Kevin & Bean
Kevin Ryder and Gene Baxter are headed for the hall.
The National Association of Broadcasters said the “Kevin & Bean Morning Show” will be inducted into its Broadcasting Hall of Fame in April. The show airs on CBS station KROQ(FM) in Los Angeles.
“The show, which debuted on Jan. 2, 1990, features music and news mixed with comedy, celebrity interviews, listener call-ins and live music performances,” NAB stated. “Consistent with ‘The World Famous KROQ’ modern rock format, Kevin and Bean’s ‘Breakfast With…’ series features bands like No Doubt, Foo Fighters, Weezer, Nine Inch Nails and U2.”
According to the announcement, Ryder and Baxter met in 1987 at top 40 KZZP in Phoenix. “Ryder had been working as one of the station’s nighttime DJs, and Baxter was the music director. After establishing a fast friendship, they teamed on air for a show called ‘Saturday Night Party Patrol,’ but their interest was in doing a morning show together.”
They eventually shopped themselves as a morning show duo and was hired by Andy Schuon, then PD at KROQ.
The induction will be held during the NAB Show Radio Luncheon in Las Vegas. NAB said the show is the longest-running morning drive show on the air in Southern California.
NAB EVP of Radio John David called the guys “a true radio success story.” Their boss Dan Mason, president/CEO of CBS Radio, called them “dedicated entertainers and broadcasters in Los Angeles for more than two decades [whose] own sense of humor … will never be duplicated. ”