Garett Michaels who helped create, at the time, a completely different approach to programming Alternative radio has exited FM 94/9 San Diego.
As part of his exit e-mail, Michaels had this to say:
“When we launched FM 94/9 on November 11, 2002, it was with a spirit of not doing business as usual. Although most in our industry categorized us as an “Alternative” station, we believed we were creating a whole new category of rock station. The following words all come to mind when describing FM 94/9 during the initial launch and formative years, live, local, diverse, authentic, passionate, thoughtful, intelligent, funny and sloppy. At times, FM 94/9 sounded like a professionally run college station. Clearly this approach worked, and it resonated with San Diego radio listeners. Additionally, we caught the attention of our industry; FM 94/9 became one of the most buzzed about and influential stations in the country. Even now, FM 94/9’s influence can be heard on numerous radio stations and formats outside of San Diego. It’s still hard for me to believe that we created a radio station that was featured twice in Rolling Stone magazine and was nominated 4 times for the NAB’s “Rock Station of the Year” Marconi Award.
I’d like to especially thank Don Benson, John Dimick, Clarke Brown and Darrel Goodin for their mentorship and the initial opportunity to come to San Diego. Additionally, I want to thank and acknowledge Fred Jacobs, Paul Jacobs, Dave Beasing, Tim Davis, Keith Cunningham and Chris Ackerman for being the best collaborators in the business.
Finally, a special thank you to all current and former staff members of FM 94/9, you should be proud of the radio station that you helped to create. It has been an honor to work with you; I’ve never experienced a more passionate group of people.”
No word yet on Michael’s replacement.
