Former 101 KLOL partners Doug Harris and Pat Fant Reconnect on Third Rock Radio
Doug Harris aka Jr. Mintz
Third Rock Radio, the digital rock station created for NASA by Houston-based RFC Media, has become the newest outlet for movie reviews by Jr. Mintz, written and voiced by broadcast industry veteran Doug Harris.
Harris, the award-winning promotions director turned marketing consultant, first used the Jr. Mintz moniker in 1983 at legendary AOR KLOL-FM at the suggestion of then GM and fellow Texas Radio Hall of Famer, Patrick Fant (now C.O.O of RFC Media.) Since that time, Jr. Mintz reviews have aired on The Buzz, The Arrow, The New 93Q, The Eagle, and News 92 FM in Houston as well as a multi-year run on the Connecticut Radio Network.
Fant, who formed RFC Media with veteran programmer Cruze in 2009, recently suggested the new collaboration, which the men launched with uncharacteristic restraint over Labor Day weekend.
"Junior’s going global," notes Fant, "and Third Rock listeners should fasten their seat-belts."
Third Rock Radio’s listening episodes surpassed 1.5 million in the month of August from music lovers and space enthusiasts across the USA and in dozens of countries worldwide.
Pat Fant
For a 12 year period spanning the 80’s and the 90’s, Harris and Fant, in tandem with some of the industry’s biggest rock radio personalities and a string of exalted PD’s, generated headlines, ratings, and record revenues for KLOL, the family-owned FM rocker in Houston.
Harris, who has worked with Fant on a number of projects since their time at KLOL, says he’s looking forward to connecting with his creative partner again.
"We’re just a couple of unapologetic radio fans," admits Harris, "and we’re on the lookout for the next big thing. Pat’s found it. His vision to commercialize internet radio is bold, which is the only way he knows how to do things. I’m just glad to get a seat on the train. And as long as Adam Sandler insists on making films, I’ll have plenty to talk about."
(This post was taken from a press release sent to me by Noisemaker Communications. Both Fant and Harris will be featured in my upcoming Rock 101 Documentary.)
Pat Fant is a legendary Texas broadcaster best known as the architect of Rock 101 KLOL, one of Houston’s most influential rock radio stations.
Now, Fant is sharing with mikemcguff.com a bit about an accident he has been keeping quiet about lately, but he wanted to address it publicly to let the media community know what is happening as he awaits surgery.
Here is what Fant wrote:
"2026 has been a rough year for the Fants.
On May 3 I fell at home and hit my head hard enough on the floor to break my neck. The fall shattered my first 2 cervical vertebrae which form the spinal structure that holds up the head. The 911 ambulance guys knew exactly what had happened and put me in a cervical stabilization collar to immobilize the neck. I haven't had the collar off since that night 6 weeks ago. Turns out that a broken neck is just one step away from becoming paralyzed due to resulting spinal cord damage. That's the fear that never goes away until you can get in for the spinal fusion procedure.
Fortunately, I am set for that on June 30 which is where the titanium rods come in to re-stabilize the whole cervical structure and help lock everything in place as the fractured vertebrae fuse back together. I have to make it 2 more weeks to get rebuilt by the fantastic Methodist spinal neurosurgeons. After the operation and recovery, it is spinal re-hab in a specialized facility where you'll meet your new best friend Dr Morphine.
You may not think about any of this until you need it, but living in Houston does come with having the Texas Medical Center right up the street!
Then there is my Lydia. What an angel she has been through it all. Smart, gorgeous, sweet and loving, Lydia has really kept me safe and upright throughout this entire ordeal. She has made it possible for me to survive the whole thing and I love and appreciate every minute of her help. Thank you so much honey! And my 2 wonderful girls came down from Dallas to help out too.
This whole broken neck episode came right on top of a hip replacement last September (a shared experience with my friend Lanny Griffith,) So after this mess, I promise I am going to stay out of the hospital once and for all. I just want to go back to cold beer, hot BBQ, driving my classic Caddy around and writing another page of jokes for Uncle Otis - as is God's plan. At least I have had Fox News to keep me entertained while lying around waiting for bones to grow back together.
Pat's Broken Neck: Think of it like being in a motorcycle accident but without all the laughs!"
At just 21 years old, Fant became KLOL’s first program director when the station launched on August 7, 1970, introducing Houston listeners to a new era of rock radio by playing The Who’s “I’m Free” as KLOL’s first song and serving as its first on-air voice.
Fant later returned as KLOL’s general manager in the early 1980s, helping transform the station into a cultural force through bold promotions, memorable branding, and the station’s signature “Runaway Radio” identity. He recruited the legendary Stevens and Pruett morning show in 1985 and expanded KLOL into television and live events, including the iconic Holiday Ball.
After leaving KLOL, Fant launched Houston’s The Buzz and went on to lead stations including KIOL, KFNC, KRBE, KHJK and KTXQ. A graduate of the University of Houston, he later founded RFC Media, LLC and SuiteRadio LLC and is also the creator of the KISS Kasket.
A member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, Fant’s innovation and influence continue to shape Houston's broadcasting landscape.
Ever wonder where some of Houston's top radio talent are working today? They could be with SuiteRadio Broadcast.
Big Houston radio DJ talent such as Donna Mackenzie, Rowdy Yates, Outlaw Dave, Pam Kelly, Steve Robison, Maria Todd, Atom Smasher and Keegan Lucas are all on air somewhere on a radio station across the United States.
SuiteRadio, is a Houston-based company located between Uptown and River Oaks, that offers musical formats with big market talent, to radio stations around the country.
I caught up with SuiteRadio's Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder, Pat Fant (and the founding father of 101 KLOL), to give us the details on the company.
