‘Dangerous’ Dan Allen — a ‘chart junkie’ — spins the oldies on WDJO Radio daily; still loves ‘Dial a Hit’

By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter

The only thing old about Dan Allen is the music he plays.

Dangerous Dan Allen spins the oldies on WDJO Radio (1480-AM, 99.5FM, 107.9 FM) daily from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.

And the Dangerous one has had some pretty good training.

“I was what you’d call a ‘Chart Junkie’,” he told the Northern Kentucky Tribune, “When I was a student at New Haven Elementary School, I would ask the kids to tell me their Top 40 songs.”

That was the beginning of a long and traveled road for the Union resident.

First stop, he recalled was WNKR in Falmouth. “I was 27 and did Sunday night oldies,” he said. “And the Program Director was the ‘Fat Man’ from WEBN fame —non-other than Ernie Brown.”

Allen lasted there just three months, and it was the beginning of a professional resume that was as large as a roll of Bounty paper towels.

Rising Sun, Ind. was next, WSCH. “They had a country music format,” Allen said. But he doubled his stay in Indiana – this time he remained for, “About seven or eight months.”

A three-month stopover at WCLU in Covington had Allen behind the microphone for the coveted Morning Drive slot.

“In fact, I followed Janeen Coyle, who is leaving WGRR with her husband Chris O’Brien later this month,” he said. “It was a three-month stay this time. I left after several of my checks bounced.”

But it was in Falmouth where he met the Radio Guru – Randy Michaels – former President of Jacor and Clear Channel Radio. “I hooked-up with Randy, produced the Dusty Rhodes Show on WKRC Radio, Sunday nights and Randy offered me a full -time production job.”

Six months later he was named Music Director. Perhaps a position he could have filled while attending New Haven Elementary.

It was a love affair – but not at first sight – since Dan Allen had a love of radio from his elementary school days and his interning while a student at Northern Kentucky University.

And radio took Dan Allen to 49 states and countries all over the world. “I did work for RCS – Radio Computing Services 13 years,” he said. “We sold, installed and trained as well as designed programs for radio stations. We actually computerized weekly music charts – a first.”

But sitting behind the microphone was his real calling – and in 1990 WGRR (103.5 FM) was born – and Allen was, um, reborn.

“That’s where I debuted my Dial a Hit,” he said. “Callers would dial me up and request their favorite songs.”

Dial a Hit is alive and well, noon to 1 p.m. daily on WDJO. WDJO – the lone oldies radio format in the Tri-state, was born in 2005. “I started with Sunday afternoons,” he said, “and took over the mid-day slot about two months ago.”

So why does the oldies format work?

“Our audience requests are always popular and combine that with some humor, you have a winner,” he said. “And this music is in your blood forever.”

Allen says the oldies format works because there’s an oversaturation of commercials and a reduction of other radio formats. “Call it radio chaos,” he said. “And it’s not for the better.”

He cites the CBS Television network when making the case for the oldies. “CBS is geared to an older audience,” he said. “In 2004 the new Thunderbird was introduced. It was marketed to 30-year-olds. The average age of the buyer was 54. It was targeted and promoted to the wrong outlets.

“We’re (WDJO) the only station that doesn’t run away from 50,” he laughed. “We’re a fun radio station; the way radio was when you loved radio; and we have more and better music than anyone else.”

As for the Dangerous tag, well Dan Allen really isn’t dangerous.

“Marty Thompson, now the afternoon drive host on WDJO, gave me that,” he said, “Back when we worked together at KQOL (93.1 FM) in Las Vegas.”

And it stuck.

In fact, Allen said: “I knew I made it when I went to Wendy’s to place an order and was asked, ‘Is this Dangerous Dan Allen?’”