Introduction to a Legendary Radio Station
The long-time Kroq veteran Nicole Alvarez abruptly left the legendary radio station in Los Angeles at the end of July. Alvarez gave a meager look forward to her last moments in the air on July 30th. It was a sudden change and a remarkable shift after spending the past two decades as a constant presence at the station through success and recent tumult in recent years.
Breaking the Silence
Now Alvarez breaks her silence and writes an emotional letter in The Hollywood Reporter as for why she went, her hopes for the future of the radio, and what is on the horizon. Audacy, the owner of Kroq, refused to comment on Alvarez’s letter.
A Great Love Story
Like every great love story, this is chaotic. It’s not perfect, but it’s real. Alvarez never knew how it would end. She only knew that if this was the case, she had to be the one who would write the last chapter.
First Day at Kroq
On September 1, 2003, Alvarez went to the world-famous Kroq for her first day. She remembers every detail, the smell of the asphalt parking lot, the pulse in her chest, and Tim Armstrong from Rancid, who was there in his "salvation jacket". This moment felt like the beginning of the dream. She had somehow landed a job with the most famous radio station ever. This was the place where Ramones, U2, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Nirvana, and an impressive list of others were started. The soundtrack of her life probably went through this call sign.
Last Day at Kroq
On July 30, 2025, Alvarez said her last words at a moment that was emotionally frenzied and irreversible. She didn’t go into that morning expecting it to be the end, but she felt something. A shift. A knowledge. After a heated exchange with her boss, who crossed a line that nobody could come back from, the air opened. The time stopped. And she heard Iggy Pop’s voice cut like a liberation siren through the static: "Because I’m a punk rocker, yes, I am." That was her keyword. She took her last break, went out, and didn’t look back.
Unfulfilled Goodbye
Alvarez never had the opportunity to say goodbye to the city and the audience, which she will always love so much. This absence will weigh her hard forever. She loves and respects her boss, who also tries to navigate radio, now that it exists under the corporate thumb and a constantly changing landscape. This is not about him. This is about something bigger. Anyone who hired her for the first time will always have a place in her heart.
Two Decades of Service
Alvarez was only shy of her 23rd anniversary at Kroq, and that alone is an honorary badge. She has survived trends that formatted disorientation, bosses, budget cuts, and even her own rebellious nature. She always did it when she did. She has never put it down or dialed it in. She stood for the music, for the Misfits, for Los Angeles, and for the broadcaster.
Leaving Kroq
Leaving Kroq is the most difficult thing Alvarez has ever done. But staying would have been a slow death. After she had not been respected by a manager who is known for not respecting these types of things, she was finished. So she has her life for something that counts more than everything else, caused her integrity. In this round, she was ready to bet on herself.
The State of Radio
Alvarez will never speak ill of Kroq. This is not about a station that reveals her. It is a story about what has become of radio. About more. About the way the business is treated these days. The truth is, she had already grown out of what radio was allowed to be. This was the broadcaster that launched legendary musicians and gave the outcast and visionary southern California and also a voice. Once as a tastemaker, a cultural detonator, a lighthouse for the strange and wild ones, it has now become a table. A machine that is operated by research, not instinct, not passion, from housekeepers who stick to titles.
Giving Back to the Community
Alvarez gave this brand her whole heart. She rejected larger offers to stay loyal. She defended the station by crises and controversy. When the pandemic hit and their legacy morning show was fired abruptly into a step that made them the most hated station in Los Angeles, she held the line. She gave the station her voice, her credibility, her name. She tried to stick it together again. It was difficult to stand in the house that she lifted while it was burning to the ground. Nevertheless, she got up. Many of them did it.
The Power of Music
This made what was important to her, the music life. Even the songs that she didn’t particularly love. Even those they played to death. Alvarez focused on giving them context, soul, and a reason for people to hear them again. She wanted to make people feel something. That’s what radio should do. She wanted to be a friend, a good company. She wanted to remind everyone why we love music.
Legendary Events and Talented People
Alvarez had the privilege of working with some of the most talented people in the world. She had to be part of legendary events. She survived Los Angeles through championships, earthquakes, forest fires, and losing soul. She had to be part of what many still believe, the biggest radio station ever.
A Call to Action
Kroq still has the chance to remember who is "world famous". Take risks again. Measure. But it will require courage, not cowardice. Passion, not the approval of companies. Alvarez goes when she knows that she has given their listeners, their artists, and their culture. She also leaves to know that nothing was important for the managers in the large offices. But that’s not her burden. That belongs to them. It was important to her.
Moving Forward
Alvarez goes with Kroq in her heart. It was an honor for her to stand for it. Part of her will always do it. She started at Kroq under the largest radio team that it was ever. Kevin Weatherly, Lisa, and Gene Sandbloom. The Holy Trinity. She will always consider herself the happiest girl in the world to be there when it was inviolable.
Final Thoughts
For the artists, listeners, and colleagues with whom Alvarez crossed paths, she hopes that they will make something feel. She hopes she reminded them of their own talent. She hopes she left a trace. She hopes she helped them in some way. To hell, she hopes she even touched them. Radio will always be important. It will always play a role in the right hands. For the executives who suffocate, it is never too late to introduce humanity into the company count. Alvarez asks them to play the game without selling their souls. Radio doesn’t die. You kill it. Just do better. She hopes it has everything to do with music, a girl can dream. Kroq taught her that a long time ago. She hopes it remembers.