Mike McGuff: When I first interviewed you in 2010, your company, RFC, was streaming stations online. Now you are doing streaming and terrestrial radio broadcasts. How did you move back into FM?
Pat Fant: We added a second company, SuiteRadio Broadcast a couple of years ago to fill the need for a more refined syndication service to station owners. With the technology we have now, our SuiteRadio host/personalities can be heard on local stations all over the country. The economic advantages to owners are obvious when bringing in top talent from the outside. But starting a syndication network is really hard work and takes time. But we did it. SuiteRadio is now on air with over 30 affiliated stations in 20 states with a combination of either full, 24/7 format service or a high-profile morning show. Alongside my partner Cruze, and with the invaluable help of Chief Talent Wrangler Rowdy Yates and our Senior Director Chuck Bortnick, SuiteRadio has opened a new market for a preferred level of syndication service to radio.
In your latest video, SuiteRadio features a who's who of Houston radio. How did you land all of this big time H-Town talent?
PF: Well, fortunately they took my calls and said yes! I think we said something like, "if you help me build a network radio business with the best on-air team, together we will wind up with great pipeline for top Texas talent to have a national outlet." Just give us time to build it all the right way. We can now say with confidence that the level of talent and personality heard on SuiteRadio formats is unmatched by ANYONE ELSE in the music format syndication business. We also had to find the right technical delivery system, and the smart minds that could make network and local talk to each other electronically - around the clock. We brought in our national ad sales partners at United Stations to monetize all the commercial minutes we earn on affiliated stations. Finally, we grabbed the most knowledgeable guy out there in Affiliate Sales. Ed Moloney heads up our SuiteRadio LA office talking to radio stations around the US every day.
What kind of programming are these Houston DJs providing for stations?
PF: SuiteRadio offers 8 different hosted music formats for radio, from country to rock to Hot AC and also Spanish language. Definitely watch the VIDEO here! I believe I've been making these station videos since the 80s going back to KLOL and KTRH, and then for The BUZZ and even KRBE in 2009. Now this new one for SuiteRadio is the best showcase ever for well-known, high-functioning Houston radio stars like Donna Mackenzie, Rowdy Yates, Outlaw Dave, Pam Kelly, Steve Robison, Maria Todd, Atom Smasher, Keegan Lucas - dang -- did I just say all that! That's a lot of radio royalty in one place, and they are all right here at SuiteRadio making radio for new fans nationwide. And wait until you get a look at our next generation of on-air hosts in Kaitlin Doyle, Tom Harris and Adam Andrus.
Mike McGuff, Dusty Hill, Pat Fant
Since signing on 101 KLOL in 1970, you have been on the cutting edge of radio and video production, what are your predictions for the future of broadcasting?
PF: There are a lot of opinions about what's next for over-the-air radio. I only know that good content ALMOST always finds a way! Whether from a 2,000 foot tower or an app on the phone, give me someone who is AUTHENTIC and isn't reading a card. I believe you will see a lot more specialty programming on broadcast, like stations built around cause marketing, foreign language, religious, sports, politics, education. People with something to say and hopefully, more influential music outlets that find value in introducing new artists. Today most radio programmers would run from that idea - but I can see a strategy there given the proliferation of streaming that can handle the basic, day-to-day stuff just fine.
Anything else you want to add?
PF: We are finally starting to filter back into keeping an office schedule of sorts, with staff coming back into the studios to track their shows. I have missed that more than I would have thought. In the creative business, you need people and interaction and those little 10 second hall way conversations that fire off an idea that go go make into radio before heading home. That's how all my stations thrived over the years by bringing personality into the presentation. I want to go on record that 8 second limits on a jock are having the opposite effect from what PPM programmers expected. You are taking away incentive to listen, not adding to it. With all the streaming alternatives, the more you dumb down your station to songs and sweepers the more you give up in your fight to remain a factor. But what do I know - I've become a comedy writer! I wish I had done this years ago.
There has been a lot written about the upcoming Houston Independent School District online radio station going live next school year. The Internet station is called K12RadioHouston and will target student's parents with music and news about the school district. It will be the first of its kind in the nation.
But only on mikemcguff.com will you find out about RFC Media - the company behind it. The story starts several decades ago in the early 70s when a 21-year-old Pat Fant spun The Who's I'm Free on 101 KLOL. Most know that radio station became one of the top rated rock outlets in the country under Fant's leadership. But that was then.
"Broadcast radio is in my rear view mirror," Fant told the mikemcguff.com blog. "I'm taking everything I learned from doing compelling, one of a kind radio and offering it on a different kind of delivery system."
Thanks to well publicized decline in listenership and subsequent advertising rates, traditional broadcast radio is searching for a new direction. But after starting the station that became 94.5 The Buzz KTBZ in the 1990s, plus an FM news station and rock station in the 2000s, Fant is now looking to what he considers the real future of radio - the Internet.
"Forces today have taken radio off the table as a provider," Fant told me.
Around a year ago when he left Cumulus Media in Houston, he started RFC Media. It's a company that specializes in building online and in-store radio stations for businesses. Fant says the concept is called "brandcasting" or targeting listeners around a common interest.
You could say it all started with a drink. RFC Media's first client was Spec's Wines, Spirits, and Finer Foods - a Texas based store selling all things alcohol related. Fant, along with former KTBZ Program Director and DJ, Cruze, began programming a radio station that matched the Spec's brand. That means the music, the voices and what they talk about are there to promote the stores' identity. Spec's Radio plays on the Spec's Web site and inside every Spec's store across Texas. Listeners hear a wide playlist of music everyday, but will also get snippets of an interview with Spec's wine manager Bear Dalton on one day or a special mix of country acts during Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo time the next day. The music and programming change on a daily bases but each day will promote the stores and brand Spec's. In special situations, a DJ could actually broadcast live to the station.
