But Slash's dismissal last month shines a light on the darker side of the growing cult of the celebrity radio DJ. If Little Steven, Cooper and other veteran rockers are getting their own high-profile radio shows, someone's gotta go to make room for 'em.

Not surprisingly, local deejays are getting the boot.

Modern-day corporate radio rarely encourages its talent to develop compelling individual on-air personalities or deviate from rigidly set playlists. In search of variety and excitement, some listeners have turned to online Webcasts, podcasts and, on the Mainland, satellite radio carriers like XM and Sirius, with hundreds of commercial-free music channels. (Satellite radio is not available in Hawai'i.) And the growing popularity of mp3 players like the iPod hasn't helped, either.

FM radio's solution to lure listeners back? An instant shot of name recognition from celebrity deejays recruited specifically for their personalities. The irony is that these deejays are allowed to choose whatever music they please.

Alice Cooper, for example, plays obscure tracks by Frank Zappa, Arthur Brown and Weird Al Yankovic.

"When you bring in someone like a (Little Steven or Alice Cooper), you're bringing them for a reason. Those shows fill out the picture," said KPOI 105.9 FM music director Dave Lawrence. "(Cooper) fits the station very well. In my opinion, it's hard (given KPOI's classic-rock format) to not see how he could be a real asset and have great content that you otherwise aren't going to be able to bring people."

Slash disagreed, calling the trend a minus for local listeners and a discouraging development for young deejays hoping to get radio jobs.

"It's a bad business decision on someone's part, in my opinion," said Slash. "You're never going to hear Alice Cooper talking about an accident on the Pali or in the Wilson Tunnel. You're never going to hear Alice Cooper talking about a big event in town.

"It's generic cookie-cutter radio. It has no connection to anyone local. Not here. Not anywhere."

Lawrence, who is also KPOI's afternoon drive-time deejay, said the possibility of replacement is a risk radio deejays have always had to live with.

"You're always at risk of being replaced by another person who'll do it more cheaply or by a show that provides a station a method of ... not having to spend a lot of dough," said Lawrence. "I don't personally worry about it, but it's coming this way.

"With satellite radio, you're going to get a new generation of people growing up who will be used to things not being so provincial. Perhaps their views about content will be different, and they may not care if it's local."

Slash, off the radio for the first time in more than 20 years (12 of them in Honolulu), still hopes that he will find another local gig. His biggest regret, having been pulled off the air without knowing his July 1 show would be his last: not being able to say goodbye to his listeners. (Fans can reach him at filslash@kpoifan.com.)

"I believe that with all I do and all I've done, I will be of value to someone on the radio in this market. It's just a question of when," said Slash. "I'll do whatever I have to do to stay here. I love this place."