John Lassman, radio veteran formerly of KQRS, gets new show in St. Cloud
‘Rockin’ 101-WHMH.
Radio personality John Lassman is the latest hire from St. Cloud-based Tri-County Broadcasting, for whom the veteran will act as operations director and host a morning rock show.
Lassman, who was most recently the executive producer of The Tom Barnard Show until his abrupt exit in 2019, will now present "The Johnny Rock Show" weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on "Rockin' 101" on WHMH.
He will be filling the void left by Aaron Imholte, who resigned in November after body shaming a radio host in Iowa on his show.
He has enjoyed a storied career in the radio industry, but was famously the promotions director at WAPP in New York City who first got Jon Bon Jovi added to the station's playlist. Bon Jovi thanked Lassman during his 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech.
Locally, he's been known for his run as a host at KQRS from 1983 to 1994, returning for a second stint at Barnard's producer in the mid 2010s.
He has also worked as the marketing director for WRIF-Detroit, and as operations/program director at 93.7 THE EDGE, 104.1 JACK FM, and 93X in the Twin Cities.
"I’ve admired Tri-County Broadcasting, 'Rockin' 101 and its talented team for many years," Lassman said in a press release, describing the decision to join as a "no brainer."
"I’m looking forward to building ‘The Johnny Rock Show’ into a local and self-deprecating morning radio institution for St. Cloud and the surrounding areas."
Lassman also suggested that "The Chucker," his radio persona who specializes in prank phone calls, will be joining him in St. Cloud.
WHMH Program Director Tim Ryan said: "Looking though our long list of applications for our future morning show, one name came up that really caught our attention. Radio veteran John Lassman's impressive resume rose to the top of the list.
"Not only does Lassman come highly recommended by many other broadcast professionals, he is also a recognized name in the St. Cloud area from his tenure in the Twin Cities radio market. John has the knowledge and experience of a long radio career and brings a fresh perspective and new ideas not only to Rockin' 101 but to Tri-County Broadcasting, Inc. as a whole."
