San Francisco Radio Stations Ban Lorde's “Royals” During World Series, Kansas City Station Fires Back

There is no room for anything Royals-related in San Francisco, and that includes "Royals."

The 2013 pop hit from Lorde has been removed from at least two Bay Area radio stations going into the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Kansas City Royals.

In response, a Kansas City station vowed to put the song into heavy rotation to counter the "anti-Royals spirit."

San Francisco's KFOG acted first in announcing its "Royals" ban last week.

"Why send any positive vibes to Kansas City?" asked Jim Richards, KFOG's program director. "Why not give the song a rest? No one is going to get hurt over it."

Richards told NBC Bay Area that the powers that be decided to remove the song from KFOG's rotation "as the [Giants] players were chugging beers" Thursday night.

The station's move inspired KOIT to follow suit. 

"Our listeners told us to do it, so we did it! As of 4pm today we've removed Lorde- Royals from the our playlist until the end of the World Series," KOIT Program Director Brian Figula wrote on their site. "Go Giants, beat the Royals!"

New Zealand-born Lorde, who at 17 still has plenty of time to pick a different team, has confirmed that her song was in fact at least partially inspired by a National Geographic photo of Royals legend George Brett signing autographs.

Kansas City-based radio station 99.7 “The Point” said that as a result of KOIT’s decision, they will put Lorde’s hit “into the highest rotation” for the Oct. 21 opening night of the World Series.

It will be played “on the hour, every hour” from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

“I respect the work of Mr. Brian Figula, 96.5 KOIT Program Director, and his team of broadcast professionals at our sister stations in San Francisco, but we won’t let their anti-Royals spirit ruin this moment,” said program director Tony Lorino. “A few angry San Franciscans who don’t have a song called ‘Giants’ won’t rain on our parade.”

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