Every now and then, I lament over the loss of my favorite radio morning show, today was one of those mornings. If you've never been through Kansas City, then you've probably never heard of Johnny Dare, but he has been doing his morning show on KQRC 98.9 The Rock! for 32 years. His interview style is different from most show hosts and it makes the guests feel at home like they are talking to a friend rather than just being asked about their latest project with the same questions they get asked by everyone else. He is also a prominent figure in the community, raising money for lots of charities. He's a true local celebrity. His voice is very distinct, and hearing his voice every morning on the way to work just became part of my morning routine, like brushing my teeth or shaving.
Then one day, back in March we read a very sad post on social media from him saying that they were told that the show was getting the boot. They had done nothing wrong, but it's a 5 person radio show, which is expensive, and with company ownership changes they deemed it not profitable anymore. The good news was, he was respected enough, that they gave him one final day on the air, which is a privilege given to almost no one, for fear that they will say something bad on the radio. He took his departure with grace and the last show was an emotional one. Every now and then it just hits me that that part of my routine is gone.
Now, to add insult to injury, a few months before the show left, another radio show, the Church of Lazlo, was being canned from a sister radio station and they were brought on to 98.9 as an afternoon show. I absolutely detest this show and cannot stand the host's voice and don't like their format. It's one guy basically just reading news stories and the other guy reacting to them. And, I like my talk radio in the morning, on the way home I want to listen to music. So I was not happy with this addition at all. Then, just a week or so after Johnny's show left, they moved Lazlo to the morning slot. What an insult. After that I, along with many other loyal listeners, boycotted the station altogether. It's sad too, because it's the only modern rock radio station in the area.
I have switched to listening to to public radio, which plays a very eclectic mix of music, which I'm ok with. Johnny had some no-compete clauses in his contract, so we are all kinda waiting for those to expire to see what Johnny will do next.
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Here's me with Johnny and LJ form Sevendust at an event from the radio station in 2015.
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