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The most comprehensive listing of 6,000 Los Angeles Radio People,
spanning the last 62 years, is now available just by clicking on
your favorite
personality.
The listings provide a colorful snapshot of where they came from,
where and when they worked, and what they’re doing now. Enjoy!
A\B\C\D\E\F\G\H\I\J\K\L\M\N\O\P\Q\R\S\T-Z/W
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(Wayne Jobson, Don Martin, Joe Reiling, Dan Armstrong, Wes Hall, Jimmy
Reyes, Victor Zaragosa, Art Laboe, Damon Knight,
Renee Taylor, and
Ron Shapiro)
Email Saturday
| ** KABC
Replacement in Mornings "I have a theory. Until Thursday morning, Wayne Resnick was in for Bill Handel while Bill is on vacation. No explanation was given on air that I heard as to why Wayne was not on-air Thursday and Friday. The only snippet I heard was from Mo’ Kelly first thing Thursday morning, remarking he had no advance notice that he would be in on Thursday for the vacationing Bill Handel. Nothing was mentioned that I heard about Wayne coming back. Doug McIntyre retired from KABC, and his last day was Friday, December 14. Nothing has been said that I know of about who is taking over the morning time slot on KABC. Could it be that Wayne Resnick is starting Monday at KABC? Let's start a Class A rumor!” – Sterrett Harper, Burbank ** Shoe Dropping "Re. ‘As you know, this is something I have been thinking about for a long time,’ emailed Doug McIntyre. ‘I'm very excited the day has finally arrived!’ Spoken like a man waiting for the other shoe to drop.” – Bill Schwarz, Ontario ** Sad News "This is very sad news for me. I listen to Doug McIntyre every morning. He is NOT a right wing nut, or a left wing [give me all your $ liberal]. His take on most issues is balanced, and a voice for those of us who try to be the same. His knowledge of Presidential history, Jazz and many other topics is endless. He will be sorely missed." - Bill Dudley ** Doug on 710AM "Godspeed to Doug McIntyre. Had a few chats with him back in the old 710 days; a truly nice guy." - Greg Hardison ** Wallet Story “Very nice story. There are good people out there. I had my wallet disappear at a gas station in Malibu a couple years back, it flew off the top of my trunk, because isn’t that where everyone leaves their wallet when pumping gas? Anyway, a woman contacts me that she had it, took it home while she looked for my contact info. She lived in the valley, and offered to drive it to me! Well, I came to pick it up, and she asked me in for coffee. Total stranger. I still have the duplicate driver’s license from the DMV!” – Ed Mann ** Good People “Thanks for sharing the story of Cherie’s wallet being returned! Yes, there are good people left in the world! Thanks also for the reminder about ‘promoting a promotion.’ I’ve heard you mention this before, but this is just another good (bad?) example.” – Brian Perez ** Wallet Found “Loved your story about Cherie’s wallet being found. That seldom happens and it’s heartening to know Michelle is / was just as open-hearted as Cherie is.” – Anita Garner ** Wallet Joke “Reminds me of the Henny Youngman joke: ‘Someone stole my wife’s wallet, but it’s okay. Whoever stole it is spending less than she does.’” – Bob Fox ** QSL Collector “Thought you might have interest in this. It’s a historic QSL card from KFVD/KFAC-Los Angeles, recently sold on eBay. I’m a QSL collector, but more often find myself alerting radio stations to historic material that is available (some of them frame this kind of material and put it up in displays). I also sent this to Jim Hilliker who wrote this piece in 2014.” – Daniel Robinson ** Tuna Christmas “Thank you for your ‘Christmas Spirit’ story and for the one from Charlie Tuna. Both were wonderful. I have to tell you I cried when I finished Charlie’s story. I hope he knew how much he meant to all of us. He made me want to go into radio, and I even took classes at PCC from radio professionals like Dr. John Gregory. Much as I practiced doing ‘Chung King’ commercials, I figured out I didn’t have it. Plus, after giving us the facts of life (90 watter in Pocatello, Idaho), Dr. Gregory steered me into public relations because I loved the promotions aspect of radio. Unfortunately, I never got to do promotions like Charlie’s Green Bagels for St. Patrick’s Day, but I still have the giant slinky for an earthquake promotion he did and so many memories of appearances he made.” – Julie T. Byers |
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**
Funnie Cartoons “Have to say the LARP cartoons are always great but this one today is an A+. Great stuff!” – Rich Brother Robbin “Okay, Don. I give up on your riddle. How many puns can you get in one cartoon caption? (I loved it!!!)” – Sterrett Harper, Burbank |
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Voice Over Artists Sing for the Kids
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(December 14, 2018) For
the first time ever, 31 of the country’s top voiceover pros
joined forces to raise money for a children’s cause. The
group gathered last week to record ’Twas the Night Before
Christmas. All sales and donations to Voices for Children
will benefit Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA. "The work
of these healers is remarkable," emaild Keri
Tombazian. "Some of the kids they serve are there
for a year or more as they receive treatment. Once a year,
headed up by actor Rick Wasserman, we make a visit to the
hospital to sing and read stories and even do a little magic
for the kids." (Photo below) The entire cast will assemble
at the hospital on Christmas Eve for a live performance and
to solicit donations. Coolest Xmas Songs. KWVE’S Brian Perez sent along a link to a story about the coolest underplayed Christmas songs. Need a break from traditional songs? If you were a fan of Don & Dewey’s Farmer John, you’ll love #3. Hear here. Burkey Back. Cindi Burkey checked in to say she’s happy to be back at KABC doing overnight traffic. “It's kind of funny to be on again after such a long break but it feels like time hasn’t gone by at all,” emailed Cindi. “Really feels familiar. I am also doing KFMB-AM overnight news (for San Diego). It’s a really interesting area. Very different region than L.A. or Inland Empire. The border is a hot spot right now.” She moved to downtown Long Beach and likes it a lot. “Compared to where I've lived before in So Cal, Silverlake, Santa Monica, Malibu, Venice Beach, West Hollywood, I really like it better than any of those places. Malibu was nice of course, but isolated, it’s more fun over here.” Hear Ache. Ted Ziegenbusch is the subject of an OC Weekly feature story on the classic radio treasure hunt promotion. Read all about it here ... Facebook postings lament the passing of LARadio sales exec Tom Thornton. He was 85 … Another kind of sadness, Tom Taylor announced this week that he was ending his 6-year run with his tasty NOW newsletter. He’s about to turn 70 and said it was time to do something else. “Please don’t read my personal decision as a judgement about the future of radio. As Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry said, ‘It isn’t over; everything has not been invented; the human adventure is just beginning.’” … Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me, the popular radio show/podcast is headed to television. NBCUniversal is developing a tv series based on the long-running NPR program. The tv adaptation will stay true to the original while delivering bigger, visual and variety-themed games that can’t be captured on the radio … CBS employees awoke the other morning to learn that CBS Corp. will sell its iconic 25-acre CBS Television City for roughly $750 million. The deal with a local real estate developer includes the rights to use the Television City trademark in connection with its operations on the property … Ah, technology. Jim Duncan and his wife were visiting family and friends in San Diego when he got a text from an ad agency for which he does commercials. Jim’s wife reminded him that Shotgun Tom Kelly has an in-home studio to do his Sirius XM Satellite Show. “We ran over and cut the 7-second tag for a car tv commercial. I voiced and Shotgun engineered. Cha Ching!” … KEIB’s Glenn Beck paid off $27,000 worth of layaway items for shoppers at a Dallas area Walmart, just two days before the final payments were due … Chris Bury of Pasadena wrote that one moral of the story of my wife losing her wallet and the frantic pursuit to get a duplicate drivers license, is visit the Pismo Beach DMV if you need services ... NBC4 used Jhani Kaye in a feature piece about the holidays. Watch it here. |
