Corley, who helmed the weekday afternoon shift at KTCL-FM/93.3 for the last time on July 24, is a fiery figure: Regular readers will recall her on-air dustup with Keanu Reeves during a promotional tour for his band, Dogstar (Feedback, July 31, 1997). Furthermore, during her program she often referred to Jacor, the Cincinnati-based media giant that's in the process of purchasing KTCL, as "the evil corporate monster"; in a letter to this very publication following our June 25 Best of Denver issue, Corley wrote, "With all the changes going on at KTCL since the evil corporate takeover, it helps to know that there are still fans out there."
Corley may be controversial, but she's also a knowledgeable enthusiast of underground music past and present, as her regular "Presto Requesto" segments amply verified. And because she was one of the very few female jocks in the market allowed to fly a drive-time slot solo, she presented a genuine alternative to the hairy-chested Broncos chatter and/or heavy breathing that's heard on many of KTCL's competitors during the same period. "I always felt that whenever I was on, whether it was going head-to-head with the sports-talking testosterone rodeo or whatever, I could contribute something that was different," she says.
That may sound like an excuse for low ratings, but in this case, it's not. The spring Arbitron book was issued last week, and "I was top five in my key demographic for my day part for the first time in the station's history," Corley points out. That's a jargon-heavy way of saying that Corley's show was one of the programs listeners between the ages of 18 and 34 tuned in to most frequently. While it's debatable whether Corley deserves all the credit for this accomplishment--since KTCL's ratings are up across the board (more on that below)--she was certainly pulling her weight.
So why was she guillotined? Corley says she'd been noticing dark clouds on the horizon for a while; meetings were being held without her, her requests for concert tickets were being turned down, and "they made me into the dub guy, the person who dubs the tapes--which is usually the job they give to the kid with the red paper hat and the pimply face, not the DJ doing afternoon drive." But she insists she still doesn't know precisely why she was canned during a July 25 meeting with Jacor's Don Howe and Tsunami Communication's Tony Galluzzo, the official owner of the station until the FCC okays its sale, which should take place in a matter of weeks. "The basic feeling I get," says Corley, "is that they think I'm an asshole, and I'm not worth keeping in the Jacor community."
If that's the thinking of the Jacor muckety-mucks, they're not telling. Speaking for the company, Mike O'Connor, KTCL's program director, says only, "Our position is that Caroline left the radio station to pursue other endeavors, and we at KTCL wish her the best in her pursuit of those endeavors." When asked to elaborate or to respond to other particulars of Corley's claims, O'Connor replies that the wording of his statement was agreed upon at the July 25 powwow. Corley confirms this, more or less: "I asked them to say that over the air on the Monday after I got fired and to anyone who called asking where I was. Otherwise, people wouldn't have had a clue what happened to me."
O'Connor was considerably more talkative when it came to the topic of KTCL's ratings performance. For the first time in ages, the station managed a 3.0 share among listeners over age 12, and its 6.6 share for those between 18 and 34 was up two full points. Better yet, these numbers were considerably higher than those garnered by KXPK-FM/96.5 (The Peak), which is being targeted by both KTCL and soon-to-be sister station KBCO-FM/97.3--and they've been accompanied by an equivalent improvement in cash flow. "We lost $650,000 last year, and we were lucky if we'd bill $90,000 in advertising a month," O'Connor says. "But now we're closer to $200,000 a month, and we're $100,000 to the good overall. That's not huge money, but it's a big improvement over where we were. Our goal was to justify our continuing existence, and it looks like we'll achieve that goal."
Such success has a price, Corley says. "There's definitely been a shift at KTCL since the days when I could bring records from home and do four hours of 'Presto Requesto,'" she asserts. "They still called what I did 'Presto Requesto,' but what they really did was cut my balls off and put them in a jar on Mike O'Connor's desk. The whole show was completely programmed except for two songs, and they told me what to say and when to say it. They just sucked the groovy right out of the show, and now it's nothing but corporate pablum."
With Corley now persona non grata at Jacor, which runs eight of the most popular outlets in the Denver-Boulder area, she would seem to have extremely limited employment options. Still, she hopes she hasn't logged her last shift on the local airwaves. "Denver is my home--I bought a house here--and I want to stay," she insists. "I don't want to fight with anybody; I just want to play music on the radio, which Jacor didn't understand. And I hope that because of my time here, I'm marketable enough in this town. But if I'm not, I'll have to go somewhere else."
Setting aside Corley's caustic commentary for a moment, it should be noted that KTCL is sponsoring quite an intriguing event this week: "The Underground Adventure." The bash, set for Saturday, August 8, at Copper Mountain, is a high-rent rave featuring a slew of talented locals, including Westword profile subject L.L. Bishop ("Bishop Moves On," October 16, 1997), and big-timers Josh Wink and Alex Gifford of Propellerheads. (Gifford is also making an in-store appearance at Twist & Shout on Friday, August 7.) To learn more, call 575-1149 or 331-2343.
CD-release parties-o-rama. On Friday, August 7, Buzz Bomber and the M-80s show off their latest album, Beating Up My Best Friend, at Cricket on the Hill, and the Ladonnas bring fresh platters to the 15th Street Tavern, with Negative Man. On Saturday, August 8, Steven Walters introduces a new disc, Just This Moment, at Vocal Journeys Studio, 602 Maxwell St. in Boulder. And on Sunday, August 9, Melange entertains in honor of its own recording at the Soiled Dove. Bring your own noisemakers.
My nemesis, Cindy Wonderful, is back. Ms. Wonderful, who's thanked me for past positive reviews by ceaselessly tormenting me (check out the October 30, 1997, Feedback for a sample), has just formed Rainbow Sugar, which she describes as a "white, all-girl rap band." But even though her new act is in the most nascent stage imaginable, Wonderful wants press--and she wants it now. "I warned you what would happen if you neglected to review me one more time," she writes. "Since it is obvious you are a sadist, you leave me no choice." This strange threat was accompanied by a Rainbow Sugar demo whose five tunes, highlighted by "Dynamite" and "Meow Meow," struck me as shaggy, ragged, energetic and thoroughly enjoyable. But do you think Wonderful (who can be reached care of Stupid Records, 865 Northridge Road, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126) will be satisfied with such praise? Me neither.
Maybe she'll move on to another victim if I slag her music next time. On Thursday, August 6, Cirrus spins at the Ogden Theatre, and the Freddy Jones Band and Sherri Jackson play for free in Larimer Square. On Saturday, August 8, Jack Off Jill provides mutual satisfaction at the Snake Pit, with Psychotica. On Sunday, August 9, Roz Brown and Bill Barwick play for the benefit of the Morrison Cowboy Celebration at the Fort. And on Tuesday, August 11, the Verve displays same at Red Rocks. Whatever that means.
--Michael Roberts
Backbeat's e-mail address is: [email protected]. While you're online, visit Michael Roberts's Jukebox at www.westword.com.
