By John Katsilometes
KKLZ 96.3-FM switched formats Thursday afternoon, and in a move characteristic of the topsy-turvy world of over-the-air radio, did so with less than an hour of notice. The “New KKLZ” hit the air at 1 p.m., and the new format is “Classic Hits” in place of “Classic Rock,” though the “Classic Rock” format was brimming with “Classic Hits” already.
Maybe, as I have long suspected, K-Tel is actually calling the shots at KKLZ.
Anyway, the first songs I heard in a three-tune loop were “Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress” by the Hollies, “Baby Hold On To Me” by Eddie Money and “Baby I Need Your Lovin’ ” by the Four Tops. Expect a lot of “baby” tunes with the new format, seems to be the message here. But there were no DJs directing traffic, just canned promos like, “The new KKLZ – better than the South Beach Diet but without the cost!”
I nearly pulled off the road for the laughter.
But seriously folks, if I were an on-air type at KKLZ I might be a little concerned. Gone is Program Director Charlie Logan, whose tenure coincided with a precipitous slide in ratings for the once-lofty FM station. As one of the new “Classic Hits” would ask, baby-baby, where has our love gone?
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One of my shoeshine friends at a major resort says the most popular brand of fashion shoe at the moment is Ecco. Who am I to argue?
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Release me: A press release from the Christian Newswire, which contacts me a dozen times a day because apparently I am in the middle of its target demographic, reports that Morality in Media received a call from someone in Atlanta who reported that Delta Airlines aired the HBO movie “Rome,” replete with nude scenes and simulated sex (sounds like my bachelor party) on overhead TV monitors during a recent cross-country flight. So Morality in Media is angry, but I say, when in “Rome” ...
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Good news, bad news at City Hall: The city’s records office is open from 6 a.m. to midnight daily, startling service for any citizen who wants a copy of an incident report issued by Metro Police. But the parking garage across Stewart Avenue is metered 24 hours, seven days a week, and on Sunday I parked at one of those meters for no longer than 15 minutes (not noticing the meter had expired, or that the slot was metered at that time) and was hit with a $20 fine. Kudos to Officer Weaver and his keen eye.
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Rimshot alert! Comic Jeffrey Ross, interviewed this week by Keith Olbermann on “Countdown” on MSNBC, said of photos of frequent Vegas inhabitant Paris Hilton clutching a bible while in rehab, “She probably stole it from one of her family’s hotels.” And, “More guys have been in Paris Hilton than have been in the Hilton in Paris.”
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In our gift shops: A gold-colored plastic travel coffee mug from Caesars Palace, emblazoned with the resort’s famous logo, goes for $14.
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Time for plate: On a silver Honda Civic, ALAP2GO.
Fabulous Las Vegas appears daily (well, almost) at this Web site. John Katsilometes can be reached at 990-7720, 812-9812 or at [email protected]