INDUSTRY REPORT # 52 | THE RESURRECTION OF THE WORLD FAMOUS KROQ

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INDUSTRY REPORT # 52

The Resurrection of

A Conversation with Kevin Klein

November 20th, 2025 by Jimmy Alvarez

In the age of instant gratification, i-this and i-that, we sometimes come across a story that defies logic; where there are villains and heroes and a sense of redemption.

Some stories have that Disney feel; this isn’t one of those stories. Instead, this story is about the Southern California radio wars – especially, it is about the rise, fall, and rebranding of The World Famous KROQ. Yeah, it’s an underdog story – one you have to read to truly appreciate.

For me, this was more than just another assignment; in the late ‘80s through mid ‘90s, it was literally my home.

So when the decline of the station was apparent a few years ago, I along with many of the former KROQ staff and fans of the station took it personally. When the station cleaned house and let Kevin Ryder (of the Kevin and Bean fame) go in the shittiest of ways, many abandoned ship.

Even worse, some that were faithful listeners swore to never listen to the station again. For that segment of SoCal, it felt as if it was the separation of family, especially for those who grew up to the music that provided the soundtrack to their lives.

Truth be told, the music business is a very tough industry to work in. You can be up one day and down the next, there is no guarantee of many things in life, and for those who choose the radio business, you have to have very thick skin. So where am I going with all this? For that I need to take us back just a few years. It was a time when music programming at KROQ was knocked, the lack of live voices became apparent. The voices we knew were disappearing, and then the Kevin and Bean debacle. Sandwiched in all that we had the new morning show, Klein.Ally.Show.

We knew back then what was going on was circumstantial; it had nothing to do with the new voices of Kevin Klein or Ally Johnson, but they fielded the brunt of all the hate for what happened to the music they loved, and their beloved morning team of Gene “Bean” Baxter and Kevin Ryder.

The journey this morning show had to endure is something that was also “shitty.” But, despite the turbulent waters, this crew managed to keep focused and ignored all the terrible things that were said about them. That in itself is a story that tells you a little bit about the character of the entire morning show staff.

I had a chance to catch up with Kevin Klein the other day and we discussed what’s going on at The World Famous KROQ and the Klein.Ally.Show.

The first acknowledgement was that things are much-much different today than our first meeting. In fact, it’s a 180. One of the reasons is the music programming is back to what fans expect and demand.

Much of the credit goes to VP Kevin Weatherly who returned to the station. Truthfully, he has the Midas touch as the overhaul was under his watch, while supporting the things the station was doing right – such as the Klein.Ally.Show.

I asked Klein about the big news I had heard about from colleagues. He said, “Well, I got an unexpected call from Weatherly on a Friday afternoon. He informed me that the most recent book was out and in the morning show demo, the coveted 25-54 age group, KROQ was # 1, which meant we were # 1.”

Kevin Weatherly | Sr. Vice President of Programming

I was happy for him and the crew. I then asked what he thought finally got them to the promised land? He laughed and said, “I think it was a little bit of everything that changed the perception of the station. The hard work of the morning show staff can’t be underscored.” He went on, “I know Weatherly did the Weatherly thing and he stood by us and took bullets for us, I can’t tell you how much that guy means to so many of us in the industry.”

We talked about the Weatherly effect, and he said that has a lot to do with the big picture, “The music programing and the interaction with listeners, the shows we put on that we put on is only possible because that Kevin has his pulse on what works. Having Audacy in your corner is a big part of that because we can put on shows like this year’s Almost Acoustic Christmas. It takes a lot to do that and somehow, we were able to flip the script.”

We also discussed the voices at the station, and we both agreed that the return of Kevin Ryder and Doug “Sluggo” Roberts went a very long way on healing broken hearts. Klein said he recently went to a Rams game and ran into a fan who didn’t know him, but when he told him he worked at KROQ, the fan said he didn’t listen to the station anymore because the music sucked and the way they did Ryder was even worse. At the end of the game, the fan said he would listen to the morning show and give it a chance. That fan is now listening to KROQ again after tuning to the morning show.

Klein said hearing stories like that is important, so we know what today’s challenges are. But when you get that kind of feedback that we are helping in some way to bring listeners back, that means the world to me and the crew.

