BJ Shea Week Episode 1 of 5: BJ Shea's Radio Exit: "It's been, one week"

Ever wondered what it's like to lose a legend? The recent and unexpected departure of BJ Shea from KZOK left many of us in the radio community reeling, especially since his new role there had just begun this past January. Join me, Scotty Don't X, as I share personal stories and memories from our interactions over the years, including when BJ banned anyone named Max from calling in after one of my infamous prank calls. We’ll explore the profound impact BJ has had on the radio industry and his meteoric rise from tryout shows in 1999 to replacing Howard Stern and even surpassing his ratings.

BJ's exit isn't just another industry shift; it’s a seismic change that raises questions about the future of radio and what comes next for both BJ and his fans. With my loyal canine companion, K-9, at my side, we'll take a heartfelt yet humorous walk down memory lane, reflecting on BJ’s influential career. Plus, you can engage with fellow fans and share your own stories on our Discord server. Don’t miss out on this chance to celebrate the legacy of a radio icon and ponder what his sudden departure might mean for the airwaves.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to the Scotty Don't X Show. Last night was a tough night for cranking out a podcast. I sat at my studio control panel and I couldn't write my outline or script, my outline or script, and I couldn't even hit the record button just to get my thoughts down on tape. Well, last night, sunday, was a week since it was announced that BJ Shea was no longer with KZOK, and that hit me pretty effing hard. It was not expected at all. There was nothing else going on in the market. Like Danny Bucci, like Danny, as in Danny Bonaduce retiring, there's no other big name announced retirement for BJ to go to, and this was less than one year into his new position at KZOK, which the first show was January 8th 2024.

Speaker 1: 1:37

Hi, puppies. Yeah, good dog, other good dog. Yeah, bye-bye. We got a lot to do. Good dog, other good dog. Yeah, bye, bye. We got a lot to do. So Did the math, and it was almost Three quarters of a year. We got that extra day in there Because of being a leap year. So Everyone's paycheck your salary, you're working an extra day for free, which I never understood that until Beej explained that on the air I've been listening or interacting with DJ for something like 25 years when he was having his tryout or test shows in the evening on KQBZ fall of 1999.

Speaker 1: 2:41

And I even got a prank call or two in on those tryout shows because hey, live talk radio. I didn't know he's remote, so let's welcome him in. And I don't know what I said exactly, but I called in with the name Max and at the end of it he told his producer that's it, no more calls, they're banned from the air. We're taking no calls from anyone named Max. That was pretty cool. Bj goes from station to station.

Speaker 1: 3:32

Howard Stern was retiring from terrestrial radio circa 2006. And BJ's show from the Buzz was tapped to fill that spot. This is also about the time that the personal people meters came out. So instead of people writing Howard Stern and drawing a line down for the rest of the day for KISW, it was actually their meters on them detecting what they were listening to Silent audio marking technology. But with that coming into play, bj beat Howard Stern's ratings. I believe BJ was one of one possibly one of two the Stern replacements who beat Howard's terrestrial ratings. That's pretty damn good. If you ask me yeah, what do I know? That's uh, yeah, the Scotty Dondek show was taped before a live audience, probably including his dog K-9, named after the tin dog from Doctor who. The host of this podcast atrocity can be found on the following social media just under the name Scotty Don't X, instagram, facebook, twitter, tiktok, imgur, tumblr, vimeo, pinterest, and if you reach out, you too can get an invite to the show's Discord server.