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Rick Wasserman, Jim Tasker, Rino Romano, Scott Rummell,
Wendy Shapero, Townsend Coleman, Jack Daniel,
Rebecca Davis,
John Taylor, Keri Tombazian, Joe Cipriano, Jess Harnell
(click
artwork above and album cover for more info)
KLAC Raises A Quarter of Million Dollars for Homeless
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(December 13, 2018) Dream
Fulfilled: Thanking the veterans who serve America with
their sacrifice, AM 570 LA Sports (KLAC) presented their
11th annual “Help-A-Hero” radiothon on Wednesday. “We only
ask you for money once a year,” said Matt “Money”
Smith, “and this is that day.” And the listeners
responded, donating over $235,000 to benefit Dream Center
LA, a faith-based charity helping the homeless in Southern
California. "This is an opportunity for AM 570 LA Sports to give back to our fellow Americans who have fought for our freedom,” said Don Martin, svp of sports programming and gm for AM 570 LA Sports. “The Help-A-Hero Radiothon is our way of saying thanks for their ultimate sacrifice and we are both excited and proud to work with Dream Center LA.” “The Dream Center is so excited to partner with AM 570 Sports and iHeartMedia Los Angeles for their 11th annual Help-A-Hero Radiothon,” said Danise Jurado, of Dream Center LA. “Over 11,000 of our country’s heroes are living on the streets of Los Angeles without a place to call home. Consulting. “LA-based consultant Randy Lane, pd with KYSR in 1994-95, is among the consultants featured in my latest column for Radio World magazine,” according to an email from Dave Beasing. Randy’s best quote: "Talent is the future of radio." “I’m also proud to say that ’Inside Trader Joe’s,’ co-produced by my new company ‘Sound That Brands’ is nominated for an iHeart Podcast Award,” emailed Beasing. The 1st annual ceremony is planned for January. Speaking of LA-based consultants, Angela Perelli is among the nominees for industry awards at the upcoming Worldwide Radio Seminar in March. Other LA Radio people nominated in various categories include Jimmy Steal, Keith Cunningham, Dawn Girocco, Frosty Heidi & Frank, John Ivey, Valentine, Brandon Bell, Miles Hlivko, Randy Thomas, and Joe Cipriano. Also up for honors: Benztown Imaging Services, and iHeart Radio’s KIIS/fm. |
| In other news: Benztown picks up the weekly Urban AC “Top 10 Now & Then” show for syndication to stations doing Urban AC, r&b Oldies and classic Hip-Hop. The creative team is host/writer Rick Nuhn and creative director, programmer and producer Ron Shapiro … Country K-Frog in the Inland Empire and longtime morning man Scott Ward swaps shifts with afternoon-driver Anthony Donatelli. Ward has been the morning driver seat since 1995 and is now also the program director. Ginny Harmon, recently with KKGO, is the traffic reporter during morning drive … At GoCountry 105, Saul Levine dropped a note to say that KKGO is playing Baby It’s Cold Outside as part of their holiday music mix. |
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| 1989 ad in Radio Guide/Los Angeles |
Highest Paid Radio People
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(December 12, 2018) The
self-proclaimed “King of All Media,” Howard Stern is
the highest paid radio host in 2018, according to Forbes
Magazine. He reigns supreme in the radio world with $90
million annually. Stern narrowly beats America’s
most-listened-to radio host KEIB’s Rush Limbaugh,
who made $84.5 million. KIIS/fm’s Ryan Seacrest rounds
out the top three with a $74 million haul, a big jump over
last year’s $58 million thanks to the return of American
Idol. KEIB’s Sean Hannity, who places
fourth, earned $36 million with contracts for Fox News and
Premiere estimated at $15 million and $20 million
respectively, plus adding to his bottom line with speaker
fees. “Glenn Beck’s earnings stumbled once
again, sliding to $8.5 million from last year’s $10 million
due to the struggles of his conservative media company
TheBlaze,” wrote Forbes’ Cuccinello. In other news: Radio Facts announced that industry veteran Doc Wynter, iHeartMedia’s EVP – Urban/Hip-Hop Programming Strategy/Program Director Real 92.3 (KRRL), has been chosen as the Broadcast Executive of the Year in the 2nd Annual Radio Facts “Power Play List” magazine … KQLH in the Inland Empire is playing Baby It's Cold Outside, according to pd Rick Ruhl. “Yesterday morning, I played it and the parody four times an hour. We play three different versions of the song every hour then the parody in one of the quarter hours. It was an amazing success.” … Ann Beebe is a frequent bike rider. She is trying to ride 200 miles per month on her bike. “All was well until I almost hit this on the bike path last week,” emailed Ann (photo). “Thought I had seen everything but I hadn't.” … KCLU news director Lance Orozco checked in to say their main Ventura County transmitter was fried as a result of the Hill Fire (power surge issues). “We did an emergency fundraising drive, which raised more than enough to replace it, and other damaged infrastructure. Listeners stepped up big time!” … Wink Martindale is traveling to New York on Friday to appear as a guest with Sugar Ray Leonard on ABC's GMA DAY, hosted by Michael Strahan. “Nothing like the Big Apple at Christmastime,” emailed Wink. “But cold.” … KRTH’s morning man Gary Bryan has thrown his hat in the ring to host the Academy Award telecast with Lisa Stanley … Cindi Burkey has joined KABC to do afternoon news. |
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KROQ's 4th edition of The ROQ newsmagazine from 1983
Jones Sings Holiday Music Gleefully
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(December 11, 2018) Sunday
kicked off the live musical part of our holidays on the
Central California Coast. Starring in Big Band Christmas was Bill
A. Jones, veteran of KLIT in the early 90s and
Westwood One's Adult Standards format heard on about 200+
stations nationally, including KLAC and KGIL. Joining Bill
Sunday was a 17-piece orchestra and the Satin Dollz singing
trio. Best known as ‘Rod Remington’ from Fox TV’s Glee, Bill was the host/MC and writer for the production at the Clark Center in Arroyo Grande. With an array of holiday songs, and yes, Bill did sing Baby It’s Cold Outside with Nancy Osborne. The sold-out crowd jumped to their feet at the end of the first-rate production. As a singer, Bill has opened for Tony Bennett and Steve Tyrell, toured with The Glenn Miller Orchestra, and released two CDs. He was recently named one of LA’s Best Concert/Cabaret Artists by BroadwayWorld.com. In addition to Glee, Bill has appeared on Comedy Central’s Workaholics, The King of Queens, CSI New York, Everybody Hates Chris, Las Vegas, Criminal Minds, and appeared as millionaire “Brad Bush” on the long running daytime drama Days of Our Lives. Many still recognize Bill as the “Don't Count That” golfer from a beloved FedEx commercial. Big Band Christmas stops in Vacaville and Folsom before the holidays end. Doug’s Departure: Reaction to Doug McIntyre’s decision to leave KABC after more than twenty years was swift. Dave Sebastian Williams expressed a sentiment shared by many: “You will be greatly missed. Your unique blend of insight and highly tuned humor is irreplaceable.” Rita Wilde wrote: “One of my favorites, personally and professionally. Nothing but respect!” Ken Minyard was generous in his thoughts about McIntyre: “Doug took my place when I retired from KABC on 2004. He is a talented broadcaster, funny, really smart and reasonable. Qualities found all too infrequently in today's radio environment. He also has a writing career that I’m sure will continue to prosper. I talked to him this morning and said one thing he should now concentrate on is getting lots and lots of sleep.” |
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| LA
Times ad from April 1, 1966 ... Thanks to
David Grudt's personal collection |
Breaking News!
