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KDND
File:107.9 the end.jpg
Broadcast areaSacramento
Frequency107.9 (MHz)
Branding"107.9 The End"
Programming
FormatTop 40 Mainstream
Ownership
OwnerEntercom
History
First air date
1998
Call sign meaning
Either its 107.9 frequency, which is at the eND of the FM dial (First D represents the sound-alike the, rest is sounded out phonetically), or named after The Beatles song "The End"
Technical information
ClassB
ERP50,000 watts
Links
Websitehttp://www.endonline.com/

KDND is an FM station licensed to Sacramento, California at 107.9 mHz. It is owned by Entercom. KDND broadcasts a mainstream Top 40 format under the name 107.9 The End. KDND's current format has lasted since 1998, when it changed formats from classic rock.

The station is also one of three Top 40 stations competing in the Sacramento radio market; rhythmic-leaning rivals KSFM and KBMB are the other two.

KDND is the successor to KXOA-FM, which had been broadcasting since the late 1940s with various formats. In 1996, Brown Broadcasting sold KXOA-FM to Entercom (which already owned KSEG and KRXQ). The station continued to program its previous “Arrow” format until the summer of 1998. The owners flipped the station to a CHR/Pop format, and changed the call letters to KDND. The station was named “The End”, apparently as a reference to the station’s 107.9 position on the FM dial, though some listeners have suggested it was named after a Beatles song called The End from their album Abbey Road.

The station continues its CHR/Pop format today, with Alecia in the mid-day, Christopher K (who has been with The End since its inception in 1998) afternoons, and Doug Lazy at night.

"Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest and death

On January 12, 2007, a listener named Jennifer Strange, 28, died of water intoxication hours after taking part in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest in which KDND promised a Nintendo Wii video game system for the winner. At the time, the console was very popular and sought-after but also near impossible to find in North America.[1][2] In the competition, contestants were asked to drink as much water as they could without evacuating the bladder ("wee"). The contestant able to "hold the most water" would be named the winner.

According to contest participants, 17 to 20 contestants took part in the competition in a room at KDND's studios. The contest broadcast during the station's "Morning Rave" program began around 6:15 a.m. as contestants were each handed 8 oz water bottles to drink at 15 minute intervals. Contestants also said that as the contest progressed, they were given increasingly larger quantities of water to drink. Some later remarked on the physical discomfort they suffered during and following the event.

According to the Sacramento Bee, a nurse was on air warning that drinking too much water is dangerous. The DJ rebuffed the nurse, saying the contestants signed waivers. However, according to a contestant, the waivers addressed only publicity issues and made no mention of health or safety concerns.[3]

After the contest, Strange spoke to a co-worker by telephone, indicating she was on her way home and in extreme pain, suffering from what appeared to be an intense headache. The co-worker contacted Strange's mother, who went to her home an hour later to find her daughter's body.[4] [5] [6]

On January 15, 2007, the front page of KDND's website was replaced with a message from John Geary, KDND's vice-president and general manager, expressing sympathies to Strange's family and announcing that the Morning Rave program would be taken off the air indefinitely. On January 16, 2007, station manager John Geary dismissed 10 station employees (including 3 morning DJs) from their positions in connection with the tragedy[7] and canceled the Morning Rave. In consequence, all references to the Morning Rave program and associated DJ's have been fired, and removed from the KDND website. [8] (Although references can be found as of January 17, 2007, inside the END website using google.) [9]

The Associated Press reported that the Sacramento County Sheriff's Dept spokesman said no officers were investigating the death, and that "It was a contest and people are saying there was no coercion." [10] However, Deborah Hoffman of KXTV television reported that former Federal Prosecutor Bill Portanova commented that, "on the face of it, the radio station has some serious liability exposure", due in part to widespread news coverage of the 2005 Matthew Carrington death. On January 17, 2007, the Sacramento Bee reported that "Sacramento Sheriff John McGinness, alarmed by audio recordings obtained by The Bee of the radio show contest that may have led to the death of 28-year-old Jennifer Lea Strange, has directed homicide detectives to look into whether a crime was committed during the water-drinking contest sponsored by the 'Morning Rave' show on The End radio station."[11]

On January 18, 2007, a wrongful death civil lawsuit was announced on behalf of Jennifer Strange's husband and three children against KDND. The Strange's will be represented by Sacramento attorney Roger Dreyer.[12]

Transcript of audio

The Sacramento Bee newspaper released audio clips from the morning show on their website [13]

Here are some highlights of the clips, transcripted:

---

[Before the contest begins, the DJs are discussing the contest]

Female DJ 1: "Can't you get water poisoning, and like, die?"

Male DJ 1: "Your body is 98% water. (laughing) Why can't you take in as much water as you want? (laughing)"

Female DJ 1: "I don't know"

...[unintelligible comments about "some poor kid", an apparent reference to the recent water poisoning hazing death of Matthew Carrington]

Female DJ 1: "Maybe we should have researched this" (laughter)

Male DJ 1: "If it gets dangerous for somebody, their body will automatically throw it up."

---

[A caller named Eva calls in... ]

Male DJ 1: "Eva? What do you want to say?"

Eva: "I want to say that those people who are drinking all that water can get sick and possibly die from water intoxication"

Male DJ 1: "We're aware of that"

Male DJ 2: "They signed releases so we're not responsible. It's OK" (laughter)

Male DJ 1: "And if they get to the point where they have to throw up, then they're gonna throw up and they're outta the contest before they die. So that's good right?"

Eva: "Awwww, that's mean. I suppose so."

. . .

Female DJ 1: "Thanks for looking out though"

. . .

Male DJ 1: "Hey Carter, is anybody dying in there?"

Carter: "We got a guy who is just about to die" (laughter)

Identities:

Female DJ 1: Probably 'Trish'

Edna the caller: Coworker of Nurse Practitioner Judy Linder, whose idea it was for Edna to call the station and notify them of the danger [14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Nintendo Wii Sells Out in North America
  2. ^ IGN.com on Wii availability
  3. ^ http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/108103.html
  4. ^ http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=23350
  5. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/13/water.intox.ap/index.html
  6. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6261509.stm
  7. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16660273
  8. ^ http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=23418
  9. ^ http://www.endonline.com/weblog/morningrave/
  10. ^ Los Angeles Times story, mentions Sacramento County Sheriff's Dept.
  11. ^ Sacramento Bee: Sheriff Will Review Radio Show Death
  12. ^ Sacramento Bee: Civil Suit to be Filed in Radio Contest Death
  13. ^ http://www.sacbee.com/static/newsroom/kdndslides/ Scaramento Bee: Sound clips of the contest from the Sacramento Bee
  14. ^ http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=23418 Article from KXTV; mentions nurse practitioner and telephone call
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