As for the morning show numbers, I asked what he attributed that to. He said it’s a result of the entire crew not giving in to the haters. They continued to work hard and every day put out the best show possible. “That in itself is not easy, our efforts never waiver, then chime in fans who have endeared themselves to the show and other listeners,” he explained. “They have become an integral part of why people connect with us. There’s Blind Charlie, The Bud Light Bros, and every person who calls in and participates in the madness that is our show. I love that people get involved, like celebrating the weirdest relative. This year we have strong candidates again and no matter who calls in, it is a journey to bizarro world that just puts a smile on everyone’s face.”

Circling back to the staff, getting a number one ratings spot is not easy. I asked him to tell me in a sentence or two a little bit about the morning show crew. “Jake was a call screener at another station and I thought he was underutilized, and sure enough, he had a personality that has blossomed and people love and hate him,” he said laughing.

“Vanessa worked across the hall, and when I spoke with her, I loved those conversations. I just thought if we got her on the air listeners would be drawn to her too,” he went on. “Omar, what a stabilizing force that dude is. Johnny, how can you not love that guy?” he laughed.

I asked what Ally means to him and Klein thoughtfully said, “I have worked with her for years. We had a very successful show in the Bay Area, and when I first met her, it was just something about her voice, I was just drawn to her.” He paused and went on, “Over the years I have come to appreciate her work ethic as well. Honestly, I work hard and Ally goes toe-to-toe with me on the effort she puts out each and every day. I am so proud of her and what she’s done to make herself the person she is today.”

Klein continued, “That goes for the entire staff; I am so lucky to work with them.” He then chuckled and added in a very Klein way, “Can you cut that part out?” He got serious again and said, “But honestly, I am very proud of them.”

I asked if that made him like a proud dad, and he said, “Well Jimmy, let’s not go down that road because we’re all old, and I just think these people are remarkable and I don’t want to take credit for what they have done. It is just a remarkable accomplishment.” He laughed when I said, “OK, we’ll just go with – not a dad – just dead in doggie years.”

We shifted the conversation to the Dodgers and Audacy. I said, “Many people have joked that the Dodgers are the new evil empire of baseball. Does that apply to KROQ now? I mean you have Audacy having your back and they can put together huge events, that’s got to matter for the health of the entire station.” Klein responded, “I don’t know that I would categorize them as ‘evil.’ What I will say is that what this station has done to come back from the end of the world as we know it to this rating book was a collective effort and having Audacy in the station’s corner is a big reason for the turnabout.”

Twenty One Pilots KROQ Event at the Bellwether

Then the question we have been asked by fans to ask: Did Klein get his Klein jersey from the Los Angeles Dodgers? He laughed and said, “No, I think we ordered it so it’s coming… soon?” We both laughed, I asked him if he was nervous when he saw a guy named Klein on the mound during the World Series in a make-or-break moment. He responded, “You’re damn right; I have worked hard to keep a good image!” then laughed. “I was crossing my fingers that this guy would do well and he did. Forget me, I was so happy for that guy that he did what he did and the Klein name would live on.” We both laughed at that.

As for what’s next for the morning show, Klein said, “We can’t focus on this rating book; we have to keep the show fresh and always look for new avenues to entertain listeners. We all have to keep up the dedication and hard work for our listeners. With this group I think the sky really is the limit.”

I have gotten to know this team over the years, inasmuch as I understand the hard work, what also comes across is their connection – they are like a family, and they treat their fans like family and invite listeners on the daily to be part of it. I truly believe Klein would bleed for KROQ and Audacy, and his love for his co-workers is inspiring.

In the end, turbulent waters can never be avoided, especially in radio, but with a morning show crew like this, it does make navigating those challenging moments in life a lot easier. The radio industry is good when all our local stations are firing on all cylinders. For KROQ they are back on top, where they should be.

Someone somewhere once said that the mark of a great leader is not one who has achieved many accomplishment, but rather one who inspires those they lead. KROQ has a few of those back on board and at the helm, so the future looks bright for The World Famous KROQ.

Up next for KROQ, the Almost Acoustic Christmas show will take place December 13th at the Kia Forum.

TO FOLLOW

SID 251123 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR