Famous Classic Rock Station Goes 'Human-Less'

A famous Southern California rock station is keeping the music and losing the people. KCAL-FM 96.7, based in Redlands has laid off its entire on-air staff as it shifts to an all-music, largely automated classic rock format covering the Inland Empire, KTLA reports. The July 31 move swept out morning host Patrick Tish, midday host Nikki Preston, afternoon staple and 42-year veteran Daryl Norsell, and evening host/program director John DeSantis, plus part-time and weekend talent, per the Orange County Register.

DeSantis wrote on Facebook that ownership "released the entire air staff" and is moving to an "automated, human-less format." He added: "To say this is shocking is an understatement. In a statement, Anaheim Broadcasting COO Kelly Sanders said the "next chapter" for KCAL "builds on the station's strong rock heritage." She said the station has been "rebuilt" around "the songs and the artists that made classic rock," and will "deliver a focused, consistent listening experience with broader appeal for both our audience and advertising partners."

Jeffrey Parke, the station's longtime manager, retired last month, a week before the change was announced. "I was stunned that the company was making this move, but the reality is that this is happening everywhere in radio, and it's really become a bottom-line thing," he tells the Register. He says the radio business never fully recovered from the pandemic and this year has been especially rough.

• Norsell said it had been an "incredible 42-year ride" and praised all the "talented and passionate personalities" he had worked with over the decades. On Facebook, he wrote that he had started at the station when he was 20 years old. "I've literally grown up and spent my entire adult life on the air with you playing music that I love and sharing stories and experiences," he wrote. "We've been through triumphs and tragedies, marriages and divorces, births and deaths, and always the sense of community and the ability to find the joy and laughter in it all helped make all of it more meaningful."
• Norsell added: "I'm going to unplug from everything and disappear with my awesome wife, Kori, for a couple of weeks to decompress and then dive into whatever adventure the next chapter is going to bring. I'll be ready for it. I truly want to thank everyone that was a part of this incredible run. Cheers. And as always, YOU ROCK!"