Articles from 10-25-05, Free FM show announcement day

Saved a lot of this stuff from DDLR. I have the listening threads as well, but we didn't start those until the 9th. And I didn't know I could have saved them as an HTML, so they're saved as text files. I'll post those in the daily threads.

These were national and local articles from the day the show was announced.

AP

Carolla, Roth Among Stern Replacements

Tuesday October 25, 10:42 am ET
By Larry Mcshane, Associated Press Writer

Infinity to Replace Howard Stern With Several Shows; Adam Carolla, David Lee Roth Among Hosts

NEW YORK (AP) -- Goodbye, Howard Stern. Hello, David Lee Roth. And Adam Carolla. And CNN Radio News. And Jack-FM. And ...

Infinity Broadcasting, finally revealing its plans to replace the self-proclaimed "King of All Media," announced a new morning drive time lineup Tuesday of assorted hosts for its 27 soon-to-be former Stern stations. Rather than turning to a single replacement, Infinity offered a variety of names for different markets.

The biggest belonged to ex-Van Halen front man Roth and comedian Carolla. Roth, who appeared Tuesday morning on Stern's nationally syndicated show to announced the move, will start in January on WXRK-FM in New York, WBCN-FM in Boston, WYSP-FM in Philadelphia, WRKZ-FM in Pittsburgh, WNCX-FM in Cleveland, WPBZ-FM in West Palm Beach, Fla., and KLLI-FM in Dallas.

Carolla, known for his comedy work on "The Man Show" and "Loveline," takes over on the Infinity stations in Los Angeles (KLSX-FM), San Diego (KPLN-FM), Phoenix (KZON-FM), Portland (KUFO-FM) and Las Vegas (KXTE-FM).

"When we set out to find a replacement for Howard Stern, we took the opportunity to cultivate a wide array of talent, from both in and out of the radio industry," said Joel Hollander, Infinity's chairman and CEO.

Stern is on the air through the end of this year, before he makes the leap from terrestrial radio to Sirius Satellite Radio.

Infinity stations in Sacramento, Buffalo, N.Y., and Fresno, Calif., will replace Stern by switching to the "Jack" format, which features an expanded play lists of hundreds of songs -- but includes no disc jockeys.

A dozen other Infinity stations will replace Stern with anything from talk radio to CNN Radio News. Rover, a disc jockey heard in Ohio, will expand his show into Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Memphis and Rochester, N.Y.

Washington-based morning hosts The Junkies will add Baltimore as an outlet, while WOCL-FM in Orlando will feature the team of Drew and Mel while KXBT-FM in Austin will air Star & Buc Wild.

from MTV.com

David Lee Roth Replacing Howard Stern On Morning Radio
10.25.2005 9:39 AM EDT

Former Van Halen frontman takes over popular radio program on January 3.

He's fronted one of the biggest rock bands and he's saved the lives of New York residents as a paramedic with the city's ambulance service. What's next for "Diamond" David Lee Roth? Come January 3, he'll be taking his game to the morning airwaves as one of several celebrity talents recruited to replace satellite-bound shock jock Howard Stern.

Roth was a much-hyped mystery guest on Stern's nationwide radio show on Tuesday (October 25), where the rocker revealed his will be the voice greeting Stern regulars the morning of January 3 — at least in several of the markets comprising the self-proclaimed King of All Media's syndicated, 27-station kingdom, an empire Stern has spent decades building.

Roth — whose announcement ends months of rumors over just who'd be filling Stern's immense kicks — will take over in New York, Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dallas and West Palm Beach, Florida. "You've built quite an empire here, and I'd like to think that they've saved it for the best guy," Roth told Stern. "It will be a very interesting adventure."

Stern, who joked that he should look into fronting Van Halen, surmised that Roth's move was a step down from his rock star stature. Stern also said he's "done what [he] needed to do here," and that he needed "freedom to speak about what I want, and I have to be free to do my type of comedy. I'm happy for you and I do wish you the best" (see " 'Howard Stern Show' To Air — Uncensored — On Satellite Radio In 2006 ").

"Putting together this morning radio network was the greatest pride of my life," Stern continued. "When they said I couldn't do it, I said 'You're all insane.' How do you not challenge the future? How do you not challenge this industry? I can't imagine why you would want to do it."

Roth, who said working in radio has been a lifelong aspiration, told Stern he was approached for the job in February. He's been living in New York's Lower East Side neighborhood for more than two years. "I'll be performing for more people in one morning than the Rolling Stones will in an entire summer," Roth exclaimed.

Infinity Broadcasting (which, like MTV, is owned by Viacom) had approached several big names to replace Stern, including Jon Stewart, Geraldo Rivera, Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Bonaduce. Along with news of Roth's appointment comes word that comedian and "Loveline" co-host Adam Carolla will take over for Stern in several West Coast markets, including Los Angeles, Seattle and Phoenix. Jimmy Kimmel, who co-hosted Comedy Central's "The Man Show" with Carolla, will serve as a creative consultant to Carolla's program and Infinity Broadcasting. DJ Rover, who helms the morning show for Cleveland's 92.3 Xtreme Radio has been tapped to replace Stern in Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Memphis.

Magician Penn Gillette will host an hour-long program scheduled to air immediately following Roth and Carolla.

In at least three markets, Stern will be supplanted by the DJ-free Jack-FM radio format, while at least one other will broadcast CNN Morning News. It was also revealed that several stations that currently carry Stern would be switching formats, shifting from music to talk. New York's WXRK, which has served as the base of operations for Stern's empire for years, will adopt a new Free FM format, trading in its rock rotation for talk. Infinity stations in Los Angeles (KLSX-FM), Chicago (WCKG-FM), Dallas (KLLI-FM), Washington, D.C. (WJFK-FM), Detroit (WKRK-FM) and Baltimore (WHFS-FM) have all been re-branded Free FM, effective Tuesday.

Roth promises he won't be a Stern carbon copy and said he'll be bringing something completely unique to the table; he promises music in addition to talk, some of which will be political in nature, he said. Much like Stern, Roth revealed that his personal life will never be off-limits.

"You've done an extraordinary job and I hope I can honor it," Roth told Stern, adding that he's not worried about facing the same FCC pressures the shock jock coped with (see "Howard Stern Broadcast Costs Clear Channel Nearly $500,000"). "I'm beyond ready."

