In the immortal words of Vin Scully, “In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened.” Being in a town that loves spectacles, we love our heroes and villains. Like gladiators, we love to see them succeed just as much as we like to see them crash and burn. Every once in a while the lines get blurred, and we get a happy ending.
For this segment, we go back to world of radio broadcasting. We all know the story of the World Famous KROQ… or do we? It has been one of the most influential voices in the music business, this is true. Although, depending on whom you speak with, its origins can take you in a few different directions.
Before we go back in time, we need to address what is causing us to go down memory lane. This story takes us to the beginning then back to the future. There is no better place to put this pen to paper than a sit-down chat with the current morning show – KROQ’s Klein.Ally.Show.
Three words best encapsulate some emotions that have surrounded the station of late, specifically the morning show: HATE | TOLERATE | LOVE.
KEVIN KLEIN & ALLY JOHNSON
When we first arrived at the KROQ studios off Wilshire Blvd, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I remember the old studio in Pasadena off Los Robles, and the Burbank location. It’s been years since I walked through those doors when I worked there in the late ‘80s; it was a sort of homecoming. This facility was different but felt familiar. I still felt the echoes of Jed the Fish’s laugh, Freddy Snakeskin’s funny quips. Richard Blade’s Flashback Lunch, but, there was no Poorman running around like a madman. Instead, I felt the energy that Kat Corbett and Nicole Alvarez brought us.
Truth is, KROQ has seen dark days over the past few years; in all fairness – this shadow engulfed the entire radio industry. But what happened there over the last few decades is inspiring, maddening, and upsetting. Yet through it all, it is one of the best and most heartfelt stories I have come across in some time. To know where we’re headed, we have to look back to see why Klein and Ally are the lightning rods they are.
This story began a very long time ago; technically 1972. The station originally broadcast from two rooms at the Hilton Hotel (no really) before it moved to Pasadena.
LOS ROBLES STUDIO | PASADENA
Since then, we’ve heard a few voices that have also been part of the legacy that is our music landscape: Shadoe Stevens, Rodney Bingenheimer, Richard Blade, Dusty Street, April Whitney, Frazer Smith, Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla, Carson Daly, Tami Heide, Doug the Slug, Swedish Egil, Spacin’ Scott Mason, Elvira, and yes… Kevin and Bean.
These are the voices that helped shape what we think of when we think of KROQ. The behind-the-scenes names are also just as important: Rick Carroll, Andy Schuon, Lewis Largent, Gene Sandbloom, and Kevin Weatherly. The names go on and on, but these cats collectively made KROQ an industry powerhouse. Sure, there are a lot more contributors (that’s a different story for another day), but you get the idea.
Before we get to Klein and Ally, we need to understand why longtime fans turned on the station. We don’t want to believe it, but it happened. With a changing radio climate, music programming changed; that’s a fact. Some liked it, while others did not. That’s the thing about KROQ; it was always a place where you could take big swings and try new things. It was something about this time around that fell short with the old-school KROQ listener. Then, when names like Ralph Garman exited the scene, it set off some alarms. Then Bean left, followed by what you can call a dark moment for the station as the exit of Kevin Ryder was not received well by many KROQ loyalists.
That moment in time was deemed “The End of the World as We Know It at the World Famous KROQ.” But was it? For a short period, yes, a drop in ratings and market share was expected, but the magnitude of the exodus that materialized was not in the forecast, nor was it expected… not like this.
Admittedly, when the programming changes were happening throughout radio, I was not a fan (that included KROQ). As names we knew for decades started to leave the radio landscape, it had a chilling effect on listeners. So-much-so, radio created a vacuum that music streaming platforms seized on. Once it sunk in that the Kevin and Bean era was over, it left a bruise that would take some time to mend. Before we knew it, the Stryker, Klein, and Ally era was upon us. As the music fates would have it, the station and the new morning team got an earful from the KROQ faithful.
Truthfully, I too wasn’t the biggest supporter of what was going on there. However, I knew that the staff had zero to do with programing and even less to do with the demise of Kevin and Bean. I then decided to tune in – and maybe subconsciously I wanted to hate them; just like everyone else. But the reality is, when I heard their show, it wasn’t bad. Then, as other pieces came into place in the form of other staff members, I found myself tuning in more and more. I listen to a lot of radio, and I found myself tuning in not because I had to; I did it because I wanted to. They made me laugh. And there it was; laughter. Finally, a reason to smile – courtesy of 106.7FM.
Kevin Klein and Ally Johnson became real people to me and to those who gave them a chance. This duo proved to be good, solid, seasoned broadcasters who were funny. They embarked on skits that worked – OK some didn’t – but, bottom line, they were trying new things. That was something I liked; they were trying, and people were starting to notice. That is the “TOLERATE” portion of the journey Klein mentioned to me.
One day I was reading an industry news mag when I saw a report that everyone I knew was hoping for – a familiar name would return to the station: Kevin Weatherly. He was re-named Program Director. Ironically, the next day, I was at a music festival where I ran into Richard Blade. We both thought this was great news, and we both thought if anyone could work out the issues that had plagued the station, it would Weatherly. We were both extremely hopeful.