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(December 10, 2018)
After 22 years with KABC,
Doug McIntyre
announced this morning that he will leaving the Talk station
at the end of the week. "As you know, this is something I have been thinking about for a long time," emailed Doug. "I'm very excited the day has finally arrived!" |
Baby, It's Coal Outside
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(December 10, 2018) Everyone’s
talking about Baby It’s Cold Outside. The song from
70 years ago. Ban the song from your Christmas playlist. No,
up the frequency of play because of the controversy. For
goodness gracious, as Cher put a stop to Nicholas Cage’s
whining in Moonstruck, snap out of it. It’s only a song. Is this the best radio can do? We must really be hard up for something to talk about or rally around. It’s not actually a Christmas song anyway. It is a winter song that talks about winter weather. The controversy was started by a Cleveland station that put the song on the naughty list. The call letters have long been lost in all the silly controversy, so they can’t even take advantage of all the publicity. Talk about promoting a promotion. How about Santa Baby that is basically about a girl whoring herself out to Santa for expensive gifts? And Santa can’t even give us his annual greeting of ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’ without some #MeToo group protesting. I’d like to share with you a real holiday story, certainly in the spirit. |
| Last Friday my wife lost her wallet while
shopping at a market in Pismo Beach. She didn’t realize it
until her next stop when she looked for her wallet to pay.
She quickly returned to California Market and solicited the
manager, Dave, to see if a wallet had been turned in. He
checked with all the checkers and nothing. This guy goes out of his way. Dave goes to the video tape (or hard drive) and isolates my wife checking out and after the transaction, she puts the wallet in her purse. Dave then goes to the video in the parking lot and sees her get in her car. He also notices a man hanging around, a man who looks to be homeless. She also remembers the man. The manager said he would have his staff check trash cans during the afternoon just in case the wallet was found, money taken and wallet thrown away. Distraught and not sure what to do next, she comes home and we begin the arduous task of calling her credit card carriers to cancel and report a lost or stolen card. It took two hours to complete the task for four cards. When finished we headed to the local DMV to order a duplicate. For some reason, the crowds seemed reasonable as we went through the process of a new application and procedures to accomplish this task in less than two hours. We get home late afternoon and during dinner, Cherie said, “I really hope whoever finds the wallet really needs the money inside.” She's really that way. We get ready for an early evening. Cherie checks her phone messages. There was a VM from an Illinois area code with instructions to call Michelle. We did. Michelle informed us that she found the wallet and wanted to return it. Turns out she lives VERY close by. We agreed to meet at a local establishment. Cherie quickly filled out a Christmas card and put $100 in it as a thank you. Ten minutes later, we meet Michelle and she was delighted to return the wallet completely intact. She and her husband had just moved to the Central Coast recently from the Chicago area. We hugged, thanked her and headed home. Cherie was crying. Probably just the day-long ordeal and a Good Samaritan showing up at the right time. This is not the end of the story. The next morning, Michelle left a text message that she was not looking for a reward. She just wanted to help. Unless we had a favorite charity, she would give the money to ASPCA. Fine, by us. A real-life holiday tale from our new home in Avila Beach. |
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| KPCC's
Hettie Lynn Hurtes walks the red carpet with the director of
Frank and Ava,
Michael Oblowitz. Hurtes, a veteran of KRTH, KRLA, and KFWB, appears in the film |
Sunday Nostalgia - 20 Years Ago Today
A Holiday Story by Charlie Tuna (who sadly passed away February 19, 2016, at the age of 71)
We eventually walked to the movie downtown that night, crunching the fresh covering of snow beneath our feet (I miss that here in California sometimes). Arriving home later, Santa had been there (Mom's earlier delay now explained) with a Lionel train set and its tracks surrounding the tree and a big, blue freshly-painted 78 rpm record player complete with about a dozen 78 rpm records. (Years later, I found out my folks had stretched their very limited budget and paid my uncle $8 for it, complete with the new paint job to refurbish its used appearance). From that point on, I would close the door to my room and pretend I was the morning disc jockey on KGFW in Kearney as I introduced the records and talked about the weather, complete with frequent time checks. A year earlier, at age 5, I had decided that Jack Lewis, the local morning radio star, had the best job in the world and I wanted to do that too. He talked about UFOs, had a dressing race, and told when snowstorms would close school for the day and talked and laughed with his newsman and farm news director. My parents recognized this passion for radio and "Santa" gave this 6-year-old that turntable treasure that saw me 10 years later, doing that same morning radio show on KGFW for real! For me, Christmas dreams came true early! Merry Christmas, Don and all the LARadio readers! - Charlie Tuna |
Email Saturday, 12.8.2018
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** Green is a Mensch “Loved the George Green column this morning. As a former staff engineer at KABC/KLOS and later, satellite tech at Dodgertown, I worked for George for several years. He was always a mensch, which was confirmed by his non-judgmental comments on the current state of affairs at KABC.” – Ira Lawson ** George Provided Invaluable Advice “Recently you published an article about George Green. I have known George for many years and consider him one of the all-time great LARadio persons. His management of KABC and its outstanding success are a tribute to his management and marketing ability. Several times George called me to provide valuable advice. On one call, he was surprised to learn I had only five sales persons compared to the huge number he employed. I also learned of an incident which was a testament to his high ethical standards. Last of all, he helped organize some of the best Christmas parties ever presented in Los Angeles.” – Saul Levine, President and General Manager, KKGO /KSURF ** By George Green “Regarding your article ‘KABC, By George’ I have immense respect for George Green and the huge success he had at KABC under his leadership. However, I am irked by the constant mind games played by the consultancy media trying to figure why KABC has ended up at the 40th spot. Ask any ex-listener over the past decade, and they will clearly be able to tell you why. The reason is because we were once loyal listeners who fled KABC to look for entertainment. Now, we fled the moment a chain of self-righteous management came in who followed the advice of high-priced consultancy think tanks, rather than examining what made them successful. It was not market forces that killed KABC, it was an endless stream of incompetent management who forgot that radio is an entertainment medium. The current KABC lineup of hosts and overloaded infomercial programming is hardly entertaining. Let’s please stop the endless misery of figuring out why this ship sank. The captain was asleep at the wheel when they hit the iceberg.” – Steve Chang, Venice |