Every RFC Media client radio station will be different. The music and topics are targeted to that brand. Fant and crew have also built online radio stations for Lexus of Las Vegas, Radio Free Cruze and the next project will be the already mentioned K12RadioHouston. Fant stresses the music and programing changes daily for each brand.
Why would a business want its own radio station? Fant says it is to connect with customers in a new way. The online radio station keeps listeners coming back to a company Web site. He says the music his company programs is not commonly found on today's commercial radio. Meanwhile the content is of interest to a customer who buys from the business.
"You've opened a new pipeline of communication with your core customers," Fant said. "That beats old fashioned reach from radio any day. We can do a lot more for our customers by building digital music channels for them that sit on their Web site and pulls in a greater number of Web visitors and longer hang time."
Fant also is counting on the fact that today's radio stations are the last resort for a music lover thanks to iPods, satellite radio and the Internet. He says while his product is essentially a promotion with songs mixed in, it has the fraction of ads that a commercial radio station runs.
"I don't have to pay the penalty of 18 minutes an hour of commercials for a Journey, Foreigner or Bad Company record," he added. "Why would I sit through that?"
Even though Internet radio stations have been around for more than a decade without a breakout business model, Fant feels he has the winning formula to make money with online stations. He says it's about the client, programming and technology powering the project. In his opinion, simply redoing a traditional music radio station online with commercials thrown in will not be successful. Fant believes the future of brandcasting will only grow with portable media players (Spec's for example has an iPhone app), 4G networks and Internet connections available in vehicles.
As for K12RadioHouston, the decision is currently being made on which HISD student designed logo will be used for the online station's August launch. Fant tells me he's already received interest from an out of state district about the concept.
Pat Fant who deserves a lot of kudos for bringing good radio to Houston over the years has been let go from 103.7 Jack FM KHJK reports David Barron:
Pat Fant, a mainstay of Houston radio for the past four decades, has been dismissed as market manager for Cumulus Media’s three Houston radio stations.
Fant, who helped launch Houston’s heritage album rock station, KLOL (101.1 FM), in the 1970s and launched the Buzz format at KTBZ (now at 94.5 FM), in the mid-90s, was informed of the decision Tuesday. READ THE REST
Now Fant hasn't really had a hit since launching 94.5 The Buzz KTBZ in the mid-90's (a station much better than The Buzz of today by the way). When he tried to relaunch rock radio on 103.7 KIOL it didn't quite work. It probably wasn't his fault though. Many figured it was the corporate folks who were the buzz killers of that party. I'm not sure about the Jack FM reception in Houston at this point. Seems Cumulus has already started tweaking it away from the formula used across the rest of the country.
Fant has clearly known how to build a great personality radio station and create a lot of interest for it. Rock 101 KLOL was after all a powerhouse in this market until the late 90s. Fant is a guy I would love to interview.
But what about 103.7 Jack FM? What is the future? We might be able to read in between the lines of the Houston Chronicle article:
[Fant's] successor is Peter Remington, a radio veteran and former Cumulus executive who has operated Spanish-language stations in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
You heard it here first (well pretty much everything Houston media related is seen here before anyone else has it), but this time, I'll be the first to tell you about a new project from former Rock 101 KLOL visionaries.
Former KLOL promotions director/marketing genius Doug Harris and KLOL creator Pat Fant have teamed up again to launch Radio Brave this week. You can read more about it in the release below.
KLOL fans take note, Harris and Fant are looking back on the legendary station plus playing old clips on The Runaway Radio Hour: The Story and Glory of KLOL which will be exclusive to RadioBrave.com.
Since I'm working on a documentary about KLOL, I will host the first edition of the show where I will be interviewing the names you know and love from the former Texas Rock N' Roll Authority. Watch out for that soon.
By the way, this past weekend I showed an early Rock 101 KLOL documentary trailer cut to a bunch of the station's former staff and they seemed to like it!
Music and Talk Platform Offers Accessibility, Affordability to Specialty Broadcasters
HOUSTON, TX—May 2, 2016-- Broadcast industry veteran Doug Harris will introduce Radio Brave to digital audiences on May 4, 2016, with an invitation to responsible parties with something interesting to say—and a checkbook-- to jump on board. Calling on the expertise of his former KLOL and KTBZ colleagues Pat Fant and Cruze through their Houston-based RFC Media, Harris will offer an appealing mix of music and lifestyle-related talk accessible worldwide on RadioBrave.com and TuneIn.
“Across the country, the weekend lineup of countless AMs, and an appreciable number of FMs, is filled with content from experts and entrepreneurs who are paying for that time,” observes Harris. “Radio Brave will offer business category exclusivity, multiple fixed-position listening episodes throughout the week, and an hour of music between shows. That means no back-to- back messages on the same station from people who are unquestionably competitors.”
A further delineation for Radio Brave will be the absence of infomercials, extended non-English language programming, and overtly political content.
“It’s likely that people will tune-in for a specific show,” Harris explains, “then stick around to discover additional favorites. Our ‘Mind+Music’ descriptor says it all.”
The list of specialty broadcasters who will be on board for Radio Brave’s first day include:
*The Houston Film Critics Society’s production of The Critics Circle
*Joyride, with the Metaphysical Moms Tiffanie Williams and Kerry Walker
*Energy Recon, with energy analyst Alan Lammey
*Culinary Adventure, hosted by food and wine expert John Demers
In the coming weeks, Radio Brave will welcome Big Ideas for Small Business, It’s All Greek to Me, and The Flower Power Hour.