Roth also commented on Stern's future at Sirius Satellite Radio, saying, "It requires someone of your stature to make [the medium successful]."

— Chris Harris

from the NY Times

By LORNE MANLY and JEFF LEEDS
Published: October 25, 2005

A little more than two months before Howard Stern takes his lucrative but polarizing morning show to satellite radio, his current employer, Infinity Broadcasting, announced plans today to replace him with a regional slate of hosts, including the former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth and the comedian Adam Carolla.

Mr. Roth, whose show will be heard on the east coast, including New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Pittsburgh, is a newcomer to radio. Mr. Carolla, who has television shows on Comedy Central and TLC, has enjoyed success at the co-host of the "Loveline," a nationally syndicated radio show. His new morning show will be broadcast in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Portland and Las Vegas, and his former partner, the late-night talk-show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel, will serve as a creative consultant to the show as well as an adviser to Infinity.

Other hosts in Infinity's strategy for replacing Stern include Rover, a radio personality who will add five more Infinity stations to the two in Cleveland and Columbus that he is currently heard on, and the Junkies, who will add Baltimore to their Washington base.

Infinity's strategy is recognition of the long-time popularity of Mr. Stern and the foolhardiness of trying to find one big name to take his spot during morning drive time. The company is also using Mr. Stern's departure to do more than overhaul its morning shows in 27 markets - it is flipping station formats across the country, including introducing a variation on the talk radio format called Free FM. The new talk format, billed as a hybrid of politics, sports and pop culture, will be heard on nine Infinity stations, including seven of the country's top 10 markets, and in some, like Philadelphia, as early as today.

Infinity has also signed Penn Jillette, the boisterous half of the comedy-magic duo Penn & Teller, to be the host of a one-hour daily talk show in markets including New York, Chicago and San Francisco.

Infinity's announcement is intended in part to stave off what many analysts predict will be a scattering of Mr. Stern's millions of listeners. Already, competing radio stations have been laying claim to Stern fans, marketing themselves as a worthy (and free) alternative ahead of his jump to Sirius.

Infinity's preparation began a year ago, when Mr. Stern announced he was forsaking commercial radio for Sirius Satellite Radio, lured by a five-year, $500 million deal and the freedom to perform without the oversight of the Federal Communications Commission. His last show for Infinity is scheduled for Dec. 16.

Mr. Stern's ratings have slipped recently in nearly all of the major markets he has long dominated. In the recently released summer ratings report tallied by Arbitron, Mr. Stern lost listeners in the 25- to 54-year-old age group in six of the top nine markets compared to the summer of 2004, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington. In overall listeners, ratings dropped in seven of nine markets.

Despite the dip, Mr. Stern still attracts more than six million weekly listeners, and his show represents a cash cow for Infinity that will be hard to replace. Mr. Stern brings in about $100 million in revenue and $50 million in cash flow for Infinity, part of Viacom.

"We're going to take a hit, no question about it," said Joel Hollander, chairman and chief executive of Infinity.

segment wrapup from www.marksfriggin.com

It's Official, David Lee Roth Replacing Howard. 10/25/05. 7:25am
Gary came in and interrupted saying that their mystery guest had showed up and wanted to come right into the studio. Howard wanted to do a set up and get his glasses on first. Artie wanted to guess who the big guest was. He thinks that it's Bill Maher. Howard was thinking it was Richard Simmons or Pat Cooper. Gary told him that he shouldn't be nervous and went out to bring the person in. It turned out to be David Lee Roth. Howard said this is good because he's rumored to be replacing him when he leaves. Howard said he knew that something was happening today. Howard asked Dave how he was doing and talked about how he will be replacing him. David told Howard that he can't ''replace'' Howard Stern, he'll just be taking over that spot. Dave told Howard that this is his first and last stop on the show before Christmas. Howard said that if Dave fails it'll be great because it will drive even more people to satellite radio. Dave said that's the good part about being friends with Howard, there's nothing wrong with that.

Dave told Howard that his show won't be the same type of show that Howard has been doing. He's seen other talk shows around the country and most of them are scripted while Howard Stern is just being Howard Stern. He talked about his days touring around the country with Van Halen and Infinity is giving him freedom to do whatever he wants to do on his radio show. Howard said he heard that Dave will be making $4 million a year when he starts there. Dave said he doesn't even need to do a show like that because he can make a lot more than that touring. He's doing it because it's been a dream of his to have a radio show like that for years.

Howard asked Dave how Infinity has been able to keep him hidden for so long. Dave told Howard that his father passed away a while a go and he ended up getting involved in the Emergency Medical Technician field for a couple of years. He's still going out on calls at least once a week in New York City. He said he's only been recognized 2 or 3 times out of all of the calls he's been on. He works in the 'hoods where he doesn't get recognized all that well.

Howard told Dave about how he created this network of radio stations over years and years of hard work. He begged the company to syndicate his show to Philadelphia and they put up a fight for so long. Dave said that Howard has proven that the local deejay is a thing of the past. Howard told Dave that a local guy can be a force to be reckoned with though and a lot of guys are going to be gunning for him. Dave doesn't seem to mind that and he's looking forward to it. Howard asked Dave if it's true that he was over at Jack FM practicing his show. Dave has a way of avoiding a question and won't answer it directly so he ended up talking about Howard's board and how he had it created for himself like a guitar player would have a guitar built for himself.

Dave said that he's wanted to do this since he was a kid so he's really looking forward to doing the show. He told Howard that he still sits down once a week and listens to records, one song at a time, just like he did when he was 10 years old. Howard told him that he may have to open up his private life to make for a good radio show and Dave is ready to do that. Howard said Dave has never really opened up before because no one knows what's going on with his love live. He claims he's heard that Dave is gay before but Dave thought he was just saying that himself, not hearing it from anyone. Dave said that he has banged many hot chicks that had 2 legs in their pants and people should know that already. Dave said that his show is not a comedy show. He's not going to have a whole crew working with him but he will be taking over in markets like New York, Boston, Cleveland, West Palm Beach, Pittsburgh and Dallas. Gary said that Adam Carolla will be taking over in markets like L.A., San Diego and Portland among others and Jimmy Kimmel will be a consultant for his show.

