Joe Walsh Takes a Weekend DJ Shift on L.A. Public Radio Station
By Chris Willman
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – With the Eagles grounded from touring for more than a year after the further cancellation of their tour, Joe Walsh has a little extra time on his hands, and he plans to make use of it by taking on a weekly radio program at a Los Angeles radio station.
He’ll be pulling disc jockey duties every Saturday at 6 p.m. for KCSN, a public radio outlet based out of Cal State Northridge that is the sole “adult alternative”-formatted station in the region, with the hour-long “Joe Walsh Old-Fashioned Rock n’ Roll Radio Show.”
It’s no longer unusual for classic rock stars to host their own radio programs, but nearly all of them have done it for satellite radio, which makes Walsh’s choice of a platform fairly novel. KCSN — better known among many listeners by its number on the dial, 88.5 FM — comes closer to sounding like commercial radio than most public radio stations but has a more free-range playlist than its local rock counterparts.
“This public radio station serves the community I live in and is funded by listeners,” Walsh said in a statement. “I like that men with ties don’t decide what I listen to. My show will be a mixture of music I love, music I think people will want to hear and stories behind some of these songs that I’m pretty sure no one knows about. Hopefully, the show will generate some more listeners and support for the station, and we will have a lot of fun in the process.”
KCSN general manager Patrick Osburn said it was Walsh who reached out to them with the idea of taking a shift on the air. “While we hate seeing all the shows and festivals cancel this summer,” Osburn said, “we are thrilled to have Joe killing time on 88.5’s airwaves.” They’re assuming he won’t manning the mic strictly as a solo artist. “Being entertainment royalty and one of the many local fixtures of the SoCal/Hollywood community, we anticipate Joe’s Rolodex of potential guests runs deep, so we feel great about giving him the keys to the car.”
Osburn added that “it’s flattering to have rock legends listening and financially supporting the station.” Director of membership Laura Kelly said that Walsh “has always been there for us during membership drives.” During an April pledge drive, Walsh vowed to match donations made that day.
Fans of Walsh won’t have to check into the Hotel California to hear him. The station’s live programming is available on an 88.5 app and on the web at .
