Clear Channel Flips KLOL

Clear Channel Communications shocked rock fans in Houston and across Texas on Friday (Nov 12) as the radio giant threw away 34 years of rock n roll and flipped legendary rocker KLOL to Mega 101 FM (with the tag line Latino and Proud ) featuring a mixture of Spanish hip-hop, reggaeton and pop/dance music. Similar shock is still being felt in San Jose, CA as KSJO-FM (92.3), a rock station for 36 years, was flipped on October 28 in favor of an oldies-based, regional Mexican format. Clear Channel has vowed to embark on an aggressive plan to convert as many as 25 of its stations to a Spanish-language format in the next 12-18 months.

Since it went on the air in 1970, KLOL was one of the most popular rock stations in Texas and was once once known as The Texas Rock N Roll Authority. KLOL was a true friend to the music community, from the days of the legendary Texxas World Music Festivals (aka Texxas Jam) to a few weeks ago, as KLOL graciously interviewed Vince Neil on the air to promote our ZRock Crue for the Cure Charity Meet & Greet at the Hard Rock Cafe on Halloween.

The music is gone but not forgotten. Fans are invited to share their KLOL memories about the music, the station personnel, and everything that was part of KLOL being the station you grew up with. RIP KLOL 1970-2004.

The day a music icon died

Houstonians mourn the loss of KLOL and its 34 years on-air

By CAROL CHRISTIAN

Neil Young once sang, Rock N Roll will never die. On Houston radio airwaves, it appears to be all but gone.

Clear Channel Radio’s format switch Friday at KLOL-FM (101.1) from Rock N Roll to Spanish hip-hop and other pop styles aimed at a young Latino audience leaves Houston with just two rock stations, both also owned by Clear Channel.

KKRW at 93.7 FM, known as the Arrow, carries classic rock. KTBZ at 94.5 FM, the Buzz, plays moderate rock and bills itself as Houston’s new music alternative.

Some Rock N Roll artists don’t fit either format, said Doug Harris, former promotions director at KLOL and a listener since the station made its debut in August 1970.

Harris, 50, said he found the loss so sad that he’s hosting a wake for the former KLOL on Saturday at his Houston home.

A lot of people want to come in from out of town, said Harris, who’s expecting about 100 to show up.

Now a broadcast marketing consultant for radio stations in the United States and Canada, Harris was listening to the new KLOL Saturday afternoon in his car when the Chronicle reached him on his cell phone.

Out of disbelief, I punch (the radio button) … every once in a while to see if it was a bad dream, he said.

Tim Reynolds of Houston’s Clear Lake area, who also listened to KLOL throughout its 34-year history, said he had done the same thing.

Reynolds, a NASA contractor who works in crew training, said he didn’t know which station would take KLOL’s place on his dial. I ll have to look into the alternative stations around, but they all have different formats from what 101 was, he said. What do you do? There’s just not another station out there like 101.

The Chronicle has received several e-mail messages and phone calls from KLOL listeners expressing various degrees of anger at the change.

No explanation, no warning and no one in Houston, that I know, is happy about it, wrote one reader, an account representative at an area business.

Andrew Fuselier of La Porte, who works in an east Houston shop assembling heat exchangers, said by phone that the format change was upsetting to his 20 to 30 co-workers.

It was not the same Friday without 101, said Fuselier, 37.

Longtime KLOL listener Steve Evans said he was online this weekend seeking the comfort of other classic rock fans when he learned of an Internet petition at www.rock101.info, which implores Clear Channel to Bring Back Houston’s Rock 101.

KLOL is a radio legend this is crazy, he said of the new Spanish music format.

Fewer than 100 KLOL fans had signed the petition Sunday evening.

Former disc jockey Dayna Steele Justiz, who was on the air for about 13 years, beginning in the 1980s, said many former listeners had called her to find out what happened.

The station has incredible loyalty, she said. I haven’t been on the air in 8 1/2 years, yet my phone’s been ringing for 24 hours.

Although Justiz said she didn’t know exactly why the change occurred, she noted that change is common in the radio business.

There are not many stations anywhere that can say they were the same format for 34 years, she said. Radio years are similar to dog years, but even shorter.

