The Unofficial ALT.FAN.KROQ FAQ.

This FAQ will be posted on the alt.fan.kroq newsgroup periodically, or can be received via FTP at ftp.netcom.com/pub/ha/hagie/kroq/kroq.faq, or via World Wide Web at http://geocities.datacellar.net/SiliconValley/1008/kroqfaq.html

Each of the versions should be updated at the same time.

This version last updated 3-24-98.

If you see any errors, or think something should be added, don't hesitate to send me e-mail.

What's in the FAQ:

  1. What is KROQ and alt.fan.kroq?
  2. What happened to Poorman?
  3. Why does KROQ play so much of the same songs?
  4. How do I get KROQ to play the music I like?
  5. Who from KROQ posts on this group?
  6. What are other e-mail addresses for KROQ personalities?
  7. What other ways do I have to contact KROQ?
  8. Where is the KROQ web page?
  9. Why is there a station in San Jose that sounds just like KROQ?
  10. Are Mr. Birchum and Adam Carolla the same person?
  11. Has (Morning show personality) Lisa May ever been done a Playboy issue?
  12. What happened to Michael the Maintenance Man?
  13. Can you name some alternative sources of "alternative" music?
  14. What is the deal with Y107?
  15. Where is my favorite KROQ personality now?
  16. Can I hear KROQ on the Internet?
  17. How did KROQ begin? (short version)

Also, look at the Long Version of the KROQ history.

  1. What is KROQ and alt.fan.kroq?

    2. KROQ is a Los Angeles radio station, that plays 80's new wave and punk, and 90's "alternative" music. It has been, and still is, on the cutting edge of new music. KROQ (106.7 MHZ FM), operates with 5.6 kW from a 2,000-foot antenna in the Glendale hills. alt.fan.kroq is the Usenet newsgroup focussing on the music, issues, competition, and personalities related to KROQ. alt.fan.kroq was created in May 1994, averages 7 posts a day and is estimated to have 5800 readers.

  2. What happened to Poorman?

    3. Kevin and Bean pulled a prank on Poorman on his 40th birthday (August 19, 1993), by sending Michael the Maintenance Man down, and after finding the key, in, to Poorman's house to wake him up. That night on his shift, the Poorman took a couple of cakes, and asked over the radio for people to come share his birthday party at 'a special location', by coming to the station. Poorman then took the whole (apparently very large) crowd down to Bean's house. Neither Bean nor his wife were very happy about it, and complained to KROQ management. Poorman had been treading on thin ground at this time, having walked off his show and getting suspended for a month earlier, and this was apparently the last straw. Whether it was justified or not is a question that is still debated occasionally on this group.

    He briefly had a T.V. show on KDOC, a local L.A. TV station, but got very low ratings and was canceled shortly thereafter when he pissed off the management of that station as well. He hosted a show on KIIS (102.7) FM for a while, and was on Power 105.9 as well. He then worked in Groove Radio's morning shift (103.1) doing something very much like the old Love Line. Current whereabouts unknown.

    Reports are that his suit against KROQ for the Loveline concept have been settled.

  3. Why does KROQ play so much of the same songs?

    4. The average listener listens to KROQ for about an hour a day. KROQ wishes to keep its ratings up, so it caters at least somewhat to the majority of its listening public. Yes, this makes it tough for people who listen more, but we can't single-handedly keep the station afloat. If you want something a little more underground, check out some of the KROQ specialty shows: Kroq After Hours on at Saturday night at Midnight, the local music show on Wednesdays, or the Sunday shows.

  4. How do I get KROQ to play the music I like?

    5. You need to send (snail) mail to the Program Directors: Kevin Weatherly, Gene Sandbloom, or Lisa Worden, at one of the addresses below (at question 6). Or you can send mail of a more general nature to the General Manager, Trip Reeb.

  5. Who from KROQ posts on this group?

    6. A few people sometimes post, but mostly lurk. Scott Mason (smason@kroq.com) is the stations operations manager, glubby (glubby@kroq.com) is an employee of unknown position at KROQ, morning show personalities Jimmy the Sports guy (jimmy@kroq.com), and Big Tad (kroqbigtad@aol.com or KROQ'sBigTad@earthlink.net) also have posted at one time or another.