Dave said that he's actually shooting for the Rush Limbaugh audience, not even really for Howard's audience. He's thinking that he could end up in the same markets as Adam Carolla because they'll have two different types of shows. Gary told Howard that they have this guy Rover who will be taking over in a few markets like Chicago, Detroit and Memphis. The whole Stern affiliate market is going to be split up with a bunch of these guys. Penn Gillette will also have a 1 hour show in some of the markets. Dave said he doesn't care who follows him and isn't even thinking about a Penn Gillette following him. Gary said that they have some tape of what David Lee Roth was doing over at Jack FM but it was actually comedian Billy Mira doing an impression of him.

Howard took a phone call from a guy who told Dave he was already going to change stations to Z-100 when he heard him on the show. Robin asked Howard if he would be a guest on Dave's show. Howard said he would absolutely do that and Dave thought that would be great. Howard asked Dave what he thinks is going to happen with satellite radio. He had some round about answer about how it all depends on what the companies let their personalities do. Howard said that he needs the freedom to do what he wants on satellite radio and he just doesn't have the freedom to do it on terrestrial radio anymore. Dave said he supports him on the freedom thing and appreciates the fact that he's making that move. Howard told Dave that putting together that network of affiliates across the country was one of the greatest things he's ever done in his life. He wished Dave luck with his show and offered to get up and walk out right now if Dave was ready to take over for him. Dave asked him what he's been waiting for if that's the case. Howard said he's got a contract that he has to honor and he can't just walk away. He asked Dave if he wanted to take over the show for the rest of the morning but Dave wasn't interested.

Howard had Tom Chiusano come in to meet his new employee. He also asked Dave if he's going to keep the studio the same way it is now. Dave said that he wants to lighten it up and have some windows in there. Tom came in and told Howard that they're going to have Dave working in that studio and they will open it up so he has windows in there. Tom told Howard that he's excited about the future and he can't wait to work with him. Howard felt that Dave was being a bit odd with him this morning but Gary and Tom didn't think that was the case, he was just letting Howard know that he was going to be his own man. Howard doesn't understand how Tom can just give Dave his own studio to start off with since he had to work so hard to get one himself. Dave said he can do what Howard does so that's why they're giving him his own studio. They haven't set up his whole staff yet so there were a lot of unanswered questions.

Howard took a phone call from a guy who said that he was hoping that Sammy Hagar would take over for Howard. Howard asked Dave if Sammy will take over for him if his show fails. Dave said ''absolutely.'' The caller said that Imus has already been talking about how Infinity will have to come to him once David Lee and Adam Carolla's shows fail. The guys goofed on Imus and pointed out that he's got some really low ratings and couldn't fill in for Howard or for Dave. Dave changed subjects and asked Robin about her upcoming TV show and if she was staying with Howard. She said she will be doing the radio show and the TV show at the same time. That's coming up next fall for those who didn't know.

Howard asked Artie for his thoughts on David taking over for them. Artie said he had no idea that Dave would be in that realm of taking over so he was a bit surprised. Dave said he thinks that it's like a lateral move for him from rock star to radio show host. Howard took a call from Ralph who said that they all love Dave but just because he has been a great guest on the show doesn't mean that he'll make for a great host. Howard told Ralph that it's all about Dave keeping people listening to his show. That's what Ralph said that Howard is great at and that's why so many people have been listening to his show for so long.

Howard said that maybe he is a little bitter about the industry not backing him up against the FCC and the religious right. He said they could have done it and fought them but the industry didn't do it, they just caved in. Ralph led the guys into a political discussion about the President and how he isn't doing this country any good with the FCC. The guys were debating a little bit but Howard told Dave he'll have all the time in the world to do that stuff on his own show once that starts. He doesn't know how Dave will do on his show but he predicts that he will do great when he moves to satellite himself. Howard said he'll be happy once people start to make that move to satellite. He's wishing everyone luck in their markets but Gary said that he doesn't wish the guys luck down in Washington DC because the program director down there has been cutting off the show early to get their afternoon guys on instead.

Dave asked Howard about what happens when Howard says certain words on the air and if there's a list of the stuff they can say and can't say on the air. Howard told Dave he's in for a big wake up call and explained to him how there's a new guy in charge at the FCC and how he's going to have to really watch himself once he starts his show. He also told Dave that the government is looking to fine individuals for their indecency complains and that law is in the works now. Howard said that they will have to bow down to the FCC and their ridiculous rules, there's no question about it. He pointed out that Clear Channel's profits dropped 21 percent recently and he's so happy about that. Ralph said that all of the terrestrial radio companies are going to be losing money once people move to satellite. Ralph also told Dave that he's got to watch himself because the FCC and the religious right will have to find another lightning rod to go after and make an example out of. He's got to watch himself now.

Howard found out that all of these affiliates are going to be going to an all talk format. Tom told Howard that their new Free FM logo is referring to their talk format because every one is free to speak. That got everyone laughing because the jocks won't be free to speak because the company has to keep everyone restrained so they don't get fined by the FCC. Ralph told Tom that people get what they pay for... Tom told Ralph to stop because he was basically doing an ad for satellite. Howard said that if he wants him on his radio show, he thinks that the suits at the company won't allow it and that will be the first time Dave will have to bow down to the company's rules.

Howard gave Dave a plug for his show which will be starting up on January 3rd, 2006. Howard starts on satellite on January 9th. Gary had a whole list of what will be happening in each market and there are a lot of shows replacing Howard in all of those markets. Tom was looking kind of shaken up according to Howard and Dave. Tom told Howard that they've been together so long that it's going to be quite a change. It's like he's losing his family. Howard thanked Dave for coming in and went to break.

and after Dave left...

The David Lee Roth Aftermath. 10/25/05. 8:30am
After the break Howard jokingly said that SIRIUS stock had jumped 300 points after the announcement they just made. Howard said there's a lot of discussion about Dave's appearance and people are wondering if Dave did Howard a favor or if Howard did Dave a favor by coming on. After that Howard played the Billy Mira David Lee Roth bit that he started to play when Dave was in there earlier. Artie wondered how many Sirius radios will be sold between January 3rd and January 9th when Howard starts. He went on to say that Dave was the greatest singer for Van Halen but it's going to be tough for him to move from being that Rock star to a radio guy who may not be at the top of his game. Fred said that he thinks that Dave is a great talent but it's kind of like Michael Jordan going from basketball to baseball and forgetting where he came from. Howard wondered if there's any chance that Dave could have him on as a guest. Robin said that will only happen if he's around for like 5 years and makes a name for himself.