Also in the works is a special treat for fans of Houston’s legendary AOR KLOL-FM, where Fant and Harris first collaborated. Its working title is The Runaway Radio Hour: The Story and Glory of KLOL.
“We’re taking hours and hours of archived audio from KLOL’s heyday, mixing it with current interviews with the folks who made it happen, and turning it into a one hour weekly show,” explains Fant. “This is catnip to Houstonians who haven’t heard Stevens
and Pruett on the radio for over a decade. There are so many stories to be told and fortunately the statute of limitations on most of these offenses has run out.”
Rock programing specialist Bobby “Slam” Duncan will serve as Radio Brave’s Operations Director, working with RFC’s Cruze to curate a music mix that is lively and adventurous but still welcoming and palatable to an audience that will be largely adult and gender balanced.
Duncan offers an intriguing description of Radio Brave’s playlist. “We’ve identified a deep list of songs that are as ‘foreground’ as the non-music content they will bookend. How do we keep people on board until the next show? Give them music they love and some they would love if only they’d heard it. Decidedly familiar, but with a little taste of something new every once in a while. This is as big a challenge as I have ever faced as a programmer.”
With regard to the non-music programming, Harris promises an open door for content providers who respect the demands of the medium and its power to entertain, inform, and influence people.
“This is not a place for angry fist-shakers, those who fleece hard-working Americans, deluded zealots, or hatemongers,” explains Harris. “We’re going to provide intelligent, satisfying content, have some fun, and make some money. Just like the old days.”
For additional information on Radio Brave, contact Bobby “Slam” Duncan at Slam@RadioBrave.com or (901) 825-0731.
Pat Fant celebrated his 22nd wedding anniversary in Florida getting ready to watch the launch of the Artemis 1 moon mission.
It could make the 101 KLOL founder the most interesting man in Houston radio.
Fant was also recently interviewed on 90.1 KPFT's "The Houston Hour" with Mister McKinney and Heidi Vaughan (12pm Tuesdays) about his radio career (Fant's interview is embedded above with permission from Mister McKinney Media).
Pat and Lydia Fant's 1956 Cadillac, named Sheila, won "Best in Class" at the Keels & Wheels Concours d'Elegance 25th Anniversary show.
The event, held at the Lakewood Yacht Club in Seabrook, Texas, is a large classic car and vintage boat show featuring approximately 200 cars and 100 boats.
Fant, the creator of 101 KLOL and SuiteRadio's Chief Operating Officer/ Co-Founder, tells me he stalked the Cobalt Blue 1956 Cadillac, 4-door sedan, for months online.
"I always wanted this particular car and stayed at it until I found one that had been babied like this one," Fant told mikemcguff.com. "Sheila is a survivor! We found her in West Chester Pennsylvania 3 years ago, and we are the second owners! That's quite rare for a classic like this."
The car has a rare factory AC, which Fant says, "will freeze you out," plus electric seats, windows etc., which for 1956 was saying something.
"When you need to relax after a hard day of riding and roping at radio ranch, this is the thing right here," Fant added.
Keels & Wheels didn't happen in 2020 for obvious reasons, but came roaring back in 2021. Over the years, the show has raised more than $1.8 million for local charities.
Next stop for the Fants and Sheila, is their invite to the The 2021 Cadillac Fall Festival at the Gilmore Car Museum in Grand Rapids, MI.
Fant has just hired a well known music guru to join the online venture, former Lunar Rotation and Exposure host David Sadof.
David Sadof with Tori Amos
The mission of NASA’s Third Rock Radio is to explore new worlds of music and present the best of those discoveries for the enjoyment of audiences everywhere. Such an assignment calls for the most inspired among us to take the first watch.
RFC Media has tapped noted music explorer and expert discographer David Sadof to join the programming team of Cruze and Donna McKenzie in the creation of the infinite playlist that supplies NASA’s Third Rock – America’s Space Station with a continuous source of New Rock/Indi/Alternative.
Sadof and RFC Media’s Pat Fant first connected over a spinning turntable in 1986 at Houston’s Rock 101/KLOL where Sadof’s specialty program Lunar Exposure became Houston’s radio launch pad for unheard of bands like Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins.
David Sadof, Fant and Cruze first came together as a trio when they kicked off Houston’s alternative rocker KTBZ, The BUZZ in 1995. Now, a full rotation later, the band is back, along with Her Highness Donna McKenzie, to make more atmospheric waves around Radio Powered by NASA.
Welcome to David Sadof, now in residence at RFC Media, Houston, Texas.
Houston-based RFC Media, LLC, designs, produces and executes private label radio stations enabling brands to stream custom content live online and across the mobile broadband networks. The firm brings a rich history of broadcast management, programming and media marketing to private enterprise in the development of on-demand media.
Margaret Downing posted on Hair Balls a few weeks ago how HISD is starting an Internet radio station for parents and students. I totally forgot to post this and now it is showing up all over the place.
Interesting concept.
I am more interested in Pat Fant, the man behind the new station. I've been blogging about Fant for years. He was one of the driving forces behind Rock 101 KLOL in its glory years. He then packed up and started 94.5 KTBZ The Buzz in the early 90s which was an amazing alternative station when it first signed on. He also tried to bring the KLOL spirit back with Rock 103.7 KIOL. That didn't work, but I am not sure he was the reason for the failure.
We should watch what he does this time.