| ** Humble Green “Mr. George Green is a wise and humble man. No wonder I was an avid listener of KABC back in the day. – Allen McLean (PS: Your cartoons are funny as hell ! ! !)” **A Friendly Green "George Green has been one of my closest and dearest friends for about 60 years. George started at KABC as a sales rep and eventually became general manager when Ben Hoberman left KABC [where he had been gm] and moved to New York to become the head of ABC Radio. Prior to moving to LA to become gm of KABC, Ben had been the gm of WABC in NY. George never left KABC during his career with ABC and he had not been gm of WABC. Ben and his wife Jackie were also dear friends. Several years ago, Bruce Marr arranged for a luncheon honoring Ben while Ben was living at the Belmont Village. I think there were at least 15 people at the luncheon who worked at KABC during Ben’s tenure. I was invited to the luncheon, though I was the only one who had not worked at ABC. Five-and-a-half years ago, Ben was at my home when my wife, Valerie and I celebrated our 60th anniversary. Last July 5th, Valerie and I celebrated our 65th anniversary. It was a much smaller group.” – Bob Fox ** KABC Memory “Great to read the letter from my former boss, George Green. One of the things I adored about him during my time at KABC was his unabashed enthusiasm for his job. I’m delighted to note that his joie de vivre remains self-evident in his letter about Vin Scully. Two good men.” – Lisa Bowman ** Scully Chat Was Memorable “Just enjoyed reading your comments on Vin Scully and the Dodgers. I was introduced to Vin at Dodger Stadium, years ago by my close friend and former LA Times beat writer, the late Jeff Prugh. Vin was gracious and took time for a memorable chat. When I was a London correspondent for ABC News, our best friends in London were Jim and Becky Hooton. Jim’s brother was the great Dodger pitcher, Burt Hooton. My wife and I spent Thanksgiving 1984 with Burt and wife Ginger. Wonderful people and family! ‘Happy’ as Lasorda used to call Burt, is very reserved and often reluctant to talk about his long, storied career. Tommy Hawkins, former Dodger public relations director, was always very kind to me. The Dodgers; pure class, top to bottom!” – Bob Sirkin |
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** 80s LARP “Saw the article on Wally Clark (c) today. Thought I would send a picture of Wally, myself and Mike Wagner (r) from the 80's and wish him a speedy recovery. Happy Holidays!” - Paul Freeman |
| ** Stern/Clayton Journey
“Yes, please keep me on your subscriber list. Always enjoy your newsletter. Hope all is well on the Central Coast. Just to keep the record straight, Howard Stern announced in October of 2004 that he would leave terrestrial radio at the end of 2005. My guess is your interaction with Joe Clayton was earlier in 2004 or 2003. I was the marketing director of a consumer electronics retailer in June of 1994, when RCA flew me to Jackson, MS to see the first DirecTV units go on sale. Joe Clayton was RCA’s go-to on the new technology and, in his inimitable way, wine and dined our group while showing us how satellite tv was going to revolutionize the business. Which it did. Joe was one-of-a-kind; a veritable human dynamo. He is greatly missed. One more thing: At his peak Howard Stern never had more than 125 stations taking his show. I don’t know where the figure of ‘600 stations’ came from. The majority of the stations were CBS/Infinity/Westinghouse outlets. Which brings to mind that it only took Howard less than 15 months from the time he debuted on KLSX in July of 1991 until he was ranked #1 in LA morning drive by Arbitron. It was November of 1992, when Howard came to Hollywood to hold his on-air ‘funeral’ for Mark & Brian. I was working for Radio & Records at the time and remember the traffic being an absolute nightmare.” – Brad Cramer |
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Radio Reunion “Oh, my golly! On Saturday, I attended a 2x a year invitation-only reunion of veteran Los Angeles broadcasters, hosted by Jeffrey Leonard, one of my broadcasting school instructors. It is always such an honor to be included among such legends and icons. Thank you so much, Jeffrey! As always, it was a great afternoon. At the very end, the last of the 50+ attendees got together for a pic by Jeffrey’s wife. I was quite pleasantly shocked to see that the wonderful Don Barrett decided to include that pic on his fabulous and invaluable daily website www.laradio.com! Wow. Each day, at the top of the page he posts several photos of veteran LARP. And, there I was, next to legends! Thank you, Jeffrey, Don, Shadoe Stevens, Carson Schreiber, Lew Irwin [Jeffrey is next to Lew, on the right, end].” – Andrew Schermerhorn |
| ** CNN Report “Please tell Funkhouser that his mascara is running.” – Bill Dudley ** IBS Convention “Today, Don Barrett’s LARadio.com column spotlights the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System, Western Region Conference at CSULB that I was fortunate enough to be a part of this past Saturday. It was a great day to talk with other broadcasters/podcasters and interact with students about the current state of the ‘audio’ business. Valerie Geller’s keynote speech was a GREAT, detailed ‘primer’ for broadcast students. The speech also served as a refresher and reminder of the basic principles of the craft for an old guy like myself. Kudos to Danny Lemos for a great day.” – Mike Stark ** Brother John Origination “With all respect to Shadoe Stevens, the program Heaven Is In Your Mind originated on KRLA in the summer of 1969 on Sundays with Gary Marshall playing tracks with a spiritual edge. KRLA’s Reb Foster was managing Three Dog Night at the time, and they used the Three Dog Night version of Heaven Is In Your Mind as the show’s theme. Shadoe joined KRLA in late 1970, while Marshall was still there doing weekends and production.” – Bill Earl ** Shadoe Responds: Brother John Facts “I’ll accept that. As I told Don, given the substance abuse, it’s amazing that I remember anything from that era. It wouldn’t be the first time that my memory has played tricks on me. I do, however, vividly remember working on the show with Brother John to try to make it as special as Silhouette but more contemporary…to fit the new format. I guess I loved Traffic so much at that time, and so enjoyed refining the concept, that I thought I’d come up with the name. I have no memory of there already being a show but I accept the facts, apologize for the bad brains, and salute Gary Marshall. It was a great idea.” – Shadoe Stevens |
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** Potpourri
“The cartoon with the lady measuring is funny and my heart goes out to Vic the Brick. I love your Christmas tree and decorations. I will reach out to Wally Clark. And lastly in your jam-packed week of LARadio, loved seeing the WWWW piece.” – Mike Butts |
| ** Giddyup “Read your feature on going to CBS as a youngster and watching the Gene Autry Melody Ranch radio program. When I was in 3rd grade [1954-55], to celebrate starting at the new grammar school they’d opened in San Luis Obispo, Pacheco School, my mom bought me a brand-new Gene Autry ‘Melody Ranch’ lunch box and thermos. I still remember looking at Gene and ‘Champion’ on that thermos, every time I took a swig of the chocolate milk my mom would put in for me every day, while sitting with my pals at lunchtime. On my display case in my dining room, I have a couple of collector Cisco Kid and Lone Ranger lunch boxes on display. Don’t drink chocolate milk anymore.” – Joe Collins |
Up, Up, and Away
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(December 7, 2018) Joe
Clayton died last month. There’s probably no reason why you
would know the name unless you follow the fortunes of
DirecTV, Sirius Satellite Radio and Dish Network. He was ceo
of Sirius Satellite from 2001 to 2004 and chairman from 2004
to 2008. He was described as “a man of passion and vision.”