Howard goofed on the ''Free FM'' format that the company announced this morning. He said it was funny when Tom told them that it's their freedom to talk that they're referring to in that format name. The whole reason Howard is leaving is because he has no freedom to talk. In the press release he was reading, they announce that Jimmy Kimmel is going to be a creative consultant for Infinity and Adam Carolla's show. Howard wondered who is running that company now and what they're up to as he was reading that stuff. The guys talked about Dave's comments about how he's an honest guy just like Howard is and how they're from the same book but Howard said that remains to be seen.

Howard said the press release he had was about 5 pages long so Robin wondered who will be able to print it in the news if that's how long it is. She thinks that they should have flown all of their hosts into New York to have a big press conference. Howard said that Dave said the company didn't want him going on the show but he wanted to do it so that's why he was on. That led to the guys talking about how this is kind of like a Conan O'Brien coming in to replace David Letterman. He wasn't a big TV star but when he took over for Letterman he kind of became a big guy.

Courier Post Online...

NEWS UPDATE
Roth to replace Stern on morning show

Tuesday, October 25, 2005


Rocker David Lee Roth has been named to replace Howard
Stern as host of the syndicated morning drive-time program
aired locally on WYSP-FM (94.1).

According to an announcement from Infinity
Broadcasting, the station's corporate parent, the
motor-mouthed former Van Halen lead singer will begin his
new career Jan. 3. His show will be part of 'YSP's new
"Free-FM" talk-radio format.

The new game plan, which was introduced today following
Stern's shift, is aimed at the same male, age 18 to 44
listeners who have helped make Stern one of America's
biggest radio stars.

As part of the change, longtime Philadelphia air
personality Paul Barsky today took over as WYSP's midday
host.

Stern is scheduled to move his controversial program to
the Sirius satellite radio service in January.
-- Chuck Darrow

from the Stern site...

A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

Gary told Howard that the mystery guest had arrived and that he wanted to come right into the studio. When Howard saw that the guest was Diamond David Lee Roth, he observed that his appearance was Infinity’s way of introducing David as one of his replacements. David responded that no one will ever be able to replace Howard and that he stopped by on his own accord. David went on to say that Howard is one of his radio influences because he is the only personality on the air who doesn’t rely on scripts while he talks. David added that he truly believes his show will be original enough that it won’t draw automatic comparisons to what Howard does now.

A WHOLE NEW LEVEL

Howard commented that if he had been the lead singer for one of the most successful bands of all time like David was with Van Halen, he would consider radio to be a big step down. Although he acknowledged the point, David insisted that wasn’t the case with him. He explained that the largest crowd Van Halen ever played for was 325,000, yet millions of listeners will tune into hear what he has to say each morning. David also said that, since he has been given full control over what will air on his program, the decision to do his own program was an easy one to make.

FITS LIKE SPANDEX

David revealed that he had been going to school and working as an emergency medical technician when he was contacted last February about the radio job. He also mentioned that his show will be heard predominately in Northeastern markets, including New York, Boston and Philadelphia. David also noted that he isn’t nervous about doing his program because he won’t be ripping off Howard. In addition, David explained that getting up at 4 a.m. won’t be a problem for him and that, because he has been interviewed so many times and has cut so many spots for radio, he’s sure he’ll be able to make a smooth transition into the medium. He added that it has been a dream of his to be on the radio since he was 12, so he is thrilled with the opportunity.

A LITTLE MORE DIRT NEEDED

Howard told David that one of the things that has made him so successful over the years has been his willingness to share his personal life with listeners. Because he didn’t know anything about David’s existence outside of show business, Howard wondered if David would be divulging information he has attempted to keep quiet during his career. David responded that he understands what his role as radio talk show host will entail, so he will have to start talking about topics that he hasn’t discussed in the past. David added, though, that since his show will be political, he won’t have to resort to talking about his personal life as much as Howard has. After hearing this, Howard asked David what some of his political views are, but all he would say was that he supports the rights of everyone and everything.

MOVING INTO HOWARD’S HOME

When Howard asked David if he will be broadcasting out of his studio at KROCK, David replied that it was too dark for him. Howard then mentioned to David that he sensed hostility coming from him. David assured Howard he had no negative feelings toward him, but admitted that he thought Howard was trying to get him to say certain things that he wanted to avoid. Gary told Howard that he got the impression that David was trying to convey that his show won’t be a carbon copy of Howard’s and that there wasn’t any animosity on his part. Tom came in and reported that David will, in fact, be using Howard’s studio, after some changes are made.

ADVICE FROM THE KING

Ralph called in and noted that what separates Howard from everyone else on radio is the way he tells stories. Ralph added that, although he loves David, he isn’t sure he’d have that skill. Howard mentioned to David that the amount of time people spend listening to the show is extremely important and that it will be imperative that he develop the ability to keep them coming back for more. Howard also explained that the new chairman of the FCC, Kevin Martin, has announced that he will be fining entertainers more heavily than even his predecessor, Michael Powell, did, so he had to be aware of that. David replied that he has never had a problem tiptoeing around supposedly offensive material, so he won’t have the same problems Howard had in that regard.

SUDDEN NEED FOR FREE SPEECH

Tom revealed to Howard that, come January, KROCK will be switching to a talk format known as “Free FM.” When Howard pointed out that he thought the moniker was a shot at him moving to satellite, where subscribers have to pay for the service, Tom insisted that wasn’t the case. Tom went on to say that the name actually means that people will have a chance to speak freely on the air without worrying about being restricted. Howard noted that not even Tom could keep a straight face as he spouted out such a statement.

DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH

As Howard was wishing David good luck with his show, David asked him if he’d ever be willing to come on as a guest. Howard responded that he’d love to, but that there was no way Infinity would let him. Howard pointed out that getting him on the air might be David’s first battle and it will show him just how “free” he will actually be.

