Download this release:
CBS-PR-061206142006.doc
October 25, 2005
INFINITY BROADCASTING LAUNCHES "FREE FMTM" AS PART OF HOWARD STERN REPLACEMENT STRATEGY
Spirited Format Begins Today In Four Of The Top Five
And Seven Of The Top Ten U.S. Radio Markets;
WXRK-FM In New York To Launch In January 2006
David Lee Roth And Adam Carolla Named Morning Drive Hosts
In New York and Los Angeles, Respectively
Jimmy Kimmel To Serve As Creative Consultant And Advisor To Infinity
Penn Jillette To Host One-Hour Daily Talk Show In New York, Chicago, San Francisco And Washington, D.C., Among Other Major Cities Across The Country
Infinity Broadcasting, one of the largest major-market radio
operators in the United States, today launched FREE FM, a bold
new FM format, on Infinity stations in four of the top five and
seven of the top 10 U.S. radio markets, as part of its Howard
Stern replacement strategy. Infinity currently broadcasts
Stern's program on 27 of its stations across the country.
His last live broadcast will be on Friday, December
16.
At the same time, David Lee Roth, the original frontman
for the legendary rock band Van Halen, and comedic radio and
television personality Adam Carolla have been named as
morning drive hosts in New York (WXRK-FM) (weekdays,
6:00-10:00AM, ET) and Los Angeles (KLSX-FM) (weekdays,
6:00-10:00AM, PT), respectively, beginning on Tuesday, January
3, 2006. Additional markets to broadcast Roth include
KLLI-FM Dallas, WYSP-FM Philadelphia, WBCN-FM Boston, WRKZ-FM
Pittsburgh, WNCX-FM Cleveland and WPBZ-FM West Palm Beach.
Carolla will also be heard on KIFR-FM San Francisco (formerly
KEAR-FM), KPLN-FM San Diego, KZON-FM Phoenix, KUFO-FM Portland
and KXTE-FM Las Vegas.
Late night talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel will serve as
creative consultant for THE ADAM CAROLLA SHOW, as well as advisor
for Infinity. He will assist in the development of new talent
and show ideas for the Company, and make guest appearances on the
program.
"Infinity's FREE FM stations will feature an
eclectic mix of personalities, whose distinct creativity,
perspective, sense of humor, intellect and unpredictability do
not fall under the guiding principals of any particular
narrowcast theme or ideology," said Joel Hollander,
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Infinity. "An
entertaining hybrid of provocative, political, pop culture, news,
music and lifestyle formats, our next generation of FM stations
will be personified by their conviction, passion, originality,
fearlessness and innovation which is not heard anywhere else on
the radio."
Beginning today, KIFR, WYSP and KPLN will convert to FREE FM
programming offering listeners a combination of powerhouse local
and national personalities (see separate releases for complete
lineups). WXRK, the flagship station for the David Lee Roth
Show, will debut FREE FM on the station in conjunction with
Roth's premiere in January 2006. Current Infinity stations
in Los Angeles (KLSX-FM), Chicago (WCKG-FM), Dallas (KLLI-FM),
Washington, D.C. (WJFK-FM), Detroit (WKRK-FM) and Baltimore
(WHFS-FM) have all been rebranded FREE FM as of today.
Penn Jillette, one-half of the entertainment duo Penn &
Teller, has also been named as host of a unique one-hour live
radio program that will be featured on stations in New York
(WXRK-FM), Chicago (WCKG-FM), San Francisco (KIFR-FM),
Washington, D.C. (WJFK-FM), Detroit (WKRK-FM), San Diego
(KPLN-FM), Baltimore (WHFS-FM) and Las Vegas (KSFN-AM), beginning
in January 2006 (check local listings for broadcast time).
In addition, a variety of morning drive programming options
have been developed for the remaining Stern stations such as
syndication of Infinity personalities, format changes and the
creation of live local programs. Following are several
highlights (complete list attached):
Rover, currently heard on
Infinity's WXTM-FM Cleveland and WAZU-FM Columbus, adds
WCKG-FM in Chicago, WKRK-FM Detroit, WAQZ-FM Cincinnati, WMFS-FM
Memphis and WZNE-FM Rochester to his roster of stations. WCKG
will serve as the flagship station for Rover's MORNING
GLORY heard weekdays 5:00-10:00AM, CT/6:00-10:00AM, ET. A
10-year veteran of radio, Rover joined WXTM in 2003 and has
consistently been a ratings leader among Adults and Men 18-34.
