The Virginian-Pilot

THE LEDGER-STAR

: Sunday, September 10, 1995

• WRIGHT'S CREATIVITY SOARS IN HIS WORK
• FESTIVITIES IN ANNAPOLIS ARE ONE BIG, HAPPY PARTY
• THEY'RE GETTING ready to Rumble at FM99. WNOR, the market's top-rated rock 'n' roll outlet, brings New Orleans jock Rick Rumble on board Monday as its new morning-drive co-host. He moves into the sizable seat long warmed by Henry ``The Bull'' Del Toro, who resigned in June to join rival rocker WROX-FM. A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Rumble - that's his real name - worked in San Diego and Philadelphia before taking over a syndicated talk show in the Big Easy. His Hampton Roads gig, ``Tommy and Rumble,'' will pair him with WNOR vet Tommy Griffiths weekdays from 5:30 to 10. News reader Nikki Reed, sports guy Rod Fitzwell and intern Chuck Cooney round out the morning crew. ``When Henry left, we had a rare opportunity to look around the country and see who was available,'' said program director Harvey Kojan. ``I received literally hundreds of tapes and resumes. ``There was no doubt in our minds that Rick was the No. 1 candidate. He's a major-market talent and we're quite lucky to have landed him.'' Kojan said Rumble's down-to-earth appeal - and flair for impersonations - will attract a bigger audience while broadening the show's repertoire. The biggest change, though, won't be what listeners hear, but what they don't hear. ``Research has shown us that people would like the show more if it wasn't so crude,'' he said. ``That's the word they used. ``We've always had the funniest morning show, but I think we can be funnier than ever by staying away from that scatological humor and talking about things people are interested in, that they can relate to. There will be controversy and opinions because we give these guys free rein. I anticipate it being more upscale, a bit friendlier.'' Shortly after Del Toro resigned June 26, WNOR (98.7) ran a local ad soliciting applicants. Kojan said his office is still stacked with replies, many from people who'd never worked in radio. One man sent in a tape he had made while driving his car. FM99 also brought in guest co-hosts, including comedians and ``friends of the station,'' Kojan said. But Rumble sealed the deal when he flew in last month for a two-day, on-the-air tryout. ``We went, `Whoa!' He fit in beautifully. The show was doing great, but we found that with another guy in the studio, Tommy is even better. He has somebody he can play off. Rick is a `real' guy, and he's very quick on his feet. He's very funny.'' Rumble, 37, was at the WNOR studio in Chesapeake late last week preparing for Monday's debut. His wife and 5-year-old son will join him in a couple of months. Besides a step up in market size (38th to 32nd), a solid parent company and the attraction of Hampton Roads, there were other things that convinced him it was time to move. One, he's known Griffiths several years; they have the same agent. ``But I think the thing that attracted me most was probably the number of tattoo parlors,'' Rumble said. ``And they parked a Brinks' truck in my driveway. ``I've been in this situation before. First of all, I call and make sure I'm the only Mary Kay distributor in the area. That way, with my income guaranteed, I can screw around and do this radio thing every day. I don't have to worry about how I'm going to eat.'' Add WNOR. FM99 was represented in more ways than one at the recent opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Not only was morning-man Griffiths in Cleveland for the occasion, but on touring the radio exhibit he came across a display of station logos - including WNOR's. ``I had heard there was a radio exhibit but I didn't want to get my hopes up,'' Kojan said. ``You know, `We're 26 years old but they'll probably take it for granted.' But Tommy called and said, `We're in the Hall of Fame, we're in the Hall of Fame!' ``I have no idea where they got the logo, who did it or anything.'' Mark it down. ``Simon Bolivar,'' the Thea Musgrave opera about the South American liberator, airs Sept. 30 at 1:30 p.m. on National Public Radio's ``World of Opera.'' Produced by Virginia Opera, ``Bolivar'' had its world premiere in Norfolk last January with Stephen Guggenheim in the title role. The broadcast, on WHRO-FM (90.3), includes interviews with Musgrave, company general director Peter Mark and members of the cast. Top gun. Benchmark Communications has named Tex Meyer general manager for WKOC-FM (93.7), WLTY-FM (95.7) and WTAR-AM (790). Meyer comes to Hampton Roads from Pittsburgh, where he was vice president/general manager at WBZZ-FM and WZPT-FM.
• LOVE SURROUNDS HIM, BUT RESTLESS GRANDPA IS CHECKING HIS WATCH
• CIAO, VENEZIA ADVENTURE AWAITS IN CANAL-LACED VENICE, WHERE TAXIS FLOAT AND SERPENTINE STREETS BECKON.