Diamond Dave Rocking Free FM's Boat?

[TJL]

This item appeared in Lloyd Grove's cloumn in the NY Daily News.
Remember people, this is a GOSSIP column, so this is just hearsay.
Which as we all know, is better than real news. - TJL

In radioland, it's the sour grapes of Roth

Looks like rock-star-turned-shock-jock David Lee Roth is having an ugly launch as Howard Stern's successor, with radio station staffers grumbling about Roth's allegedly bad behavior.
My sources at 92.3 Free FM - formerly K-Rock - tell me that the former Van Halen front man and his manager, Matt Sencio, "are totally out of control and out of their league when it comes to producing a radio show," as one disgruntled employee put it.

"This guy [Roth] is impossible to work with. A real arrogant, self-righteous a-," says a Lowdown spy. "All the execs know they made the two biggest errors in radio history - letting Stern go to Sirius and hiring this moron Roth. He never preps for a show. He is out the door five minutes after the show, unless he is 'forced' to record a commercial or re-record ones he made errors on."

According to the anti-Roth faction, he demanded that general manager Tom Chiusano do expensive renovations on Stern's old studio, then refused to use it, claiming asbestos infestation. He ripped down the walls of a temporary studio because of suspected dust behind the walls.

"He swears he is allergic to dust and smoke, but smells like an ashtray," says the spy.

The source also says Roth's manager got into a shouting match with program director Mark Chernoff on one of the first few days of the show. Then, the spy says, "Roth insisted on decorating the halls and studios, and then he had a moving company come in and remove dozens of pictures and his fake palm trees while he mumbled about Tom and the bastards at Infinity," he said.

In addition, said the source, Roth "hates Tom and is vocal about that to almost everyone he talks at. It's almost like he wants to get fired, and take the money and run."

My detailed messages to various and sundry went unreturned yesterday, and a station spokeswoman declined to comment.