  6. What are other e-mail addresses for KROQ personalities?

    7. Morning DJ Kevin: kevin@KROQ.com
    Morning DJ Bean:  bean@KROQ.com
    Morning Show Producer Lightning: KROQ'sLight@aol.com
    Jed the Fish: fishie@cogent.net or jed@ww1.com
    DJ Richard Blade: richardblade@webtv.net
    After-hours DJ Jason Bentley: jason@quango.com

  7. What other ways do I have to contact KROQ?

    8. The KROQ request line: 1-800-520-1067 (So. Cal. Only)
    The KROQ Fax line: 1-213-520-1FAX, 1-310-520-1FAX, or 1-818-520-1FAX
    The KROQ Business line: 1-818-567-1067
    The KROQ Concert info line: 1-818-566-ROCK
    The KROQ Event line: 1-818-843-5050
    The KROQ Loveline line: 1-800-LOVE-191
    The KROQ Ski Line: 1-818-725-SNOW

    The KROQ Community Service Line: 1-818-588-1067br
    Address: KROQ radio, PO Box 10670, Burbank, CA 91510
    or KROQ radio, 3500 West Olive, Burbank, CA 91505

  8. Where is the KROQ web page?

    9. The official KROQ homepage was http://www.delphi.com/kroq/ Note that this page is currently not working, and may never work again. Kroq does own the address kroq.com, and they do use it for e-mail, but are choosing not to put up a webpage there for some reason.  But there are also several unofficial web pages for your perusal:

    http://geocities.datacellar.net/SiliconValley/1008/kroqfaq.html - This FAQ, which you are reading now.
    http://geocities.datacellar.net/SunsetStrip/9293/kroq.html - Current Schedule/events/news/info, legal and contact info, best-of lists, concert lists, and the Big Tad Fan Club. One of the most complete.
    http://www.newart.com/kroq - Stickers, contact info, graffiti wall, and music related links
    http://members.tripod.com/~KROQ/expose_it - Lot's of Band and interview links.
    http://www.cosmoslink.net/~netsurfr/kroq.html - Kevin & Bean info, current events, DJ Schedule, fan feedback.
    http://geocities.datacellar.net/TimesSquare/Arcade/3156/index.html - KROQ DJ Schedule
    http://home1.gte.net/mdcarter/kroq.htm - Some pictures, contact info, and music links.
    http://geocities.datacellar.net/SunsetStrip/Towers/2478/index.htm - DJ Schedule.
    http://www.nathan.com/projects/1994/kroq.html - A theoretical web page for KROQ.
    http://www.primenet.com/~beaker/K.html - Lots of KROQ sticker pictures.
    http://www.kroqhasnowebsite.com/home.htm - The KROQ-has-no-web-page web page.
    http://www.kcrw.org/g/metafterhrs.html - Info about Jason Bentley's KROQ after hours.
    http://www.hollywoodpalace.com/kroqpage.html - Info on Richard Blade's Palace gig.
    http://www.ADAMandDREW.com/ - Unofficial Loveline page.
    http://www.primenet.com/~hirschi/ - A site devoted to the history of KROQ. Airchecks, some stickers.

  9. Why is there a station in San Jose that sounds just like KROQ?

    10. Because it's KOME (98.5 http://www.kome.com/), a station owned by the same company (Infinity), and uses the same promos and songlists.

  10. Are Mr. Birchum and Adam Carolla the same person?

    11. Yes, proof can be seen in the pictures in the calendars, and the identical birthdates. They have made no real attempt at hiding it.

  11. Has (Morning show personality) Lisa May ever been done a Playboy issue?

    12. No, it was a joke. This was something that people have grabbed onto and exaggerated because they are sex-obsessed teens who can't tell an obvious joke from the truth;

    The truth is, confided Kevin and Bean, that Lisa May (a.k.a. Tami Heidi) actually suffered from a very serious chemical burn that left her face scarred and deformed, and can sometimes be seen outside the KROQ studios yelling to passing motorists "I am not an animal" as they throw peanuts at her.

  12. What happened to Michael the Maintenance Man?

    13. He sued KROQ for racial and religious discrimination after they fired him (the firing was possibly a joke that he took seriously). It appears that it has been settled out of court already. See the web site at http://shuster.com/kroq/ for a very complete page about the whole subject.

