A radio station in Vancouver, Canada played Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” for hours on end beginning on Tuesday. The 1992 track was played on loop until at least Wednesday – but it is unclear who is behind the mysterious music marathon. The radio station has since announced it was “saying goodbye.”
The station did occasionally stop playing the song – only to play listener requests for the same song, according to Rolling Stone, which tuned in to the odd radio broadcast.
Other Twitter users reported that when a caller requested another song, they would cut them off and continue playing “Killing in the Name.”
It is unclear how long the song was on loop, but many Twitter users reported it was still playing on Wednesday. And as of Thursday, the station is no longer in service. KISS FM shared a short statement on their website that that their Vancouver station was “saying goodbye” this week.
DJs Kevin Lim, Sonia Sidhu-Kennedy and Tara Jean Stevens all announced they were exiting their roles at the station on Tuesday.
Lim and Sidhu-Kenendy, who host Mornings with Kevin and Sonia, shared a statement on social media Tuesday announcing their departure. “Our 5 years on KiSS RADiO has come to an end,” they said. “KiSS is changing and unfortunately we were informed that we won’t be part of this new chapter. Although this comes with mixed emotions, we want to express one overwhelming feeling: gratitude.”
DJ Tara Jean Stevens tweeted she had her last show on KISS on Tuesday.
Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello retweeted the news about the song. “A pop radio station in Vancouver laid off all of their staff yesterday. Whoever is on the controls this morning has been playing Killing In The Name Of on repeat since 6am (it’s now 9:30),” the tweet reads. “It’s beautiful.”
The song’s lyrics were inspired by the police brutality suffered by Rodney King and the subsequent 1992 Los Angeles riots.
It is unclear if a disgruntled employee put the song on loop or if it was the radio station’s odd way of saying goodbye. CBS News has reached out to KISS FM’s parent company Rogers Sports Media, as well as the three DJs for comment and is awaiting response.