Unlike with many stations, Justiz said, KLOL personalities were well-known around town and stayed a long time. Among them were the morning duo Stevens and Pruett (Mark Stevens and Jim Pruett, 1991-2000) and Outlaw Dave Andrews, from 1993 to the close.

With radio today, you can pick up any station and plop it down in any city and no one would notice, said Justiz, a 45-year-old mother of three and president of an online business she started. they’re all playing the same thing, giving away the same thing.

What happened at KLOL was probably an inevitable result of music trends, said Joseph A. Kotarba, professor of sociology at the University of Houston.

Kotarba, who has taught about rock music for 20 years, said the traditional audience for hard rock and heavy metal has decreased since the 1980s. That audience is not as lucrative for radio stations and their advertisers as the quickly growing, young Latino audience, he said.

Traditional hard rock is falling into the category of oldies, he said.

That means the music will be heard from time to time but with less and less talk about who the performer is, where the band is touring and so forth, Kotarba said.

Hip-hop dance music, techno and various other styles of pop music are taking over in popularity, he said. So that is what radio stations like the ones owned by Clear Channel go for. Everyone wants a more lucrative segment of the population.

Being part of the change can be painful, Kotarba said.

There’s a real sadness when one sees the style of music one grew up with fall into that neverland of the oldies bin, he said. It’s no longer fashionable. That hurts and contributes to a sense of aging.

What’s a heavy-metal fan to do?

Some will turn to satellite radio and cable TV stations that play music, Kotarba said. Another increasingly popular source is legal downloading from the Internet, he said.

Perhaps most important, Kotarba said, rock devotees will continue doing what they’ve done for years go to concerts.

As a giant corporation, Clear Channel operates in order to maximize revenue and shareholder value and makes business decisions based on that mission. This powerful force determines what music you hear on the stations they own, what concerts you see at the venue they own or manage, and what advertisements you see on their billboards.

Power to the people can also be a very powerful force. Working together, we speak as one very LOUD voice. It is imperative for rock music fans to have your voices heard. Express your power by supporting local clubs that feature live rock n roll – Engine Room, Numbers, and all the great venues around town. Express your power by attending concerts produced by promoters like The Messina Group – people who have cared about the music and the fans for years. Louis Messina (formerly with Pace Concerts) was the driving force behind the Texxas World Music Festivals (aka Texas Jam) and most of the great rock concerts that came to town. Clear Channel now owns what was Pace, but the man with the plan is still bringing rock music to Houston with his new company.

The overall perception in the radio industry seems to be that rock music has lost it’s luster – many rock stations have experienced a declining audience for some time now. Perhaps by no coincidence, the station in San Jose was a top ten contender in the market for years until they were bought by Clear Channel. Ratings plummetted as listeners fled, voicing their disproval of the corporate rock being force fed to them. It seems Clear Channel has done a good job of flushing true rock music off the air.

I applaud the efforts exhibited by those supporting the petition, including those wanting to start their own new station. But the reality is that it takes a tremendous amount of resources to put together a succesful venture, and a tremendous amount of support to sustain it. We have all experienced how one swift motion can erase everything that was built by KLOL over 34 years.

The rock music scene is vast and covers alot of territory. For example, the ZRock home page currently features Corrosion of Conformity, Slayer, Crossroads Guitar Festival, Vince Neil (Motley Crue), God Forbid, Anthrax, and Stephen Pearcy (Ratt). As it stands right now, virtually none of these artists are on the playlists of Houston radio stations.

Rock n Roll is coming back to Houston if and only if the voice of the people is LOUD. Rock music isn’t gone – it’s just currently not being served by the biggest player in town. Bands like Scorpions and Tesla are still cranking out the same music they have for years – despite the support of corporate radio. Bands like Dangerous Toys and King’s X are but a memory to many stations. Furthermore, bands such as Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, and The Haunted are not even in the vocabulary of most corporate rock executives. By working together, we can prove that Clear Channel’s shareholders would have been better served if the power to the people had been recognized instead of being ignored.

