Local Media

98Rock's Rob Williams To Fans: "We Have Failed You"

2009-06-07T22:10:28Z

Amid a sleugh of advertiser withdrawals and facing heat from the GLBT community, Rob Williams, one-third of KRXQ's "Rob, Arnie & Dawn" morning show, posted a statement on the show's website that can be summed up in four words: "We have failed you."

"We presented our opinions on a very sensitive subject in a hateful, childish and crude fashion," Williams wrote on his website, RobArnieAndDawn.com in a letter to listeners, "and then, given the chance to retract those remarks, we defended them."

The response comes nearly two weeks following an on-air segment in which Williams and co-host Arnie States called members of the transgendered community "freaks," "fruits" and describing them as having a "mental disorder" in which transgenders "bring attention to themselves."

"God forbid if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him with one of my shoes," States quipped during the May 28th segment.

Since then, nine advertisers -- Chipotle, Snapple, Sonic, Bank of America, Verizon Wireless, Carl's Jr., Nissan North America, AT&T and McDonald's -- announced through the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) that they were withdrawing support from KRXQ. A tenth advertiser, Wells Fargo Bank, issued a statement saying they were not advertisers of KRXQ's breakfast program and had no intention of advertising with the station in the future.

On June 3rd, Williams and States, along with co-host Dawn Rossi, addressed the May 28th segment following an outcry of opposition from listeners throughout the United States and as far away as the United Kingdom. Williams and States appeared to defend their right to an opinion on the show and clarified that they, in no way, advocated violence toward children.

"They never meant to advocate any form of abuse," station manager Jim Fox told The Sacramento Bee's 21Q blog.

Williams went on to say in his statement posted on June 7th that no new "Rob, Arnie & Dawn" shows will air on KRXQ until Thursday, June 11th, at which time the breakfast show presenters will "say what needs to be said."

"Apologizing in a written, posted statement is a form of cowardice," Williams wrote.

The Rob, Arnie and Dawn Show, which is owned and produced by Williams, airs weekday mornings on KRXQ 98.5 FM in Sacramento, known on-air as "98Rock," and in syndication on KDOT 104.5 FM in Reno. The 12-year radio program has been no stranger to controversy in the past; in 2004, the show was fined $55,000 by the Federal Communications Counsel for "on-air indecency" following a complaint filed by James Peak.

Jury Selection Begins In Radio Station Water Death Suit

2009-09-08T20:21:52Z

The parent company of a local radio station engaged in the first day of a wrongful death lawsuit after a contestant died on a morning drive program more than two years ago.

Entercom Communications Corporation, owner of six radio stations including KDND 107.9 FM "The End," was slapped with a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the family of Jennifer Strange, a contestant in the station's "Hold Your Wee For A Wii" promotion in January 2007. Contestants were challenged to consume several varying amounts of water over the course of the station's "Morning Rave" breakfast program. Participants forfeited the contest when they were unable to hold their urine or vomit after consuming the water, with the last contestant standing receiving a prize of a Nintendo Wii gaming console.

Prior to the start of the contest, a woman identifying herself as a nurse called the Morning Rave program, warning the disc jockeys that the contest could have dire health consequences. The DJs ignored the health advice and proceeded with the contest anyhow.

Strange is thought to have consumed more than two gallons of water before eventually accepting tickets to a Justin Timberlake concert as a consolation prize. Throughout the contest, Strange had complained of head pains while the DJs commented that her stomach looked bloated.

The mother of three was found dead in her Rancho Cordova home hours later by a relative shortly after the contest ended.

In response, KDND fired 10 staff members, including the DJs associated with the "Morning Rave" program and several members of the station's promotional team. Later, the station launched a new morning show, hiring three disc jockeys away from a Pennsylvania station. The station and the new morning show continues to dominate in demographic and overall ratings.

It's those ratings that attorneys for the plaintiffs in the wrongful death civil case say pushed the station in the direction that led to Strange's death.

"That is why Jennifer Strange died," a brief released by lawyers Roger Dreyer and Harvey Levine read. "Not because of an oversight, but because Entercom cared about ratings, not risk."

Jury selection in the wrongful death case began Tuesday morning, the same day KDND rolled out commercial-free radio weekly on Tuesday during peak listening hours. According to the Sacramento Bee, Entercom is thought to have lost $710 million last year despite having dominant ratings in the Sacramento market.

