MOJO RADIO LAUNCH - AUGUST 6, 2002

General Radio News and Comments, Satellite & Internet Radio and LPFM

Postby Glen Livingstone » Sun Aug 06, 2006 12:47 am

It didn't seem right to let this one pass by unnoticed.

Today is the 4th anniversary of the short-lived birth of Corus Entertainment's bastard lovechild, MOJO Radio.

Yes, it was four years ago today - August 6th, 2002 - when the fragile little sprog
emerged from the birth canal of the TD Tower as its proud parents, Lou del Monte and Tom Plasteras sat in the waiting room holding hands in giddy anticipation.

Who could forget those promising early days; Jesse Dylan; Scruff Connors; Glenn Beck; Bruce Allen; Brook Ward, and those of-so-funny phony phone calls.

Life was sweet up on the 21st floor of The Black Tower. For about five minutes.

Sadly, shortly after the press release heralding the arrival of the new future King-of- the-airwaves was issued from head office, it was all downhill for little MOJO.

Here it is, reprinted verbatim.

Enjoy!

*************************************************************


MOJO RADIO LIFTS OFF AUGUST 6 WITH JESSE DYLAN LEADING THE WAY

August 6, 2002

Mornings will never be the same as JESSE DYLAN takes to the airwaves on August 6 with the launch of MOJO Radio Vancouver, the all-new AM730 talk radio station for men. The Jesse Dylan Show leads the program schedule with his special brand of mischief and unpredictability, sending a high-octane jolt through Vancouver?s airwaves weekday mornings from 6 ? 10 a.m.

?It is with great excitement that we launch this raucous all-star lineup of provocative shows for men and it?s with mild fear that we unleash The Jesse Dylan Show on the citizens of Vancouver,? says Tom Plasteras, program director, MOJO Radio Vancouver. ?Without a question, MOJO will be a stand out, unlike anything this city has heard before.?

After Dylan, the MOJO day continues with the antics of legendary Canadian personality SCRUFF CONNORS? Nationwide, weekdays from 10 a.m. ? 1 p.m. Master of the phony phone call, Scruff?s new show Nationwide combines topical talk with witty bits and, of course, lots of phony phone calls.

Mid-afternoon airwaves are filled with the frank, direct and brutally honest GLENN BECK. He has a remarkable way of getting the story behind the story and has people listening, howling, cheering, or crying foul. The Glenn Beck Show is heard weekdays from 1 ? 4 p.m.

The ultimate guy?s guy, the unofficial mayor of Vancouver, and Canada?s #1 talent agent with clients such as Bryan Adams and Martina McBride, BRUCE ALLEN kick-starts the week every MOJO-Monday afternoon from 4 ? 7 p.m. If you can?t take the heat, get out of thekitchen, and be warned, this show is hot!

Then, MOJO listeners can tune in to hear Rush Hour Sports with veteran Vancouver sports personality BROOK WARD, long-time sports reporter RICK QUINTON and the latest news, weather and traffic with CLAUDINE GRANT. Cool and confident, Ward takes the pulse of the sports world, Tuesday ? Saturday from 4 ? 7 p.m.

The evening programming begins with The Phil Hendrie Show weeknights from 7 ? 10 p.m. A California native, Phil employs his acid wit to poke fun at the news and newsmakers of the day.

Sex is front and centre in the late evening with DR. DREW PINSKY and The Man Show?s ADAM CAROLLA as they discuss issues of the heart, gut, and groin. The two hours of no-holds-barred conversation airs on Loveline, Sunday ? Thursday from 10 p.m. ? midnight. The Loveline radio program has become a cult hit in the U.S. and has already transitioned to television (MTV).

Sundays from 8 ? 10 p.m., MATT DRUDGE, the one-man news bureau who broke the Monica Lewinsky scandal, covers political news and the business of Hollywood.

Diehard sports fans can find their weekends peppered with ESPN. ESPN Gameday Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon and ESPN Gameday Sundays from 8 a.m. ? 4 p.m. circumnavigate the wide world of sports, touching down in every NFL stadium with up-to-the-second scores and in-depth analysis.

MOJO Radio is also the proud official voice of the Vancouver Giants WHL games. Listen for the expert play-by-play commentary of JIM MULLEN and BILL WILM throughout the entire Giants season, including the 2002 WHL All-Star Game.

Geared to males aged 25 ? 54, MOJO fills a void in the Vancouver market by providing a forum for men to discuss and debate issues that matter to them, from health and fitness to cars, careers, beers, business, women and sports.

