Less Drake, More Hootie
• Game One of the NBA Finals got underway Thursday night in Toronto, as the Toronto Raptors took on the reigning 2017 and 2018 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. Back in the Warriors’ hometown San Francisco, in a show of musical solidarity, Bonneville Urban AC KBLX/San Francisco has declared the station will temporarily be declared a “No-Drake Zone” — a nod to Toronto-born hip-hop superstar Drake, who is also the Raptors’ “global ambassador” and a prominent courtside presence at Raptors’ games.
As the station tweeted, “As much love and passion Drake has for the Toronto Raptors, we at KBLX have the same or more love for our @Warriors!” KBLX OM/PD Elroy Smith said, “We could not stand on the sidelines and accept Drake showing no love for our Golden State Warriors. It is my joy to cease and desist all of Drake’s music on KBLX in support of a team that is loved by the Bay Area and around the world. Oh yes, we are proclaiming a 3-PEAT!” Naturally, the KBLX “No Drake” deal was covered extensively by local Bay Area media, including CBS affiliate KPIX5.
[Cautionary Fun Fact] — You may recall that a similar “No Drake” campaign was initiated recently by Entercom Top 40 WXSS (103.7 Kiss FM)/Milwaukee during the Conference Semi-Finals, when the hometown Bucs played the Raptors. Spoiler Alert: After the Bucs jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, the Raptors came storming back to win the next four straight, winning the series 4-2. Just saying…
[Ed. Note: Drake trolled Warriors’ star Steph Curry hard by showing up wearing the vintage jersey of Curry’s father, Dell Curry, who played for the Raptors from 1999 to 2002. Oh, and the Raptors took Game One, 118-109].
• Meanwhile, in excited anticipation for tonight’s concert by a reunited Hootie & The Blowfish, Curtis Media Group Country WQDR (94.7 QDR)/Raleigh has voluntarily undergone some minor rebranding as 94-7 Hootie-R (get it?). The station has been giving away tickets to the sold-out show all week and is playing their favorite Hootie songs leading up to tonight’s show.
PD/afternoon delight Mike “Mad Dawg” Biddlesaid, “This is, by far, one of the most anticipated shows of the year and we wanted to share in that excitement with our listeners. For me, Hootie was the first real concert I bought a ticket to back in 1995, but unfortunately, the show was rained out two songs into their set. Needless to say, I’m excited to see the show I never got to see!”
In a dose of added-Hootie-value, Biddle is doing his show live today from the venue’s parking lot. Biddle said, “We love bringing the atmosphere of the tailgate experience to the radio, and this should be one of the best!”