Clear Channel SUCKS!!! I can’t believe this has happened. Since Friday I keep flipping back to 101.1 thinking it’s just a bad dream… … … … … ..in fact I did dream about it Friday night!! I’m saddened by what the corporate pigs have done to our city and we won’t go down quietly. Visit www.rock101.info to sign the petition to bring back the ROCK!!! Thank you… … … … … – said miss crue on Nov 11, 2004

Ok first of all im pissed,but ill try to keep an open mind because I have a plan.although i listened to klol since i moved to texas i was 12 yrs old,i am now 35. I remember switching back and forth on my radio on the school bus in the mornings and afternoons between 97 rock and 101(101 afternoons only cause stevens and pruett were on in the mornings).Music at that time between the two was my salvation cause my parents didnt get along very well fighting and whatnot,anyways you get the drift… . here’s my plan ive been hearing about a petition to bring back 101,well forget it..why? well first of all if these corporate s.o.b.’s at clear channel have the balls enough to just thoughtlessly take 101 of the air without any kind of farewell or goodbye do you really think they will care about a petition,hell no! Lets think for just one moment,lets say clear channel, after what they did,brought back 101 how would you feel about that? im thinking mixed emotions here, because the so called new and improved 101 klol would still be owned by clear channel… not good theres no way of knowing what b.s. to expect out of clear channel as listeners dont matter only the almighty buck matters to them. well personaly i hope their buck becomes a peso … now with all that said the plan,pretty simple really.want to start a petition then start one to bring z-rock back to houston and outlaw dave,loch… give them a morning or afternoon show 4 hours whatever, then go back to the satillite broadcast.. i think its an awsome idea why go for just the vocalist ? .. get the whole damm band..I just wanna jam and I’d like to see houston gettin back the true rock/metal scene without clear channels corporate unknowing about metal only dollars,way of doin things.Z-rock has always been staight forward and they do include it in their logo power to the people that my friends is really what its about.if nobody listened then there wouldnt be radio!!!! 101’s gone who’s gonna bring the bands to houston now? the buzz? im sorry im not down with that.anyways thats just one metalhead’s opinion… laters… … … … … … .metalheadhouston – said metalheadhouston on Nov 11, 2004

Well, 4 days later and I’m still shocked and outraged. I go to work this morning (I’ve been off since Thursday afternoon) and go to turn on my radio out of habit. Oh yeah, there’s nothing on I want to listen to. Guess I ll have to endure a quiet office like I did a quiet car this morning. That MP3 player I’ve been putting off is looking like a great investment right about now. Your idea is not a bad one metalhead, and I’d love to see it happen. I miss OD the most, but don’t forget about Wendy Miller and Uncle Nasty! I was a ZRock fan for the time they were in Houston and always found it hard to believe the market wasn’t here to support the format. Now with KLOL gone, they would definitely have a better shot at market share. Oh – and thanks to ZRock for recognizing the loss and providing a forum to discuss it. 😉 – said astronut96 on Nov 11, 2004

thanks for the words astronut96.of course i meant to include everyone at klol, i didnt mean to sound partial to Just outlaw dave… .hell whats dana stelle (spelling?) up to these days… ..and also in regards to the good words astronut96 said above, zrock has supported us by giving us this forum as a means of venting and possibly new ideas about ANOTHER radio station… .thank you zrock… you prove power to the people and the metal cause is your main concern… . ps. so when will ya ll be in houston lol? metalheadhouston – said metalheadhouston on Nov 11, 2004

I personally would like to see a new station arise independently but with Clear Channel having such a monopoly over the majority of the stations here in Houston I don’t see that financially happening. 🙁 I agree it would be awesome to see a station be over successful than any CC station here in Houston and bring back Stevens and Pruett, O. Dave, Wendy, Locke, Uncle Nasty, etc… … … … .. PS> I can’t stand listening to the Buzz. The alternative music makes me crazy. I ll only listen from 10-3 p.m. cause Wendy’s on air there now. 🙁 Steve Fixx is on over at 93.7 too… … … … … … . – said miss crue on Nov 11, 2004

👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 [img:610e8ad4b1]http://www.bigshotphotography.com/vallejo/board/images/cc_at_it_again.jpg[/img:610e8ad4b1] – said BigShot on Nov 11, 2004

