KACL (Frasier)
Encyclopedia
KACL is the fictional Seattle, Washington radio station on the television
show Frasier
. It broadcasts many talk radio
shows, including The Dr. Frasier Crane
Show between 2:00pm–5:00pm each weekday, Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe's top-rated The Gonzo Sports Show, and Gil Chesterton's Restaurant Beat. After Kenny Daly cancels The Gonzo Sport Show, Briscoe returns to the station to work in the archives room.
KACL follows an advice or lifestyle talk format and appears to offer little or no political talk programming, the dominant form of talk radio when the program was being produced; its programming is more representative of talk programming during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. For a while it was an all-salsa
station, although this proved unpopular with the listeners and so it reverted to its all-talk format. The Dr. Frasier Crane Show was the first show back on the air.
Its station managers have included Ned Miller—who plans to fire Frasier to cut costs but is fired first—Tom Duran, Kate Costas, and Kenny Daly, and at the end of the show, Roz Doyle
, who was Frasier's producer throughout the show's run. Among its owners have been "Big Willy" Boone, an elderly self-made media mogul from Texas, José Martinez (aka Joe Martin), who was the man responsible for (temporarily) changing KACL's format from all-talk to all-salsa, Poppy Delafield's mother, and Todd Peterson, a young twenty-something who made his fortune in the dot-com boom of the 1990s. Noel Shempsky, who has a long-term crush on Roz, works in accounting.
The Seabee awards ("the biggest award in Seattle radio") receive much attention from the staff each year. Frasier and Roz are nominated for or win the award several times.
Frasier dates several female co-workers at the station, the most prominent of whom, after Kate Costas, is Cassandra Stone (Virginia Madsen
) in promotions.
Frasier and his brother Niles
host the show together once. Niles then substitutes for him twice, once due to Frasier's illness, and once when Frasier is at a conference.
The station was named after the co-creators of Frasier, David Angell
, Peter Casey
and David Lee, taking the first letter of their surnames, with "K" representing the standard format for call sign
s of stations located west of the Mississippi River
. KACL is also a cognate for "cackle", appropriately meaning a humorous laugh.
and many other shows hosted by:
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
. It broadcasts many talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
shows, including The Dr. Frasier Crane
Frasier Crane
Frasier W. Crane, M.D., Ph.D., A.P.A. is a fictional character on the American television sitcoms Frasier and Cheers. He was played by Kelsey Grammer for 20 years, tying the record for the longest-running character on prime-time American television, which was set by James Arness, who played Marshal...
Show between 2:00pm–5:00pm each weekday, Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe's top-rated The Gonzo Sports Show, and Gil Chesterton's Restaurant Beat. After Kenny Daly cancels The Gonzo Sport Show, Briscoe returns to the station to work in the archives room.
KACL follows an advice or lifestyle talk format and appears to offer little or no political talk programming, the dominant form of talk radio when the program was being produced; its programming is more representative of talk programming during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. For a while it was an all-salsa
Salsa music
Salsa music is a genre of music, generally defined as a modern style of playing Cuban Son, Son Montuno, and Guaracha with touches from other genres of music...
station, although this proved unpopular with the listeners and so it reverted to its all-talk format. The Dr. Frasier Crane Show was the first show back on the air.
Its station managers have included Ned Miller—who plans to fire Frasier to cut costs but is fired first—Tom Duran, Kate Costas, and Kenny Daly, and at the end of the show, Roz Doyle
Roz Doyle
Rosalinda "Roz" Doyle is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Frasier. She is played by Peri Gilpin. Roz is the producer of Frasier Crane's Dr. Frasier Crane Show on KACL 780AM...
, who was Frasier's producer throughout the show's run. Among its owners have been "Big Willy" Boone, an elderly self-made media mogul from Texas, José Martinez (aka Joe Martin), who was the man responsible for (temporarily) changing KACL's format from all-talk to all-salsa, Poppy Delafield's mother, and Todd Peterson, a young twenty-something who made his fortune in the dot-com boom of the 1990s. Noel Shempsky, who has a long-term crush on Roz, works in accounting.
The Seabee awards ("the biggest award in Seattle radio") receive much attention from the staff each year. Frasier and Roz are nominated for or win the award several times.
Frasier dates several female co-workers at the station, the most prominent of whom, after Kate Costas, is Cassandra Stone (Virginia Madsen
Virginia Madsen
Virginia Madsen is an American actress and documentary film producer. She came to fame during the 1980s, having appeared in several films aimed at a teenage audience...
) in promotions.
Frasier and his brother Niles
Niles Crane
Niles Crane, M.D., Ph.D., A.P.A. is a fictional character on the American sitcom Frasier, a spin-off of the popular show Cheers. He was portrayed by David Hyde Pierce. Niles is the younger brother of Dr. Frasier Crane, the son of Det. Martin Crane and Dr. Hester Crane, husband of Daphne Moon,...
host the show together once. Niles then substitutes for him twice, once due to Frasier's illness, and once when Frasier is at a conference.
The station was named after the co-creators of Frasier, David Angell
David Angell
David Lawrence Angell was an American producer of sitcoms. Angell won multiple Emmy Awards as the creator and executive producer, along with Peter Casey and David Lee, of the comedy series Frasier...
, Peter Casey
Peter Casey
Peter Casey is an American television producer and screenwriter. He was a writer for the American sitcoms The Jeffersons, Cheers and Wings, as well as being a co-creator and writer for Frasier.-External links:...
and David Lee, taking the first letter of their surnames, with "K" representing the standard format for call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
s of stations located west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. KACL is also a cognate for "cackle", appropriately meaning a humorous laugh.
Shows
Other shows on KACL include:- "Religion on the Line" - Hosted by Fr. Mike Mancuso, canceled by Kate Costas
- "Pet Chat with Nanette" - Hosted by Nanette, canceled by Kate Costas
- "Amber Edwards Book Chat" - Hosted by Amber Edwards
- "Health Watch" - Hosted by Dr. Clint Weber
- "Storytime Theater" - Hosted by Tooty, the Story Lady
- "The Morning Zoo with Carlos and the Chicken" - KACL's morning show hosted by Carlos and "The Chicken"
- "Let's Go Camping" - Hosted by Dan and Jenna
- "Dr. Nora" - a second advice show on KACL, hosted by Dr. Nora Fairchild (recommended by Frasier)
- "Dr. Mary" - a third advice show on KACL, hosted by ex-temp producer Mary Thomas
- "Car Chat with Bob and Bethany" - Hosted by Bob and Bethany; Martin mistakes Bethany for a man
- "Teen Scene" - Weekend program in which high school students interview a guest
- "Girty's Grab Bag"- a show that was ended when the host got a TV deal, Roz auditions for her time slot (ultimately "torpedoed" by Bebe)
and many other shows hosted by:
- Ray Schmidt, the "Green Grocer".
- Bonnie Weems, the "Auto Lady".
- Brenda from the Newsroom
- Leo Pascali, the "Happy Chef". In one episode he is known as Floyd Lovett.
- Miss Judy, Arts and crafts.
- Helen Grogan, "Ma Nature".
- Chester Ludgate, KACL's "lovable curmudgeon" commentator.
- Julia Wilcox, financial reporter, formerly of CNBCCNBCCNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
. - Burt the Backyard Gardener
- Poppy Delafield, on arts in Seattle.
- Chopper Dave, traffic