December 28

Airwaves: December 28, 2007

Carolla Extends KLSX Stay

Adam Carolla, morning man on KLSX (97.1 FM), has been signed to a multiyear extension on the CBS station. That's good news for fans of the show. The really good news, however, is that sidekick Danny Bonaduce is being transferred out.

Not out of the station totally, unfortunately. But at least to a slot short enough that it will be much easier to avoid him, 2 to 3 PM weekdays in a segment called Broadcasting Bonaduce.

The announcements culminated a week a mystery, in which Carolla was missing in action from his own show and supposedly ill all the while guesting on Drew Pinsky's new show on KGIL (1260 AM). Carolla had made no secret about not liking Bonaduce on his show, and purportedly he finally just got fed up. He even missed his own live "Carolla Christmas" that aired on KLSX last Friday.

Still Playing Our Song

Mt. Wilson Broadcasters has traditionally been a sponsor and promoter of the arts and music in Southern California. When Mozart and friends were on analog 105.1 FM, owner Mt. Wilson helped out with such organizations as the Pasadena Symphony.

Turns out, they still do. Only the names have changed to protect the, er, never mind. Now it is K-JAZZ (88.1 FM) that is doing the sponsoring. Except that K-JAZZ is operated by, you guessed it, Mt. Wilson Broadcasters, under contract from Cal State Long Beach.

Nice to know that support of the arts and music continues from one of the last remaining independently-owned broadcast groups in Southern California.

Levy Gone

I still can't get a reason why, but Jeff Levy was quietly removed from the weekend broadcast schedule of KNX (1070 AM). It probably has to do with a renewed focus on all-news at the station, which lost direction over the past few years and now is on a mission to remake itself.

HD Standards

Brad Chambers doesn't give up easily. The former programmer of The Fabulous 570 and The Fabulous 690 originally -- and still -- took his favorite standards songs to the internet, via martiniinthemorning.com. Now he's hoping to bring them back to the local airwaves, and more, through digital HD Radio.

HD Radio allows an FM station to stream more than one station on the same frequency, though you need a new HD Radio to hear the special signals. Chambers is working on promoting a full-time, fully-hosted syndicated format with the hope of getting the format on one HD channel in every market offering the HD multicasts.

It's a win-win, really. We all get standards; the format helps sell HD Radios and brings more people into the HD fold. Here's hoping that Chambers succeeds with his plan.

Final Thoughts

If you have any comments or concerns you'd like addressed in this column, please don't hesitate to contact me. As the year draws to a close, I want to wish you and yours the best in 2008 and always.

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