The very essence of ZRock is indeed power to the people. I count myself amongst the many who are outraged that the station we grew up with is gone. The petition for Clear Channel to bring back KLOL is a great idea, but, exactly what kind of dedication can be expected from a company who has thrown away a combined seventy years of rock n roll in San Jose and Houston? As a giant corporation, Clear Channel operates in order to maximize revenue and shareholder value and makes business decisions based on that mission. This powerful force determines what music you hear on the stations they own, what concerts you see at the venue they own or manage, and what advertisements you see on their billboards. Power to the people can also be a very powerful force. Working together, we speak as one very LOUD voice. It is imperative for rock music fans to have your voices heard. Express your power by supporting local clubs that feature live rock n roll – Engine Room, Numbers, and all the great venues around town. Express your power by attending concerts produced by promoters like The Messina Group – people who have cared about the music and the fans for years. Louis Messina (formerly with Pace Concerts) was the driving force behind the Texxas World Music Festivals (aka Texas Jam) and most of the great rock concerts that came to town. Clear Channel now owns what was Pace, but the man with the plan is still bringing rock music to Houston with his new company. The overall perception in the radio industry seems to be that rock music has lost it’s luster – many rock stations have experienced a declining audience for some time now. Perhaps by no coincidence, the station in San Jose was a top ten contender in the market for years until they were bought by Clear Channel. Ratings plummetted as listeners fled, voicing their disproval of the corporate rock being force fed to them. It seems Clear Channel has done a good job of flushing true rock music off the air. I applaud the efforts exhibited by those supporting the petition, including those wanting to start their own new station. But the reality is that it takes a tremendous amount of resources to put together a succesful venture, and a tremendous amount of support to sustain it. We have all experienced how one swift motion can erase everything that was built by KLOL over 34 years. The rock music scene is vast and covers alot of territory. For example, the ZRock home page currently features Corrosion of Conformity, Slayer, Crossroads Guitar Festival, Vince Neil (Motley Crue), God Forbid, Anthrax, and Stephen Pearcy (Ratt). As it stands right now, virtually none of these artists are on the playlists of Houston radio stations. Rock n Roll is coming back to Houston if and only if the voice of the people is LOUD. Rock music isn’t gone – it’s just currently not being served by the biggest player in town. Bands like Scorpions and Tesla are still cranking out the same music they have for years – despite the support of corporate radio. Bands like Dangerous Toys and King’s X are but a memory to many stations. Furthermore, bands such as Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, and The Haunted are not even in the vocabulary of most corporate rock executives. By working together, we can prove that Clear Channel’s shareholders would have been better served if the power to the people had been recognized instead of being ignored. Jarrod, Very well put. I consider myself an independent promoter who has been able to book and promote shows since 1999 for Randy Jackson of Zebra, Zebra, Damon Johnson of Brother Cane, Rik Emmett of Triumph, and Manny Charlton of Nazareth throughout the Midwest (Dallas – Poor David’s Pub, Hard Rock Cafe, Gypsy Tea Room; Houston – Engine Room, 19th Hole; St. Louis – Pop’s, Generations; Chicago – House of Blues, Penny Road Pub; Kenosha (WI) – The Brat Stop; and even the Hard Rock Cafe in San Juan, PR). I do it for the artist and for the fans. It has always been a grassroots effort, all about bringing the artists and their fans together for some great evenings of classic rock music. Corporate radio will still, on occasion, play a song or two by Triumph and Nazareth, but you will never hear any information about what Randy Jackson, Damon Johnson, Rik Emmett, or Manny Charlton (all incredible guitarists) are currently doing. Zebra is still together (released its first studio album/CD in 17 years last year) and perform incredible concerts in those markets that have strong enough promotional support. But to get support from a Clear Channel station, either an in-studio interview/acoustic performance – which listeners tend to love – to ticket giveaways, a mention or two by a DJ (if not syndicated), and a listing in the station’s online concert calendar are the challenge we face. Word-of-mouth (grassroots) has been the strength and I certainly appreciate the fans in those markets mentioned above that have willingly helped spread the word for shows that I have successfully brought to town. I have yet to receive any negative feedback from either an artist or a fan in my six years of promotions. Thanks, Don Wishon ZEBRA Midwest Promotions Prosper, TX www.thedoor.com – Zebra’s official website www.damonjohnson.com – Damon’s official website www.rikemmett.com – Rik’s official website www.mannycharlton.com – Manny’s official website – said Don Wishon on Nov 11, 2004