And speaking of Rock 101 KLOL, I talked about putting together a DJ reunion, but Lanny Griffith suggested a better idea. A documentary. I have already been offered a great amount of material about the former rock station. It's the money that is the hard part. I would want to hire professional TV folks to help me like I did for the Mayor Annise Parker social media interview I recently conducted. A 15 minute interview is one thing, an entire documentary will cost a bit more. My 30 minute TV specials have been Emmy nominated so I can do this. Know anyone who wants to sponsor something like this?
Pat Fant would be someone I would want to interview for sure - he along with Stevens and Pruett and gang, Outlaw Dave, Dayna Steele, Wendy Miller, Lanny Griffith and anyone else I could find.
In 2010, I told you how Pat Fant, the man who signed on Rock 101 KLOL and 94.5 The Buzz KTBZ among others, was moving into the world of Internet streaming radio. That year he signed on HISD's K12 Radio.
Now Fant is back with an online radio station that reaches for the stars. Yeah, that was a cliche for saying he is working with NASA.
NASA has always stood for exploring the new and undiscovered. That now applies to music too.
The NASA mission of discovery and exploration is about to be showcased in a custom produced music radio station that is crafted specifically to speak the language of tech-savvy young adults. Third Rock: America’s Space Station, is set to lift off with a New Rock/Indi/Alternative format on Monday, December 12 from the home page of nasa.gov, while also streaming live over NASA iPhone and Droid applications.
Discovery powers the work of NASA. It’s also what drives music lovers to the Internet in search of works by new recording artists not generally represented on terrestrial radio. Music is a powerful lure. So, to connect and build a bridge with the hard-to-reach generation, NASA is taking its blend of art and science to where the largest audience can be found.
NASA has selected Houston-based RFC Media to launch Third Rock. Programming is designed to showcase the continuing work of NASA in a fresh new context that is tuned to connect with the marketing-resistant crowd. Pat Fant, RFC Media Co-Founder and COO said, “Today’s 4G audience craves new music and enjoys finding it. We’ve done the digging and pulled out the best songs and the deepest tracks from a full spectrum of rock artists across many styles and decades. NASA features and news items are embedded throughout the programming alongside greetings by celebrity artists. This is the full body of work, unpredictable and full of surprise, without the customary mind-numbing repetition. And, computers don’t pick the music. People do.”
Cruze, RFC Media Co-Founder and President added, “No one knows more about discovering new rock than NASA! If you were a cool new song, where would you want to live? The explosion in talented new writers and musicians is more than traditional radio can digest. The exciting new music is being discovered online through specialty sites like Third Rock, where listeners will hear about great new artists way before their friends hear of them.”
And while discovery is great, opportunity is everything. NASA places a high value on education, and since “you can’t rock if you don’t work,” Third Rock will also help partner companies fill high-tech job openings in engineering, science, IT, etc. The Third Rock job connection feature will link the brightest and best to the marketplace of high-paying job opportunities.
It’s music discovery at the speed of light. Look for Third Rock in on-line radio listings such as the Radio tab of Apple’s iTunes. NASA will utilize a wide array of social media resources to help spread the word about Third Rock. Third Rock is another leap forward in NASA’s use of award winning digital outreach and social media.
# # #
NASA is the world’s leading authority in GO FAST!
Houston-based RFC Media, LLC, designs, produces and executes private label radio stations for business, streaming custom content live online and across the mobile broadband networks. Our firm brings a rich history of broadcast management, programming and media marketing to private enterprise in the development of on-demand media.
Houston-based Energy Flow Network or EFN launches in Houston
Anytime I feature a TV news operation in Houston that is not a television station, my broadcast working readers suddenly see a career escape strategy. While I have no idea if this place has job openings right now, you might take notice for the future.
Energy Flow Network or EFN is an online video operation that launched months ago in Houston. This new shop is TV news for the energy world. As you probably know, Houston is in the center of the energy universe.
EFN produces U.S. and global energy market information, which covers a wide array of topics from energy commodity insight, daily breaking news, energy price analysis, long-range weather forecasting, geopolitical perspectives, market psychology, cross commodities, currency relationships to energy, economics, upstream, mid-stream, downstream and as I'm typing this I don't even know what all this means, if you are still reading to this point, hopefully you do as this long and winding sentence finally comes to an end.
Now longtime Houston media watchers might know this is not the first time the Bayou City has hosted such an operation.
Natural gas pipeline company, Williams (also the namesake for the tallest Houston building outside of downtown that I still like to call Transco), bowed EnergyNewsLive.com in October 2000 which was way ahead of its time in the pre-broadband days. Remember what it was like trying to watch a 30 second clip of pixelized video back then? Anyways, the site shut down in 2002.
I'd say these days certainly would be more favorable to a niche video network. Hopefully EFN won't have a SnapChat account.
What makes EFN so effin' cool in my book is the addition of one Mr. Pat Fant. Fant has become an inspiration to me over the years. This is why I digitally stalk him to see what he's working on now. Fant was the creator of 101 KLOL. He then restored the station to great heights in the 80s and 90s. Proving lightning can strike twice, Fant also created The Buzz. You will see waaaayyy more about Fant in my upcoming KLOL documentary...in final edit now since you asked.
Fant, along with Alan "PetroDamus" Lammey, who have hosted an energy radio show together, will be contributors to EFN. You can watch some of their work below. It's definitely not your average, boring energy coverage.
I just cut the cord so I only get web service now. Upon plugging my TV up to an antenna, I picked up around 100 channels in the Houston airwaves. Most are total crap. What's worse is that all these low power stations have a ton of sub-channels with nothing on them. Some are actual color bars with a rent me sign on them.
I've said it before, if I can find investors like EFN did, maybe I should lease one of these sub-channels for my blog. Mike McGuff TV has a nice ring to it. You, me and five of the viewers who might watch it could have a dandy time together.
