was just a cameo appearance — maybe three seconds worth — but it was one of those "Hey! I wondered whatever happened to that guy" moments.

This past Sunday (September 2), the former 49er tight end and KGO/810 sports director passed away from heart failure following a brief illness. Monty Stickles was 68 years old.

Having earned the well-deserved reputation as the filthiest player in pro football, Stickles spent 1960 through 1967 with the Niners before playing one final season with the expansion New Orleans Saints in 1968. After hanging up his cleats, he was hired by Les Malloy to be sports director at KEST/1450, where he hosted a daily call-in show and handled the play-by-play for University of San Francisco Dons basketball.

In 1973, he moved up to KGO as sports reporter and color analyst on Raiders and Cal Bears football broadcasts, and also anchored weekend sports segments on KGO-TV (Channel 7). He worked alongside Bill King during his tenure at KGO and was in the radio booth for the legendary call of the "Holy Roller" play in 1978...

First came the rumor that Fay Carmona, sidekick on the Wild 94.9 (KYLD) "Strawberry In The Morning" show, had been fired last Friday. Then talk turned to Strawberry himself getting the old heave-ho, followed by speculation that The T-Man Show from KUBE-FM/Seattle would be satellited in as the replacement.

And that's why I love the rumor mill: sometimes it works. Fay was bounced from Wild, Strawberry will be moving back to his previous evening slot on the station and, starting in two weeks (September 18), T-Man gets the Wild morning gig...

At Energy 92.7 (KNGY), which is audible in San Francisco and the Eastbay when the wind is just right, Forrest Bueller has been imported from Bakersfield's Kelly 95.3 (KLLY) to work the night shift and serve as Energy's assistant program director. He was known simply as "Bueller" in Bako, although he answered to "Party Boy," too...

KNTS/1220 has worked out its scheduling conflicts and will no longer wait until 6 p.m. on weeknights to broadcast Oakland A's baseballcasts. Will that help you hear the games any better on the radio? Probably not, so hope that Len Shapiro's impassioned pleas to A's broadcast chief Ken Pries to add Free FM 106.9 (KIFR) to the team's network bring positive results. You can help by calling the A's offices yourself at (510) 563-2269 and letting them know...

And, while you're at it, call the San Jose Sharks and let them know that those of us in the Diablo Valley and up in the Northbay can't hear Team Teal on the radio at all. If they believe otherwise, quickly disabuse them of the notion because it ain't true...

I got a funny feeling seeing that the Oakland Raiders will be carried on KABL radio this year. Yeah, KABL/960 is dead and gone and obviously ain't coming back, and the call letters are rotting away down in Salinas on 1460 AM. Apparently the jackasses at Clear Channel don't realize what those letters mean around here. Meanwhile, for that swell Adult Standards sound, "Music Of Your Life"-style, I tune to The Vine (KVIN) on 920 AM from Modesto, owned by my old pals Jim Bryan and Doug Wulff. Jim and Doug once operated the late and lamented KCRK School of Broadcasting, of which I am a proud dropout...

The leading proponent of Pachuco Soul in Southern California, Dick Hugg, has died. Huggy Boy, as he was known forever on L.A.'s airwaves, was 78 and had been playing the greatest hits of the Fifties and Sixties for the homeboys and homegirls of the Southland for six decades. Along with Art Laboe, Huggy Boy was the living embodiment of the cruisin' era in SoCal radio.