Morning zoo is a format of morning radio show common to English-language radio broadcasting. The name is derived from the "wackiness and zaniness" of the activities, bits, and overall personality of the show and its hosts. The morning zoo concept and name is most often deployed on contemporary hit radio (CHR-Top 40) radio stations.
The morning zoo was named by KZEW (The ZOO) Dallas program director Ira Lipson in 1976. When Charlie Kendall was morning DJ his friend Scott Shannon visited and liked the phrase and vowed to use it when he programmed his next station, which happened to be Z-100 in New York City. When that station became a huge ratings success, the name "The Morning ZOO" was copied by stations across the USA.
John Gorman, former program director at Cleveland rock station WMMS, states the following regarding the "Morning Zoo" format's origin:
We borrowed the 'Morning Zoo' moniker from our New York sister station Z-100, which borrowed it from WRBQ in Tampa, which borrowed it from a station in Australia.The zoo concept developed and matured during the 1980s, with many elements of the zoo formula continuing as benchmarks of morning radio today. Currently, few of the original radio stations promoting morning zoo morning shows continue to do so, with many abandoning live morning shows in favor of satellite/syndicated offerings; others simply have retired the concept. However, while the name morning zoo is not in as much use today, the concept itself remains the general template for most morning shows across the country.
A "morning zoo" typically consisted of two or three personalities, usually capable of comedic discourse as well as competent delivery of news and service elements. Most zoo programs involved call-in "stunt personalities" (usually, but not always, created by the staff), on-air games and regular contests. All of these elements were in place on LaBella and Rody's show, for instance.
Perhaps the industry's leading example of consistent, long-term morning zoo programming can be found by studying the history of WHTZ Newark/New York's Z100. In Australia, it is heard on Triple M as 'The Cage', amongst other stations. The Don and Mike show originated as a Morning zoo show in at WAVA in the 1980s, and retained some elements of the format. KKBQ-FM in Houston had a highly successful run throughout the 1980s with its "Q-Morning Zoo" headed by John Lander until 1990. Scott Shannon was on hand for the shows premier in 1982. KKBQ (now country) reinstalled the format to its current morning show. Austin-based Dudley and Bob Show on KLBJ-FM regularly announce their 'house party' format, especially noted on Fridays.
In Vancouver, British Columbia, LG73 (call sign CKLG) adopted this format for its popular morning program, led by Dean Hill, from 1985 to 1993. Personalities of note included "Jon Bon Bichin'", "Constable Bob", "Uncle Angus", and "The Coach". The LG Morning Zoo featured a house band "The LG Morning Zoo Cement Heads", who recorded parodies of popular songs, such as "Yack Yack", a spoof of the Paul Lekakis hit "Boom Boom", "Change of Socks", poking fun at Cyndi Lauper's "Change of Heart", and "(Baby You Can't) Drive Your Car", mocking the provincial government's automobile insurance monopoly ICBC, to the tune of the Beatles' "Drive My Car".
In Quebec City, CJMF-FM 93.3 had "Le Zoo du 93" from 1985 to 1990. Not only the show still holds a number of records in terms of ratings and market shares (a quarter hour of 148 000 listeners), but it also skyrocketed the station to now unreachable numbers, with 573 200 listeners on a weekly basis (according to the BBM summer 1987 survey).
In the UK, Steve Wright (currently of BBC Radio 2) is famous for revolutionizing British radio by introducing the format when he started his Steve Wright in the Afternoon show on BBC Radio 1. Chris Moyles and "Comedy" Dave Vitty also used the zoo format with great success. Their audience was measured at eight million listeners by RAJAR.
The format is used on stations of many different genres. Even Christian radio stations such as WAWZ in New Jersey have a morning zoo.
Famous quotes containing the words morning and/or zoo:
“Come away, come sweet Love,
The golden morning breakes:
All the earth, all the ayre,
Of love and pleasure speakes.”
—John Dowland (1562–1626)
“...there was the annual Fourth of July picketing at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. ...I thought it was ridiculous to have to go there in a skirt. But I did it anyway because it was something that might possibly have an effect. I remember walking around in my little white blouse and skirt and tourists standing there eating their ice cream cones and watching us like the zoo had opened.”
—Martha Shelley, U.S. author and social activist. As quoted in Making History, part 3, by Eric Marcus (1992)