His first job in radio came at age 20 when he applied for, and
was hired as, a host for Xtreme Radio in Las Vegas despite having
no prior experience.
WJFK-FM's The Junkies will expand
their lineup to include WHFS. J.P., John, Eric and Jason began
their career in broadcasting as hosts of a cable access show in
1995, and were hired by WJFK-FM shortly thereafter where they
hosted weekend, and later, weeknight programs. In 2002, the
foursome began hosting morning drive on WHFS (Washington, D.C.)
until the station changed its format and call letters in January
2005. They rejoined WJFK for middays, and the Junkies program
has been rated No.1 in its timeperiod among Adults 25-34, Men
18-49 and Men 25-54 ever since.
KITS-FM in San Francisco will launch the MORNING
MUSIC CO-OP, an entertainment-based program featuring alternative
music with unprecedented listener involvement/interaction and
minimal commercial interruption. The station's on-air
programming attributes will include music-oriented town halls,
sponsorship of "locals-only" concerts, monthly music
and movie listener correspondents, frequent auditions for
permanent positions on the show, listener advisory reports, and
Q&A sessions with station executives.
Added Hollander, "When we set out to find a replacement
for Howard Stern we took the opportunity to cultivate a wide
array of talent, from both in and out of the radio industry.
With Roth, we've found someone who continues to evolve his
career and deliver for his legion of fans. Adam's depth of
entertainment experience is unmatched in radio. And Jimmy has a
proven track record of creating winning shows for both radio and
television. Couple that with an impressive roster of emerging
talent and formats and we have all the necessary elements for
Infinity to continue as the major player in morning
drive."
Best known to countless rock fans as the frontman of legendary
band Van Halen, "Diamond" David Lee Roth is also a
successful solo artist, music video pioneer and best selling
author. Born in Bloomington, Ind., Roth spent his early
childhood shuttling between the great outdoors and living with
his famous uncle, Manny Roth, in New York's Greenwich
Village during the early 60s. Roth's musical education
began with the likes of Bob Dylan, Peter Paul and Mary, Richard
Pryor and Lenny Bruce.
By the time he reached his mid-20s, Roth was a world-class
frontman with platinum albums from his work with his high school
buddies, Van Halen. Mixing heavy metal riffs with punk's fury,
Van Halen became the most popular American rock & roll band
of the late '70s and early '80s releasing a string of classic
mega-selling albums (1979's Van Halen II, 1980's
Women & Children First, 1981's Fair
Warning, 1982's Diver Down, and two years later,
1984), while also becoming a major arena-headlining
concert draw.
His subsequent solo career also yielded a truckload of hits,
including "Yankee Rose," "Goin'
Crazy," "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got
Nobody," "California Girls,"and
"A Little Ain't Enough," as he veered
from the arena hard rock he was known for to smoky blues, Las
Vegas show tunes and dance floor rhythms, touring countless
countries in the process.
Roth penned a tell-all autobiography, Crazy From The
Heat, in 1997. He has also appeared on VH1's
"The David Lee Roth Fourth of July Christmas Special"
and "I Love the 70s," as well as "The
Sopranos."
Presently, Roth resides in New York City, where he became a
certified emergency medical technician in 2004.
Carolla is one of the most versatile men in Hollywood. He
currently hosts Comedy Central's "Too Late with Adam
Carolla" and additionally stars in TLC's "The
Adam Carolla Project," which chronicles the renovation and
subsequent sale of his boyhood home.
Following brief stints as a skilled carpenter and boxing
trainer, he began his career in radio after answering an ad
seeking a boxing instructor to train then radio personality Jimmy
Kimmel of KROQ's KEVIN AND BEAN SHOW in Los Angeles. He
eventually joined the show's repertoire as Mr. Birchum, a
woodshop teacher. Carolla's success on KROQ led to a
hosting job on the nationally syndicated radio program
"Loveline," with Dr. Drew Pinsky. MTV developed a
television version of the show, which was co-hosted by Carolla
and Pinsky for five seasons (1996-2000). The duo also authored
The Dr. Drew and Adam Book: A Survival Guide to Life and
Love.
With their partner Daniel Kellison, Carolla and Kimmel are the
heads of Jackhole Industries and have created and starred in two
hit Comedy Central shows, "The Man Show" (1999-2003)
and "Crank Yankers" (2002-present). Jackhole
Industries also executive produced "Gerhard Reinke's
Wanderlust," a comedy travel show which aired on Comedy
Central, and a reality-based feature film, Windy City Heat, which
won The Comedia Award for Best Film at the 2004 Montreal Just For
Laughs comedy festival.
