98 KUPD Programming Change: Shuffling Inside the Toolbox

Hey guys,

I trust you all had a good weekend either with your friends and families!  Some of you got to hang out at Monster Jam on Saturday night while others got to head to U.S. Airways for Royal Rumble.  Whatever you did, you had a good time with the radio station, I hope.

Further, CALM THE FECK DOWN!!  

Some of you went into a tailspin with my Facebook news on Friday night.  I know there were people out there that didn’t know how to take the post as I received calls and texts from industry people and U Guys who thought something terrible had happened to me.  In fact, a lot of people thought I was leaving KUPD.  Let’s put it this way, if you’ve ever tried to search for my Easter Kegs, you know that I always have something up my sleeve.  In fact, I thought that post wasn’t ambiguous enough.  I’m making a note of how to be more confusing when posting to Facebook.   

First, as much as some people might enjoy the fact that I could leave KUPD, this isn’t the case.  I am NOT leaving the radio station and don’t have any intentions to do so.  At least none that I know of.  I’m here to stay, so let’s squash that rumor.

Secondly, Friday was my last night of playing the 9 O’Clock Four Play.  This is not rumor.  This is true and the difficult decision in retiring the countdown has been on my mind--as well as the decision makers at the radio station.  

The Four Play has been a staple of the night shift for the past 20 years and I know that listeners tuned in each night to hear the latest in rock music.  It was almost guaranteed that you’d hear four kick ass songs to get you from point A to B.  Maybe the Four Play got  you through some of the toughest times in your life.  Trust me, whatever your story, I’m right there with you.  Since my days in college, I listened to the countdown on my way from my night job at a competing radio station. Just like it was to you, it was a highlight for me to hear these songs.

Fast-forward to late 2012...

Whisperings of some changes during my night shift circulating at the radio station.  Would this mean that I would be without a job in 2013? Would I get more time on the air?  Were there plans to make me get a sex change?  No one knew other than the decision makers.  

About three weeks ago, I sat down with Larry McFeelie to discuss the future of my shift at night.  We both expressed to each other that we thought the 9 O’Clock Four Play needed to retire.  Simply put: it has been going on for nearly 20 years.  That’s a long run for any segment in radio and to decide that the countdown was not going to be a part of the station anymore was more than frightening.  Life without the countdown just didn’t seem right, but we both knew it had to happen.

Without boring you with the nitty gritty details, some of you might have noticed on my personal Facebook page that I had been doing audio production late into the night for the past week. This is why...

Starting Monday, January 28th, 2013, I will begin an era of TWO new segments that will replace the 9 O’Clock Four Play and Loveline.  Take note:

At 8PM every night, we will dig into my iPod and throw it on shuffle.  Shan Man’s 8 O’Clock Shuffle will take over and choose the songs for me. Am I serious? Dead fucking serious.  This means that you could hear a track done by Corey Taylor that is A.) never heard on any terrestrial or internet radio station and B.) REALLY fucking good.  OR we could hear a track that is totally bogus.  Hopefully my iPod knows “what’s up” otherwise we’re going to sit down and have a chat.

Regardless, if you’ve ever thrown your iPod on shuffle, you know that there are some gems out there that you might have forgotten about.  So, if you have a few of these gems, imagine what my iPod is filled with.

Next, I’ve been throwing out little hints out on my Facebook about listening to the band Tool.  You might have seen updates that said something like, “If you could listen to any Tool song for the rest of your life, what would it be?”  That should have been enough to get you wondering...

At 10PM EVERY NIGHT, we will rummage into the Tool box and play a block of songs from Maynard and gang.  

You read that right.  

Tomorrow night we will begin the era of 10 O’Clock Tool.  This doesn’t mean that you’ll just hear “Sober” and “Forty-Six & 2”.  It means you’ll hear “Forty-Six & 2” AND “Rosetta Stoned”. It means you might hear a lot of Tool songs that are never heard on the radio.  It means 13-minute songs aren’t off limits. It means that the THOUSANDS of Tool fans out there will finally get what they have been wanting to hear in the Valley for years.

So put the Xanax down.  There’s nothing to worry about.  We’ll be fine together.

I’m excited to start something brand new with you on the Big Red Radio and I hope you’ll join me at 8 & 10PM.

And for future reference, I always give the dirty details on my Google+ page before I post them to Facebook. Neener, neener...

Thank U-Guys for being more than supportive!

Shan