Talk:Morning zoo

Zoo Format
There's quite a lot of pages talk about the radio Zoo format, but very few link to this page. Some of them aren't quite the same format as the American radio stations, but some with a little work it could be made into a useful article. I'll try linking a couple of UK DJs and see if this expands. --MikeNolan 00:20, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

Morning ZEW
Would be the correct spelling, imho, as 'The Morning Zoo with LaBella and Rody' was on the air on KZEW in Dallas by, i believe, 1979 or 80. However, i'm unable to find a reference for this... yet. :D Eaglizard (talk) 03:22, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

It would be "zoo"

The station always referred to itself as the "zoo", not "zew". in all their lit, artwork, etc. http://thezoofile.com/The_KZEW_Story.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.113.207.23 (talk) 09:34, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Australia?
Why exactly is this part of WP Australia? I understand that this show format was developed in Atlanta, and is found in various english-speaking countries. I don't see how it pertains to Australia in particular. Blowfish (talk) 03:19, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

Kenny Everett
is there a Kenny Everett connection here? I don't have any references, but perhaps he was an influence. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 112.118.173.120 (talk) 17:32, 9 September 2010 (UTC)

Lo Zoo di 105
Can we consider a "Morning Zoo" the italian radio show "Lo_Zoo_di_105"?--151.29.156.176 (talk) 14:13, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Comments from Cleveland Wheeler
The following content was added on 16 May 2012 by an anon claiming to have expert knowledge of the origins of this term. Though obviously written in tone and style inappropriate for inclusion in the article itself, it may have useful content that can be incorporated into the article, should it be edited and properly sourced. – 18.239.5.126, 07:59, 28 May 2012

As the partner and co-creator (Cleveland Wheeler) of the original CHR "Q-Morning Zoo in Tampa, Florida at Q-105, I can attest firsthand that the formulation of this morning radio entertainment format was the product of a "think tank" session between Scott Shannon and myself at the Tampa Airport Marriott over a period of two days in 1981. I graciously recognize that the name, "Morning ZEW" was given to a show on the very popular Dallas radio station 5 years earlier but it did not embody the content, intent, design or culture model for the specific format for which the (Original Tampa Z00) was created.

There was an awareness of KZEW and the moniker that was the entire station but never was there any inspiration  from people or programming there or from any other station in The U.S. or any other country that was or could have been using variations on the word, “ZOO”. As a natter of pure fact, in our think-tank session many cartoonish words hit the list of ideas that reflected the audio playing in our heads for this newly concocted show.

Shannon had just come on as Operations Manager of WRBQ in Tampa where I had been hosting morning drive for four years. He sat in on the show identified only as "the other one" and as we began to see that there was a chemical compatability, we grew a two man show that would be defined by selecting the best traits of our most admired radio personalities over the years.

The purpose of the cloistered hotel meeting was to open up and liberate channels of creative thinking that had been stifled by rigid programming limitations and the lack of anything vital, energetic and different in the Tampa marketplace.

Shannon and I both agreed that outrageous, challenging, mischievous, informational, controversial, comical, animated, satirical, playful, accessible, and above all, being champions of the cities we served as Tampa Bay, were the ingredients that were most important to this show but that the show could not, by design, step over the boundaries in appeal and trust of audiences 8 to 80. There born, was the disclaimer, “The Q-ZOO is an equal opportunity offender.” Neither one of us had ever heard something like that done and weren't certain if it could be.

The show was a cast of characters, both real and imagined who all had starring roles. The Q-ZOO was like a live, hosted, spontaneous stage play on radio and it became very hot very fast. Prior to Shannon's departure for an opportunity to put the ZOO on New York's stage at Z-100, the show had chalked 24 shares. I (Cleveland Wheeler) remained as he show's host and over the following seven years had three different co-hosts and a full time audio-animation producer, writer, and voice artist. During the years with Terrance McKeever as my partner, the show collected as high as 34 shares and is still spoken of as a phenomenon.

For five years the Q-ZOO was simulcast as a TV show called the ZOOTUBE. The concept was “radio with pictures” where the audiences could look in on the inner workings of a radio show in progress. In that respect, the cast rarely played to or looked at any of the three cameras that were strategically placed in the control room and controlled by a dedicated video staff at the other end of the radio station.The show was carried by cable in 15counties, distributed by Jones Intercable. In it's second year, it beat “CBS This Morning” in Tampa TV ratings.

The above was added to the article by Cleveland Wheeler. I have brought it to the talk page for posterity. Binksternet (talk) 00:48, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

I still say KZEW
Mr Wheeler's apparently informed comments notwithstanding. Here is an ad spot on YouTube in which the format sounds very much like the one described in this article, and it is called the "Morning Zoo". This ad (allegedly) aired in 1975. Unfortunately, I still haven't found any real citations for this. Eaglizard (talk) 07:07, 25 December 2015 (UTC)

Morning zoo in the afternoon
The opening sentence implies that a "morning zoo" programme is broadcast in the morning. Later in the article "Steve Wright in the Afternoon" (an afternoon show) is given an an example. Can this apparent contradiction be resolved? --  Dr Greg   talk  17:59, 27 April 2016 (UTC)