May 9

Airwaves: May 9, 2008

Eco Driving

KABC (790 AM) is gearing up to present the Fourth Annual Clean Air Showcase next Saturday, May 17th from 10 AM to 5 PM at the Pike in Long Beach.

Leon "Motorman" Kaplan, who has been hosting an automotive-related show on KABC since before there were automobiles, will be there live to broadcast his show from the event from 10 AM to 12 PM, and will also act as the Showcase Master of Ceremonies.

On hand will be eco-friendly cars from Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ford, Nissan Toyota and Subaru including currently-avail able models as well as concepts. Information on the latest in clean-air and fuel-efficient technologies will be available, and representatives from the Air Quality Management District and the Air Resources Board will be there to discuss efforts to reduce air pollution.

Over 18 with a valid drivers license? Then take a Ride 'N Drive to test drive some of the cars on a preset course through the streets of downtown Long Beach -- including some of the same streets used in the Long Beach Grand Prix.

The event is free. Kaplan's show normally airs Sundays from 8 AM to 11 AM.

Watch Out, Jack

First there was Jack (93.1 FM). Then Jill (92.7 FM). Now comes Jose.

Regional Mexican music station (don't ask, I don't know) KLYY (97.5 FM) has switched formats to Spanish adult hits playing what they want ... kind of a Jack in Spanish, even if it doesn't quite translate.

Karl Meyer, general manager of Entravision Radio Los Angeles, which owns the station, told industry newspaper Radio and Records, "Jose 97.5 represents everything that radio in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire is not. Jose is unpredictable. Jose is without rules and is absolutely refreshing. The beauty of Jose's secret is its simplicity and obvios lack of structured formula. No DJs, no clutter, just a guy playing the best of the best. Jose toco lo que quire: Jose plays what he wants."

Hmm. So bad radio has hit the Spanish stations too ... KLYY is one of five such stations across the country.

Not Sirius

Sirius Satellite Radio has added yet another single-artist channel to their growing roster of unlistenable selections. This time it is Neil Diamond, who has taken over easy listening Channel 3. At least this time it will end after a two-week run (approximately May 16th).

I have nothing against Diamond, but I have a lot against single-artist channels, which seem to proliferate on Sirius and then hang on forever. Bruce Springsteen stole a a popular channel called The Bridge, for example, and that has been on for over a year. I can no longer recommend Sirius as an entertainment source.

What I Like

I'm not a huge talk listener, but I have to admit that KFI (640 AM) has me hooked. It seems that no matter what else I am listening to, I switch over to KFI sometime during the day ... no matter the time ... just to see what's on. Interestingly, my car stereo will sometimes switch to something else after I park if I was listening to KFI before I turnd off my truck. But that's another story.

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