Radio station plays Killing In The Name on repeat to apparently protest staff layoffs
Fancy hearing Rage Against The Machine over and over again? Just tune in to Vancouver’s KiSS 104.9 right now…
Rage Against The Machine's classic protest anthem Killing In The Name has been playing non-stop on KiSS 104.9 since early Wednesday morning (June 29).
The Canadian radio station has garnered significant attention for the ongoing incident, which seemingly stems from staff layoffs (or quite possibly a change in programming, according to The Guardian).
It follows the departure of popular morning hosts Kevin Lim and Sonia Sidhu, whose five-year stint on the channel came to an end yesterday. Afternoon host Tara Jean Stevens will also be moving on from KiSS.
"KiSS is changing and unfortunately we were informed that we won't be part of this new chapter," read a statement from Kevin and Sonia. "While we aren’t sure what’s next for us, we are grateful for you all. This isn't waking up from a dream. It's starting a new one. And this isn’t goodbye either… it’s see you later."
At the time of writing, a censored version of Killing In The Name is still playing, with a viral post on Facebook from Jared Patterson joking, "Has anyone contacted Guinness World Record yet?" After 12 hours, Jared pointed out that, "That's roughly 145 times the song has played today," while another update revealed that, "The callers in-between the repeats have been golden. One lady asked if they can play Rage Against The Machine… The DJ said, 'This time, I will do what you told me…' CLASSIC!"
According to The Guardian, the staff member who answers the phone – who asked to be called Apollo – said they weren't allowed to say why the song was being repeated constantly: “I’m not allowed to say. I’m just a guy in a booth, just letting the Rage play over and over. What do you think? Do you like it?”
The below tweet was shared by Tom Morello:
According to NME, a spokesperson for KiSS 104.9 owners Rogers Sports and Media said that “we will have more details to share with you tomorrow morning on the plans for 104.9 FM in Vancouver”.
Read this: Tom Morello: My life in 10 songs