Entercom operates six radio stations in the Sacramento market, including five FM stations and one AM sports station.

---

Matthew Keys is an online news writer for FOX40.com and community contributor to The Sacramento Press.

98Rocked: Ten Advertisers Withdraw Over Transgender Comments

2009-06-07T01:13:55Z

In the wake of controversial comments made by morning show presenters Rob Williams and Arnie States on KRXQ 98.5 FM, nine companies have responded by either discontinuing or agreeing not to renew advertisement support on Sacramento's rock station.

The nine companies -- Chipotle, Snapple, Sonic, Bank of America, Verizon Wireless, Carl's Jr., Nissan North America, AT&T and McDonald's -- all announced through the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) that they were withdrawing support from KRXQ, known on-air as "98Rock," which is the flagship station for the popular "Rob, Arnie & Dawn Show."

"McDonald's has a proud legacy of diversity and inclusion," read a statement prepared by McDonald's USA LLC. "The views expressed by (Williams and States) are not consistent with our core values. As such, we are in the process of withdrawing advertising from KRXQ until further notice."

Wells Fargo Bank, whose logo was removed from the KRXQ website shortly after May 28th, issued a statement saying it was not an advertiser of the May 28th broadcast and had not advertised on the station for more than a year.

The withdrawal of support comes nearly two weeks after Williams and States made controversial comments regarding transgender children, referring to them as "freaks," "fruits" and claimed that transgendered people suffered from "medical conditions" in which they felt the need to "bring attention to themselves."

"God forbid if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him with one of my shoes," States quipped.

Williams and States addressed, but did not apologize for, their comments in a follow-up segment on June 3rd. They also expressed disinterest in commenting to the media on the current controversy.

So far, the withdrawal of advertisement does not appear to affect station KDOT 104.5 FM in Reno, which syndicates the "Rob, Arnie & Dawn Show" along with KRXQ 98.5 FM in Sacramento.

Local Radio Show Takes Heat, Loses Advertisers Over Transgender Comments

2009-06-05T07:12:30Z

Three companies have decided to pull their advertisement support from KRXQ 98.5, better known on-air as "98Rock," following a controversial discussion about transgendered children on the station's breakfast show "Rob, Arnie & Dawn."

During the May 28th discussion, show presenters Rob Williams and Arnie States read from a news article describing a male child in another state as being permitted to enroll in school as a female.

"God forbid if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him with one of my shoes," States quipped.

Williams and States then took turns receiving listener phone calls, during which they called transgendered people "freaks," "fruits" and claimed that transgendered people suffered from "medical conditions" in which they felt the need to "bring attention to themselves." The shows third presenter, Dawn Rossi, appeared distressed during the segment.

"Those that really have this, it is a struggle for them! It is heart-wrenching for them! They have always felt like a different sex! And they've never felt like themselves."

In response to the May 28th discussion, the organization GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) issued a statement on its blog, saying it was working with the organization Trans Youth Family Allies to bring attention to the segment and solicit a response and apology from station management.

"GLAAD has reached out to KRXQ management to communicate our serious concerns and demand an apology. We are waiting for their reply," the blog read on June 1st.

"They never meant to advocate any form of abuse," station manager Jim Fox told The Sacramento Bee's 21Q blog.

"I think it's ridiculous to think that I'm advocating violence against kids," States responded on the program June 3rd. "I know a lot of people don't understand this, that's a joke. Maybe you find that to be a tasteless joke, but I have never advocated for parents to beat their children."

States also pointed out that the show has held 29-hour broadcasts benefitting the U.C. Davis Children's Hospital network annually since 2007.

The presenters went on to defend their controversial dialogue, stating that opinions should be freely expressed regardless of how they're interpreted.

"That's what makes this country great," Rossi said in defense of Willams and States. "The minute we start telling Arnie he can't say that, then somebody's going to tell me I can't defend transgender people."

"You guys imply that all you have to do is...whack my non-existant child with a shoe if he goes clopping around the house in high heels," commented a listener who identified herself as a male-to-female transgender who previously had served in the US armed forces for 22 years. "Don't you think that all the abuse that I took in school would have changed that basic nature in me?"

