Toledo Radio: K100’s Shores and Steele Rule

Gary Shores, Harvey Steele

Meet WKKO 99.9 FM K100's Shores and Steele.

The on-air duo has owned the No. 1 spot in the mornings since taking over for K100’s Mitch and Mary Beth’s top-rated show in 2000.

The Toledo Blade reports Shores and Steele has been on the No. 1 station in 78 out of 79 ratings books (including its six-year run in the afternoons), a feat that says as much about the sizable popularity of country music as for the broadcast team.

The Shores and Steele team started with a car ride conversation in 1994. Not between them, but between Shores and one of K100’s many general managers, who suggested Steele join Shore’s solo afternoon show.

Steele wasn’t on K100, but handled mornings on an AM country station run by the same management, and had worked with Shores during live remotes.

The radio DJs were friends outside of the station, and there was a natural chemistry between them during their brief live broadcasts. The GM wanted to expand those radio moments into a four-hour shift during evening rush hour.

Shores and Steele agreed to give their “little science experiment” a shot, beginning with a live remote from Savage Hall to promote a concert. At some point early in that broadcast Shores told K100 listeners, “Look, we’re trying this experiment. We’re calling the show Shores and Steele. We’re going to play your favorite songs and we’ll try not to suck.”

WKKO 99.9 FM (25Kw) 54dBu Coverage

“Solid” first ratings was proof that they didn’t suck. But not everyone agreed.

“Two guys sitting in a garage working on their car and drinking beer,” was how someone in the advertising business described Shores and Steele to a station sales representative.

It was meant as an insult. Shores and Steele considered it the perfect compliment.

Real pressure for Shores and Steele didn’t begin until Oct. 1, 2000, when Shores and Steele took over mornings for Mitch and Mary Beth.

“That was sort of our big challenge. The prime time of radio, the morning drive slot,” Steele said.

“I guarantee there was a fair amount of people who felt that morning show on K100 was going to be half of what it (was) one year” later.

“Now we’re the longest-running morning show in Toledo.”

To quote their corporate boss, Lew Dickey, Cumulus Media chairman, president, and chief executive officer: “Shores and Steele are another important part of what makes Toledo great. Their unique bond with listeners have been built over 20 years of great [radio] entertainment and an all-important connection to the community.”

Shores and Steel are less about themselves and more about the station. They typically play eight to 10 songs an hour — compared to the 14 to 15 songs played hourly during the remainder of the station’s local broadcasting shifts -- and take pride in providing news, traffic updates, and hometown updates for charity events, Lost Pets and area classic car show updates on air and the on the station’s website.

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