Kidd Chris
Encyclopedia
Chris Foley, most commonly known by his nickname KiddChris, is an American
shock jock
. He hosted a radio show airing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
from 2005 until 2008.
The radio show originated in Syracuse, New York
. His controversial radio show had a home in Wichita, Kansas
(KICT T-95FM, KDGS Power 93.9FM, KANR FLY 92.7FM) which raised the ire of local church groups. Many religious organizations attempted to band together and remove KiddChris from the airwaves, but he remained on the air.
Chris then moved onto Sacramento, California
where he hosted a morning show on hip-hop station. After several months, he moved into an evening show on an FM talk station. KiddChris's four-hour talk show was one of the highest-rated radio shows on the Pacific coast. While in Sacramento, Chris gained national attention by sending a series of prank phone calls made to O.J. Simpson to the popular Opie and Anthony and Howard Stern nationally syndicated shows and Thomas Kitajima eventually joined the show in Sacramento.
In the fall of 2002, KiddChris took a hiatus from radio and retired to upstate New York. There, he rejuvenated himself and prepared for his return, which occurred on the morning of January 5, 2004 in San Antonio, Texas
. He hosted a highly-rated show at San Antonio's K-Rock until early August 2005.
With rumors flying that KiddChris, a former contributor to Howard Stern's radio program, would replace Stern when Stern's contract expired with Infinity Broadcasting, KiddChris signed with a Philadelphia rock station and The KiddChris Show began broadcasting on Monday, August 29, 2005. While Chris has made remarks that the show is "gay" and that "it'll be gone in six months," that incarnation show lasted for over two years, and the station exercised their right to extend his contract for one more.
Philadelphia developments=
On August 21, 2006, it was announced that The KiddChris Show had been syndicated to a rock station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. The show entered syndication on August 28, 2006.
On September 13, 2007, the Philadelphia station announced a format change from all talk to a rock/talk hybrid. The official change, which left KiddChris on during the drive-time hours of 3pm-7pm, was announced during the KiddChris Show. Moments before the announcement, Chris, with Opie and Anthony in studio, commented that "It would be a hoot if they fired us live right after the big announcement." After announcing the format change, the station dropped to music and The KiddChris Show did not return to the air, causing confusion on multiple listener-run message boards as to their fate. On September 14, 2007, Chris appeared on the Opie and Anthony show and there was no mentioning of a firing.
The show returned to the air on September 17, 2007, but with old recordings in-between music, leaving fans of the show confused as to its fate. Soon after, Chris stated that they needed to "establish the rock first. The show WILL be back", which confirmed the statements made by other sources that the show will be returning to its original form.
On the Howard Stern Show on October 22, 2007, KiddChris called in to discuss Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. Howard quickly turned the topic of conversation to Chris' employment at the station, claiming a "pretty good source" told him Chris would take over the morning slot from Opie and Anthony relatively soon. Chris had no comment on the rumor.
On October 23, 2007, the Philadelphia rock station ended their syndication of Opie and Anthony's morning show. There was no mention of it on-air by Chris. KiddChris ended his show that night unexpectedly with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." He has stated on-air in the past that if anything were to "go down" in regards to the show, he would play that song (though he originally claimed the song would play in the background and he would continue on as if nothing was happening). No morning or afternoon show aired for about a month.
On November 6, 2007, KiddChris was called by possible evening DJ Tic-Tac about his future with the station. In so many words, he stated that he "will be back", but claimed not to know when or in what time slot. Callers asked whether he was joining the Howard Stern Show staff and he said that would be impossible since he is staying in Philadelphia. He reminded fans that if he was fired, he would no longer be featured on the website.
During the week of November 18, 2007, Chris's website was changed to a countdown with the tagline "Are You Ready?", set to end on Monday, November 26 at 6 AM. The countdown also appeared on his MySpace page. Prior to this, the station began to air short recordings featuring the "Are You Ready?" tagline, as well as the opening of "The Game" by Motorhead (the theme song of The KiddChris Show). The recordings varied; they included short clips from the show, clips from Brad the Cripple interviews, recordings of callers asking what happened to the show and if he was going to return in mornings and Howard Stern discussing the future of KiddChris in morning drive. However, there was no official voiceover to these clips, no direct mention of "The KiddChris Show" or any date of return.
The KiddChris Show officially returned to the airwaves on Monday, November 26, 2007 at 6 AM EST. "Philadelphia Inquirer" reporter Michael Klein reported in his Sunday column of the return of the Kidd Show. The show's move to the morning slot was notable for a few reasons. It replaced the Opie and Anthony show and more importantly, now pits KiddChris against WMMR's Preston and Steve.
May 2008, KiddChris was fired over guest's racist parody song 3 months after it was aired. Also fired was program director John Cook. After Foley's firing, he then hosted his own internet radio
show for several months in 2009 until his transfer to KUFO in Portland, Oregon
.
KiddChris announced in May 2011 on the Howard Stern Show that he was joining the morning show at WKLS-FM "Project 9-6-1" in Atlanta.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
shock jock
Shock jock
Shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of any radio broadcaster who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. The term is usually used pejoratively to describe provocative or irreverent broadcasters whose mannerisms,...
. He hosted a radio show airing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
from 2005 until 2008.
