Loveline
To meet its FCC obligations, KROQ had to provide public service broadcasting. Loveline was initially developed by Scott Mason, and was intended as a serious program. Trenton took over development of the program and somewhat changed the format, bringing a comedy/entertainment element to it. However, Trenton also found himself unable to answer serious medical questions related to sexual issues.
By August 1993, Trenton's relationship with KROQ had grown tense. He had a history of behavioral problems, often ignoring management direction. He walked off the show and had been suspended for a month earlier that year. The final straw occurred when Trenton responded to a prank performed on him on his 40th birthday by fellow KROQ DJ Gene "Bean" Baxter. Trenton sent a large crowd of listeners over to Bean's house at midnight, and Bean complained to the station's management. That month, he was replaced by former MTV VJ Riki Rachtman. Rachtman didn't last long at the station, and was replaced by Adam Carolla, who lasted many years on the program before voluntarily leaving for other projects.
The hugely popular Loveline continued to thrive without Trenton, earning many millions of dollars, and becoming syndicated. It also had a televised run on MTV for a number of years.
In 1994, Trenton sued KROQ, and demanded a piece of the revenues from Loveline. The court ruled against Trenton, citing that Loveline was created as part of Trenton's employment at KROQ, thereby making it their property. Trenton appealed the decision, but that was also unsuccessful.
On December 8, 1998, Trenton filed a $40 million dollar copyright infringement lawsuit against MTV in the Los Angeles District Court, claiming the network stole his idea for their televised version of Loveline. That suit was also dismissed.
In January 2010, Trenton accused Dr. Drew of cocaine abuse during their "Loveline" days. This accusation appeared in Life & Style Magazine.
Read more about this topic: Jim Trenton