EVALUATING DAVID LEE

Howard mentioned that during the break there was some debate about how David did during the interview. Although Howard said that he thought David was good during his appearance, Robin pointed out that Infinity made a big mistake by not holding a major press conference announcing all of Howard’s replacements. Howard replied, though, that a press conference would’ve been a disaster if no one had showed up, but Robin insisted such an event would’ve been heavily covered because Howard was involved.

chartattack.com

David Lee Roth To Replace Howard Stern

Tuesday October 25, 2005 @ 03:00 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Eighties hair rocker David Lee Roth has tried his hand at several new career paths the past couple years. First, he tried acting by appearing in an episode of The Sopranos. Then he trained to become a licensed paramedic with a New York ambulance crew. Now, comes word that the rumours are true — Roth will replace Howard Stern as a morning radio host.

On Tuesday, Roth appeared on Stern's show as a mystery guest to reveal he'll be one of the new voices on the radio, starting January 3. Infinity Broadcasting, who owns about 180 radio stations operating in 22 states, approached several other celebrities to replace Stern, including Jon Stewart, Geraldo Rivera, Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Bonaduce.

However, Roth won't be replace Stern on all 180 radio stations. He'll take over stations in New York, Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dallas and West Palm Beach, Florida, while comedian Adam Carolla will take over in Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix and other West coast cities. Cleveland's 92.3 Xtreme radio host, DJ Rover will be heard in Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati and Memphis.

"You've built quite an empire here, and I'd like to think that they've saved it for the best guy," Roth told Stern on this morning's Howard Stern show. "I'll be performing for more people in one morning than The Rolling Stones will in an entire summer."

Roth promises his show will be different than Stern's, but also promises to talk about music and political subjects and, like Stern, his personal life will always be open for discussion.

A David Lee Roth tribute album, Just Like Paradise: A Millennium Tribute To Diamond David Lee Roth, was released last week by Versailles Records.

—Katie Durant

Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Wednesday, October 26, 2005
By Adrian McCoy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Infinity Broadcasting named the heir -- make that heirs -- apparent to morning radio personality Howard Stern yesterday.

The honor goes to rocker David Lee Roth, who will replace Stern on Infinity stations in New York, Dallas, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and West Palm Beach. Roth's new show debuts Jan. 3. Stern fans heard the news first, with Roth guesting on Stern's show yesterday.

The company also is bringing in other new talents for morning drive in other Infinity markets. Radio and TV personality Adam Carolla will host morning drive in Los Angeles, San Diego and other Western markets where Stern is heard. Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel will be creative consultant for Carolla's show and an adviser for Infinity. Kimmel will play a large role behind the scenes in developing new radio talent for the company.

Rover, a top-rated Cleveland personality, will move to Chicago, Detroit and several other markets to replace Stern.

Stern is heard on 27 Infinity stations across the country, including WRKZ-FM (93.7) here. The controversial morning host is leaving Infinity for a new show on Sirius Satellite Radio starting in January. His last live broadcast on Infinity stations is Dec. 16.

Infinity also unveiled Free FM -- a new FM format that will be carried on its stations in some of the top 10 radio markets.

Three Infinity stations flipped to the new Free FM format today -- WYSP-FM in Philadelphia, KIFR-FM in San Francisco and KPLN-FM in San Diego. WXRK-FM, the flagship New York station, will switch in January, when the David Lee Roth show premieres.

Infinity chairman and chief executive officer Joel Hollander describes Free FM as "an entertaining hybrid of provocative, political, pop culture, news, music and lifestyle format ... not heard anywhere else on the radio." Personalities will include Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller, who will host an hourlong daily talk show in selected markets.

Locally, WRKZ will retain its current rock format instead of the Free FM lineup. Roth, original frontman for Van Halen, will be heard on WRKZ here weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m.

"Obviously, it's tough to lose Howard," says Keith Clark, vice president of programming for Infinity Pittsburgh. "We don't look at it as replacing Howard. We look at it as providing a new show on 93.7 K-Rock with somebody intriguing like David Lee Roth."

Replacing the top-rated Stern was a challenge. "It's the first time in radio that any single company is replacing 27 morning shows at once," Hollander said during yesterday's news conference.

He said Infinity decided the strategy would work best by hiring several personalities instead of trying "to hit a grand slam with one."

By hiring non-radio personalities like Roth and Jillette, and popular younger radio personalities like Carolla and Rover, "We've opened up the doors for new talent at Infinity," he said.

Hollander wouldn't comment on the dollar amount or length of Infinity's contract with Roth, but called it "a significant investment for the company."

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Replacement for Stern? Try 3 replacements

Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Julie E. Washington and John Petkovic
Plain Dealer Reporters

It takes more than just a gigolo to replace the King of All Media.

That's the lesson that Infinity Broadcasting has learned since shock-jock Howard Stern announced that he would be moving to Sirius satellite radio in January.

Instead of being in a position to name a sole successor to Stern's throne, the radio company on Tuesday announced that several hosts, including former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, Comedy Central television personality Adam Carolla and Cleveland shock-jock Rover of WXTM "Xtreme Radio" 92.3, will divvy up the 27 stations that currently air "The Howard Stern Show."

Roth will get Stern's slot on WNCX FM/98.5 in Cleveland. Stern's last live broadcast on Infinity stations will be Friday, Dec. 16.

"This could be a huge bomb," said Cleveland-based media consultant John Gorman, who helped build WMMS FM/100.7 into a national powerhouse in the 1970s. He speculated that Infinity is hedging its bets by filling Stern's morning slot with a variety of hosts. That way, if someone tanks, another show can absorb those stations, Gorman said.

Infinity's announcement is also the latest shot in a growing commercial war between traditional broadcast radio and satellite competitors Sirius and XM Satellite Radio. The competition comes at a time when broadcast radio's audience is already eroding because listeners' attention is being diverted by new entertainment options available on everything from the Internet to cell phones.

Sirius wooed Stern to satellite as part of a strategy to create critical mass. The idea is not to replace terrestrial radio per se, but rather to create the radio equivalent of HBO - the pay cable network that earns its money through subscribers, not advertisers

Sirius, like XM, is counting on larger demographic and cultural trends to help it achieve that end. In the last decade, Americans are spending more time driving to work, 26 minutes each way according to radio rating book Arbitron. They're also hearing more cookie-cutter radio, as corporate consolidation in the industry has resulted in robotic DJs, canned music and bland formats.