"Thank you for your service, but let me just say this right now," quipped an angered States. "You fought (in the armed forces) for nothing! With the opinions that you have right there, you fought for absolutely nothing!"

Anyone who expected an apology from two-parts of the breakfast show trio were left with only points of clarification for the controversial dialogue, and that didn't sit well with gay and lesbian organizations.

"While it was heartening for us to hear that Rob Williams and Arnie States did not advocate for violence against children," GLAAD reported on their blog, "they also did not hold themselves accountable for their dehumanizing and defamatory words used to describe transgender children in last week’s show."

That didn't sit well with advertisers either. Shortly after Wednesday's show aired, the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group wrote an e-mail to GLAAD announcing they were pulling their advertisement-based support for KRXQ.

"We found the segment to be offensive," a statement released by the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group read, "and as a result, we are pulling our Snapple advertising from the station."

Chipotle Mexican Grill and Sonic Corporation also announced that day they, too, were pulling advertisement support for the station in response to the offensive comments.

"SONIC in no way condones violence toward children and does not wish to be associated with media content that condones or promotes such activity in any way"

The Rob, Arnie and Dawn Show, which is owned and produced by Williams, continues to air weekday mornings on KRXQ 98.5 FM in Sacramento and in syndication on KDOT 104.5 FM in Reno. The 12-year radio program has been no stranger to controversy in the past; in 2004, the show was fined $55,000 by the Federal Communications Counsel for "on-air indecency" following a complaint filed by James Peak.

Link: Listen to the original May 28th conversation

Link: Rob, Arnie & Dawn's response on June 3rd (part 1) (part 2)

Link: Local Radio Morning Program Upset Some Over Transgender Comments (FOX40, June 2nd)

"The End" Isn't Ending, They're Just Dropping Commercials

2009-09-04T23:15:33Z

Fans of a popular Top 40 music station have nothing to worry about -- KDND 107.9 FM "The End" isn't dropping their popular music format, they're just dropping the commercials.

On Tuesday, KDND announced on their Twitter.com page that the station was going to "say goodbye" to something on the station. Fans speculated "The End" was going to change music formats or go off the air altogether.

However, a FOX40 News viewer named Andrew discovered a hidden webpage on KDND's website that spelled out the station's intentions: The End was planning to announce a commercial-free format every Tuesday between 9:30am and midnight.

Shortly after FOX40.com broke the news of "The End's" Tuesday announcement, the station updated their website to reflect the news.

Thursday, a source with the radio station confirmed a "change" would be coming to the station on Tuesday, September 9th. The new commercial-free format will launch the same day Entercom enters a civil lawsuit as a defendant following the death of Jennifer Strange by way of water intoxication during a station contest in 2007.

Earlier this year, Entercom changed formats on alternative station KWOD 106.5 FM. The station, now known as KBZC "The Buzz," now plays music from the 1990s and is fully automated.

---

Matthew Keys is an online news writer for FOX40.com and community contributor to The Sacramento Press.

FOX40 To Extend Job Offer To Conan O'Brien Wednesday

2010-01-20T02:51:25Z

Late night talk show host Conan O'Brien's career dilemma following his role as "Tonight Show" presenter at NBC may soon be solved -- with a job opportunity at KTXL FOX40.

On the Wednesday edition of the morning news program "FOX40 Live," hosts Natalie Bomke, Joe Orlando, Rosemary Orozco and Paul Robins will extend a formal job offer to the former host of "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and current host of NBC's "The Tonight Show."

"We're totally serious," said FOX40 news director Brandon Mercer. "We're hiring producers anyway, and he's one of the most creative guys in the business."

"We are always looking for the best available talent," FOX40 general manager Bob Ramsey said. "There has been some reporting that he may (soon) be available."

O'Brien took over presenting duties seven months ago from Jay Leno as host of "The Tonight Show" on the NBC network. Leno later went on to host a 10pm prime-time talk program for the network. The program failed to make a wave, and as of two weeks ago, NBC suggested a half-hour program for Leno at 11:35pm, bumping O'Brien's "Tonight Show" to a midnight time slot.

