On The Air: 1989-Present
Carter has been an on-air radio personality since the late 1980s, when he first appeared on KROQ filling in for Rodney Bingenheimer and co-hosting KROQ artist specials with him. From 1996 to 1997, he hosted “Sony’s Siren Spotlight” interview show, broadcast worldwide and featuring in depth interviews with hundreds of Sony artists, ranging from Ozzy Osbourne to Pearl Jam. From August 1997 through December 1999, he hosted his original show “The Chris Carter Mess,” a four-hour specialty show on Los Angeles radio station Modern Rock Y107. “The Mess” also aired in the midwest on WOXY-FM. After a Y107 format change in January 1999, “The Chris Carter Mess” moved to LA’s Channel 103.1, where it aired weekly through February 2001. Meanwhile, in 1999, Carter was honored by (now-defunct) BAM Magazine as one of the BAM 100, which recognized “The 100 Most Influential Californians in the Music Industry.”
Until September 2006, Carter hosted “Breakfast with the Beatles” on 97.1 Free FM (formerly KLSX-FM) in Los Angeles, where it was heard every Sunday morning from 10 a.m. until noon. Billed as the longest-running Beatles show in America (premiering in 1976), “Breakfast with the Beatles” was also the highest-rated weekend music show in Los Angeles. As host, Carter interviewed ex-Beatles Paul McCartney, George Harrison (recorded for a Capitol Records promo CD, this turned out to be his last interview before his death in 2001), Ringo Starr and Pete Best. The McCartney interview can be seen in Paul’s “Back in the US” film and DVD.
In September 2006, the show was placed on hiatus by KLSX (which has an all-talk format). This marked the (temporary, as it turned out) end of a 23-year run in Los Angeles, as the show was founded by Deirdre O'Donoghue and hosted by her until her death in 2001. The last KLSX show aired September 3, 2006—the day after Chris Carter's 47th birthday. After that, fans of the show could hear it commercial-free on "Free 2 HD," KLSX's HD2 channel. (Information on how to buy a radio for this and other secondary radio stations can be found here.)
In November 2006, KLOS picked up the show, and expanded it to 3 hours (8 AM to 11 AM). The show has since retained its high ratings, usually ranking #1 in its timeslot.
On September 14, 2008, Chris joined forces with "Little Steven" Van Zandt and Sirius XM Satellite Radio and is now heard on the Underground Garage channel (Sirius 25 and XM 59). The show airs Sundays 9AM to Noon (ET) and rebroadcasts Sunday at midnight (ET)
In 2008 Carter became the voice of two of Air New Zealand’s in flight radio show’s - ZROC and Arena Rock stations.
In November 2008, “Breakfast with the Beatles” was recognized by the City of Los Angeles for 25 years of broadcasting.
In December 2008, “Breakfast with the Beatles” debuted its new web site at breakfastwiththebeatles.com.
Read more about this topic: Chris Carter (producer/disc Jockey)