It’s been a couple months now since KRAB radio cut Sunday night’s local rock hour, and it seems that nobody has noticed or cared. This was an hour from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. where the radio station would play music from local bands in Bakersfield.
This hour is now replaced by a syndicated radio program called “Out of order with Jed the Fish,” which ranks the nation’s most popular songs then plays them randomly as taken from the KRAB radio Web site.
This hour was cut by program director Danny Spanks, and this was due to its low ratings. According to Spanks, “This was the lowest rated hour” and that “the people [bands and fans] who should’ve been listening weren’t.”
Local rock band Tumer’s frontman Chuk T. said, “KRAB picked the worst possible time on the worst possible day to play local music, but we were still proud to have it. It’s somewhat understandable why KRAB took it off the air, [maybe] because it wasn’t getting that much attention, maybe for the time slot [or] maybe people just not caring. And it seemed that nobody really cared when they took it off [the air].”
Local bands were given the opportunity to send in their demo CDs and call the radio station to promote any shows that they had. Yet Spanks stated that “bands were not taking advantage” of this opportunity, and that this was “frustrating” and “sad.”
Spanks added that he has “nothing but love for local bands” and “if people don’t support something it’s not going to last.”
“There’s no outlet for local bands to get there music heard by people who don’t go to shows, and this show was a way for people to hear local music,” said Shantell from local band 3 Chord Whore. “I’d listen to it in the car on Sundays, and I hope they’d bring it back, or at least play local music throughout the day if there are not going to have an hour dedicated to it. Also if the KRAB wants people to listen to it then why did they put it on Sunday nights at 10?”