Oct. 24: ‘The day the music died in Utica'

Local radio may never be the same, say local musicians and listeners affected by the departure of Jerry "The Doctor" Krause and other radio personalities linked to the purchase of various Clear Channel Communications radio stations by Galaxy Communications.

"I would say that's the day the music died in Utica," said local musician, songwriter and producer Bob Acquaviva, referring to Oct. 24, Krause's last day on WOUR after 30 years.

Galaxy Communications recently purchased nine local radio stations from Clear Channel Communications, leading to a reorganization of local content and local DJs, including the departure of longtime DJs Krause, Alison Cahalan, Linda Rae and Tom Starr.

The absence of these DJs on the reformulated stations is based on ratings and severance packages, said Ed Levine, president/CEO Galaxy Communications.

"If we offered an employee of WOUR a position, and they declined that position, that would void their severance package. We tried to be respectful in not doing that," Levine said. "We wanted to make sure whoever we offered the option to would absolutely accept."

Fans and local musicians, however, are outraged by the changes, specifically the loss of Jerry "The Doctor" Krause and his Sunday evening show "Local Exposure," which featured local musicians.

The change has stirred some to form coalitions and petitions against Galaxy Communications.

"This is a movement to act and negotiate with radio corporation Galaxy Communications," reads the MySpace page of The Music First, a coalition formed by local musician Mike Peek of the band April Shroud. "Musicians and music lovers, with luck, we can become the largest group of organized musicians in Mohawk Valley history to get a staple of our music community back on the air."

Bringing local talents such as Krause back to the air isn't out of the question, Levine said.

"Nobody bled WOUR more than Jerry (Krause)," Levine said. "I think he's entitled to put his feet up and relax. If he was open to coming back, we would be open to having him back."

In the meantime, WOUR will air "Sound Check," at 9 p.m. Sundays with DJ Dave Fresina. It will feature the local music of Central New York, including Syracuse, Binghamton and the Utica area.

For some listeners and musicians, the only voice worth hearing about local music will always be Krause.

"He's one of the most recognized voices of our area over the last 30 years. His voice in this area is like James Earl Jones to the rest of the world," said Jose Lopez, musician and listener. "He's been about the same thing for the past 30 years. He's been about rock-and-roll and Central New York for the past 30 years."

Krause and Cahalan said the departure from the air was disappointing, but they looked forward to what the future had in store.

"The fact that new ownership chose to take a different direction on a personnel level is unfortunate to many, but I wish them only the best and hope they continue to rock with the same passion that went into the nurturing of a great radio station," said Cahalan, a WOUR and WUCL personality for 25 years.

Krause echoed Cahalan's statements, adding he couldn't be more grateful for the time he spent in a business that typically doesn't allow such consistency. What lies ahead for Krause has yet to be determined, he said.

"It's a crazy business we're in, and it changes day-to-day," he said. "In radio terms, stay tuned."