MOJO Radio is owned by Corus Entertainment, a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in both specialty TV and Radio. Corus? assets include 52 radio stations, four of Canada?s leading specialty television networks, Canada?s western pay-TV business and five digital channels. Corus also owns Nelvana Limited, one of the world?s largest international producers and distributors of children?s programming and products. The company?s other interests include music,television broadcasting and advertisingservices. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto and New York Exchanges. Corus? Web site can be found at corusentertainment.com.

******************************************************

Jesse Dylan's special brand of mischief and unpredictability proved to be of no interest to the listening public, and the high-octane jolt through Vancouver's airwaves failed to materialize.

?It is with great excitement that we launch this raucous all-star lineup of provocative shows for men and it?s with mild fear that we unleash The Jesse Dylan Show on the citizens of Vancouver,? says Tom Plasteras, program director, MOJO Radio Vancouver. ?Without a question, MOJO will be a stand out, unlike anything this city has heard before.?

Ace programmer Plasteras couldn't have been more wrong, except for the part about MOJO being unlike anything this city has heard before."

Yeah, that part he got right.

Vancouver listeners had never before experienced a more amateurish-sounding and poorly-run radio station.

Almost immediately, and with no fanfare, the personalities began to disappear from MOJO's polluted airwaves.

Scruff Connors, Glenn Beck, Bruce Allen, Brook Ward, and finally, Jesse Dylan The Bard of Bad himself, until there was no one left.

The foul-smelling air biscuit that was MOJO Radio had sprung a leak, and, much like the doomed Hindenburg, crashed and burned a mere year and a half after it had launched.

Only the cockroaches emerged from the smouldering rubble.

"We can rebuild," they said, and gave us MOJO Mach 2, MOJO Sports Radio.

Sorry boys, try again.

And they did, with AM 730 - the current shitstorm - a festering mix of Continuous Drive Time Traffic and signature time-shifted CKNW talk - read Adler, Good, et al - re-thermalized for your dining and dancing pleasure - which launched on June 5th.

This time around though, when the shareholders order the plug pulled; the late lamented Lou del Monte won't be the one passing out the pink slips and black cigars.

No, that honor will surely default to Mr. Ian Koenigsfest, the current abortion's Program Director.

You read it here first.
User avatar
Glen Livingstone
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 948
Joined: Sun May 07, 2006 8:12 pm

Postby radiofan » Sun Aug 06, 2006 9:29 am

Happy Birthday Mojo!

My favorite quote was from the July 11, 2002 press release announcing the birth of Mojo.

?The new format has taken off in Toronto,? said Lou Del Gobbo, General Manager, Corus Radio Vancouver. ?This is innovative, provocative radio and we know Vancouver will embrace it.?

Image

God damn I miss those hilarious Jessie Dylan promos and phone calls!
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
User avatar
radiofan
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 13719
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:24 pm
Location: Keremeos, BC

Postby segueking2 » Sun Aug 06, 2006 10:51 am

Bugs Bunny would sum up Corus Management with one word - MAROONS. :lol:
segueking2
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 226
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2006 4:03 pm
Location: Canada.....or at least I think so....

Postby johnsykes » Sun Aug 06, 2006 8:11 pm

I'd like to know two things.....what makes a veteran broadcaster...and what makes a legendary broadcaster.

Let's get some dialogue going here......

I'll start with a couple of suggestions......

A veteran broadcaster is someone like, as I was involved in sports, Jim Robson....veteran like 30 to 40 years in the business.....Legendary? Red Robinson, Fred Latremouille to name a couple in music radio.

Brook Ward? gotta go for some years yet......legendary? who that guy was that Plasteras quoted? never heard of him.
User avatar
johnsykes
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 1355
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2006 8:04 pm
Location: Abbotsford, B.C.

Postby jon » Sun Aug 06, 2006 9:30 pm

Legendary would certainly apply to Warren Barker because he combines a level of excellence that professionals respect, with the number of years on the job.

To me, Allan McFee is Legendary, too. Most would think of him as The Infante Terrible, but he also was a really, really good announcer. He started with the CBC in 1937, but didn't retire until 1991. For many years, he was the voice you heard at the start of The National: "The National, with ...."
Image
User avatar
jon
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 9256
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 10:15 am
Location: Edmonton

Postby Heard It On The X » Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:05 am

I will readily admit (and defend the fact) that I was an avid listener of MOJO in its original pre-sports incarnation. It seemed like a good AM talk radio counterpart to the kind of "guys" image Corus had cultivated over at ROCK 101. The problem was, the suits buckled at the first bit of pressure they got in regards to the CRTC and Tom Leykis.
User avatar
Heard It On The X
Advanced Member
 
Posts: 232
Joined: Thu May 11, 2006 12:44 am


Return to General Radio News

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 156 guests