Help remembering KITS/KMEL incident invloving Madonna in the 80's

[migzav]

Anyone remember and incident that occured in about '84-'85 involving KITS and KMEL and the exlusive debut of a Modonna single? I was just a kid at the time so I don't remember it very well. If memory serves me...

KITS had an exclusive to debut a Madonna single (Lucky Star maybe???). Before KITS actually debuted the single, someone form KMEL infiltrated KITS's studio and stole it! KMEL bragged about the incident over the air and played the single before KITS.

I seem to remember KITS promo'ing the debut days in advance and I definately remember KMEL playing the single a few times and lauging it up.

If anyone can elaborate please do so!!! When did this incident happen... were the two stations involved KITS and KMEL... what was the Madonna single... who were the DJ involved... and most of all, was this for real or just some kind of joke or stunt?

 

[legendkiller]

I remember the day that happen. It was for Madonna's controvercial song Justify My Love. KITS was to air the song on a Thursday afternoon. They got an advance copy of the song and a promotions intern was working for KMEL. He was also interning at KITS at the sametime. Because KMEL at the time was owned by Jacor and getting ready to aquire KSOL 107.7, they wanted everything in their power to get that song. Jacor promissed a little known intern if they were to get their hands on that cd, big things could happen. Big things did happen! The intern was fired and resurfaced 5 years later at KWNN in Stockton to later go on to Hot 97.7 about 2 years later. Soon after his arrival at Hot, he help to plunge station's ratings and aided in the resurection of the Dog House on Wild 107-7.

> Anyone remember and incident that occured in about '84-'85
> involving KITS and KMEL and the exlusive debut of a Modonna
> single? I was just a kid at the time so I don't remember it
> very well. If memory serves me...
>
> KITS had an exclusive to debut a Madonna single (Lucky Star
> maybe???). Before KITS actually debuted the single, someone
> form KMEL infiltrated KITS's studio and stole it! KMEL
> bragged about the incident over the air and played the
> single before KITS.
>
> I seem to remember KITS promo'ing the debut days in advance
> and I definately remember KMEL playing the single a few
> times and lauging it up.
>
> If anyone can elaborate please do so!!! When did this
> incident happen... were the two stations involved KITS and
> KMEL... what was the Madonna single... who were the DJ
> involved... and most of all, was this for real or just some
> kind of joke or stunt?
>

 

[radiospasm]

> I remember the day that happen. It was for Madonna's
> controvercial song Justify My Love. KITS was to air the song
> on a Thursday afternoon. They got an advance copy of the
> song and a promotions intern was working for KMEL. He was
> also interning at KITS at the sametime. Because KMEL at the
> time was owned by Jacor and getting ready to aquire KSOL
> 107.7, they wanted everything in their power to get that
> song. Jacor promissed a little known intern if they were to
> get their hands on that cd, big things could happen. Big
> things did happen! The intern was fired and resurfaced 5
> years later at KWNN in Stockton to later go on to Hot 97.7
> about 2 years later. Soon after his arrival at Hot, he help
> to plunge station's ratings and aided in the resurection of
> the Dog House on Wild 107-7.

Forgive my ignorance but who was it?

 

[tim_fang]

Wait a minute. There's something way off in your timeline there. "Justify My Love" came out in 1990, four years after KITS flipped to Live 105. In that era, KMEL, X-100, KWSS and Hot 97-7 were the Top 40's in the area. I wouldn't put it past Live 105 to play the single (which was co-written by Lenny Kravitz) but that single came out years after the flip.

Also, Jacor never owned KMEL outright. It was owned by Evergreen in the late 90s before it became Chancellor, then AMFM, then Clear Channel. (Jacor, iirc had KSJO, KUFX and KOME after Infinity sold it to them in 1998.) KMEL and Wild were not under the same ownership until the late 90s. I was an avid reader of Brad Kava's columns in the Merc, and he detailed a lot of the ownership changes at the time. So, the way things I remember it doesn't seem to be that single or with that ownership. Now for the actual incident, that's way beyond my memory.

Tim Fang
The Golden State Radio Guide

> I remember the day that happen. It was for Madonna's
> controvercial song Justify My Love. KITS was to air the song
> on a Thursday afternoon. They got an advance copy of the
> song and a promotions intern was working for KMEL. He was
> also interning at KITS at the sametime. Because KMEL at the
> time was owned by Jacor and getting ready to aquire KSOL
> 107.7, they wanted everything in their power to get that
> song. Jacor promissed a little known intern if they were to
> get their hands on that cd, big things could happen. Big
> things did happen! The intern was fired and resurfaced 5
> years later at KWNN in Stockton to later go on to Hot 97.7
> about 2 years later. Soon after his arrival at Hot, he help
> to plunge station's ratings and aided in the resurection of
> the Dog House on Wild 107-7.
>
> > Anyone remember and incident that occured in about '84-'85
>
> > involving KITS and KMEL and the exlusive debut of a
> Modonna
> > single? I was just a kid at the time so I don't remember
> it
> > very well. If memory serves me...
> >
> > KITS had an exclusive to debut a Madonna single (Lucky
> Star
> > maybe???). Before KITS actually debuted the single,
> someone
> > form KMEL infiltrated KITS's studio and stole it! KMEL
> > bragged about the incident over the air and played the
> > single before KITS.
> >
> > I seem to remember KITS promo'ing the debut days in
> advance
> > and I definately remember KMEL playing the single a few
> > times and lauging it up.
> >
> > If anyone can elaborate please do so!!! When did this
> > incident happen... were the two stations involved KITS and
>
> > KMEL... what was the Madonna single... who were the DJ
> > involved... and most of all, was this for real or just
> some
> > kind of joke or stunt?
> >
>

 

[migzav]

Yes, I remember an intern was involved somehow. However, I don't think, "Justify My Love" was the correct single. My older brother was the big radio listener when this happened, I was more interested in cartoons. That's why I don't remember the incident so well. I remember my brother listened to both KITS and KMEL during this time because both played similar music ('85-'86?). I also remember KITS went "Modern Rock" and became Live105 soon thereafter. The New Live105 television ads, which ran during my cartoons, looked an awful lot like the "I want my MTV" adds. As tim_fang points out, KITS had already flipped to Live105 long before "Justify My Love" came out. Also, by the time "Justify My Love" came out I was more interested in Madonna than cartoons ;-)

> Wait a minute. There's something way off in your timeline
> there. "Justify My Love" came out in 1990, four years after
> KITS flipped to Live 105. In that era, KMEL, X-100, KWSS and
> Hot 97-7 were the Top 40's in the area. I wouldn't put it
> past Live 105 to play the single (which was co-written by
> Lenny Kravitz) but that single came out years after the
> flip.

 

[hitliner]

>I don't remember the incident but it wasn't "Justify My Love". As promo director of X-100 in 1990, I don't remember any kinda incident about someone stealing the song. I know that we obtained the video that couldn't be shown on MTV and played it at various locations (like Tower Records on Columbus) and we're the first to do that and got medai exposure for it.

This must have been during the "Hot Hits" era of KITS.