About The ZOO-In the beginning
Today John Rody* and Jon Dillon* are plying their trade at 92. 5-FM. where their play list contains hits from the
Sixties and Seventies, and their audience contains a lot of old Zoo Freaks who are now donning a coat and tie
and working in an office. Rody is somewhat philosophical about the rise and fall of The Zoo.
"You know, in the old days of radio, the jocks used to work out at the transmitter, somewhere out in the
country, while the sales staff stayed downtown, " adds Rody. "That's what they probably should have done
with us. Stuck us in some Quonset hut out by Cedar Hill and let us rock out, but that won't happen anymore.
Today you are much more aware that these 'fun and games' represent big business, and it is a highly calculated
industry."
Sixties and Seventies, and their audience contains a lot of old Zoo Freaks who are now donning a coat and tie
and working in an office. Rody is somewhat philosophical about the rise and fall of The Zoo.
"You know, in the old days of radio, the jocks used to work out at the transmitter, somewhere out in the
country, while the sales staff stayed downtown, " adds Rody. "That's what they probably should have done
with us. Stuck us in some Quonset hut out by Cedar Hill and let us rock out, but that won't happen anymore.
Today you are much more aware that these 'fun and games' represent big business, and it is a highly calculated
industry."
At that zenith, the Belo bosses realized what a gold mine they had. The ratings success brought a new scrutiny
of The Zoo. Ira Lipson left the station and the sales staff began to take over. The idea was to start selling The
Zoo to more "mainstream" advertisers instead of to the record stores, head shops, and concerts that were a
part of the rock lifestyle. As part of this attempt to attract mainstream clients, the management got rid of The
Zoo's creature and started clamping down on the jocks. Besides this switch in station philosophy-from hippie
idealism to bottom-line sales-the Zoo Freaks were also changing. The 18- to 25-year-olds who had been living
in apartments were knocking on 30's(60's?) door, buying a house, and sporting a wardrobe that no longer included
jeans and a black Led Zeppelin T-shirt. And in the early Eighties, Q-102*, KEGL, KNUS, and others were
fighting for a share of the pie. The ratings for The Zoo began shrinking.
What came next were what staffers called "the scramble days, " as the station struggled to increase advertising
sales and recapture the old magic. A research firm was hired to determine what kind of music should be
played, and an ad agency was brought in to start a media campaign.
It wasn't long until Belo sold KZEW-FM to Anchor Media. The staff had to move out of its old haunts in the
Belo building to a new location on Hall Street in Oak Lawn. By then the thrill and the ratings were truly gone. It
became quite fashionable for other stations to bash The Zoo as it went through an endless chain of DJs and
format changes. The promotional budget was slashed to the bone, so much so that staffers couldn't even get
free pens or pencils.
Two weeks before Christmas of 1989, the station fired its entire staff and played nothing but Christmas music
for the remainder of December. By January 1, 1990, the station changed its name to KWRM, or Warm, "Soft,
Relaxing Music. " The Zoo was no more. As of now the station is Lite 97. 9**, the home of "Soft. Relaxing
Favorites. " In a bizarre twist, the station has taken a long, strange trip back to where it began- "beautiful
music."
of The Zoo. Ira Lipson left the station and the sales staff began to take over. The idea was to start selling The
Zoo to more "mainstream" advertisers instead of to the record stores, head shops, and concerts that were a
part of the rock lifestyle. As part of this attempt to attract mainstream clients, the management got rid of The
Zoo's creature and started clamping down on the jocks. Besides this switch in station philosophy-from hippie
idealism to bottom-line sales-the Zoo Freaks were also changing. The 18- to 25-year-olds who had been living
in apartments were knocking on 30's(60's?) door, buying a house, and sporting a wardrobe that no longer included
jeans and a black Led Zeppelin T-shirt. And in the early Eighties, Q-102*, KEGL, KNUS, and others were
fighting for a share of the pie. The ratings for The Zoo began shrinking.
What came next were what staffers called "the scramble days, " as the station struggled to increase advertising
sales and recapture the old magic. A research firm was hired to determine what kind of music should be
played, and an ad agency was brought in to start a media campaign.
It wasn't long until Belo sold KZEW-FM to Anchor Media. The staff had to move out of its old haunts in the
Belo building to a new location on Hall Street in Oak Lawn. By then the thrill and the ratings were truly gone. It
became quite fashionable for other stations to bash The Zoo as it went through an endless chain of DJs and
format changes. The promotional budget was slashed to the bone, so much so that staffers couldn't even get
free pens or pencils.
