Station Breaks In to Stop Concert : Can’t Get No Satisfaction; DJ Plays Stones 2 1/2 Hours

A disc jockey ordered to play Rolling Stones music for an hour instead of her choices, the Grateful Dead or Todd Rundgren, barricaded herself in the studio and played the Stones for 2 1/2 hours, the station said.

The disc jockey, who uses the name Angela Gabriel on the air, played Rolling Stones albums Thursday until WMRY-FM employees used a power drill to remove the lock from the studio door.

Favored the Dead

Gabriel told her listeners the station’s management had forbidden her to play new albums by the Grateful Dead or singer Todd Rundgren during the noon hour, when the station features the work of a single artist or band.

“She said, ‘You want the Rolling Stones, you got the Rolling Stones,’ and she played them for 2 1/2 hours,” said Brian Krueger, WMRY general manager.

Krueger said that when the hour ended, Gabriel locked the door to the studio, ignored orders to come out and played the Rolling Stones for another 1 1/2 hours.

Listeners said the commotion caused by workers pounding on the studio door and using the drill could be heard clearly during the broadcast.

“You could hear drilling,” said Paula Brown of St. Louis, who was listening to the show. “They were drilling out the lock.”

When the employee removed the lock and opened the door, Gabriel left the station voluntarily.

‘Huffed Out’

“She sort of huffed out,” Krueger said.

Krueger described Gabriel, who has worked at the station for three years, as a trusted and responsible employee not given to erratic behavior.

The incident was not a publicity stunt, Krueger said. He also said Gabriel would not necessarily be fired.

“I would like to hear her side of it,” he said. “This is not like her.”

Gabriel could not be reached for comment.

Krueger declined to disclose Gabriel’s real name. Many radio personalities and announcers use pseudonyms for professional reasons.