http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=entertainmentNews&storyid=2005-07-07T211209Z_01_N07397446_RTRIDST_0_ENTERTAINMENT-MEDIA-STERN-DC.XML NEW YORK (Billboard) - Infinity Broadcasting isn't commenting on an online report penned by a former Howard Stern Show regular that suggests David Lee Roth will be one of the personalities that ultimately replaces the ribald DJ on the airwaves. Chaunce Hayden, a gossip and celebrity writer for New York/New Jersey entertainment guide SteppinOutMagazine.com, writes that "an Infinity source has confirmed the signing."
What is certain is that Roth is among many entertainers that Infinity has auditioned on-air since Stern's bombshell announcement last year. Infinity executives have repeatedly made it clear that they are not looking for a singular personality to succeed Stern.
The Diamond Dave-as-morning-man idea actually sprung from an Infinity station 3,000 miles away. VP of FM talk Jack Silver put Roth on the air for three hours earlier this year at KLSX Los Angeles, which Silver programs. "We were so taken by that performance that we created a stunt here in Boston to give classic rock listeners the opportunity to hear him all week long," Barnett said in April.
While Stern's contract is set to end Dec. 31, 2005, Hayden says that Roth will hit the airwaves in early September. Asked to comment on the Roth rumor, an Infinity spokesperson said, "We are looking at a number of personalities to replace Howard Stern, however there are no imminent announcements at this time." Roth has two summer concerts on his schedule: July 15 in Sarnia, Ontario, and July 29 in Redding, Calif.