Morning Rumbles

If you thought the move of the Baka Boyz from hip-hop station KPWR-FM (105.9) to rival KKBT-FM (92.3) constituted a shake-up of the L.A. radio landscape, well, as Southern Californians often say, that wasn’t “the big one.”

In fact, rumblings of a potentially more intense airwaves temblor are jostling broadcasting offices around town right now:

Kevin & Bean, the star morning duo at alternative-rock trend-setter KROQ-FM (106.7) for the past 10 years, could be out the door--with a possible destination being the afternoon drive-time shift at classic-rocker KLOS-FM (95.5).

The pair’s contract with KROQ, a flagship of the vast Viacom/CBS/Infinity radio empire, expires Tuesday, and with the Thanksgiving holiday disrupting matters, negotiations for a new deal are expected to continue right down to the wire. With that in mind, the team has taken meetings with other stations in recent days and is said to have gotten a particularly warm welcome at Disney/ABC-owned KLOS.

A move over there would also serve to set up another seismic incident down the line, as veteran KLOS morning team Mark & Brian--recently accused of racial insensitivity relating to a promotional gimmick--is signed only through August 2001, and the two are reported to have expressed intent to go separate ways at that point. Having Kevin & Bean already on the roster and ready to take over the early shift, when or even before Mark & Brian’s deal is up, would be a coup.

Of course, there’s one main reason why this could happen--or, actually, millions of them. Though Kevin & Bean are consistently high in the ratings, their pay is considerably less than Mark & Brian’s--said by radio insiders to be in excess of $3 million annually--and Rick Dees of KIIS-FM (102.7), whose annual salary is reportedly as high as $5 million.

One reason Dees and Mark & Brian can command so much is that their shows are syndicated to other markets from their L.A. bases, while Kevin & Bean (full names: Kevin Ryder and Gene “Bean” Baxter) are only heard on KROQ--which many in the business believe makes for a better, more focused show, but at the cost of considerable revenue.

But that only explains part of the pay discrepancy, and the two reportedly have grown frustrated by KROQ’s unwillingness to bring their fee into their competitors’ neighborhood. The perception is that their discussions with other stations began merely as negotiation posturing, but that now they have turned more serious. And while expectations are still that they’ll remain where they are, the possibility of a move seems to be growing.

“They are looking very seriously at other situations,” says Peter Paterno, Ryder’s attorney, though he will not comment on other aspects of the situation.

The loss of Kevin & Bean would be incalculable for KROQ.

“For an [English-language] rock entity to even perform decently in today’s settings, let alone be No. 4 in the market as KROQ is, is an amazing success against the grain,” says Sky Daniels, general manager of weekly business publication Radio & Records. “And [Kevin & Bean] are driving it. Take a loss like that when you’re out-performing expectations, and you’ll find out quickly what it’s like to be at expectations or below.”

Following a Rocky Start, Team Clicked Into Gear

Expectations were almost nonexistent when Ryder and Baxter debuted on KROQ in 1989. The whole idea of a morning comedy show on a station known for its devotion to music seemed a mismatch. And the two had never before worked together, nor had either one been in a morning slot before. A year or two later it still didn’t look like such a great idea, as the team got off to a rocky start, most notoriously in 1990 pulling a hoax with accomplice Doug Roberts, who pretended to be a caller confessing to having killed his girlfriend. The stunt led to a 10-month Sheriff’s Department investigation before the truth was revealed, leading to a fine and a community service sentence for the hosts.

But by 1992, with the alternative-rock of Nirvana, Pearl Jam et al dominating pop culture, KROQ soared in the ratings, and the morning team seemed to click into gear. The loose, irreverent format has remained impressively fresh, and has been a launching pad for a variety of popular cast members, notably Adam Carolla (now co-host of “Loveline” and its MTV version, as well as Comedy Central’s “The Man Show”) and Jimmy Kimmel, (also of “The Man Show” and “Win Ben Stein’s Money”).

Since then, the show has performed consistently well in the ratings, often matching or beating Dees and Mark & Brian, if not Howard Stern. (Arbitron’s recent figures from the summer quarter had Kevin & Bean behind Dees, but ahead of the KLOS team.) It hasn’t even been hurt by the fact that in recent months Baxter has most of the time been holding down his end of the broadcasts from the Seattle area, where he and his wife moved to indulge their love of nature.

To replace something that has evolved with the station as such an integral part of its fabric and identity would seem to be impossible.

Kevin Weatherly, KROQ program director, won’t comment on details of the negotiations, but doesn’t quibble about the team’s role at the station.

“We certainly understand the importance of Kevin & Bean to KROQ and feel confident that they’ll be here another 10 years,” he says.

Across town, KLOS program director Rita Wilde is also taking a status quo stance publicly, but with room to move.

“Mark and Brian are under contract through August 2001 and we have no intention to change our morning show,” she says, but would not comment on questions relating to other parts of the schedule.

Great Moments in Radio: It just doesn’t get any better than a recent stretch on KROQ’s “Love-line,” when co-host Adam Carolla took a call from a teenage boy who seemed a bit unclear on the concept of the program, devoted to dealing with health, sex and other problems of youth. The conversation went something like this:

Carolla: “You’re on ‘Loveline.’ What’s up?”

Boy: “Nothin’.”

Silence.

Carolla: “Let’s try this again. What’s going on?”

Boy: “Nothin’.”

Silence.

Carolla (amused but exasperated): “Um, you do understand the concept of this show, don’t you?”

Boy: “Yeah.”

Carolla: “Great. We’ll give it another shot. What’s up?”

Boy: “Nothin’.”

Silence.

Now that alone was riveting, but there was more. In one of those cases of magical timing, Carolla and his partner, Dr. Drew Pinsky, already had on hold a man who had fallen asleep while waiting to get on the air and was merrily snoring away. So they did what any good hosts would do--they switched back and forth between the two.

Snore. Silence. Snore. Silence.

Scintillating!

Toy Story: Having filled its Studio C with live performances by such top names as Tom Petty, Sting, Dave Matthews and Sheryl Crow in the past year, adult-alternative station KACD/KBCD-FM (103.1) is hoping to fill the facility with toys.

Listeners to the station, known as Channel 103.1, are being solicited for donations to the annual Toys for Tots campaign. Not only can they bring new, unwrapped items to the outlet’s Santa Monica office (1425 5th St., during normal weekday business hours), but they also can purchase a toy online at the station’s Web site (https://www.channel1031.com) and it will be sent to add to the effort.

The drive will end Dec. 14, with a special live Studio C broadcast featuring an artist to be announced.

He’s Back: Larry Josephson, a longtime talk-show host on public radio, is returning to the local airwaves. “PostModern Times With Larry Josephson” will air weekdays at 3 p.m. on KPFK-FM (90.7), beginning Monday.

Josephson, a Los Angeles native, hosted programs at WBAI in New York for 18 years, then, from 1988 to 1992, was heard weekly here on KCRW-FM (89.9) as host of “Modern Times,” on which he discussed a wide variety of political, social and cultural issues with a distinctive blend of liberalism, cantankerousness and personal confession. More recently he hosted a series called “Bridges: A Liberal/Conservative Dialogue.”

He’s Not Going: KYSR-FM (98.7) shook up its morning schedule two months ago, bringing in Danny Bonaduce to team with Jamie White and getting rid of her former partners, Frosty Stillwell and Frank Kramer. But “Star 98” is standing pat in the afternoon: Management has signed Ryan Seacrest, host of the weekday 2-6 p.m. show, to a two-year contract extension.