That, combined with Americans' growing love of gadgets and add-ons, from cell phones to iPods to specialty cable, has led to a bull market for satellite radio, which exceeded 1 million users faster than any other technological device, except the DVD. XM currently has 5 million subscribers, and Sirius expects to reach 3 million by the end of the year.

The trick is to make "changing over" easy for casual radio listeners, including those who tune in Stern. Most will not follow the shock jock to Sirius right away. Rather, they will wait until it's easy: When they buy a new car with a factory-installed satellite radio in it.

No one is predicting the death of "terrestrial radio" just yet, although Gorman and others believe that listener numbers during drive time will continue to decline.

Infinity is attempting to stem that tide by marketing it's new morning lineup as "Free FM," an umbrella name for the variety of morning-drive programs that will replace Stern.

Roth and Carolla will slide onto Stern's throne in most markets on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Roth will be heard in Cleveland, New York, Dallas, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh and West Palm Beach, Fla. Carolla will be broadcast mostly in the West, including stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Phoenix. Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel will be the creative consultant for Carolla's show. Kimmel and Carolla were partners on "The Man Show," a more cartoonish, TV version of the Stern show.

Infinity is also moving Cleveland shock-jock "Rover," the morning host on WXTM "Xtreme Radio" 92.3, to Chicago and will syndicate his show to former Stern stations in Detroit, Cincinnati, Memphis and Rochester, N.Y. (The show will also continue to be heard on WXTM in Cleveland.)

Infinity is developing specialty programming to complement the Free FM format. Penn Jillette, of the magic duo Penn and Teller, will host a new one-hour live radio program on several Infinity stations. "Free FM" also includes the Junkies, a group of guys talking about sports and women, and the Morning Music Co-op, which features alternative music. These shows will be heard elsewhere across the country, but not here.

Will the strategy enable Infinity to hold on to Stern's massive audience, now estimated at 12 million listeners nationwide?

Commanding such a large and loyal audience is increasingly tough to pull off in radio's fractured marketplace, said Kit Spring, who follows the radio industry for Stifel Nicolaus, an investment house in St. Louis.

"No one will come close to his ratings," Spring said. "There are a handful of radio personalities like Stern or Rush Limbaugh that attract big numbers and still get people talking about them."

Sun-Sentinel.com

David Lee Roth to replace Howard Stern on S. Florida radio

By Aimee Picchi And Michael White
Bloomberg News
Posted October 26 2005

Infinity Broadcasting, the No. 2 U.S. radio company, will replace Howard Stern's program in most major markets with two morning broadcasts starring former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth and comedian Adam Carolla.

Stern, 51, will broadcast his last show on Dec. 16, Infinity's parent, New York-based Viacom Inc., said Tuesday in a statement. Roth's show will air in New York and six other U.S. cities, including West Palm Beach, and Carolla will be heard in Los Angeles and four other cities. In other markets, Stern will be replaced by talk shows or new formats, including news and music.

Stern's replacement with "less edgy" shows may allow Infinity to attract new advertisers who didn't want their products associated with Stern's show, Infinity Chairman Joel Hollander said on a conference call. Hollander said last month that Infinity, the No. 2 U.S. radio company, may lose about $100 million in annual advertising sales after Stern leaves.

Some of Infinity's biggest stations are changing to a format called Free FM, which is mostly talk radio, the company said Tuesday. New York's WXRK, a rock-format station, will debut Free FM in January when Roth begins his show.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel will be a creative consultant for Carolla and an adviser to Infinity, Viacom said.

Magician Penn Jillette also will host a one-hour live radio program in stations in New York, Chicago and six other stations in January.

The strategy of replacing Stern with a variety of hosts and formats followed discussions with Jon Stewart, star of The Daily Show, as Stern's replacement, Hollander said. In turning down the job, Stewart suggested that Infinity try several approaches in different markets rather than choose a single replacement, he said.

USA Today

Infinity signs Roth and Carolla
By Karen Thomas, USA TODAY Wed Oct 26, 7:19 AM ET

Infinity Broadcasting is replacing the King of All Media with two newly crowned princes.

Infinity named former rock star David Lee Roth and comedian Adam Carolla as morning drive-time hosts for 13 stations beginning Jan. 3. Howard Stern, the controversial shock jock, is leaving traditional broadcast radio Dec. 16 for a five-year, $500 million deal with satellite radio operator Sirius in January.

Roth, the hell-raising former frontman for rock group Van Halen, says he has no intention of being a Stern clone, and he feels "no hesitation at all."

Says Carolla, host of Comedy Central's Too Late with Adam Carolla and TLC's The Adam Carolla Project: "Ultimately it's about the personality, and if people like my personality, then the show will be successful. If not, then it won't."

Roth, 51, will air in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Cleveland and West Palm Beach. Carolla, 41, will air in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix and Portland, Ore. The 14 other Infinity stations now carrying Stern will turn to music or other personalities, including extreme DJ Rover, magician Penn Jillette and actor/comedian Jimmy Kimmel.

Roth, who has been guest-hosting shows on Infinity stations this year, is confident about his new gig.

"Most of the morning personalities that are current and popular are comedians and humor-driven. I'm not," Roth says. Instead, he says, his show will reflect his personal mix of liberal-arts establishment meets the military and stock-car fans. "I don't know a lot of individuals who can transcend that."

Roth's and Carolla's appointments were long rumored, says Billboard Radio Monitor's Paul Heine. But industry observers say Stern is a tough act to follow.

Stern's departure "is a major catastrophe for broadcast radio," says Paul Levinson, chair of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University. "I can't imagine that (Roth and Carolla), or even a team of five, can have the impact that Stern has had."

Many of Stern's huge national audience will follow him to satellite radio, says Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers, a monthly trade magazine. Roth and Carolla can be successful, he says, "but you can't expect them to be Stern."

Whether you think Roth will sink or swim, "you have to give Infinity credit for taking a chance," says Heine, who expects it will take 12 to 24 months to gauge the new hosts' success.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Roth, Carolla among Stern replacements

By Georg Szalai and Paul J. Gough
Tue Oct 25, 9:17 PM ET

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Taking a page out of the playbook of satellite radio companies, Viacom Inc.'s Infinity Broadcasting radio unit Tuesday unveiled a free-spirited new talk-radio format and a group of personalities as replacements for Sirius-bound shock jock Howard Stern, including former Van Halen frontman
David Lee Roth and comic Adam Carolla.

