Want to know what David Lee Roth is up to? - Freeze-Frame Radio

Date: Thu Oct 27 11:25 2005

Want to know what David Lee Roth is up to?

Molly · The Mediator

I think Roth will probably be a good, tamer replacement for Stern. Keep in mind that they are trying to keep the Stern fans here. But I don't know about Adam Corrola. I like him, but his style of humor is different from Stern's. He's still risque, but much calmer and subtler. I don't know if they'll keep the audience.

Jeremy Riggs · 2011 Super Bowl Champions!

I have always been a huge David Lee Roth fan. I fear this may end that.

ray925 · Darth Raydar

You should have hired him first!

jstdve · CEO - The KOTO Co.

David who ? Howard what ? Yawn

CP · Lord of the Lair

There is radio outside FFR?

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

David Lee Roth's radio show struggling
Observer: 'He's a dead man talking'

Thursday, April 13, 2006; Posted: 9:28 a.m. EDT (13:28 GMT)

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A poster promoting David Lee Roth's morning show. The program has been described as a "train wreck."

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YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS

David Lee Roth

Howard Stern

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NEW YORK (AP) -- For David Lee Roth, morning drive time is turning into a car wreck.

The former Van Halen frontman, barely into his fourth month as replacement for the departed shock jock Howard Stern, is the subject of rumors about his radio demise. Roth's four-hour show was already revamped once, producing an on-air tirade against management. And initial ratings were discouraging.

It appears that following Stern, radio's own rock star for the last two decades, is more difficult for the fast-talking Roth than staying on estranged bandmate Eddie Van Halen's Christmas card list.

"He's a dead man talking," said Michael Harrison, founder of the trade publication Talkers magazine. "Based on reports from behind the scenes and critical reaction, coupled with early ratings, it's not looking good."

The once-spandexed lead singer has rarely hit the right notes since his January debut on New York's WFNY-FM (billed as Free-FM) and six other CBS Radio stations. In a recent broadcast, Roth claimed he was bombarded with four management letters in five days about content and predicted his show could be finished before May.

Several of his on-air sidekicks were dumped as the program struggled to find its groove. Roth disappeared from the airwaves for two days amid the turmoil.

"I think the radio industry expects this will end sooner than later," said Tom Taylor, editor of the trade publication Inside Radio.

CBS Radio spokeswoman Karen Matteo declined to comment on the Roth show. But it was widely believed, even before Roth's choice, that replacing Stern was a near-impossible task -- particularly for an inexperienced broadcaster.

CBS Radio, realizing its dilemma, replaced the self-proclaimed King of All Media with several people, including comedian Adam Carolla (who's also struggling to keep Stern's audience in Los Angeles). Roth landed the plum job in New York, the nation's No. 1 radio market.

Billboards and bus ads heralded the beginning of Roth radio as Howard sailed into the satellite radio sunset with his $500 million deal. It didn't take long for critics to tear into Roth's performance.

"Roth's show is ... skin-crawlingly awful," wrote Rob Sheffield in a Rolling Stone piece. "In these days of bland Clear Channel/Infinity corporate radio, it's bracing to hear a guy who has no idea what he's doing. ... Listening to Roth, you feel actual physical pain."

The nasty cracks soon spread to Roth's competition in the cutthroat New York morning radio market.

"He's a mess, and he's a loudmouth punk," said syndicated radio host Don Imus in a recent critique of Roth.

Over on WKTU-FM, a Van Halen song was played on a Friday morning.

"David Lee Roth singing on that?" asked co-host Goumba Johnny. "More people heard him on 'KTU this morning than on Free-FM."

It wasn't this way back in October, when Roth was rolled out as Stern's replacement. The shock jock hosted the rock star on his radio show, and wished his successor well. But by March, indications from the Arbitron monthly trends indicated Roth was drawing a fraction of Stern's New York audience.

Roth, bristling at what he considered management interference, responded by doing a show that sounded like a hostage tape. He later changed his tune, promising to stick with the program: "I'm going to give it a try. I've invested too much in this show not to."

He returned this week with a renewed enthusiasm, attempting to make the best of the situation.

"You just hope the bitterness and rancor don't continue, and that everybody finds a peaceable ending," said Taylor. "Watching a train wreck -- or listening to one -- isn't a great way to spend your morning."

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

I was never what you would call a big Van Halen fan, so I see no appeal in listening to David Lee Roth as a talk show host. In the few interviews I've heard from him he doesn't seem to have that much of interest to say anyway. Uncle Ted, however... he's interesting to listen to. I guess he's going to run for office in Michigan though so he will have his hands full.

jstdve · CEO - The KOTO Co.

For some odd reason, at this particular moment in time ,

I could give a rats ass less about what David Lee roth is up to.

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

NEW YORK (AP) -- Well, that didn't take long.

Rocker-turned-radio host David Lee Roth, who accepted the no-win task of replacing ratings king Howard Stern in January, was bounced from the airwaves Friday after barely three months on the air in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and four other markets.

"I was booted, tossed, and it's going to cost somebody," Roth said on his last show, intimating that his lawyers would go after CBS Radio for the full compensation due from his reported $4 million contract. The timing of the move was interesting: It arrived just days before the Roth show's first Arbitron numbers.

CBS Radio spokeswoman Shavonne Harding said the company would have an announcement soon on its plans. She declined any other comment, and would not say who will replace the former Van Halen frontman on Monday's morning drive time shift.

Roth said he was only told about the syndicated show's demise while riding in a car to the WFNY-FM studios in Manhattan.

His replacements, in a hiring fraught with bizarre subplots, will be shock jocks Greg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia -- currently available only to the 6.5 million listeners on XM satellite radio.

"Apparently we can talk about it now. So much for keeping a lid on this," the pair said Friday on their show's Web site. "The Opie and Anthony show will be replacing David Lee Roth in several markets on CBS Radio Free-FM stations."

Opie and Anthony's syndicated show was yanked from terrestrial radio in August 2002 after airing a live account of listeners having sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral. The company that silenced the duo was the same one that just hired them back, CBS Radio.

It also puts the pair in the slot long dominated by Stern, who feuded with Opie and Anthony for years before leaving for Sirius Satellite Radio. And it reverses the trend of satellite looting traditional radio for talent. Instead, CBS Radio is reaching out to satellite radio for syndicated programming.

"What they're doing is switching to a proven act," said Tom Taylor, editor of the trade publication Inside Radio. "This is a group with a pedigree. I would think the stations involved are very happy about this."

There is no word on when the Opie and Anthony show will debut on CBS Radio. The Associated Press was told the pair will do three hours on both XM and CBS, and two additional hours exclusively for the satellite audience.

In addition to New York, Boston and Philadelphia, Opie and Anthony will reportedly air in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, West Palm Beach, Florida, and Dallas.

Further proof of how strange the O&A move was: Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, who demanded the pair's dismissal after the St. Patrick's scandal, issued a statement wishing the pair well.

"(They've) made it clear they regretted the St. Patrick's stunt," said Donohue, who appeared as a guest on the pair's XM show. "In short, the Catholic League hopes Opie and Anthony have a great run on CBS Radio."