Shakeups and surprises on local radio
By Bill Beene
Of the St. Louis American
St. Louis radio made waves last week that thrilled some, but shocked and devastated others.
In a nearly clean sweep, KTRS (Big 550) fired six of its most popular on-air personalities. Let go were Bill Wilkerson, Wendy Wiese, McGraw Milhaven, Randy Karraker, Kevin Horrigan, Jim Holder, Scott St. James and Meme Wolff.
And, after setting up shop earlier this year, Radio One’s new hip-hop station Hot 104.1 has finally hired two employees, Staci Static, formerly of 100.3 The Beat, and DJ C-Note, formerly of Q95.5.
And Foxy 95.5 announced an unusual programming decision – slotting a talk show in drive time on an urban station.
On Wednesday, Michael Baisden, author of Why Men Cheat, began broadcasting his syndicated radio show, “The Michael Baisden Show,” during afternoon drive time on Foxy 95.5.
While the notion of a talk-heavy show during drive time shocked some industry professionals, it thrilled some listeners.
“It’s pretty good,” said listener Mary Winbush. “He was talking about some interesting things, and he kept it real. There aren’t African-American stations in St. Louis that do a lot of talk, so it’s good for the community.”
Baisden called urban radio dead and redundant, claiming that his show would help liven it up.
“You got a combination of compelling things, issues that really matter like health, relationships, investment – we talk about life,” Baisden said recently in a telephone interview.
Baisden started working in radio in 2003 with the show, “Love, Lust and Lies,” the title of one his popular books.
The show’s popularity landed him gigs on other stations in different markets.
In July 2004 his show squared off against popular gossip and entertainment personality Wendy Williams. “The Michael Baisden Show” took that afternoon slot from no. 9 to no 2 in just six months. Twelve weeks later his show knocked Williams out of the number one spot.
In St. Louis Baisden is going up against “The Real Afternoon Show with The Real JR,” which airs from 2-7 p.m.
The Real JR show is primarily a music format, which gives listeners the option of music vs. discussion, though Baisden’s show features what he calls “some of the best old-school music on earth.”
“The Michael Baisden Show” is currently aired on 31 stations throughout the country.
The firings at KTRS were reminiscent of firings at Radio One’s WFUN Q95.5, which released several of its on-air personalities last year just days before Christmas.
Both WFUN’s and KTRS’s overhauls were actuated by new acquisitions.
Then hip-hop heavy WFUN acquired major interest in the Tom Joyner Morning Show in 2004, and the St. Louis Cardinals brought 50 percent ownership of KTRS.
Since the Radio One station acquired Joyner, which commands a mature audience, it changed its format from hip-hop to R&B/Soul, becoming FOXY 95.5
Similarly, KTRS is seeking on-air personalities that can match up to the interest of anticipated listeners sliding in with Cardinals.
While the new personalities are reportedly “shock jocks,” Tim Dorsey, president and founder of the station, said that isn’t the operative description and blamed local media for the tag.
Radio One also announced that it will begin black talk radio on the AM dial, but Garth Adams, operations manager of Radio One St. Louis and its two stations, FOXY 95.5 and the new hip-hop outlet Hot 104.1, said he’s still taking direction from the corporate office as to the particulars.