hey don doing what you do and knowing the people that you know is there anything you can do to get us a rock/metal station here in houston..the market is open just come in and take it… my wish is for zrock in houston… with a couple of dj’s from klol hosting a show or 2 locally a couple of hours (it would be familiar voices houston can relate to)then returning it back to the zrock network.best of both worlds.cause i know our 101 dj’s without the corporate handtying would just rock us straight into rock euphoria… … oh and hey (3rd time ive edited this post) to touch on a little of what jarrod’s post above,which by the way was very well written,granted the last hummm… .2 years the music scene in houston has gottin a little better, concerts and stuff,it could be better and im thinking it was probrably related to not gettin enough promotion through radio time..you know with the exception of big bands like mettalica,but bands like zebra or whoever didnt get that… thats why we need a station like zrock that aint scared to promote,aint scared to play pantera,a station that puts it in your face straight-up no b.s people can see through that sh**. just my opinion correct me if im wrong..i look forward to the day when we can once again get into a car with a couple of buddies and head-bang all the way to the concert… and im 35 now… but hey i miss it!!! metalheadhouston – said metalheadhouston on Nov 11, 2004

I’m a born Houstonie, and grew up there listening to Zrock, since my dayz at Nimitz High School with the headbangers! (Salute too you all!) Clear Channel Radio is buying up all the radio station across this great county of ours, and they need to be STOP (at least, that’s what the voices in my head tell me 😈 ). But really, we have to voice our objection to the large company to stop taking over the formats of these station that hundreds of listener love dearly. I remeber the dayz where I would visit place that Zrock would be, such as the benefit auction at the (now known as Compaq Center ) The the rock stars would show and put on the music shows and auction off some of their great stuff, such as Gold Ablums, Guitars, Autographs, and other items. What a great thing that these folks did for the community. I have several as of today autographs RockCards that I had autograph by the group of Warrant and others. Thanks for letting me know about whats going on in the world of Zrock! We will provile! – said Tinkertron on Nov 11, 2004

Man I can’t believe Clear Channels audacity. I’ve decided to boycott all Clear channel Stations and if enough people in our demographic listen to their own music or any other alternative station besides the many owned by Clear Channel it will hit them right where it hurts. Perhaps then they ll develope some sense of community responsibility. Thanks ZRock for this format, please find your way back to Houston, we miss you. Rock on. – said IronMan on Nov 11, 2004

It’s truly sad when a heritage rocker flips format much like KZEW did in Dallas some years back and WLUP 97.9 The Loop as of December 1st. Might I recommend to those of you with a strong portfolio to maybe invest in KZRC 92.5 FM in Bay City. It’s for sale $490,000 with building $390,000 without and since it’s been on the block for a long time it might go cheaper. It’s alternative rock now so the flip to a real rocker probably won’t scare anyone. Check it out at www.buysellradio.com and then click ’stations for sale for all the info. I know it’s SW of Houston but it’s an idea… . Paine – said CrazyMikePaine on Nov 11, 2004

now thats a good idea… … (yelling)..HEY… ..ZROCK… … DID YA SEE THE POST ABOVE? COME ON DOWN… … … … … .WE NEED YA!!!!! LMAO[/quote] – said metalheadhouston on Nov 11, 2004

you people that came from rockaid go back and get 1 person to post in this forum.LETS GIVE EM A VOICE… I WANT MY Z-KLOL… … WHOS WITH ME??????? http://rockaid.com/speakout/index.php?s=bfe4aeec08be5a1cab06d97e0eb63983&showforum=1 – said metalheadhouston on Nov 11, 2004

YOU PEOPLE THAT CAME FROM ROCK AID… .http://rockaid.com/speakout/index.php?s=bfe4aeec08be5a1cab06d97e0eb63983&showforum=1 WHEN YOUR DONE READING GO BACK TO THE ABOVE LINK AND GET 1 PERSON TO POST HERE… LETS GIVE ZROCK A LOUD VOICE..READ THESE POSTS https://www.zrock.com/zforum/about429-0-asc-0.html – said metalheadhouston on Nov 11, 2004