The best thing that could happen is that I'd do a live call in show and Richard or Sal would prank me. Hit 'em in the Hein.
Here are some in person, real-life events concerning Houston media!
Tonight at 7pm, the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) is holding a special screening of "Tonight at 7" Houston Television From The Archive at the Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston: MATCH.
The non-profit TAMI created what it promises is a captivating and amusing showcase of Space City television highlights from 1961 to 2004. This exclusive program presents content from TAMI's extensive KPRC 2 and KHOU 11 collections.
This screening features footage contributed by KPRC-TV, Austin History Center, Houston History Research Center at the Houston Public Library, Travis Boles, Steve Candelari, Paul and Elizabeth Nelson, Lois Perucca, Kenny Ryman, and Larry Weidman.
"Runaway Radio" 101 KLOL documentary screenings start this Friday around the Houston-area
What kind of blogger would I be if I wasn't hyping my stuff? Yes, my new documentary, "Runaway Radio," the long-awaited 101 KLOL story, will start playing this Friday, March 29th, through April 3rd at select Star Cinema Grill locations.
We kick things off with a live Q&A Friday and Saturday night (see below).
Live hosted 24-hour radio formats join the Envision 24/7 Networks lineup
Pat Fant
(December 2018) – SuiteRadio’s live hosted 24-hour radio formats that reach a wide audience of Hot AC, Alternative, Classic Rock, Country and soon Spanish language listeners has partnered with Envision Networks® to offer a variety of formats with radio’s best-known voice talents.
Envision Networks will market and syndicate SuiteRadio’s formats to radio stations across the US and Canada.
“Our entire staff of radio over-achievers at SuiteRadio could not be more excited about joining Envision Networks to grow the affiliate base for our hand-crafted 24-hour broadcast properties. And with more 24-hour formats to announce, with more top talent behind the mic, the timing is perfect for Envision Networks to be ready to supply broadcasters with exactly what they need to win,” said Pat Fant, COO for SuiteRadio.
SuiteRadio’s formats supply an all-star lineup of on-air talent:
The Planet – Featuring on-air radio pros’ Maria Todd, Atom Smasher and Mark Carrillo, The Planet plays today’s biggest and best Hot AC artists. Targets adults 25-44 and is perfect for work listening. Core artists include Adele, Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars.
The Revolution – With Steve Robison, Pam Kelly and Keegan Lucas behind the mic, The Revolution features fresh, upbeat, hit-driven Alternative that targets active 18-34 adults. Core artists include Twenty One Pilots, Green Day and The Foo Fighters.
The Rock – Outlaw Dave, Donna McKenzie and Ray Koob turn it up on The Rock. A multi-generational format built on the greatest rock songs of the 70s, 80s and early 90s. Core artists include Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones.
The Brand – With Brian Hatfield, Pam Kelly, Rowdy Yates and Tommy Jordan living Country and knowing The Brand, they offer a fresh presentation of today’s biggest country hits and stars. Remarkably cutting edge and unapologetically country, core artists include Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban.
“Radio continues to diversify and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for teams in markets to program and manage all the radio stations in their cluster,” said Envision Networks’ CEO/President, Danno Wolkoff. “Now that SuiteRadio’s hosted formats are joining our lineup, we’re excited that we can help any market reach the audience that they want to target with minimal use of local resources.”
The SuiteRadio formats already broadcast on stations across the country so bring one or more to your market before someone else does.
(This post was taken from a release sent to me by RFC Media)
UPDATE (7/13): Former Houston radio air talent, Dave E. Crockett (93Q KKBQ, 95.7 KIKK, Mix 96.5 KHMX, 107.5 KLDE among others) stops by the mikemcguff blog to provide some analysis and opinion on this week's radio happenings.
UPDATE (7/12): Roula and Ryan are the new morning show for 104.1 KRBE. READ MORE.
Citing market research and "evolving market conditions," Cumulus Media Partners Market Manager Patrick Fant says a new morning team will greet listeners on July 24. Atlanta-based Cumulus Media (Nasdaq:CMLS) owns KRBE.
Smasher, previously the afternoon radio host for the popular station, took over the morning slot last year when radio personality Sam Malone left the station to pursue a morning position at rival station 96.5 KHMX.
"We are taking steps to ensure KRBE's continued market dominance, in pursuit of an audience that will reflect the vibrant personality of our city while serving the needs of our advertisers," Fant said in a statement. "Our decision is based on research and a review of evolving market conditions, and we are confident that our new, world-class morning show lineup will take the station to even greater heights while engaging an even bigger audience."
In Houston, Cumulus Media Partners owns and operates 104 KRBE (KRBE-FM), Rock 103.7 (KIOL-FM), and SuperTalk 97.5 (KFNC-FM).
Saturday update: The Houston Chronicle's Andrew Guy talked with KRBE's Pat Fant who said research showed the duo's appeal was slipping:
"As good as they are, they had a specific appeal with the 25 and under (age) range," said Patrick Fant, market manager for Cumulus Media Partners, which has owned KRBE since May. "We're hoping to broaden that a bit. We're about to introduce the market's next big thing."
He added the new show will feature "more lifestyle-oriented content that would appeal to families, teens (and) appeal to both men and women. Just a broader reach overall."
I thought Atom Smasher was very talented when he worked the KBE night shift. In fact, I would go as far as to say he was one of the best jocks in town then and I'm not a huge fan of the format. Heck, I knew people way out of KRBE's demo that would listen to his shock jock show. Hopefully we hear more of him in Houston.
The morning show change is the most public, but just one of the changes at KRBE recently. The station's program director, Tracy Austin, just announced she's out of there this week:
In a surprise move, Cumulus mainstream top 40 KRBE PD Tracy Austin has announced that she will exit the station when her contract expires at the end of August, for a programming position in Oz.
