Will Liberal Lazlo Survive At The Rock?!?

Apropos for #TBT we consider the political ramifications of recent terrestrial radio moves. 

The biggest quandary for those last remaining few of us who are still familiar with radio programming: 

LAZLO SEEMS MUCH MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN LISTENERS AT THE ROCK: HOW LONG CAN THE LEFT-LEANING TALKER LAST OR WILL HE UPDATE HIS ACT?!?

Sure . . . . Johnny Dare is mostly apolitical and seems to advocate only for timeless gross-out humor but we're not out of line when noting that 98.9 The Rock fans seem to skew older, white and male -- A Midwest demographic that likely is much more traditional than the trendy, progressive audiences that listened to The Buzz.

Right now Lazlo's most loyal fans seem split on the decision . . . A few comments worth highlighting: 

"I hope y’all played an hour of back to back Creed songs"

"Can’t call it butt rock any longer, can we?"

"You have a particular voice for stations with names like “The Rock” if I remember rightly"

One of our readers just chimed in with a comment worth considering . . . 

"Lazlo is old school liberal. Not too different from J Dare tbh. Not modern day blue hair. He will be fine."

From our perspective . . .

Of course Lazlo is a pro and capable of adapting. But we're uncertain if his talk/heavy brand will play well with listeners who enjoy more hard rock music in the afternoons. 

UPDATE to better inform the political debate . . . Let's not downplay the "progressive" leanings of 96.5 The Buzz. Not so long ago in 2018, the station proposed a "Mike Pence Sausage Fest" cookout protest against the former VP that was subsequently nixed by the Kansas City Health Department.

There is no denying "The Church Of Lazlo" is decidedly irreverent and a great deal of their cultural criticism targets Christian conservatives.

Also . . .

The loyalist denizens of Team Lazlo will make the switch BUT he's going to lose a lot of the younger fans who will finally commit to streaming services that are more customizable and tech friendly.

Finally . . . 

Lazlo is the last generation of old school Kansas City media personalities who never fully transitioned to social media and tech independence -- So, there's not a lot of room to step up his game.

In the meantime . . . 

To his credit, there is a lot more excitement over the future of Lazlo's genuinely progressive perspective vs. so much local feigned support for the Veep and her 2024 ticket.

Here's a more official write-up . . .

“Church of Lazlo,” will move from afternoons on The Buzz to 98.9 The Rock. Church of Lazlo weekdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. starting Aug. 15.

98.9 The Rock is a higher rated station than ALT 96.5 was so the move gives Lazlo more ears to entertain.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Barrett Media: ‘Church of Lazlo’ Moving to 98.9 The Rock as Part of ALT 96.5, Kansas City Shakeup

Developing . . .