Rodney Bingenheimer Is Back On The Air (But Not At KROQ)

"Rodney on the Roq," which had been on KROQ's airwaves since 1977, aired its last installment earlier this month. Fans lamented the departure of the show's host: Rodney Bingenheimer, who made a name for himself by being one of the first West Coast DJs to play acts like Blondie, the Sex Pistols, and others.

That anguish will be short-lived, however; it was announced Wednesday that Bingenheimer will get his own timeslot on SiriusXM’s Little Steven’s Underground Garage channel, reports Variety. The show will premiere at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday July, 16, and will be accessible via satellite on SiriusXM channel 21, as well as through the SiriusXM app and website.

Little Steven’s Underground Garage, in case you weren't aware, is produced by Steven Van Zandt of E Street Band fame (he was also Silvio on The Sopranos). "We are honored to have him. This is where he belongs!" Van Zandt said in a release.

Bingenheimer first made the announcement on his Facebook page on Wednesday. Speaking on Van Zandt, Bingenheimer said, "With both of us now at the same channel we're gonna keep great music alive. Especially for me, being on at an earlier time, I can have more listeners who don't have to worry about missing work or school the next day."

Bingenheimer's comments on his new schedule is, of course, a remark on his former timeslot at KROQ, which had relegated him to a Sunday graveyard shift. Speaking with LA Weekly about his old timeslot, he said he "never really liked it," adding that, "“It was always a lot of stoners calling in. And truck drivers. The loyal fans tried to stay with me no matter what, but a lot of them had to go to work or school the next day so they missed it.”

We're glad to have you back Rodney, even if your absence was a brief one.