Krater 96 morning show moves forward minus hosts

The new owners of KRTR-FM 96.3, better known as Krater 96, will soon announce a new morning show after the departure of Dave Lancaster and Sista Sherry Clifton Friday.

The duo had been consistently in the top five, if not the top three-rated morning shows among 25- to 54-year-old listeners since Lancaster joined his partner at Krater on Oct. 5, 2009, succeeding Steve Kelly in the slot.

The station was targeting an 18- to 34-year-old audience, Lancaster said. Ratings show Krater performing not nearly as well among listeners in that age group.

Lancaster posted on his Facebook page Friday that station owner Summit Media Corp. is "moving in a different direction. They all say that. And we’re not part of their plans."

He thanked station officials for the opportunity to work with them and for their kindness during the severance process, along with an expression of faith.

Clifton, with the station group since 1998, also posted on Facebook a message of gratitude for the "blessings that have come my way at the radio stations I called home for 15 years," and "to the rest of my Summit ohana … I love you all."

Hundreds of people, from listeners to a long list of the duo’s former radio colleagues and celebrities including Nohelani Cypriano, posted messages of support and encouragement online.

Lancaster and Clifton are "wonderful people," said Patti Milburn, vice president and general manager of Summit’s Honolulu stations.

"It’s not something that they did. They’ve done a wonderful job. It’s just that we’re going in a different direction."

"They’re hard-working," Milburn said, noting that both had been doing "double duty" by also hosting shows on KINE-FM 105.1 via a recording process called voice-tracking.

Alabama-based Summit Media Holdings LLC comprises several former Cox Media Group executives who bought several Cox radio stations in February, including KRTR-FM 96.3, KCCN-FM 100.3, KPHW-FM 104.3, KINE-FM 105.1, KRTR-AM 650 and KKNE-AM 940 in Honolulu.

Less and less on-air content is live on the former Cox stations as well as most stations around the dial.

In the case of the Cox/Summit stations, it is due to "budget cutbacks over the years and we’re trying to get out of that," Milburn said.

The stations will continue to stay "connected with the community," as they work internally "to become more of an entertainment destination than we ever have been, especially in mornings."

Lancaster and Clifton are popular emcees at community events, most of them connected to their radio jobs, but both also do voice-over work for television and other productions. Lancaster has been the voice of 7-Eleven Hawaii for about 20 years, for example.

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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com, or on Twitter as @erikaengle.