Yes, it wasn’t too long ago that there were two satellite music services – Sirius and XM – fighting each other before they came together as one entity. In 2005, LARadio.com was critical of their marketing promotion. The tv ads featured pianos falling out of the sky, apparently some sort of metaphor that we would be hearing music from a faraway Satellite. And then the emphasis turned to truck drivers or those who travel across the country: You could hear your favorite channel without interruption from state to state. It seemed like a stupid reason to sign up for the service. And perhaps I was being defensive of terrestrial radio. The final blow to Satellite Radio would be the emphasis on hardware and not content. When I sat next to Joe Clayton at a luncheon in 2005, for ten minutes he dazzled a table of journalists with the latest in satellite technology, a detailed numbing explanation about the physical launch of an additional Satellite into outer space and how they were doing with getting the gadgets into new cars. He turned to me, and said, “Well, Mr. Barrett, what do you think?” I told him that in my humble opinion he had no chance for success until he concentrated on the content and not the hardware. I argued the public is up to here with gadgets that have a monthly fee and there would have to be a compelling reason to sign up. There would have to be content not currently available on terrestrial radio. |
| Not long after our lunch, Howard
Stern was lured to
Sirius. I take no credit for the move. After he was signed,
Stern was allowed to badmouth his parent company and promote
Sirius for a year, which was inexcusable. He had a
megaphone on 125 stations every morning for over a year.
Unbelievable decision. A station manager told The
Washington Post: “Stern’s
departure is the worst natural disaster to hit a media
company in the decade…Even though he was only on four hours
a day, many of the sponsors on his show were required to buy
time through the rest of the day as a price for getting
spots on the Stern show.” His departure was hardly a natural disaster. But it certainly put Sirius on the map. (Stern makes $90 million a year, according to Forbes.) Terrestrial radio struggled with his absence. The stations that carried Stern, like KLSX, seemed to flap in the wind attempting one morning show after another. But it was Joe Clayton who made the move and revolutionized Satellite radio. R.I.P., Joe. In other news: Mediate announced their 2018 list of the most influential figures in news media. KEIB’s Sean Hannity is ranked #1 ... Wally Clark is still not strong enough to receive visitors ... Alex Stan Campbell is scheduled for triple bypass surgery at the Heart Sciences Centre at Kingston General Hospital next week. “Am I nervous? Damn right! Funny...they told me today to not shave my chest hair. Do I look like a metrosexual dude?,” said Campbell … Laurie Sanders’ recent surgery was a success. “They put a 14-inch rod in my right leg, and a small triangular stainless-steel brace in my right wrist and everything is staying in place and that everything seems to be healing well,” Laurie wrote on Facebook. “He put me in a walking boot, and a wrist wrap, no cast! I can start to bear weight on the leg, no weight bearing on the wrist yet though. If everything continues to go well, I should be back on my horse Roxy in 10 weeks!” ... If you would like to be on our subscriber list, just indicate that in an email to: AvilaBeachdb@gmail.com. No cost. Read my lips. No cost. |
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| Larry McCabe was part of
93/KHJ Boss Radio and MOR 710/KMPC, among other stations and
he has stories to tell during his 49-year broadcasting
career Now available in book form at Amazon Books (Kindle). Paperback is just $13.99. eBook $3.99. |
Wally Clark Falls and Breaks His Hip
 |
(December 6, 2018) Wally Clark fell
over the weekend and broke his hip. The former vice
president/general of KIIS from 1982-85, is recovering in a
local hospital. Wally arrived in the Southland from KSD-St. Louis with new pd Gerry DeFrancesco and started as president/general manager on March 30, 1982, overseeing the transformation of KIIS to become one of L.A.’s top stations. In a major LA Times profile in 1983, Wally talked about the success of KIIS. He said it stemmed from community contact and charity work. He said: “It’s the willingness to go out and meet the public, shake their hands and get direct feedback on the station – that's the real secret to being No. 1.” You can send well wishes for a speedy recovery to Wally at: wallywclark@yahoo.com (Wally in hat with Don Elliot) |
|
Autry Reins.
In December 1931, Gene Autry’s first radio show debuted on
WLS-Chicago. From 1940 to 1956, Autry had a huge hit with a
weekly show on CBS Radio, Gene Autry’s Melody Ranch.
I remember the show fondly. My Santa Monica Cub Scout group traveled to CBS Center in Hollywood to be part of the Melody Ranch broadcast. I was astonished at the process of creating the show and witnessing firsthand the concept of “the theatre of the mind,” which led me to my love affair with radio. Autry is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – film, television, music, radio, and live performance. He also owned 710/KMPC, Golden West Broadcasters, and the California Angels. He died in 1998. Gossip. Lotsa gossip at the radio reunion last Saturday at Fuddruckers. Surprised that LARadio People could participate in gossip? Well, it happened. A few days before the event, Saul Levine teased that a MAJOR Los Angeles radio personality will join Oldies K-SURF in January. Some of the Saturday speculation included Charlie Van Dyke, Larry Van Nuys, and Shotgun Tom Kelly …Ty Bentli is doing some re-branding with his new Westwood One show at the first of the year. Ty worked afternoons at MY/fm from 2010 to 2012 ... Steve Downes, ex-KWST, KEZY KLOS and KLSX, has been with Syndicated Solutions as VP/affiliate sales for the past 18 years. He is retiring later this month … Brian Perez sent a note that KWVE is looking for a production director. Click here to learn more. … KJLH’s Steve Harvey will ring in the new year once again on Fox, along with co-host Maria Menounos ... KFI's Pastathon is in full promotion mode. Donate pasta and sauce to help feed the thousands of ‘motel kids’ every week. |
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| In 1968, we launched the
first full-time, live Oldies station on FM in Detroit All promotions were done with a wink. Golden Girl painting downtown at lunch ... '57 Gold Chevy giveaway Logo came from cultural movement: Black is Beautiful |
KABC, By George
 |
(December 5, 2018)
“There are legendary radio managers in the history of Los
Angeles radio. The late George Nicholaw of
KNX was at the helm for 35 years at the all-news station.