Today, Klein and Ally are no longer getting hate mail; it’s quite the opposite. They have gained the trust from listeners through their humor.
Back in the lobby, I was with OCMN Editor, Rachael Contreras. We were greeted by morning show producer, Vanessa Garcia and she couldn’t have been nicer. Then out came Postmaster Johnny. That dude was friendly and made sure we were being attended to. Why is it important to mention all this? Well, because everyone at the station was that way. They went out of their way to make sure we knew they appreciated the fact we were there. Something that will be covered a little later.
We sat in the morning show office, and it is as you think it would look – insanely cool. After greetings, I asked the two, “What were those early days like when you started on the morning show?” I mentioned there were a lot of haters, yet “you two maintained a good balance and you all come off as good friends. How did you manage to pull that off with so much noise going on?”
They both laughed, Klein said, “It reminded me of when Tom Brady announced his retirement. I thought at the time it had to have sucked for whoever had to replace him… the guy was such a legend. When I got the call about replacing the morning show, I thought to myself, OK this is what it must have felt like.” We laughed and he continued, “In that space, people will try to find more reasons to hate you than like you because you’re replacing what they have grown to love.” This may be as accurate an assessment of what that experience was like. Unfair as it might have been, the entire staff did not let it adversely impact them – they kept swimming.
A shift in topic, we asked Ally where she was from originally and what drew her to radio. She answered, “I’m from San Jose and radio was really not on my radar. I was focused on acting, comedy and voiceover. Eventually I relocated to LA and Klein discovered my undeniable talent.” The two worked together in San Francisco at LIVE105 before coming to KROQ.
Back to the early days of the morning show: Despite the fact the staff had zero to do with what happened, many listeners didn’t care and they let the new morning show staff have it. That’s the HATE part of the story. It went on that way for some time; it was a daily thing. They got messages through e-mails, texts, all forms of social media – and it was bad, bad, bad. It didn’t help that management at the time seemed to make a series of decisions that in retrospect may not have been the most prudent course. It was so challenging, they both thought each day could be their last. It was as if that the saying “walking on eggshells” had come to life. I said, “That must have been a really shitty feeling?” They both smiled and giggled. “Yeah, it wasn’t the best,” Klein responded.
The response from listeners was not their only challenge in those early days. Previous management told them how they wanted their morning show to be put together. Klein and Ally both fought the suggestions on a regular basis. So much so, Klein said, “I was convinced I would no longer be here. I was at a point where I thought to myself, ‘If they don’t bring back someone like Weatherly, I can’t imagine anyone else that can right this ship.” Keep in mind, this was at a time of plummeting ratings and market share. He went on to say, “I grew up as a fan of KROQ back in DC. I listened to it even though I lived back there. I was a fan of ‘Loveline’ and any way I could pick up the station, I would. I loved everything about the station, and the music was it for me… I always wanted to work here, be careful what you ask for right? Anyway, I found myself asking who do I want to work for? When it was announced that Weatherly was returning, I was happy not just for myself, but for the fans of the station and those who were finding KROQ for the very first time.”
When asked about new segments, Ally laughed and explained, “There are so many we love, and some we wished would have went better.” Klein followed-up, “There’s an unpredictability when you try new things. It can go sideways – you just never know. The best segments are often those things you didn’t plan and it just happens. It’s that unpredictability that makes for good radio.”
I asked them to tell us about their process; is there a format? Ally answered, “Well, kind of. We have a playbook that we have discussed with Weatherly, but it’s more of a guide. A good radio host knows when to move away from it and go with what’s in front of you and go down the path that is opening. When it works it’s epic.” Klein chimed in, “The goal is for more hits than misses.”
“You have earned the respect of listeners, and they’re coming back. What are some things that make you laugh about your fans in general? I asked. Ally said, “You just never know what is going to happen, or what someone will say. I loved this guy who has a grandma who makes portraits of people with raisins (that person was later crowned weirdest relative). There’s another person who has an uncle who will eat off everyone’s plates with either two spoons or two forks.” Klein chimes in, “Like Wolverine!” causing us all to burst out laughing. Ally continued, “People are so open with us; they are willing to tell us everything, especially the little things about their lives – you know, the things that matter.”
When asked how much of a difference today’s music programing has made, Ally said, “The way we are doing things today is what people expect when you think KROQ – we’ve embraced the station’s legacy. Listeners get to hear the music they all grew up with, and we can play new cool stuff too, people are reacting positively to the music again.”
We asked them about the best comment they’ve received from a listener since the change in programming and the support from current management. Klein spoke thoughtfully, “There are a few, but this one really stands out. It really is the story of us so far. A guy wrote in and said, ‘I can’t believe I am listening to KROQ again. I was so mad at you guys for a while because you took away my friends. I listened to Kevin and Bean everyday and I went away for a while. I hated you at first because you were different and now I am listening two hours a day; I never did that before.’ That listener said ‘I gave you guys a shot and I am glad I did.’ That seems to be the consensus about us: love, hate, tolerate, and love again. That sums us up at the moment.”