She will join top 40 Nova 106.9, owned by DMG Radio, in Brisbane, Australia.
Another change? KRBE Vice President/General Manager, Mark Shecterle, left last May before Cumulus Media bought out former owner Susquehanna.
Then in June, longtime DJ Scott Sparks changed jobs says FMQB:
At Cumulus CHR KRBE Houston, MD Leslie Whittle adds the 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. shift and Tracy Austin hits the air from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. as midday talent Scott Sparks segues to Cumulus-Houston Director/Non-Traditional Revenue for KRBE, Rock KIOL and Talk KFNC.
Now there are other rumors about him going around the net chatboards on where he might show up next.
Who will wake Houston up on 104.1 KRBE in the mornings? Will Roula and Ryan make their promised comeback? Will KRBE change formats?
The KISS Kasket made a lot of news when it was unearthed more than 20 years ago, but did you know there is a Houston connection to this band's final fan gear?
Pat Fant, the founding father of 101 KLOL, a Galveston native and UH grad, not only signed on to the legendary Houston rock station but also created the KISS Kasket.
Fant appeared on the KISS Podcast “Three Sides of the Coin” with hosts Michael Brandvold, Tommy Sommers, and Mark Cicchini to discuss how he dug up the idea of the KISS Kasket plus his dealings with singer/bassist Gene Simmons.
You can watch Fant in the “Runaway Radio” documentary, now streaming on TUBI and available on DVD. Also starring Dusty Hill (ZZ Top), Lyle Lovett, Sammy Hagar, Melissa Etheridge, Doug Pinnick and Carmine Appice.
Jim Carola, 83, the longtime news director and anchor for 610 and 100.3 KILT Houston, passed away Monday.
"Jim Carola is not only a Houston icon, but will always be remembered as a class act," Texas Radio Hall of Famer and former KILT colleague T.J. Callahan told mikemcguff.com. "Jim was loved by all who crossed his path, and I was blessed to have learned the radio news business firsthand from him and Robert B. McEntire."
"How I loved my time on KILT with Jim Carola," Texas Radio Hall of Fame director emeritus Josh Holstead, who went by 'Rowdy Yates' on KILT-FM, told mikemcguff.com. "It was not only a blessing every day to work with such an iconic and legendary broadcaster, but a man who became such an integral part of my success on Houston radio and eventually the national stage. Not only was he the ultimate pro, but a super nice guy who had a very gentle approach to his management style that not only fostered loyalty among his employees, but set a great example that many others would apply in their own careers. He was a fantastic husband, brother, uncle, and neighbor-and an equestrian’s equestrian. He never met a horse he did not love, or a cowboy/cowgirl he did not like. I will miss my friend so much, and I shall treasure our time together on and off the air and never forget the memorable moments I had working across the microphone from one of my radio heroes and (literal) lifelong friend, Jim Carola."
His career in broadcasting began unexpectedly as a young dancer on Channel 13 KTRK's "The Larry Kane Show."
Carola joined KILT in 1964 while still a junior at the University of Houston and became news director in 1970, dedicating 40 years to the station delivering the 20/20 newscasts.
"I listened to Jim Carola on the Big 610 growing up in the Westbury neighborhood of Houston, all of us teens did," Texas Radio Hall of Famer and Houston TV's Don Armstrong told mikemcguff.com. "It was his style and delivery that helped set my sights on a broadcasting career. When I finally met him at the Houston rodeo, he shook my hand like we had been friends all our lives. He was what everyone in our business strives to be, loved."
Upon his exit from KILT in 2004, Carola immediately joined the new FM News Channel 97.5 KFNC. Founding KFNC general manager Pat Fant was shocked Carola, who he had been listening to since college, was willing to work for the upstart Houston news station.
"He was the nicest and genuinely most talented news guy anyone could ever have on their radio station," Fant told mikemcguff.com. "He was the best."
Fant, a member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, provided us with this irreverent Carola promo clip from FM News Channel 97.5 to reminisce with:
Beyond radio, Carola was a familiar voice in Houston sports. He served as the public-address announcer for Super Bowl VIII at Rice Stadium and was the voice of the Houston Oilers for 28 years at the Astrodome.
In 1979, after the Oilers' heartbreaking AFC Championship loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Carola introduced the team to a full Astrodome crowd during the unforgettable Luv Ya Blue era homecoming.
When the Houston Texans launched in 2002, Carola was selected as the PA announcer for the franchise’s first four seasons, continuing his legacy as the voice of Houston football.
He was inducted into the 2003 Texas Radio Hall of Fame class.
After retiring from the radio and sports world, Carola retired to the Texas Hill Country.
Funeral Service for KILT’s Jim Carola:
Friday, February 28th-11am St. Cecilia Catholic Church 11720 Joan of Arc Houston, TX 77024
The family has requested guests to wear/accessorize in purple.
A 101 KLOL video podcast by the mastermind behind the legendary Houston rock station
As my 101 KLOL Documentary gets its own website and is rolling along, I thought in the meantime we would look at a new project that has just started concerning the legendary Houston rock station.
Runaway Radio Rewind is a new video podcast put on by the people who worked at KLOL back in its rock and roll heyday.
Pat Fant, who signed KLOL on the air in 1970, and continued to helm the station through the years, has started the new podcast as a weekly look at the legendary station.
Fant, who now runs RFC Media, an internet radio branding company, sat down to talk with me about the new project and the upcoming documentary.