Then there’s George Green, who oversaw some
of the most successful years of Talkradio KABC. A native of New York, George is a graduate of UCLA with a bachelor's degree in Education. He began his career as an NBC/tv page before joining ABC as a junior sales executive at KABC/Channel 7 in 1959. George moved to KABC radio from the sister tv station in 1960 as a salesperson. then was promoted to gsm in 1965. He spent time back East as gm of WABC-New York before returning to the West coast. When longtime KABC gm Ben Hoberman transferred to New York to become ABC Radio division president in 1979, George was again promoted, this time as president and gm, succeeding Hoberman. George stepped down in the spring of 1996 to open a consultancy firm. Who knows better about how KABC works than George. When asked to observe the current state of his alma mater, George responded as only a veteran who has been in the radio trenches fighting for ratings and revenue could offer: |
| I appreciate that someone
thought my comments about the status of KABC radio would be
relevant. Frankly, I am not really qualified to offer
reasonable commentary. I am 87 years old. I left KABC radio
in 1996, so I have been gone from the station and the radio
business for more than 22 years. Yes, I still read your column and I see the ratings of the top 40 stations. My comment about KABC radio being last, #40, is ‘SAD.’ Having said that, all AM stations around the country have suffered at the hands of satellite driven formats. Most of my current radio listening is to Fox News, CNN News and music stations (on Sirius/XM) like Broadway, Sinatra and Escape. I am not sure of KABC’S profit status because I have never talked to the manager of KABC, but I would think they are still making money by selling long form hours to whoever wants to buy the time. I was always against breaking the format, never giving way to these hourly infomercials. Yet in retrospect, I might have sold an hour or two overnight on weekends, but never during prime time. And making money is still the name of the game, so I suspect the manager of KABC should be appreciated for keeping the station profitable during these tough times for AM radio. The other day I read about the (noise issue) between AM radio and electric cars. Wow! What an uproar that brought. Bottom line Don, I am happy that I was part of the business during the 38 years I was at KABC. I am glad I am not there anymore. I would be the last person that KABC should call for advice on programming. I do know that KABC has the best sales manager in the business. Vernon Copp is the finest, and I trust he is doing the best job possible helping KABC survive as an English driven radio station. Other stations might have changed their entire format to Spanish, Religious or some other non-English format. As for what I’m doing nowadays, I have been writing books for 3 years. I have 15 children’s books written, illustrated, printed and for sale on Amazon. One of these days. I will be calling some of the stations in LA in order to make an appearance as a guest and to also BUY some spots promoting all my books. My website will tell you and others more about me and what I am doing. www.georgegreen.net. Good luck to all of your readers. The radio business treated me well and I wish those who are still at it GOOD LUCK! - George Green |
Chart from The Hollywood Reporter
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Vic the Brick is Feelin' You
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(December 4, 2018) The
NFL is now on full display and college football is counting
down to conference championships. Yet the Sunday LA
Times devoted a half page cover story (with additional
pages inside) to the one-of-a-kind LARP, Vic “the
Brick” Jacobs. With a loving pen, Bill
Plaschke, himself a LARP from his hosting days at
KFWB, writes about Vic’s battle with cancer. Some highlights
from the story: “On this day, the voice is still strong. The words still fire out from that shrubbery of a beard in a wonderful mix of Brooklyn and Spanish and Japanese and Zen, the words of a city that only the city can understand. ‘Yay, yay Dodger fans, I’m feelin’ you! The blue is busy y’all … Segs, Joc, CT3, AWood … Doc’s Clips, the nitty gritty dirt band, the selfless tsunami, still atop the West … who knew? … Los Lakers, will Zo go? … fifty-fifty to ball against Indy in the downtown hoop dojo!’ His eyes are weary, his arms are splotchy, his steps are slow. His back hurts. His fingers tingle. He wears an ostomy bag. He sleeps a couple of hours a night. He doesn’t go anywhere without a giant plastic bottle of pain pills. “I have been to the abyss,’’ he says. “During terrible times, we can go to the darkness or to the light. I’m going to the light.” (Vic) has spent the last two years engaged in a personal fight with rectal cancer and its collateral damage. Even though the cancer is in remission, resulting ailments, including a broken back and blood clots, have continually sapped his strength, kept him away from stadiums and locker rooms, and threatened the legendary power of his vocal chords. “During terrible times, we can go to the darkness or to the light,’’ he says. “I’m going to the light. Be the bamboo, bend but don’t break.’’ Read the complete story by clicking the artwork: |
| Radio Mystery.
Ray Taliaferro, KGO-San Francisco radio host for over three
decades, went missing in early November. The 79-year-old
host was last seen about a mile from where he was found dead
in a wooded in Paducah, Kentucky. In the ‘60s, Ray did
television work at KHJ / Channel 9. During the Monday “Ronn Owens Report” broadcast on KGO, Owens, who was on KABC in the late 90s, fondly remembered his colleague as “very, very open, very, very opinionated, and a total pro.” Ray was dedicated to the fight against leukemia, serving on the Board of the Leukemia Society of America. Owens recalled as he prepared to sign off the annual KGO 24-hour Cure-a-Thon, then an annual feature of the Bay Area news / talk station, Taliaferro would always interrupt Owens and declare: “No, no, it’s not enough! We have to do more!” as he implored Owens to keep the radiothon going while imploring the listeners to keep giving. Current KGO host John Rothmann said Taliaferro was quite private about his personal life, but did recall when his girlfriend Julie suffered a stroke, Taliaferro broadcast his all-night show from her residence, in case Julie needed his assistance. Gil Gross, another KGOer who was on KLAC, reacted to the Taliaferro news. “I’m still taking it in. I’ve been asked what our political discussions were like. The fact is, we didn’t because that was our day and night job. When we met up, we talked about the Blues. It was a mutual passion and so while people coming by when I’d see him expected us to be yammering about Bush and Obama, we were talking about Otis Rush and Magic Slim and Howlin' Wolf. Those will always be my best memories of Ray. I miss that.” |
 |
Terrific story on Wink Martindale in the current edition of EWaves
|
Tomorrow: Bill Schwarz of Ontario read George Green's memories of Vin Scully in Email Saturday and George wrote: "One of these days, Don, you should do a column on Peter O’Malley," sez George Green, retired from KABC 790. Bill said heck with that, I would rather read what this former general manager thinks of KABC's current ratings quagmire. Bill, your wish is granted. Read his thoughts in a special edition of LARadio tomorrow. |
Next Generation of Broadcasters Gather
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(December 3, 2018) Danny Lemos orchestrated
Saturday’s IBS (Intercollegiate Broadcasting System) Western
Region Conference at CSULB (California State University,
Long Beach).The organization boasts a membership of over one
thousand non-profit, education-affiliated radio stations and
webcasters. Many of the next generation of broadcasters will
come from this group. There were over 100 attendees for the day-long event, doubling expectations. Was the overall mission accomplished?“Absolutely!" emailed Lemos. "Radio people are radio people no matter how old and college radio needs access to experienced veterans. The results are immediate, the networking went on all day.” |
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|
Valerie Geller, author of the must-own book for
broadcasters, Creating Powerful Radio, was the
keynote speaker. She emailed: “It was a fantastic day of
learning with people from all over Southern California
including the Coachella Valley, Hollywood, San Diego,
Burbank.” She added: “Danny Lemos did a stunning job of
curating speakers and panels and everybody learned a lot and
had the chance to network. It was a fantastic mix of both
public and commercial radio.” (Geller is far right on
left pic) Next to Valerie is Vicki Pearlson, director LA Theatreworks, who’s weekly program used to air on KCRW and KPPC, and currently airs on KPFK. Second from the left is Gary Scott, former program director at KCRW, and on the far left is Perry Michael Simon from AllAccess Music Group. The photo on the right shows the breakout session panel discussing What Goes Into a Great Podcast? Seen in the photo: Ron Shapiro (Format 3000), Gary Scott, Mike Stark (LA Radio Studio in San Pedro), Tracy Johnson (Tracy Johnson Media Group San Diego + former gm at KFMB), Dave Beasing (Sounds That Matter). Key messages of the session included how podcasts can target narrow slices of an audience and touch them deeply. Critical mass conversation touched on how 40% of audio in cars is now accessed via smartphones (as per Edison Research’s Share of Ear), and 40% of that audience is listening to podcasts. Panel referenced how 50,000 downloads is the point at which a podcast becomes attractive to advertisers. “We got some great questions from the students,” said Dennis Clark, vp of talent at iHeartMedia. Manny Pacheco, KNX Traffic Anchor said, ”An added bonus involved networking and sharing stories with wonderful broadcast professionals, colleagues and friends in the industry.” And Dave Beasing, former pd at 100.3/The Sound enthused, "The content of the sessions was great for students. I was happy to be included.” Lemos hopes to return to Long Beach State next year. "They were excellent hosts,” said Danny. (Thanks to David Alpern, board of directors of KLBP 99.1-Long Beach, for the coverage and photos) |
 |
Kasem Case Update:
A police investigation into the end-days care of iconic
radio personality Casey Kasem has concluded
that he received “appropriate” care. The Kitsap County, WA
Sheriff's Department has released the following statement:
Casey passed away at St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor,
Washington on June 15, 2014. The Gig Harbor Police
Department opened an administrative investigation of the
death on October 24, 2018. The investigation was restricted
to the standard of care offered to Mr. Kasem in the days
before his death, the consideration of any guardianship
authority in the medical decisions made during that time,
and any sign of collusion between the medical personnel and
the family members exerting guardianship for Mr. Kasem. The
Gig Harbor Police Department investigation revealed that the
standard of care delivered to Mr. Kasem by medical personnel
was appropriate and that any medical decisions were made by
family members authorized to act on his behalf. Gig Harbor
Police Department case number 18 302 00097 will be forwarded
to the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office for review on
December 3, 2018. Hear Ache. Morning Joe hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough (ex-KABC) were married November 26 at the National Archives building in Washington DC. The couple exchanged vows in front of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights … Brooks Melchior was a sports update guy for a couple of L.A. stations, but his claim to fame was a cutting-edge sports website where he regularly beat ESPN and other national outlets. Perhaps more noticeably, he had a stable of sports babes whose photos he liberally integrated into his website, SportsByBrooks.com. And then Brooks dropped out of sight. Now, after five years, he has resurfaced with frequent tweets on Twitter. Some answers about the Melchior mystery, read here ... You won’t be able to watch porn in Starbucks anymore. Get a room. An in-store filter prevents access to explicit content. |
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Los Angeles Radio Guide, August/September 1994
Nostalgia Sunday - 4 Years Ago Today
|
Celebration of
Scott Greene’s Life
I first met Scott when
we worked together at Metro in the early 2000s, and we became instant friends.
