Joe Escalante Departs Indie 103.1 Morning Show

Joe Escalante has left the KDLD-FM (“Indie 103.1″) morning show. Escalante’s departure comes as station owner Entravision makes some budget trims (as everyone seems to be doing these days).

Ted Roman is hosting the show for now, at least on an interim basis. No word if Roman will permanently replace Escalante, or if another host is on the way.

A bassist for the punk band The Vandals and owner of Kung Fu Records, Escalante also spent 12 years as a business affairs exec, including time at CBS. He first joined Indie in 2005 to host the weekly call-in show “Barely Legal Radio,” where he offered entertainment legal advice to people in the industry.

When the station axed morning show host (and Mighty Mighty Bosstones singer) Dicky Barrett in May 2006, Escalante was tapped to replace him.

It looks like Escalante hasn’t completely severed ties with Indie; he’ll now go back to just hosting Barely Legal Radio.

New Face in Los Angeles Morning Radio

Hot 92.3 (KHHT-FM) — the “oldies and today’s R&B” station (featuring Art Laboe with his low-rider oldies at night) announced a new morning drive DJ on Wednesday: Victor Zaragoza.

The mostly unknown Zaragoza comes to Hot 92.3 from San Francisco, where he was a DJ for Wild 94.9 (KYLD-FM). Both KYLD and KHHT are Clear Channel stations.

Zaragoza takes over on Aug. 13. He replaces “The Morning Jamz Session” show, hosted by Diana Steele, Rico and Damon Knight. (Steele and Rico have left the station; Knight remains as the station’s music director).

KHHT’s press release claims that Zaragoza is the only Latino hosting a morning show on a “general market station in Los Angeles,” but that’s not quite true: Indie 103.1 (KDLD/KDLE) morning host Joe Escalante is half Mexican.

Besides, in L.A., what does “general market station” mean? The market’s No. 1 station is KSCA-FM 101.9, and its No. 1 morning DJ is KSCA’s Spanish-speaking Piolin.

Meanwhile, also new to Hot 92.3: 1980s R&B crooner Al B. Sure! (yes, the exclamation mark is part of his name), who takes on middays.