A native of Southern California, Carolla currently resides in
Los Angeles with his wife, Lynette.
Kimmel is the host and Executive Producer of ABC's
"Jimmy Kimmel Live." He also appears weekly on
Monday Night Football with his "60 Seconds with Jimmy
Kimmel" feature that airs during halftime. Additionally,
he executive produces the hit MTV series "The Andy
Milonakis Show," an absurd comedy centered on young Andy
and his antics.
Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and raised in Las Vegas,
Nev., and began his career in morning radio. It was as
"Jimmy The Sports Guy" on KROQ-FM's KEVIN AND
BEAN SHOW that Kimmel started to breakthrough. In 1997, he
became co-host of Comedy Central's long-running and popular
game show "Win Ben Stein's Money." Kimmel has
twice been nominated for an Emmy and won "Best Game Show
Host" in 1999.
Kimmel currently resides in Los Angeles. He has two
children.
Penn Jillette has been the larger, louder half of comedy-magic
team Penn & Teller for over 30 years. Jillette, along with
partner Teller, created an entertainment success story that went
from the streets of Philadelphia to small clubs to Broadway and
now to a current, multi-year engagement at the Rio All-Suite
Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Along the way Jillette has authored five books, two that made
the New York Times best-sellers list, won an Emmy, co-hosted four
television series, including the current hit Showtime series
"Penn & Teller: Bullshit!" (2003-present) and
executive produced and co-created the most talked about film of
2005, The Aristocrats.
Penn's skeptical, outspoken, tell-it like-it is opinions
have made him a favorite pundit of the cable news talk shows.
He resides in Las Vegas with his wife and daughter.
Infinity is one of the largest major-market radio operators in
the United States, with stations covering news, alternative rock,
country, talk, classic rock, oldies, JACK and urban formats,
among others. A division of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B),
Infinity operates 178 radio stations, the majority of which are
in the nation's top 50 markets. Additionally, Infinity is home
to 30 of the country's leading sports franchises amongst MLB, the
NFL, the NBA, the WNBA, and the NHL. For more information, log
on to www.infinitybroadcasting.com.
* * *
Infinity Contacts: Karen L. Mateo
212/846-7638
Shavonne
Harding
212/846-3906
CBS Contact: Dana
McClintock
212/975-1077
Complete list of Howard Stern markets, replacement talent and
station format:
WXRK-FM New York David Lee Roth/FREE
FM*
KLLI-FM Dallas David Lee Roth/FREE
FM
WYSP-FM Philadelphia David Lee
Roth/FREE FM*
WBCN-FM Boston David Lee Roth/Active
Rock
WRKZ-FM Pittsburgh David Lee
Roth/Active Rock
WNCX-FM Cleveland David Lee
Roth/Classic Rock
WPBZ-FM West Palm Beach David Lee
Roth/Alternative Rock
KLSX-FM Los Angeles Adam Carolla/FREE
FM
KPLN-FM San Diego Adam Carolla/FREE
FM*
KZON-FM Phoenix Adam
Carolla/Alternative Rock
KUFO-FM Portland Adam Carolla/Active
Rock
KXTE-FM Las Vegas Adam
Carolla/Alternative Rock
WCKG-FM Chicago Rover/FREE FM
WKRK-FM Detroit Rover/FREE FM
WAQZ-FM Cincinnati Rover/Alternative
Rock
WMFS-FM Memphis Rover/Alternative
Rock
WZNE-FM Rochester Rover/Alternative
Rock
WJFK-FM Washington, D.C. The
Junkies/FREE FM
WHFS-FM Baltimore The Junkies/FREE
FM/Alternative Rock
KITS-FM San Francisco Morning Music
Co-Op/Alternative Rock
KIKK-AM Houston CNN Radio News
WBZZ-AM Tampa Talk*
KHWD-FM Sacramento JACK-FM*
WBUF-FM Buffalo JACK-FM
KKDG-FM Fresno JACK-FM
WOCL-FM Orlando Drew and
Mel/Alternative Rock
KXBT-FM Austin Star & Buc
Wild/Rhythmic CHR
*Format Change
|
|



MEDIA CONTACTS
Karen L. Mateo
Vice President, Communications
(212) 649 9639
Allison Mandara
Press Representative
(212) 649 9606

Subscribe via RSS to CBS Radio's Press Release News Feed.
|