He had a heart of gold beneath his hefty, gruff exterior and loved to laugh. “I’d see him every morning when I came in to produce and write at Metro,” shared Sandy Wells, “and Scott would be coming off the overnight shift. He seemed so full of energy and always greeted me with a smile, even after a long night. We visited a few minutes every day. He’ll be missed.”
His sister, Jacqueline
“Jen” Greene, spoke eloquently and poignantly at the funeral, detailing finding
Scott’s body.
She told of how Scott’s
poor eating habits and lack of exercise, especially in the last few years,
resulted in Scott’s gaining a lot of weight and contributing to his declining
health. “He loved eating out,
getting take-out and delivery, and he frequented fast food restaurants,” she
added. “And believe me, it was quite the maneuver managing to get his body out
of his apartment. It required lots of help and we finally got him downstairs.” “People have been asking if they could make a donation somewhere in Larry’s – oh, right – some of you knew him as Scott!-- in his memory,” said Jacqueline during her eulogy. “My first thought was the American Heart Association, but really, I’d rather you take care of your own heart with that money. Eat right and exercise, go for walks, and be heart healthy! But if you still want to make a donation, consider the Heart Association.”
The program for
the service included the Lord’s Prayer and this poignant poem (Attribution is
not 100% clear but it appears to be by Janice M. Fair-Salters according to
http://www.muchloved.com/gateway/bereavement-poems-and-funeral-readings.htm) “I’m Free”
Don’t
grieve for me for now I’m free.
I could not stay another
day
If my parting has left a
void
Be not burdened with
times of sorrow.
Perhaps my time seems
all too brief. Rest in peace, dear
Scott. You’ll live on in our memories and in our hearts. Thank you for blessing
us with your beautiful spirit. (And thanks to
Kaci Christian for this
report) |
Email Saturday, 12.1.18
** Worked with Kasem “I worked with Casey Kasem at KEWB-San Francisco back in the sixties and got to know him fairly well. He would be ashamed to see what’s happening to his family in the name of love. I have sisters I’ve not spoken to since my mom died in 1965. I’m ashamed of them too.” – Jack Hayes ** Brother John Update “I was just back on your site and came across some Brother John information and wanted to clarify a few things in honor of him. I loved this guy. He was one of my best friends. This is the way I remember it: When I hired Brother John at KRLA in 1970, I couldn’t believe my good fortune. He took the job. I was I was 23 years old and I idolized him, he was ‘the Voice of God,’ and he was going to be the Voice of this new kind of programming I was trying to create, ‘Rock with a Grin.’ I was in charge of all programming, including news and public affairs. I wanted everything about the station to be new and contemporary. In keeping with this new Album Oriented Rock format I was beginning to introduce ‘Phase II.’ I asked Brother John to create a public affairs religious program for the station that was more contemporary than the then broadcast show Silhouette. And since Traffic was my favorite group at the time, I asked him to create a show named after their the song Heaven is in your Mind. I worked with him to fine-tune the approach and loved what he came up with. I later brought Brother John and Heaven is in Your Mind to KROQ and then KMET, where John was again ‘the voice.’ He was in charge of production, public affairs, and also did news. He could do anything. He created newscasts called ‘The Old Piano Bar News, with Shirley at the Piano,’ complete with fake correspondents around the world, and a parody of a sportscaster called ‘Bouser Benson, Speaking of Sports.’ It was hilarious. I don’t think I ever worked with a more talented, more creative educated, and kind person in my career. I quit radio in the late 70s, and when John went to KRTH, he asked me if it was okay with me for him to do Heaven is in Your Mind at K-EARTH. As far as I was concerned, it had become his show and he continued it for several years. That’s the way I remember it. But then again, I could be wrong. And now you know…the rest of the story.” – Shadoe Stevens ** Ponderous IDs “I loved the 1963 LA Times newspaper ad for KGFJ. Back in 2002, when I submitted an article to you about KGFJ’s early history as the nation's first 24-hour radio station in 1927, one of your readers sent me a 1962 KGFJ ID. The announcer proclaims that KGFJ is the original 24-hour station.” – Jim Hilliker
** What the World Needs Now is Tom Clay “I just wanted you to put in a little word, for my dear friend and mentor Tom Clay. We always had a great time. It’s hard to believe, it has been 23 years since Tom went home. I think of him, his son Ron and daughter Candy, often. I have even lost track of her.” – Gary Lane ** KFWBeatles “That’s some picture! But a great one! My good guess is that picture was probably taken around the release time of the album – mid-late January 1964. Maybe later. Also, KFWB would have to be playing a Beatles song or two, as I Want to Hold Your Hand was released on December 26, 1963 - coinciding with the first airplay by WMCA-New York.” – Gary W, Facebook.com/manfromyesterday ** What’s Going On? “I was pleased to see that you’re a fan of What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye. While I also really like his older stuff, What’s Going On was a major shift for Motown, replacing ‘feel good songs with social commentary. It was, of course, preceded by the Temptations Ball of Confusion, which came out a year earlier. Its lyrics were less controversial, but it helped open the door for What’s Going On. As far as Patsy Cline vs Brenda Lee, that’s an easy one for me. Patsy was too hard-core Country for my tastes, while ‘Little Miss Dynamite’ could jump from Country to Rock without missing a beat.” – Bob Scott |
Hear Ache
 |
(November 30, 2018) Marvin Gaye and his song What’s
Going On is one of my favorites. Not only is it a soulful
contribution to the singer’s legacy but a reward from his
tribulations on getting the record made despite Barry
Gordy’s objections. Next year, the USPS will be making a
commemorative stamp honoring Marvin Gaye. Sign me up. In other news: Saul Levine has added a second airing of the Dick Clark Show heard Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and noon. The program will be repeated Wednesday evenings from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saul also hinted that “a MAJOR Los Angeles radio personality will join KSURF in January.” That’ll be a nice present under the tree. And a blogger has paid tribute to KSURF, which you can read here … KJLH’s Steve Harvey gave away more than 8,000 turkeys as part of his annual turkey giveaway. Since the Turkey Give was launched in 2009, nearly 70,000 turkeys have been provided to those in need … Buster Bodine, veteran of KPWR in the late 80s, is a big football fan. He asked an interesting question: “Even though he’s still lethal on the football field, is it me or does Tom Brady look sloooowww compared to all the new QB guns?” By the way, didja know that Buster's older brother was Chuck Riley, veteran of KZLA (1979-80)? … Who was better, Patsy Cline or Brenda Lee? ... Do you still wish you could be Les Moonves? Bob Christy lives near the recent Woolsey Fires. He blogs with George Johns, and gave high praise to KNX and KFI. “Both stations gave me what I needed and I assume they were doing the same for tens of thousands of other people in SoCal. It seemed to me as a listener they had people everywhere, constant updates, traffic and weather. They covered and carried news conferences, community meetings. The actualities were outstanding. The stations would cut live to a reporter in a helicopter describing the inferno below. The anchors and reporters on both stations were filled with emotion and energy, they asked good questions and the pictures they painted with their words were vivid and true. The worked almost around the clock and never stumbled. They did their jobs and the stations fulfilled their obligation to the community. It was radio doing what radio does best. KNX and KFI did what radio has always done during times like this, they were the voices of Southern California.” You can read the full account here. |
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| KTWV's Deborah Howell interviewing Al B Sure |
November 2018 Ratings
 |
(November 29, 2018) Adult
Contemporary KOST is on a blistering pace to be the dominant
radio station for the next couple of months, as the station
transitions to their annual full-time array of Holiday
music. This is nice increase from last month for 103.5/fm,
according to the just-released November '18 PPM ratings 6+
Mon-Sun. Sister station KBIG (MY/fm) is the runner-up while
Classic Hits K-EARTH drops from #1 to #3 this month.
