Is L.A. listening to the BA?

KCRW - the huge public radio station in Los Angeles - is a guiding tastemaker for all non-traditional (pop) music in this country, in no small part because it has the ear of Hollywood. It's flagship program, Morning Becomes Eclectic, has been hosted by wizened Brit Nick Harcourt for a decade. Harcourt's also been KCRW's music director.

I went to listen online this morning while doing some filing, and - hombre! - Nick's out, replaced as music director and host of MBE by Jason Bentley, who DJ-ed an evenign show on the station. I'm listening to his first show right now and some mellow indy rock is on. His on-air sound is much more polite than Harcourt's edgy, brusque delivery.

But Bentley told Variety magazine, the future of MBE could sound a whole lot more like the Beat Authority (well, except the classical)...

A self-penned checklist already exists for Bentley's transition from his evening, beat-driven "Metropolis" show. Learn more about Latin alternative. Find ways to incorporate more jazz and classical. Reduce the amount of music played that's months away from a release date. Offer a newly defined vision of world music. First act to book: Femi Kuti.

He's even playing Novalima right now (on Jacob Edgar's Charlotte, VT-based Cumbancha records), which we started playing weeks ago! Thanks for listening, Jason ! (Yeah, right.)

PS - If you haven't watched MBE's video in-studio performances before, you're missing out.