No books needed for this ‘academy’
January 6, 2007
When the radio station Howard 93.7 changed formats in October 2005, the sounds of the Secretions, the Groovie Ghoulies and the Knockoffs went silent. There is still a voice fighting for punk music to return to Sacramento airwaves, and it belongs to Andy Hawk.
Hawk hosted Punk Rock Academy at 93.7 for a year and a half before it was shuffled along with the rest of 93.7’s lineup when the format was changed to Jack FM, which basically plays a wide variety of songs at random that usually wouldn’t be heard together. One minute it could be “Rooster” by Alice in Chains, then next “Whip It” by Devo.
“Basically, the reason why the formats are the way they are is all due to the ratings system,” Hawk said in a telephone interview.
As Hawk explains it, Arbitron, which is like the radio version of TV’s Nielsen ratings, is too out-dated to keep accurate ratings. He said that Arbitron doesn’t call people who don’t own a home phone line, and because so many alternative music listeners are “very technologically advanced” many of them don’t have a home phone line because of their cell phones.
“I have cable Internet and a cell phone,” Hawk said. “Why would I need a home line?” Since his show was cancelled Hawk has been trying to keep busy in the world of radio. Hawk recently got a one hour spot at the end of the “Carmichael Dave Show” from 11 to midnight on Thursday nights called “Check Out My Sac,” which spotlights local bands in the Sacramento music scene. Hawk also works behind the scenes, helping to produce other radio shows.
Hawk, a Sacramento native, grew up in Carmichael and now resides in Citrus Heights. He attended Jesuit High School before graduating from California State University, San Diego in 2000 with a Bachelor’s degree in communications.
Hawk hosted a punk and ska radio show in Phoenix for four years before returning to Sacramento to work at 93.7. At first, he was told he would be able to host a punk show, but once he got here, he was told his show would have to wait. After becoming frustrated with waiting, Hawk decided to host the show he wanted regardless of what his bosses said. That show became “Punk Rock Academy.”
“It wasn’t my show, it wasn’t your show, it was our show,” Hawk said.
Hawk has been working to get “Punk Rock Academy” back on the air, but hasn’t had much luck. He said that station programmers are very reluctant to put on new shows and change their lineups, but it hasn’t stopped him from trying.
It hasn’t stopped the fans from trying to get “Punk Rock Academy” back on the air either. Fans have created groups on MySpace intended to get the show back on the air. People who join the groups are encouraged to contact station programmers and tell them they’d like to see “Punk Rock Academy” make its way back to our radio’s speakers.
“The appeal of the show is that people were being catered to that have been ignored,” Hawk said, citing the popularity of the Vans Warped Tour and the lack of outlet for that brand of music in Sacramento.
Hawk also puts on about three punk shows a month called Andy Hawk’s Punk Rock Showcase, which sometimes gets referred to as Punk Rock Academy night. The next show is on Cinco de Mayo at Shaker’s featuring Flip the Switch.
Hawk said that while he enjoys his current projects, he’d still like to get “Punk Rock Academy” back on the air.
“It’ll probably take time,” Hawk said. “Radio’s a slow process. It’s a long shot, but not impossible.”
To find out more about punk rock academy and upcoming shows click here.
Frank Miller can be reached at [email protected].