Also as part of the broad-based replacement strategy, ABC late-night talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel has signed on as creative consultant for "The Adam Carolla Show," reuniting him with his "Man Show" partner, and as an adviser for Infinity to help it develop new radio talent and show ideas as well as make guest appearances on Infinity programs.

Infinity said Tuesday that Stern, who has been carried on 27 of its stations but is starting on Sirius Satellite Radio next year, will have his last live Infinity broadcast December 16.

With immediate effect in four of the top five and seven of the top 10 radio markets, Infinity on Tuesday launched "Free FM," a new format that as part of the replacement strategy puts the spotlight on characters. Nine stations that have carried Stern will use that format, while an Infinity station in Sacramento will switch to the nascent "Jack" format of DJ-free music and a Tampa, Fla., station will change to a talk lineup.

"Infinity's Free FM stations will feature an eclectic mix of personalities, whose distinct creativity, perspective, sense of humor, intellect and unpredictability do not fall under the guiding principals of any particular narrowcast theme or ideology," Infinity chairman and CEO Joel Hollander said in a statement. He added that Free FM would be a "hybrid of provocative, political, pop culture, news, music and lifestyle formats."

Satellite radio has in its programming often banked on characters, such as Stern,
Martha Stewart and others. In the latest news in that vein, Sirius said Tuesday that it will launch E Street Radio on November 1, an exclusive commercial-free channel devoted to the music of
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It is set to run on Sirius through January 31.

As has been expected in recent weeks, Roth and Carolla will function as Infinity's new morning drive time hosts on New York's WXRK-FM and LA's KLSX-FM, respectively, beginning January 3. WXRK will debut the new Free FM moniker that day, even though most other stations launched it as of Tuesday.

Basically splitting up the two coasts, Roth also will be broadcast in Dallas, Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and West Palm Beach, Fla., with Carolla to be carried in San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Portland, Ore., and Las Vegas.

Infinity also hired Ohio radio host Rover for the morning slot on WCKG in Chicago. His show "Morning Glory," which has already been on the air in Cleveland and Columbus, and been a favorite among adults and men 18-34, will now also be heard in Detroit, Cincinnati, Memphis, and Rochester, N.Y.

Additionally, Penn Jillette, half of the comedy duo Penn & Teller, will host a one-hour live program that will air in January in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Detroit, San Diego, Baltimore and Las Vegas.

Also as part of the new Infinity programming lineup, midday hosting foursome the Junkies will expand their reach from one station to two.

"This is the first time anybody can remember that any singular company is replacing 27 morning shows at once," Hollander said in a conference call Tuesday, signaling that changes are possible in the program lineup over time as certain talent could switch to other stations and markets depending on success.

About 10 months ago, Hollander and Infinity programming chief Rob Barnett began to think about the company's life without Stern.

They paid a visit to "The Daily Show" host
Jon Stewart and thought about other big-name replacements before realizing, in Hollander's words, that it might not be best to try to hit "a grand slam" with one host. Instead, they hit upon a regional strategy. In Austin and Tampa, program directors asked for a locally based morning show.

"It's not a competition, but (we want) to see who does well, and obviously the ones who are doing well can be spread to other markets," Hollander said, adding that Infinity wasn't putting any definite timeline on judging its success. "This is going to be a period of time. It's not going to happen overnight. It's going to be a 12- to 24-month process."

And while Infinity has been circumspect on the fact that it will take a hit with Stern off the air, Hollander said in his conference call with reporters that he's viewing it as an opportunity to gain advertisers, such as American Express and several unnamed banks.

"There's millions of dollars that have been spent on radio over the last 20 years by people who didn't want to advertise on the Howard Stern show," Hollander said. He declined to discuss specific financials.

Barnett said that the hiring of Roth and Jillette were conscious decisions to go with entertainers who don't have radio experience. "You're going to see more of that in coming months," he said.

Roth was signed to a long-term contract with undisclosed financial terms, Infinity said. "It's a significant investment for the company," Hollander said.

Roth appeared on Stern's show Tuesday morning, the same day he was introduced to the audience as his replacement in a number of markets. Other hosts, such as Carolla, were also introduced on their new radio stations.

Stern's presence was felt during Tuesday's conference call, even though the radio host wasn't invited. In what Hollander called "a typical Howard Stern prank," one character posed as a radio trade reporter before interrupting the question-and-answer section of the call.

"I'm glad that Howard thought this call was important enough to put on Beetlejuice (a developmentally challenged Stern favorite), but there will be no 24-hour channels of farting and people with mental illnesses," Hollander said. "You won't get that from Infinity."

Stern Interrupts Replacement Announcement By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer
ue Oct 25, 6:59 PM ET

NEW YORK - In the middle of a Tuesday conference call announcing Infinity Broadcasting's plans to replace Howard Stern, a familiar voice appeared: Beetlejuice, the diminutive, snaggle-toothed fixture from the shock jock's nationally syndicated morning show.

He was quickly cut off, leaving Infinity Broadcasting Corp.'s chairman and CEO Joel Hollander to explain how the prank only demonstrated the significance of the company's plans for a post-Stern existence — a radio world where rocker David Lee Roth and comedian Adam Carolla will take over 12 of Stern's 27 Infinity markets.

"I'm glad Howard thinks this call is important enough to put on Beetlejuice," Hollander said before lobbing a programming grenade at Stern's satellite radio venture.

Howard Stern is irreplaceable - at least in Buffalo.
Infinity Radio announced Tuesday that rock singer David Lee Roth will replace Stern - who is moving to satellite radio in January - on most of its East Coast stations. Adam Carolla will move into Stern's chair on the West Coast.

WBUF-FM 92.9, where Western New York listeners currently tune into Stern's morning show, is bucking its parent company and will not sign on with Roth. Instead of a live body behind the mike in the morning to replace Stern, WBUF will stick to canned music.

"We're going to go to our Jack-FM format on a 24/7 basis," said Jeff Silver, general manager of WBUF.

That means no morning man or woman, Silver indicated. "Eventually, we may add a morning person but right now we're going to do Jack all day." The Jack format is loosely based on the iPod shuffle, offering a variety of music.