Next I asked, “In the here and now, what do people get right about the Klein.Ally.Show and what do they get wrong?” They looked at each other, then Klein answered, “There aren’t a lot of places like KROQ, there aren’t a lot of PDs like Weatherly. This show is live, not recorded, we’re listening to all that reach out, we care about them, we are playing the music people want to hear, we’re willing to take chances. We are doing a lot of the things that made this place great originally. Bottom line, good content and good music are timeless. So what do people get wrong? Maybe not thinking about radio being a first choice. When someone turns on the radio today, we try entertain, maybe give someone something they didn’t know before, and Weatherly is programming great music. We engage with listeners; we are genuinely connecting with our listeners. That’s what’s right at KROQ today. “
He continued, “What do they get wrong? If it sounds like we don’t give an F, it’s not that we don’t, we just had a previous boss that didn’t support us and now we do. We went through the worst part of a breakup that wasn’t our doing, so it may be us trying to rise above it all.” Ally chimed in, “We hit our bottom,” causing us to laugh again. Klein added, “We have nowhere to go but up!” After another good laugh, Ally then said, “That may be what you hear – it’s the confidence that people don’t hate us; they gave us a shot and we are earning their respect.”
Rachael asked, “What’s the landscape like for morning shows that makes you scratch your head?” They both smirked, then Ally said, “I’ll take that one. There was this fear that podcasts were going to take over the world of radio. The problem with that was you couldn’t give anyone real-time information and you can’t take calls, or the fact everyone knew it was recorded. That was a big problem to build a connection if that’s all you were doing. Now, there’s a move to do live podcasts, which is radio when you think of it.”
“What are you doing that is getting people so excited about the morning show?” I asked. Ally said, “We are going out to the community, we are meeting people, we go to shows, sporting events, we grab a drink with listeners, we love hanging out with people. Turns out all the people we meet are people we would hang out with in real life. They are our people, and we relate to them.” Klein joined in and said, “I love the fact that people send us stuff, like a picture of them made out of sand and soundwaves of our show, or a picture of us as the Mona Lisa, or when people ask Ally to sing the national anthem at an event.” This is no joke; they put their money where their mouth is: Ally was asked to sing the national anthem at a dog park, and sing the national anthem at a dog park she did.
Klein.Ally.Show.
Monday through Friday
5 AM to 10 AM
Ally went on to say, “People trip out that we do the things we say we are going to do; the follow through just seems to surprise everyone. Sometimes we have ADD, but we always try to do the things we say we’re going to do.” Klein described a time when they got a message from a 23-year-old woman who was having a birthday party and invited them. He said that she said, “’You don’t know me, but I feel like you are my friends, so please come to my party!’ We plan to go to her party.”
We shifted to some of their on-air discussions, where they share a lot about themselves. Ally said that she thinks it helps people, not so much the big things, but the little things, the everyday things that people can relate to and feel they can share in the human experience. Klein ended that topic with, “Unfortunately, everything we say about ourselves on air is real,” which once again caused us all to laugh.
Rachael asked Ally, “As a woman, do you find it hard to work in the industry? Are you always treated as equals?” Klein jumped in, “I’ll take this one!” which made us laugh. Ally said, “I think the stereotypes I fight against is the female is the laughing box to support the male host. I’m there to support him and just say funny lines and laugh at all jokes and that I don’t have much creative input as far as content goes. It’s a box that too many women get put in. I work hard to not be that stereotype. We work together to make sure that’s not the narrative. The bottom line for this morning show is that it’s truly a team effort and we work together, we get our voices and ideas heard, that’s what makes us gel.”
Both Ally and Klein were like proud parents when asked what trends make them smile. Both chimed in on the growth of their podcast, the numbers, and the reach they are getting. The show has come a long way from those early days.
When asked what the future looks like for them, they both had a look of calmness. Klein said….
“We’ve been through a lot; we believe in what we’re doing. We never take anything for granted, and we are so appreciative to the people who stuck by us, the people who gave us a shot and continued to listen and new listeners that allow us to be part of their lives and allow us help create new memories of their experience listening KROQ.”
With that, we thanked them for their time; they both expressed how much they appreciated us coming down to chat with them. I could tell they were genuine, and I got that feeling from everyone at the station. They really do care about their listeners, and putting on the best show they can.
OCMN Staff with Klein & Ally
In the end, radio has evolved just like everything else in life. Some things we liked, some we didn’t. In Southern California, life is good when we have places like KROQ that are doing what it has always done best – entertaining us and playing great music. For Klein and Ally, I truly hope they will be around for a while; they are definitely what’s right about radio today. As for Kevin Weatherly, we need more Program Directors like him at the helm.
Swinging back to Vin, yes, the improbable took place, and what was thought to be impossible, well… The Klein.Ally.Show took that proverbial bull by the horns and they are living proof that there is always an exception to any rule.
