After nearly five months of operating as a web-only radio show, one of Sacramento’s most-iconic morning wake-up programs is headed back to traditional radio.
On Tuesday, Lotus Communications announced it will resurrect “RAD Radio” on both AM and FM radio after signing a deal with the show’s production company, Williams Broadcasting.
Starting November 13, the show will air on KVMX (890 AM) and low-power FM repeater K284CM (104.7 FM). The deal is unique in that excerpts from the show will repeat several times after its live broadcast, marking the first time a terrestrial radio station has broadcast a single program 24 hours a day.
The agreement marks a kind of homecoming for show host Rob Williams, who started his career at a Lotus-owned station in Reno. He later moved to Sacramento, where variants of the present-day RAD Radio aired on Audacy-owned KRXQ (98.5 FM, “98 Rock”) for more than two decades.
“I have always loved and respected Lotus and the Kalmenson family, and this unbelievable opportunity to partner with them on this historic endeavor is the next evolution of our epic relationship,” Williams said in a statement.
The show’s other on-air talent — co-host Dawn Rossi and producers Brandon Angel and Kyle Halldorson — will also be heard on the two Lotus stations, which will rebrand to “RAD Radio.”
“I am so excited for the legions of passionate RAD fans throughout Northern California and the many RADvertisers who have benefited so much from their involvement in the show,” Kurt Bagelmann, the general manager at Lotus Sacramento, said on Tuesday. “Rob Williams and his team are phenomenal entertainers who have been legendary market leaders in Sacramento radio for decades. Truthfully, there are no words to describe how excited we are to team up for our upcoming launch on Lotus’ 104.7 FM and 890 AM. Best of all, they are just super high-class people who are a joy to work with.”