  13. Can you name some alternative sources of "alternative" music?

    14. Y107 - (107.1 KVYY.KSYY.KLYY http://www.y107radio.com/) is the most obvious answer, which has been playing mostly the same type of music that KROQ does. See the question below.
    KCRW - (89.9 Santa Monica http://www.kcrw.org/) has a couple of programs that play more electronic music, some of which are run by Jason Bentley, the person who hosts KROQ after hours.
    STAR 98.7 - (98.7 KYSR) also plays quite a bit of alternative music, among other things.
    91X - (91.1), a San Diego (well, really Mexican) station, might be an option if you are high on a south facing hill.
    GROOVE - (103.1 KACD KBCD) plays some techno music, in addition to other things.
    KSCR - (104.7 gopher://cwis.usc.edu/11/Campus_Life/KSCR), a college station at USC, has electronic music every night from 8-10pm
    KXLU - (88.9 Los Angeles http://www.lmu.edu/stuaff/kxlu/kxlu.htm) is the Loyla Marymount college station.It plays a couple of alternative shows.
    KUCI  - (88.9 Irvine http://www.kuci.org/) a station out of UC Irvine, plays quite a bit of underground music.
    KSPC  - (88.7 Inland Empire http://pom-mac2.pomona.edu/departments/kspc/) another college station in Pomona, plays a couple of alternative shows.
    KLSX  - (97,1 http://www.realradio.com/) sometimes plays alternative music on weekends.
    X103.9 - (103.9 KCXX http://www.x1039.com/) broadcasts a KROQ-ish playlist. The transmitter is at Lake Arrowhead. The station can be heard in the Inland Empire, but cannot be heard in Los Angeles or Orange Counties (an LA station broadcasts on the same frequency).

    Also Try MTV, 120 Minutes Sundays at Midnight.
    L.A. TV station KDOC also occasionally plays Alternative music videos and Concerts. There doesn't appear to be any set schedule.

    If you have any other suggestions, please send them to me.

  14. What is the deal with Y107?

    15. Y107 was created in early 1996, and has a playlist that is almost identical to KROQ. They are not owned by the same company as, nor are they a sister station to, KROQ. They have three antennas, in Arcadia, Fallbrook, and Ventura, and their offices are in Pasadena. Some Info:
    Request Phone: 1-888-999-Y107
    Fax: 1-888-Y107-FAX
    E-mail: Y107radio@aol.com
    Official Web Page: http://www.y107radio.com/
    The Only unofficial Y107 page that I know of is at http://www.rain.org/~gary1580/y107.html

  15. Where is my favorite KROQ personality now?

    16. Dusty Street - Early era KROQ DJ
    DJ, Las Vegas Radio Station "The Edge"

    Egil Aalvik (Swedish Eagle) - Early era KROQ DJ
    Was working at Groove Radio. Currently Unknown, but has done at least one shift on Y107 in March.

    Kennedy - Late night KROQ DJ until early nineties
    Now working at MTV as VJ

    Jim Trenton (Poorman) - Love Line co-host until late 93
    Was working as morning drive host on 103.1 (GrooveRadio), Currently unknown. See question 1.

    Riki Rachtman - Love Line co-host until mid 96
    Was working as an evening drive talk show host on KLSX, but was fired after punching another DJ at that station. Now unemployed.

    Frank Murphy - producer, Kevin and Bean show until late 96
    Now working as producer for Mark & Brian morning show, syndicated

    Carson Daly - Night DJ until late 97
    Now working full-time at MTV

    Courtland Cox- Morning show producer until early 1998
    Now working as morning drive-time DJ on y107

    If you have any information on anybody else please send me e-mail or post.

  16. Can I hear KROQ on the Internet?

    17. No, KROQ appears to be ignoring the Internet at the moment. Though you can hear Loveline on Realaudio, via it's syndication. Look at the Loveline page mentioned above for info on that.

  17. How did KROQ begin?
    Below is a very condensed version. For several pages of history and reminiscing that this is based on, go to http://geocities.datacellar.net/SiliconValley/1008/kroqhist.html.
    The first station to take the call letters KROQ was in 1972; 1500 AM in Burbank, and they started playing traditional 60's rock music. Before this time it was KBBQ, a country and western station. At the same time, 106.7 FM was a station called KPPC playing a free-form rock format, among other things. The next year, KROQ bought KPPC, and started simulcasting the two together under the call letters KROQ, and all was ready for the punk and new-wave invasion. They went on and off the air, trying different formats, but by 1976 Rodney Binginheimer got his weekly show on KROQ, and started playing bands such as the Sex Pistols and Blondie. By 1978 they had got rid of the AM station, and headed down the road to a full time embracing of the music that eventually made them world famous.

As is usual, this FAQ is a group effort with many people adding to it. Special thanks for large parts of it go to (in chronological order):

Michael G. Levin (slagmee@primenet.com)
tenart@primenet.com
Todd Hawley (thawley@netcom.com)
John E. Bredehoft (jbredeho@deltanet.com)
Eric Schwartz (av470@lafn.org)
Daniel Greer (DanielDG@aol.com)
And MANY others.

Go back to Scott's Home Page

Scott Hagie, hagie@netcom.com
March 24, 1998
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