L-A Radio: Stations Observe 1:08 Of Silence

The Southern California Broadcasters Assn. asked its members to observe a synchronized moment of silence in honor of late local hero Kobe Bryant.

The L-A Times reported the radio silence, occurred at noon Pacific time on Monday, and was scheduled to last for one minute and eight seconds — a nod to the Laker star’s original jersey number, 8. The organization also provided additional instructions on how stations should approach coverage of Bryant’s death throughout the day.

The basketball icon died early Sunday in a Calabasas helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.



The SCBA’s call to action urged broadcasters to keep listeners informed about the forthcoming tribute, airing reminders “at least once every 30 minutes,” while “talking about this tragedy” and “capturing the mood and feeling of the LA sports world and your listeners in their individual way.”

So iHeart stations cheated a bit by playing ambient sounds of birds instead of silence. Here's what stations played after:@KROQ: Green Day/Good Riddance@kearth101: Eric Clapton/Tears in Heaven@ALT987fm, @Real923LA, @1027KIISFM: Diddy/Missing You@1043MYfm Police/Every Breath pic.twitter.com/W01mrFQkyU

— Michael Schneider (@franklinavenue) January 27, 2020

“All stations in all markets are requested to participate,” read an announcement posted to the SCBA website. “The following guidelines below will help each station prepare for this united front of silence for Kobe and what he meant to everyone in Southern California.”