"The work we did at KLOL in the late 80s and early 90s, well from 83 to 95, would not fly in today’s corporate broadcast environment," Fant told me. "No it would not, because we didn’t focus group everything, we didn’t test everything, we didn’t over test everything. We used our instincts and instincts were good. They could have just as easily not been, but it turned out that they were and we would go to lunch, have a great idea, come back write it record it. Put it on the air and it was running by 5:00 in the afternoon."
Jim Pruett from upcoming 101 KLOL documentary filmed at his gun store (2010).
Jim Pruett, the comic genius and half of the legendary 101 KLOL Stevens and Pruett morning team, died Friday evening at the age of 72.
He is survived by his wife Joy and his children. No cause of death has been released at this time. His family has updated us that Pruett died due to heart failure.
Pruett, who along with his longtime broadcasting partner, Mark Stevens, helped define morning radio in their decades together.
Born in nearby Bay City, Pruett fell in love with radio at a very early age. In interviews for my upcoming Rock 101 KLOL documentary, Pruett told me he began his career at the age of 15 at KBWD in Brownwood, Texas.
"And then I begun my kilowatt climb to incredible markets from Brownwood to Snyder, Texas to Frederick, Oklahoma and so forth," Pruett told me. "And then finally I got Merkel, Texas. Abilene, Texas. Also I ended up in Midland, Texas. And from Midland I got to do all nights in Oklahoma City, so that put me into a big market. Oklahoma City is a big market."
After serving in Vietnam, Pruett was hired by KNUZ-AM program director Buddy McGregor and Houston radio would never the same. In those days, Pruett went by the name Tony Raven on the Night Flight show playing the "hippie" style music that would define rock and roll.
In the early 70s, KLOL founding program director Pat Fant hired Pruett to work mornings on the newly signed on 101 KLOL. He would eventually become program director. It was a chance to work as the iconic 610 KILT morning show characters Hudson and Harrigan with Fort Worth DJ Mark Stevens that took Pruett away from KLOL in the mid-70s.
Eventually the duo realized they wanted to be themselves on air and worked stints at KULF-AM and 97.1 KEGL The Eagle in Dallas-Fort Worth.
In the early 80s, with an intense radio war against 97 Rock KSRR, KLOL made the move to bring Steven and Pruett back to Houston and a generation of Groove Dawgs was born.
"There is only one Stevens and Pruett," Fant told me in an interview for my documentary. "And it is radio genius, I think. The guys were just remarkable, and they made a lot of money. And I paid them a lot of money, because they made us a ton of money. Stevens and Pruett is, I think, one of the best radio combinations ever."
With bawdy humor that spawned such memorable segments as Uncle Waldo and the Sex Survey Hour, Stevens and Pruett became the staple of many Houstonians' morning routines.
"It was something you would sit in the car in the parking lot, with the motor running at 8:30, not go up to work and you were late and it was OK because you were going to hear the end of what they just started," Fant told me.
Pruett told me he heard the same statement over and over again in his post-radio life from former listeners, "Man, you made me late for all of my classes and I got into a butt-load of trouble!"
But for all of the shocking humor, Pruett was a religious man who wanted to help people. He worked tirelessly on his passion project, The Stevens & Pruett Foundation for Children and Animals, a ranch that helped abused children and animals.
"Well, I was given the opportunity to do it," Pruett told me. "I don't really take any credit for that I am a better person or anything. But I do think God loves me obviously, hopefully directs me and sometimes you can do a better job with that. I thank God that I am given the opportunity to help kids and animals. Not everybody gets that chance. So by being in radio, I had that chance and did it."
After radio, Pruett, a strong Second Amendment believer, opened a gun store off Highway 290.
It was at his store, I had the opportunity to interview Pruett for hours. He was a quick wit with a mind that worked extremely fast, it was hard to keep up with him. Pruett was an entertainer through and through.
In listening back to old Stevens and Pruett broadcasts, I forgot how many jokes the dynamic duo rapid fired at us back in the day. If you rewind the tape, you hear jokes you didn't catch the first time around.
There will never be anything like S&P on Houston radio ever again.
Below is a clip we shot the day of the interview of Pruett...being Pruett.
Houston's own SuiteRadio has been racking up the affiliates for its various radio programming services.
WFAY, Fayetteville NC and WNMB, Myrtle Beach SC join Houston flagship affiliate KSEV in clearing the 90-second radio commentary segment "The Otis Advisory."
"It’s as if Andy Rooney and Will Rogers ran a discount Think Tank out of a Texas bait camp," SuiteRadio COO Pat Fant said in a press release. "Now there’s something fresh that listeners will notice, and then come back for more."
"Funny works on the radio! Otis brings one of those rare 'turn it up' moments for morning and afternoon shows looking for an edge," SuiteRadio President Cruze added. "In this overheated social climate, the hunger is there for someone to help explain it all."
"Otis invites fans to “wade into the guilt-free waters of The Otis Advisory for 90-seconds of high velocity foolishness - all from the bothered mind of a widely ignored Southern intellectual," Fant continued. "It’s like a coach class ticket to comedy."
"The Otis Advisory is like a vacation from thinking right," SuiteRadio Talent Wrangler Rowdy Yates said. "Just hear a sample and you’ll understand. And for more flexibility there’s even an on-camera version for website use."
In addition to Uncle Otis, SuiteRadio's newest 24/7 radio programming "The Legend" signed on with Classic Country formatted 101.7 FM/1280 AM KWHI Brenham, Texas.
SuiteRadio's The Bud and Broadway Show celebrated its #1 rating slot (P 25-54 3p-7p) on KVOO Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In the digital realm, the company's "Made in Texas Radio" digital audio stream was honored as 'Internet Station of the Year' at the Texas Country Music Awards in Ft. Worth.
