Around The Country In April Fools Pranks

Spring Cleaning?

The world did not end on APRIL 1st. But that didn't stop radio stations from coast to coast to tweak their listeners  -- or even their own staffs -- with a wide variety of shenanigans. On top of a couple examples we posted yesterday (NET NEWS, 4/1), NWC honcho and CPR columnist PAIGE NIENABER spotted the following jocularities:

• BEASLEY Top 40/Rhythmic WLLD (WiLD 941)/TAMPA had the midday show break up on-air, so Buck had to go solo.
• SUMMITMEDIA Top 40/Rhythmic WHZT (HOT 98.1)/GREENVILLE, SC got over 500 phone calls from men (and women) who wanted to hook up with the guest from the morning show who was insatiable and looking for partners. Callers who wanted to make the most of this opportunity got a "Gotcha!" voicemail message and their frustrated messages were played.
• It still a mystery as to how it happened in the offices of iHEARTMEDIA/TOLEDO, but their speakers around the building (which usually played the various stations) have all been playing “We Built This City” by STARSHIP on loop all day. Staffers started no t notice at around 3p.
• CUMULUS MEDIA Active Rock WGRF (97 ROCK)/BUFFALO did its own version of Tats For Tots. The Morning Bull show created a fake tattoo shop called Skinsanity at an address that sounded real but in fact was two parallel roads in a busy part of town. Its "Tats for Tots" offered free ink to school-age students age 8 and up. One of the sales guys posed as a tattoo artist/shop owner, and had two sets of live parents with kids getting their "Tottoos." Not surprisingly, the phones blew up, including one from an actual tattoo shop outraged that the fictional guy was doing what he was doing. Other callers were outraged that the parents would allow it.
• ALPHA MEDIA News-Talk KFOR-A-K277CA/LINCOLN, NE reported the story that state workers have to lift the state capitol off its foundation to clean underneath. 
• * iHEARTMEDIA Top 40 KJYO (KJ 103)/OKLAHOMA CITY celebrated a different holiday in each daypart. The one that raised the most listener ire was all-CHRISTMAS music shift. 

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