That idea didn't sit well with O'Brien, who reportedly has decided to end his role as "Tonight Show" presenter in exchange for a $40 million buyout of his contract with NBC. It's been reported Leno will resume his hosting duties at "The Tonight Show," which leaves O'Brien looking for work.

"The guy needs health insurance and a little pocket money," Mercer said. "So why not take us up just for a few months, till the next gig comes along?"

FOX40 Live executive producer Leigh Anne Keys says one incentive for O'Brien accepting a job with FOX40 would be his excellent treatment as an employee with KTXL FOX40, owned by Tribune Company.

"I'm a great boss," Keys said. "I'll treat you much better than your bosses at NBC did. I just have one rule -- always remember to say 'please' and 'thank you,' and we'll get along great."

O'Brien's job offer as a morning show producer comes with his own office across the hall from FOX40 veteran sports director Jim Crandell. Currently, the "office" acts as a storage closet for the station underneath some stairs.

Sacramento is only a nine hour drive from O'Brien's current home in Los Angeles, making the capitol city an easy move for the former New York resident recently located to California. Mercer says, while the station is willing to pay for moving expenses, if O'Brien accepts the position with FOX40, he would be welcome to fulfill his job duties by telecommuting in lieu of moving away from Southern California.

The employment opportunity at FOX40 isn't the only job offer O'Brien has received since his late night drama with NBC began. The late night presenter also has offers from the FX program "Sons of Anarchy" to guest star as an Irish terrorist, as well as an offer from porn studio Pink Visual to appear in an adult video.

If O'Brien accepted FOX40's job offer, he would be the second person associated with a late night talk program hired by the station. In the 1980s, FOX40 Live host Paul Robins and Conan O'Brien were hired as writers of the short-lived FOX late-night talk program "The Wilton North Report" during the network's infancy. The show lasted one month.

FOX40 Live can be seen weekdays on FOX40 from 4:30am to 9am. The show also streams live without commercials on FOX40.com.

98Rock Morning Show Apologizes For Transgender, Child Abuse Comments

2009-06-11T17:59:22Z

Following nearly a week's worth of silence and with over a dozen advertisers lost, a Sacramento-based radio program returned to the airwaves with an apology in response to some off-color comments that drew national attention and criticism.

Rob Williams and Arnie States, two-thirds of KRXQ's "Rob, Arnie & Dawn Show," apologized Thursday morning for comments they made two weeks ago in which they referred to members of the transgender community as "freaks," "fruits" and as experiencing "mental defects" meant to "draw attention to themselves."

The comments made during the May 28th broadcast angered child advocacy and transgender groups, the effect of which was the withdrawing or cancellation of agreement to financially support KRXQ by Chipotle, Snapple, Sonic, Bank of America, Verizon Wireless, Carl's Jr., Nissan North America, AT&T, McDonald's, Sleep Train and Guitar World.

However, Rob Williams say it was the show's fans who made the presenters realize they had pushed the line too far.

"We are here today to make things right with the people who give us our free speech -- our audience," Williams said at the beginning of today's program. "Our audience made it clear that our initial comments were over the line, that they expected us to make things right."

"My ignorance prevented me from understanding how hard a transgender's life is day to day...and I am very sorry for that," States said today during KRXQ's two-and-a-half-hour, commercial-free broadcast. "I ignorantly thought that name-calling was just that. Due to my ignorance, I was wrong."

Thursday's show aired following Williams and States' initial response to their May 28th comments on June 3rd in which Williams and States defended their comments and refused to apologize.

States also pointed out that the show has held 29-hour broadcasts benefitting the U.C. Davis Children's Hospital Network annually since 2007. In a letter to station management on June 8th, Dr. Claire Pomeroy announced U.C. Davis Children's Hospital Network was severing their ties with KRXQ over the controversial comments.

"The events of May 28th and the station's lack of a publicly articulated response to those events are inconsistent with UC Davis' values and mission," the letter read. "We are, first and foremost, an institution of learning and teaching, committed to advancing health and well-being for all. We affirm the right of freedom of expression, within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity and respect. The statements made by [Williams and States] were outside those bounds."

U.C. Davis Children's Network said they will re-evaluate their relationship with the station at the end of 2009.

Thursday morning's program solicited phone calls from the community and featured transgender advocates Autumn Sandeen and Kim Pearson. The show was heavily promoted by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) organization, which encouraged supporters to listen and call in to this morning's program. The organization had previously encouraged supporters to write to the station's advertisers.

