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Van Halen’s Roth to Replace Howard Stern on Revamped K-Rock

As he prepares to leave the increasingly FCC censored AM/FM dial for the outside-the-law format of Sirius Satellite Radio, Howard Stern hadn’t made any indication about who would fill his shoes atop the shock jock heap until today. In several of the markets vacated by Stern, former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth will replace the Sultan of Swear.

According to MTV.com, Roth announced his new talk radio gig on Stern’s show early this morning. Roth will host the morning show in many East Coast markets including New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. The West Coast markets, including LA, Seattle, and Phoenix, will be served by former Man Show and Love Lines host Adam Carolla, a radio veteran. Roth told Stern this morning, “You’ve done an extraordinary job and I hope I can honor it.” When asked about facing the FCC’s strict obscenity fines as Stern did, Roth said, “I’m beyond ready.” Roth will rock the mic starting January 3, 2006.

Roth’s flagship station, K-Rock 92.3 FM in New York, will undergo massive changes starting that same day. K-Rock will switch over to an all-talk format in the coming year. The blog City Rag speculates that most of K-Rock’s current DJs, even their biggest names like Julie Slater, will have to look for new jobs. The New York Post reported the switchover as rumor last week, saying the new KXRK won’t be like most talk radio stations, but instead “a radio version of the so-called ‘lad mags’ that appeal to young men.”

K-Rock official site
David Lee Roth official site
Howard Stern official site

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