After 61 years of broadcasting classic rock to Southern California’s Inland Empire, KCAL-FM 96.7 has gone silent on human voices. The Redlands station eliminated its entire on-air DJ roster on Aug. 1, leaving listeners with an all-music format.
The move lands amid a broader contraction in traditional radio. Streaming services have eroded audience share for years. Ad revenue has followed. As a result, station owners face mounting pressure to cut costs wherever possible.
Anaheim Broadcasting Corporation confirmed the shakeup through an announcement on KCAL’s social media channels. “The next chapter starts now,” the July 31 post read. “Classic rock. Nothing but music.”
Program director Gary Springfield, who also oversees KOLA-FM 99.9, told SFGATE the dismissals came without formal advance notice. “There was no formal advance notice,” Springfield wrote in an email. He blamed the decision on financial reality, noting KCAL hadn’t turned a profit under its previous format.
Meanwhile, Springfield pushed back against speculation that artificial intelligence would replace the departed personalities. “KCAL isn’t utilizing AI-generated voices,” he wrote. Professional voice talent still handles imaging and voice work, he said, while actual people continue curating the playlists.
The layoffs hit several longtime figures. Steve “Razz” Brazill, a nearly 40-year KCAL veteran, posted on Instagram that the station had become intertwined with his identity. DJ John DeSantis called the news shocking in a Facebook post that drew more than 2,000 comments from mourning fans and former colleagues. Other affected staffers included Lacey Kendall, Mike “Mike Z” Zara, Kelli Cluque, Frank “Frank-O” Garcia, Syeda Jafri and Rogelio Orozco, according to the Orange County Register.
KCAL’s pivot mirrors KCBS-FM’s move more than two decades ago. That station, better known as 93.1 Jack FM, dropped DJs entirely and sparked regional backlash at the time.
Springfield offered no timeline for restoring live talent. For now, the familiar voices that defined KCAL for generations remain absent from Inland Empire airwaves.
