David Lee Roth Struggling as Stern Replacement
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David Lee Roth says he won't jump from his gig as a morning radio host. Roth, who replaced shock jock Howard Stern on seven stations in January, has struggled in making the move from rock star to radio host. But during his Friday show, the former Van Halen frontman vowed to stick with it — although he acknowledged that problems continue.
"I'm going to give it a try," Roth told his audience. "I've invested too much in this show not to."
Roth's show underwent drastic changes last week, with the removal of his three on-air sidekicks and the ditching of background music. According to Roth, he received four letters in five days from CBS Radio officials demanding "extensive changes" in his four-hour show.
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The rocker complained that CBS executives had failed to offer him enough support when the show first made its debut.
"I didn't know what I was doing," Roth said. "I asked for rehearsal, and they didn't give it to me."
Failure to comply meant "termination or disciplinary action," said Roth, whose show airs in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Dallas and West Palm Beach, Fla.