Dees
Seacrest
L.A. radio circles are bracing for a potential morning shake-up in the coming weeks.
Buzz was kicked up a notch last week after KIIS-FM morning man Rick Dees promised to make a "life-changing" announcement Wednesday morning.
Dees' contract with Clear Channel, which owns KIIS, expires later this year. Negotiations are believed to be ongoing.
But should both sides not hammer out a new deal, "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest, already dubbed Dees' official fill-in host, is in line to take the morning KIIS gig. Seacrest recently gave up his gig as afternoon DJ on KYSR-FM to focus on his 20th syndie talker "On Air." He also just took over radio's "American Top 40" from Casey Kasem.
Such a change might further alter the L.A. morning landscape, which has already seen several shifts in recent years.
Dees -- who first gained notoriety with the 1977 hit "Disco Duck" -- joined KIIS as its morning personality in 1982. He also continues to host the radio countdown show "Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40," which Clear Channel-owned Premiere syndicates to 350 stations nationwide.
Contact Michael Schneider at
mike.schneider@variety.com