Two weeks before Christmas of 1989, the station fired its entire staff and played nothing but Christmas music
for the remainder of December. By January 1, 1990, the station changed its name to KWRM, or Warm, "Soft,
Relaxing Music. " The Zoo was no more. As of now the station is Lite 97. 9**, the home of "Soft. Relaxing
Favorites. " In a bizarre twist, the station has taken a long, strange trip back to where it began- "beautiful
music."
As for the news department, they downplayed usual stories about Dallas City Hall, the Texas Legislature, or
business trends, and instead carried reports on Agent Orange, marijuana smugglers, and UFOs. On one
newscast they gave the address of an agency that would test marijuana for traces of the herbicide paraquat
(used by the government to discourage marijuana production) and told listeners how to mail in samples of their
personal stash for testing.
It wasn't just the rock music and the free-form programming that made The Zoo a hit. It was instead a total
identification with its audience-the masses of young people who were streaming into the Dallas/Fort Worth
area, attracted to the jobs that were plentiful in those days. The drinking age was 18, and hundreds of rock 'n'
roll bars sprang up to cater to this thirsty crowd. Lipson & Co. made listening to The Zoo like becoming a
member of an extended family. You were either a Zoo Freak, or you were a geek.
To cement this relationship, there were hundreds of free Zoo events. There was the Zoo Goodwill Jam concert
in Fair Park, headlined by Black Oak Arkansas. To gain admission, Zoo Freaks brought 110 tons of used
clothing. The biggest KZEW event of all was Zoo World, a free show and lifestyle fair that grew to take over
the entire Dallas County Convention Center. Unfortunately, the crowd got so large and unruly that one year the
Dallas police were called in to subdue the more exuberant, and the event had to be canceled.
In October of 1983, "The Morning Zoo" scored an amazing number two ranking in the Dallas/Fort Worth radio
market. It grabbed a 9. 1 share in the Arbitron ratings book and was being heard by close to a quarter of a
million people daily.
"We had no grasp of what the market would bear back then, " recalls John Rody. "If you had a show in Dallas
today with a 9 share, they would pay you $200,000 a year to stay there. Back then I was making $214 a
week and thought I was rich. "
business trends, and instead carried reports on Agent Orange, marijuana smugglers, and UFOs. On one
newscast they gave the address of an agency that would test marijuana for traces of the herbicide paraquat
(used by the government to discourage marijuana production) and told listeners how to mail in samples of their
personal stash for testing.
It wasn't just the rock music and the free-form programming that made The Zoo a hit. It was instead a total
identification with its audience-the masses of young people who were streaming into the Dallas/Fort Worth
area, attracted to the jobs that were plentiful in those days. The drinking age was 18, and hundreds of rock 'n'
roll bars sprang up to cater to this thirsty crowd. Lipson & Co. made listening to The Zoo like becoming a
member of an extended family. You were either a Zoo Freak, or you were a geek.
To cement this relationship, there were hundreds of free Zoo events. There was the Zoo Goodwill Jam concert
in Fair Park, headlined by Black Oak Arkansas. To gain admission, Zoo Freaks brought 110 tons of used
clothing. The biggest KZEW event of all was Zoo World, a free show and lifestyle fair that grew to take over
the entire Dallas County Convention Center. Unfortunately, the crowd got so large and unruly that one year the
Dallas police were called in to subdue the more exuberant, and the event had to be canceled.
In October of 1983, "The Morning Zoo" scored an amazing number two ranking in the Dallas/Fort Worth radio
market. It grabbed a 9. 1 share in the Arbitron ratings book and was being heard by close to a quarter of a
million people daily.
"We had no grasp of what the market would bear back then, " recalls John Rody. "If you had a show in Dallas
today with a 9 share, they would pay you $200,000 a year to stay there. Back then I was making $214 a
week and thought I was rich. "
* John Rody has his own radio station now, in Fort Worth.
*Jon Dillon is retired from radio
*Q-102 in no longer on the air.(2019)
**Lite 97. 9- Rap Music/Unknown Genre
*KZEW is currently broadcasting 24/7/365 online streaming at vokalnow.com
Thanks to Kirby Warnock for the use of this article