A statement by GLAAD regarding this morning's program on KRXQ was not available as of 11AM Thursday.

The Rob, Arnie and Dawn Show, which is owned and produced by Williams, continues to air weekday mornings on KRXQ 98.5 FM, known on-air as "98Rock" in Sacramento, and in syndication on KDOT 104.5 FM in Reno.

KWOD Flips Formats, Becomes "The Buzz"

2009-05-23T02:13:39Z

One of two dedicated rock stations in Sacramento has bid adieu to the alternative music format.

KWOD 106.5 FM, which had been broadcasting alternative music since 1991, relaunched Friday morning under a new format that plays hits from the 1990s — expanding its genre to include rock, pop, alternative, dance, conteporary urban R&B and more. Along with a format flip come new call signs and a new nickname: KBZC 106.5 FM "The Buzz." The format flip isn't so much because people aren't tuning in, but instead because the alternative rock format is failing as a business model.

"The last few years have been very challenging for KWOD," a statement prepared by program director Curtiss Johnson read. "We face the same circumstances as so many other organizations today: The challenge of running a business profitably."

This is not the first time KWOD has flipped formats while in Sacramento. In 1957, the 106.5 FM frequency belonged to KJML, which aired "elevator-like" music. In 1977, the station began experimenting with quadrophonic sound — an enhancement to stereo that broadcast audio through four channels instead of two — and as such, changed their call letters to KWOD and their format to that of adult contemporary mixed in with jazz. Shortly thereafter, the station dropped jazz in favor of pure Top 40 chart hits.

Nearly twenty-five years later, the station would adopt the all-too-familiar pure alternative format at a time when the alternative rock movement was beginning to take momentum.

"Those were the days before the term 'Alternative' was actually coined by some supposed marketing genius somewhere," Johnson wrote. "Then most people just called it Modern Rock and [KWOD] played bands, like the Pixies, The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Smiths and The Clash."

While the radio had a nice run with presenting new and interesting tracks for listeners to hear, people have begun downloading music online or listening to Internet and satellite radio stations, which has left the terrestrial radio market scratching their heads, trying to figure out how to compete. This has led to several station changes nationally and locally.

All three Sacramento radio companies — CBS Radio, Clear Channel Communications and Entercom Communications — have begun implementing new changes to the way radio is produced. The "Big Three" have fired talent in favor of computers, fired programmers and staff in favor of nationally-programmed content, and have begun picking up syndicated talk and music programs.

For example, KGBY 92.5 FM (Clear Channel Communications), which had aired adult contemporary music in competition with KYMX 96.1 "Mix96" (CBS Radio), abandoned the format and fired morning show host Lori Sacco and veteran broadcaster Paul Robins in favor of an adult alternative format. KGBY now competes with KZZO 100.5 "The Zone," another CBS Radio station.

In addition, CBS Radio has struggled to keep an audience for its adult alternative channel "The Zone," which mainly seeks a female audience. The station has shuffled through at least two breakfast shows before settling on the syndicated program "Mark & Mercedes," a program that originates from Nevada. CBS Radio also recently lost KQJK 93.7 FM "Jack FM" to Clear Channel Communications as part of a national station-swapping deal. Clear Channel Communications has announced intentions to launch a new radio station on the 93.1 FM frequency, though it's not clear what the upcoming format will be.

Sacramento's second-largest radio player, Entercom Communications, has also floundered in this downward economy. The company runs five radio stations in the city, including a sports-format station affiliated with ESPN and a Top 40 station that came under fire two years ago following the death of a listener from water intoxication during a station-run contest.

KWOD was marketable — the station could have embraced ideas like social networking to connect with their audience. The station could have offered free music downloads of local independent artists. The station could have solicited for user-generated content in the form of concert photos, videos and listener-run blogs. That idea, along with KWOD, is now gone.

Now, Entercom hopes to cut its losses and begin a new profitable radio station, but it's unclear if KBZC can compete against KGBY, KQJK, KZZO and the company's own Top 40 station KDND. Sacramento now has four contemporary stations to choose from, so it remains to be seen whether the river city will feel "The Buzz" for long.