The radio show originated in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. His controversial radio show had a home in Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
(KICT T-95FM, KDGS Power 93.9FM, KANR FLY 92.7FM) which raised the ire of local church groups. Many religious organizations attempted to band together and remove KiddChris from the airwaves, but he remained on the air.
Chris then moved onto Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
where he hosted a morning show on hip-hop station. After several months, he moved into an evening show on an FM talk station. KiddChris's four-hour talk show was one of the highest-rated radio shows on the Pacific coast. While in Sacramento, Chris gained national attention by sending a series of prank phone calls made to O.J. Simpson to the popular Opie and Anthony and Howard Stern nationally syndicated shows and Thomas Kitajima eventually joined the show in Sacramento.
In the fall of 2002, KiddChris took a hiatus from radio and retired to upstate New York. There, he rejuvenated himself and prepared for his return, which occurred on the morning of January 5, 2004 in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
. He hosted a highly-rated show at San Antonio's K-Rock until early August 2005.
With rumors flying that KiddChris, a former contributor to Howard Stern's radio program, would replace Stern when Stern's contract expired with Infinity Broadcasting, KiddChris signed with a Philadelphia rock station and The KiddChris Show began broadcasting on Monday, August 29, 2005. While Chris has made remarks that the show is "gay" and that "it'll be gone in six months," that incarnation show lasted for over two years, and the station exercised their right to extend his contract for one more.
Philadelphia developments=
On August 21, 2006, it was announced that The KiddChris Show had been syndicated to a rock station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. The show entered syndication on August 28, 2006.
On September 13, 2007, the Philadelphia station announced a format change from all talk to a rock/talk hybrid. The official change, which left KiddChris on during the drive-time hours of 3pm-7pm, was announced during the KiddChris Show. Moments before the announcement, Chris, with Opie and Anthony in studio, commented that "It would be a hoot if they fired us live right after the big announcement." After announcing the format change, the station dropped to music and The KiddChris Show did not return to the air, causing confusion on multiple listener-run message boards as to their fate. On September 14, 2007, Chris appeared on the Opie and Anthony show and there was no mentioning of a firing.
The show returned to the air on September 17, 2007, but with old recordings in-between music, leaving fans of the show confused as to its fate. Soon after, Chris stated that they needed to "establish the rock first. The show WILL be back", which confirmed the statements made by other sources that the show will be returning to its original form.
On the Howard Stern Show on October 22, 2007, KiddChris called in to discuss Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. Howard quickly turned the topic of conversation to Chris' employment at the station, claiming a "pretty good source" told him Chris would take over the morning slot from Opie and Anthony relatively soon. Chris had no comment on the rumor.
On October 23, 2007, the Philadelphia rock station ended their syndication of Opie and Anthony's morning show. There was no mention of it on-air by Chris. KiddChris ended his show that night unexpectedly with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'." He has stated on-air in the past that if anything were to "go down" in regards to the show, he would play that song (though he originally claimed the song would play in the background and he would continue on as if nothing was happening). No morning or afternoon show aired for about a month.
On November 6, 2007, KiddChris was called by possible evening DJ Tic-Tac about his future with the station. In so many words, he stated that he "will be back", but claimed not to know when or in what time slot. Callers asked whether he was joining the Howard Stern Show staff and he said that would be impossible since he is staying in Philadelphia. He reminded fans that if he was fired, he would no longer be featured on the website.
During the week of November 18, 2007, Chris's website was changed to a countdown with the tagline "Are You Ready?", set to end on Monday, November 26 at 6 AM. The countdown also appeared on his MySpace page. Prior to this, the station began to air short recordings featuring the "Are You Ready?" tagline, as well as the opening of "The Game" by Motorhead (the theme song of The KiddChris Show). The recordings varied; they included short clips from the show, clips from Brad the Cripple interviews, recordings of callers asking what happened to the show and if he was going to return in mornings and Howard Stern discussing the future of KiddChris in morning drive. However, there was no official voiceover to these clips, no direct mention of "The KiddChris Show" or any date of return.
The KiddChris Show officially returned to the airwaves on Monday, November 26, 2007 at 6 AM EST. "Philadelphia Inquirer" reporter Michael Klein reported in his Sunday column of the return of the Kidd Show. The show's move to the morning slot was notable for a few reasons. It replaced the Opie and Anthony show and more importantly, now pits KiddChris against WMMR's Preston and Steve.
May 2008, KiddChris was fired over guest's racist parody song 3 months after it was aired. Also fired was program director John Cook. After Foley's firing, he then hosted his own internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
show for several months in 2009 until his transfer to KUFO in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
KiddChris announced in May 2011 on the Howard Stern Show that he was joining the morning show at WKLS-FM "Project 9-6-1" in Atlanta.
Former Kidd Chris Show staff
- Tommy Avallone (a.k.a. "Rock Hard Killa") - Answers the phones. Proud member of the group Nitty Gritty.
- Michael Cerio (a.k.a. "Metro", "Malibu") - Executive Producer.
- Vinnie the Crumb - Sports Reporter.
- Rob Garguilo (a.k.a "Spaz") - Former member of the Wolf Pack (formerly the Cream Team), during a period of unemployment Rob ("Spaz") would make various phone calls to other radio shows calling in to comment of segements by referring to "His Kidd Chris". His attempts were mediocre and pathetic at best.