I have listened to rock 101 since I was 12. 1979 to be exact. I listened to 97 rock when they were around in the 80’s. I was an avid Z rock fan till they went off of the air in Jan 1991. Now Houston has lost the rock station I thought would last forever. I haven’t listened to the radio since. There is no rock in Houston. I can’t stand the choices alternative or classic. No heavy metal / hard rock. Can’t believe it. I remember Z rocks saying when they were on IF ITS TOO LOUND THEN YOURE TOO OLD. Well I’m now 37 still love my rock. Now its gone off of houston airwaves. WE NEED ROCK BACK IN HOUSTON 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 👿 – said peskydemon on Nov 11, 2004

Hell Yea! Bring ZROCK to Houston. With KLOL gone there are thousands of Houstonians that are waiting for a Rock station to come back to Houston. We need our ROCK. 30000+ people have signed a petition to get ROCK back in Houston! You will have an instant market! Join the fight to bring a Rock Station back to Houston! www.rockhouston.com – said rockhouston on Nov 11, 2004

Bring in ZRock!!!!!! Lots of Rockers out here in Houston… Rat – said rat on Dec 12, 2004

Want to help bring back rock 101? well i have made a petion if you are interested please go to the address http://www.petitiononline.com/saveKLOL/petition.html Thanks for considering, I don’t know if it will do the trick but your signature is greatly valued. – said goldendove on Dec 12, 2004

I found an ad for KLOL circa 1986 on an old tape. It features Stevens & Pruett, and Lanny Griffith. It was aired on KPRC Channel 2 during a Miami Vice episode. I’ve digitized it and compressed it for RealPlayer. Enjoy! http://members.aol.com/smartkid88/klol_album_rock_ad_1986.rm PS: You can spread this link, don’t worry about the bandwidth. AOL does not meter their server. – said MikeRichardson on Jan 01, 2005

I am a 10 percenter, I admit it and I’m proud! Just here to voice my disappointment along with the 101 crowd. I miss my boys with edge, mornings haven’t been the same. I want someone to fix it, and some answers from those to blame. Houston wants Walton and Johnson, and the station we’re accustomed too. Until there are some changes, what’s a Rock N Roll relic to do? Dean from Katy – said 10 percenter on Jan 01, 2005

well, after a few weeks of listening to the new 101, KIOL, I came to the conclusion that radio in Houston is going to suck forever. KIOL tries to be everything to all rockers, and it’s not working for me… they’re stuck in the same crappy rut that KLOL was in before they fired Mark Stevens from his program director position. I rarely hear anything that was made after 1990- and most of what i hear on KIOL, I can also hear on the boring old classic rock stations. So, it’s internet radio for me until Z-Rock hits the airwaves again. (z-rock listener from 1987-95- i still have a Z-Rock sticker from the old Dallas station, KKZR, on my briefcase) – said Rox-Z on Mar 03, 2005

It’s off to Satelllite Radio Land as Clear Channel does what it does best… … . N O T H I N G ! ONLY Sports and Talk Radio needs to be owned by Conglomerates. Music Stations ALL need to be local, reflecting local tastes. This is what we got for Worshiping the Almighty Dollar ABOVE EVERYTHING ELSE… .. OVER OUR AMERICAN CULTURE! – said The Rover on Mar 03, 2005

I live in Kalamazoo , Michigan. I have very fond memories of Texas, where I lived form 1986-1990. One of those memories was 101 KLOL, Stevens and Pruett, Moby, Greggo… Hell, I went to the largest party in Texas … The Who at the Astrodome with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. On my last day of high school (Cy-Fair Senior High, Class of 90), I called in to Moby and told all the folks at Cy-Fair ISD to shove it. The death of 101 KLOL and the Runaway Radio is a true tragedy and passing of an era. 👿 I can only say that Clear Channel is the bane of free thought, good humor and free expression. What we have here is a company overreacting to its own greed and the whiny bullshit of the stupid and ther thought-police. It’s happening everywhere, and it is pathetic. Houston has no market for what 101 KLOL has become. The people of Houston deserve(d) better. I hope Clear Channel is buried under the weight of its own bad decisions. I am trully saddened by this. – said m1x3 on Mar 03, 2005