CLOSING IN ON PRATTIN FM RADIO'S NEW VALLEY ORDER, KUPD'S KING ROCK JOCK MUST RUN WITH THE PACK

Thus a radio empire is built. Well, not just thus. Some of Pratt's biggest fans--and some of his most loyal defenders--are executives of Valley charities, the kind of nonprofits that typically depend on lots of do-gooder volunteerism and so tend to be overly sensitive about their public image. To many such careful groups, Dirty Dave is a genuine hero. The "Ugly Bartender" contest, an annual, statewide promotion heavily hyped by Pratt, has raised more than $1 million for Multiple Sclerosis Society over the past seven years. "We've never had a complaint" about the affiliation with Pratt, says Don McGilvray, MS director of development for Arizona and Nevada. "For all of his wild image, he has a certain boyish charm that kind of diffuses criticism."

John Keating, director of fund development for Valley Big Brothers, says he gets checks from Pratt for fund-raising events that nobody at the office knew about. "The guy is good," says Keating, adding that Pratt had a Little Brother himself for two years. "He brings out the people." True enough. Pratt's band--the Assholes--was the best-received group at KUPD's spring music festival.

And he was the only participant at a recent celebrity bowling exhibition to draw a crowd. At the lanes event, a prelude to a professional bowling tournament, a pack of red-clothed supporters watched Dave bowl in a center lane, hooting at his every word. Pratt--also decked out in his trademark red--did shtick, cracked up his pro-bowler partner and signed his way through a stack of glossy photographs he brought for the fans.

Meanwhile, other celebs present, including big-league baseball stars like Matt Williams and Trevor Wilson, enjoyed their rounds in comparative anonymity. "He works hard; he is outrageous," says John Sebastian. "Maybe the most important thing is that he's been consistent. You know what you're gonna get with him.

"One of the keys to a good morning show is not how good you are--and I'm not saying he's not good, he is good--it's how long you're there.