Stern, 51, has been a dominant force for WBUF and a ratings magnet for the struggling station. In the recent Summer Arbitron ratings, Stern topped all other morning shows for listeners in the 18 to 34 age group. He was also No. 1 for men ages 25 to 54.

Stern was not pleased with the Jack-FM switch by a few Infinity stations. He voiced anger about the decision on the air on Monday. He characterized the choice as the stations saying, "We have such disrespect for you and the 20 years you put in here."

There are a couple of benefits for WBUF without Stern.

"He brings in big numbers but those are expensive big numbers because Stern costs a lot of money," said Tom Taylor, editor of Inside Radio, an industry newsletter. "WBUF will have lower costs without Howard."

Another asset will be the station's music identity.

"They want to establish the Jack format and be known as an adult hits station," Taylor said. "Right now, they're a music station with Howard. After he leaves they will be a music station period." That would fit the pattern for Jack format stations, most of which do not have personalities.

Still, WBUF could be hurting without Stern.

Overall, WBUF barely cracked the summer Arbitron top 10 finishing with a 4.2 in average quarterly hour share. WYRK-FM, a country station, finished first overall with a 11.7 share followed by WBEN-AM, news/talk, with a 9.9 share.

WBUF switched to a Jack format from FM talk in the spring and it's overall ratings have nearly doubled. But WBUF has burned through nearly half a dozen formats, from smooth jazz to classic rock, over the past decade. Generally, for WBUF, a new format starts strong and tends to weaken.

Stern's last day for Infinity is expected to be Dec. 16. He moves to satellite in January for a deal with Sirius Radio that reportedly will bring Stern $500 million.

For the past month or so, Stern has turned his program into a platform for a personal and professional soliloquy. He plugs his satellite program, criticizes his bosses and rails against President Bush, the "religious right" and the Federal Communications Commission.

"I have no bitterness," Stern said Tuesday on the air, but he repeatedly blasted Infinity and Clear Channel Radio for failing to "stand and fight," with him against the FCC and "religious right."

Stern's mood remains unpredictable. He interviewed David Lee Roth on Tuesday and wished him well. "I hope things work out for you," Stern said. He added his greatest accomplishment in radio was building a national network of 27 stations for his morning show.

Stern made it clear he was ready to quit early but his contract binds him until December.

"I don't think they'll let him go before then because they don't want to jeopardize advertising revenue," said Perry Michael Simon, who covers radio for the national Web site allaccess.com.

Roth will have to establish his own identity.

"No one out there can be another Howard Stern," Simon said. "His fans won't accept another replacement. What Roth has to do is develop his own personality and be himself."

WBUF, like the other stations that carry Stern, is facing an uncertain future.

"Right now, Jack is doing pretty well in Buffalo," Simon said. "But once Howard leaves, who knows."

from courierpostonline.com

David Lee Roth is tapped to fill Stern's shoes

Sunday, October 30, 2005

David Lee Roth is tapped to fill Stern's shoes

THE QUESTION OF the week in local radio circles is: Can Diamond Dave make people forget The King of All Media?

"Diamond Dave" is David Lee Roth, the former lead singer of Van Halen. Last Tuesday, he was anointed the successor to Howard "King of All Media" Stern on WYSP-FM (94.1). Stern, of course, is leaving "terrestrial radio" in December for the greener -- and censorship-free -- pastures of Sirius, the satellite radio service.

As corporate decisions go, the one that will have Roth become a member of the local crack-of-dawn patrol is pretty darned good.

It's a given no one can truly replace Stern, who single-handedly revived and redefined radio with his R-rated hijinks and snarling attacks on the political and social status quo.

Since being syndicated in 1986 (WYSP was his first outlet outside New York), Stern spawned a generation of trash-talking wannabes with names like Mancow and Bubba the Love Sponge while rewriting the rules about what could be said and done on the public airwaves.

His trailblazing act made the self-described dweeb from Long Island Midas-rich. And such was the success of his take-no-prisoners blueprint, that he was able to make semi-household names of a group of losers and misfits like "Beetlejuice," a bizarre-looking little person, and "High-Pitched Eric," a man with an unusually girlish voice.

His patronage even allowed the marginally talented "Stuttering" John Melendez to wind up as a member of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno cast.

The point is, Roth has some mighty big shoes to fill. And while it's doubtful he -- or anyone else -- will ever approach Stern's heights, I wouldn't bet against some degree of success for the flamboyant rocker who fronted Van Halen during its turn-of-the-'80s heyday.

Having interviewed Roth on several occasions over the past 2 1/2 decades, I'm convinced he has the right stuff for radio. If nothing else, he is seldom, if ever, at a loss for words on, it seems, any topic. And he doesn't just blather on pointlessly. To the contrary, he has opinions and knows how to make them to the greatest possible effect. Nor is he afraid to stir the pot with outrageousness.

Roth also possesses the kind of energy that is perfectly suited for morning-drive broadcasting, and he has a genuine comedic sense. Witness his brilliant lampooning of some fellow rock stars -- and the music-video "art form" -- in his video for "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" back in the mid-'80s.

Stern will be replaced in other markets by the likes of Adam Carolla (The Man Show) a Washington, D.C.-based team called "The Junkies" and former Power 99 team Star & Buc Wild, as well as by CNN radio feeds (!).

As such, there's no question we got the pick of the litter.

both from FMQB:

WXRK Changes Will Roll After Stern Show Finale
December 15, 2005

CBS Radio is waiting for David Lee Roth's arrival on January 3 to debut the Free-FM format on WXRK/New York. But tomorrow (12/16), after Howard Stern signs off his flagship for the past 20 years, WXRK will run virtually jockless, with only middayer Julie Slater slated to handle some airshifts until Roth's debut. From Stern's departure through Jan. 3, WXRK will start teasing the musical direction of Free-FM, which after January 3 will only be on the weekends.

Come 2006, the WXRK Free-FM line-up is confirmed to have Roth in mornings, Penn Jillette from 2-3 p.m., "The Radio Chick" Leslie Gold in afternoon drive and The Booker Show at night. The New York Post has reported that KIFR/San Francisco's The Doghouse (Jeff "JV" Vandergrift and Elvis Medina) will handle middays.