VAN HALEN - VAN HALEN FRONTMAN THREATENS RADIO RESIGNATION

Former VAN HALEN frontman and radio DJ DAVID LEE ROTH has warned station bosses at WFNY he will quit if they continue insisting he copy shock jock HOWARD STERN in a bid to boost ratings. The outspoken morning presenter blasted his management team at the New York station in a crisis talk on Tuesday (07MAR06), allegedly branding them "social retards", "beige baby-food sissies" and "ugly little dysfunctional worms". The tirade came after months of depleting audience figures forced station manager TOM CHIUSANO and programming vice president MARK CHERNOFF to suggest new ideas for Roth's show, reports the New York Daily News. Among these, Roth claims, was a request to cut back on ethnic music and appeal more to the "35-year-old white male who likes LYNYRD SKYNYRD". He says, "They want me to copy Howard (Stern). But I refuse to regiment this show. "I told them I would quit if they will not let me do what I was hired to do, which is create something unique. "This show isn't designed for a demographic. It's for everyone." Roth concluded his Tuesday (07MAR06) show with the veiled threat, "I hope I'll be back tomorrow."