KROQ Moves 'Loveline' Back to Its Old Slot

In a scheduling reversal, KROQ has moved long-running relationship call-in show "Loveline" back to its former 10 p.m.-to-midnight slot.

KROQ had downgraded "Loveline" to a midnight-to-2 a.m. spot in March. The decision to move the show back then came after KROQ was getting handily beat in late night by rival KYSR 98.7, which stuck to music programming in those hours.

As a result, 98.7 was starting to beat KROQ in audience share, according to Arbitron radio rankings, even though KROQ's "Kevin & Bean Show" dominates in the morning.

But more recently, KROQ has once again pulled ahead of KYSR in the overall rankings. And programmer Kevin Weatherly told All Access that he was pleased with the shows being produced with veteran host Dr. Drew Pinsky and new co-host "Psycho Mike" Catherwood.

"The chemistry between Psycho Mike and Dr. Drew is amazing, and the show sounds better than ever," Weatherly told the site.

Catherwood also continues as a member of the "Kevin & Bean" team, as well as a weekend DJ on KROQ. Pinsky, meanwhile, recently signed a deal to host a new nightly show for the HLN network.

New Co-Host and New (Not So Good) Timeslot for KROQ's "Loveline"

(New "Loveline" co-host "Psycho Mike" Catherwood, along with former "Loveline" co-host Adam Carolla and the show's 26-year veteran, Dr. Drew Pinsky)

As KROQ looks to beat down the surging competition -- rival 98.7 KYSR, which beat KROQ in the last Arbitron ratings survey -- the station has now bumped nighttime staple "Loveline" deep into the night.

"Loveline," now nationally syndicated by Westwood One, began as a weekly show on KROQ in 1983 (then hosted by Jim "Poorman" Trenton, who was joined a year later by Dr. Drew Pinsky). KROQ expanded the show to five nights a week -- Sunday through Thursday -- in 1992, and it's run from 10 p.m. to midnight ever since then.

Until now. Under pressure to improve its audience numbers, KROQ has pushed "Loveline" to a much tougher midnight-to-2 a.m. slot. The station now runs music at 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, "Loveline" has also tapped a new co-host to fill the void left by Ted Stryker, who left the show last year (but who recently returned to KROQ as the station's afternoon drive DJ). Longtime KROQ/"Kevin & Bean" staffer "Psycho Mike" Catherwood, who has regularly filled in as Pinsky's co-host on the show, has now been officially given the gig.

"I'm so honored and excited," Catherwood wrote on the KROQ site. "Hopefully my time working with the best morning radio show in the world (The Kevin & Bean Show) and as a recovering addict will have prepared me to take on this job. I grew up here in L.A. so it's down right surreal for me to be a part of two great Southern California institutions."

Besides "Loveline" originator the Poorman, Pinsky's other past co-hosts include Riki Rachtman, and Adam Carolla (who hosted for 10 years).