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The Plain Dealer
RADIO
Roth takes over Stern's mike on Tuesday
Monday, January 02, 2006
Julie E. Washington
There's no predicting what it will sound like when David Lee Roth jumps on radio Tuesday morning.
Roth takes over the giant microphone left behind by Sirius Satellite Radio's new standard-bearer, Howard Stern. Roth's reign begins with a 6-to-10 a.m. stint, heard locally on WNCX FM/98.5.
Stern's successor is getting a tattered throne -- fewer stations, Federal Communications Commission scrutiny and constant comparisons with the person who used to sit there. Other entertainers, including Jon Stewart and Danny Bonaduce, said no thanks, according to a press report.
But Roth's ego and optimism refuse to allow him to contemplate defeat -- or reveal his plans for the show. It doesn't even have an official name yet.
Calling last week from New York, where the show will originate, the former Van Halen frontman predicted his debut would be "the best day of my life," "a thunderbolt in your Pop-Tarts" and "a good excuse to put bourbon in your coffee."
Roth, 51, emphasized that he intends to make the show his own.
"The only thing I have in common with Howard Stern is Hanukkah," Roth said.
The man who speaks several languages and is an author, world traveler, helicopter pilot student and EMS technician said his preparation for radio goes back to his boyhood days of telling stories around campfires.
"My entire life is very, very different" from other radio hosts, he said. "You simply have to have positioned yourself. You can't go to school for this. Can't fake it."
He hinted that future guests might include potty-mouthed comic Sarah Silverman, former President Bill Clinton or one-time Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss. What about Eddie Van Halen, who has famously feuded with Roth?
"I've already called," Roth said, but there are still hurt feelings. "Eddie's off in his own world."
Roth said the radio gig doesn't mean that his music career is over. He expects the show to travel all over the country, meaning that if he tours, the show will go with him.
The show may travel from coast to coast, but Infinity Broadcasting -- now called CBS Radio -- chose to air Roth only in the eastern part of the country.
Roth will be heard in Cleveland, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dallas and West Palm Beach, Fla.
Comedian Adam Carolla replaces Stern in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Portland, Ore.
Rover, morning DJ for WXTM FM/92.3, will replace Stern in Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Memphis and Rochester, N.Y. Rover's Cleveland local listeners will still find him on "92.3 Xtreme."
Many Stern listeners undoubtedly will follow him to satellite radio. His last live broadcast on terrestrial radio was Dec. 16. But CBS Radio expects the Roth Army to fall in line behind their man.
Roth was born in Bloomington, Ind., and grew up in Los Angeles. As Van Halen's original lead singer, he cultivated a reputation for nonstop debauchery and a larger-than-life personality.
Van Halen released its first album in the late 1970s. Roth left the band for a solo career in the mid-1980s, and briefly reunited with Van Halen years later. He released a CD with another group, the DLR Band, in 1998.
So is a radio career a step up -- or down -- from being a rock star? Roth noted that he'll have millions more listeners than the Rolling Stones can fit into one stadium.
"My show is the best thing to ever happen to your hangover," he quipped.
RADIO
Roth takes over Stern's mike on Tuesday
Monday, January 02, 2006
Julie E. Washington
There's no predicting what it will sound like when David Lee Roth jumps on radio Tuesday morning.
Roth takes over the giant microphone left behind by Sirius Satellite Radio's new standard-bearer, Howard Stern. Roth's reign begins with a 6-to-10 a.m. stint, heard locally on WNCX FM/98.5.
Stern's successor is getting a tattered throne -- fewer stations, Federal Communications Commission scrutiny and constant comparisons with the person who used to sit there. Other entertainers, including Jon Stewart and Danny Bonaduce, said no thanks, according to a press report.
But Roth's ego and optimism refuse to allow him to contemplate defeat -- or reveal his plans for the show. It doesn't even have an official name yet.
Calling last week from New York, where the show will originate, the former Van Halen frontman predicted his debut would be "the best day of my life," "a thunderbolt in your Pop-Tarts" and "a good excuse to put bourbon in your coffee."
Roth, 51, emphasized that he intends to make the show his own.
"The only thing I have in common with Howard Stern is Hanukkah," Roth said.
The man who speaks several languages and is an author, world traveler, helicopter pilot student and EMS technician said his preparation for radio goes back to his boyhood days of telling stories around campfires.
"My entire life is very, very different" from other radio hosts, he said. "You simply have to have positioned yourself. You can't go to school for this. Can't fake it."
He hinted that future guests might include potty-mouthed comic Sarah Silverman, former President Bill Clinton or one-time Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss. What about Eddie Van Halen, who has famously feuded with Roth?
"I've already called," Roth said, but there are still hurt feelings. "Eddie's off in his own world."
Roth said the radio gig doesn't mean that his music career is over. He expects the show to travel all over the country, meaning that if he tours, the show will go with him.
The show may travel from coast to coast, but Infinity Broadcasting -- now called CBS Radio -- chose to air Roth only in the eastern part of the country.
Roth will be heard in Cleveland, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Dallas and West Palm Beach, Fla.
Comedian Adam Carolla replaces Stern in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Portland, Ore.
Rover, morning DJ for WXTM FM/92.3, will replace Stern in Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Memphis and Rochester, N.Y. Rover's Cleveland local listeners will still find him on "92.3 Xtreme."
Many Stern listeners undoubtedly will follow him to satellite radio. His last live broadcast on terrestrial radio was Dec. 16. But CBS Radio expects the Roth Army to fall in line behind their man.
Roth was born in Bloomington, Ind., and grew up in Los Angeles. As Van Halen's original lead singer, he cultivated a reputation for nonstop debauchery and a larger-than-life personality.
Van Halen released its first album in the late 1970s. Roth left the band for a solo career in the mid-1980s, and briefly reunited with Van Halen years later. He released a CD with another group, the DLR Band, in 1998.
So is a radio career a step up -- or down -- from being a rock star? Roth noted that he'll have millions more listeners than the Rolling Stones can fit into one stadium.
"My show is the best thing to ever happen to your hangover," he quipped.
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