Familiar stations round out the Top 5 with KIIS/fm and KTWV
(the WAVE) 4th and 5th respectively. Here are the Top 40
stations: 1. KOST (AC) 4.9 - 5.1 2. KBIG (MY/fm) 4.8 - 4.7 3. KRTH (Classic Hits) 5.0 - 4.5 4. KIIS (Top 40/M) 4.2 - 4.4 5. KTWV (Rhythmic AC ) 4.2 - 4.3 6. KCBS (JACK/fm) 3.8 - 3.8 7. KFI (Talk) 3.7- 3.6 KLVE (Spanish Contemporary) 3.8 - 3.6 9. KXOL (Spanish AC) 3.0 - 3.0 10. KLOS (Classic Rock 3.0 - 2.9 |
| 11. KNX (News) 2.7 - 2.8 KPWR (Top 40/R) 2.8 - 2.8 KRRL (Urban) 3.0 - 2.8 14. KPCC (News/Talk) 2.6 - 2.7 KYSR (Alternative) 2.4 - 2.7 16. KRCD (Spanish Adult Hits) 2.8 - 2.6 17. KROQ (Alternative) 2.5 - 2.5 18. KKGO (Country) 2.5 - 2.4 KLAX (Regional Mexican) 2.3 - 2.4 20. KBUE (Regional Mexican) 2.4 - 2.3 21. KUSC (Classical) 2.1 - 2.2 22. KAMP (Top 40/M) 2.2 - 2.1 KLAC (Sports) 1.7 - 2.1 24. KSCA (Regional Mexican) 1.8 - 1.7 25. KSPN (Sports) 1.3 - 1.5 26. KJLH (Urban AC) 1.2 - 1.4 27. KCRW (Variety) 1.3 - 1.3 28. KDAY (Rhythmic AC) 1.3 - 1.2 KLYY (Spanish Adult Hits) 1.1 - 1.2 KSSE (Spanish Oldies) 1.1 - 1.2 31. KEIB (Talk) 1.1 - 1.1 KRLA (Talk) 1.3 - 1.1 33. KFWB (Regional Mexican) 0.8 - 0.8 KKJZ (Jazz) 0.8 - 0.8 KKLQ (Christian Contemporary) 1.0 - 0.8 36. KFSH (Christian Contemporary) 0.7 - 0.7 37. KKLA (Religious) 0.7 - 0.6 KSUR (Oldies) 0.4 - 0.6 KWIZ (Spanish Variety) 0.6 - 0.6 40. KABC (Talk) 0.3 - 0.5 |
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| Terry Hardy received this flyer in his Valpak mailer earlier this week ... Sounds fascinating! |
Two LARPS Join the Passing Parade
 |
(November 28, 2018) Dave
Roberts (l), veteran
Orange County jock at KEZY and KWIZ in the mid-1970s, died
November 24, following a long battle with cancer. He was 70.
Born Dave Kelliher on November 1, 1948, he held a doctorate in research from the University of Oregon. He worked at KYNO-Fresno, KMEN-San Bernardino and KPOI-Honolulu. He started his career in 1966 at KDUO, and did fill-in work at KFXM-San Bernardino. A year later he joined KREO-Indio, then on to KPOI-Honolulu. In 1980 he was at KYA-San Francisco as assistant pd, research director and afternoon drive. In 1981 he was appointed pd at KRQR-San Francisco before he was named vp/director of programming for the RKO Radio Network in 1983. In the mid-1980s he was host of RKO’s “The Hot Ones” and was a four-time fill-in host for American Top 40. In 1985, he joined the CBS/FM Group as vp/director of programming. Dave owned a consulting company in Austin. During part of his radio journey, Dave worked as David B. Daniels. Over the holiday weekend we lost another LARP, Ed Crook (r), veteran of KWKW, KDWC, KGRB, and KWOW, during the 50s and 60s. Ed worked on-air as Dave Gilmore. He also spent time at KPRO-Riverside. He died November 26, 2018, concluding several months of battling stomach cancer. "He went to take a nap on Thanksgiving Day and he never woke up," according to friend Bill Kingman. Ed was 85. "He was the nicest guy on our planet and a proud Eagle Scout. Ed moved to Lake Tahoe in 1974 and founded KRLT/fm." He was general manager of KPTL/KKBC Carson City/Reno in the early 1980s, followed by a stint as gm at KROI AM&FM. Ed was heard at KTHO-Lake Tahoe since 2001 and was heard hourly nights and weekends announcing the local weather forecast. |
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| Broadcast Event.
This is the weekend that college broadcasters, webcasters,
podcasters, journalists, news reporters and low-power FM
station personnel will gather for the Intercollegiate
Broadcasting System’s Western Regional Multimedia Conference
at Long Beach State University. The all-day event is open to
the public. A long list of media professionals will interact with students and attendees, including Keynote Speaker, International broadcast consultant Valerie Geller, author of Beyond Powerful Radio, Dennis Clark, iHeartMedia’s VP of Talent Development, Brian Webber, NBC Sports Radio, Manny Pacheco, traffic anchor KNX, Alejandra Ortiz Chagin, news anchor for Noticiero Telemundo 52, Nick Roman, KPCC’s host for All Things Considered / faculty-Cal State Long Beach, Ron Shapiro – Format 3000.com and KIIS/fm, Dave Beasing, "SoundsThatBrand.com", Tammy Trujillo, KPCC news anchor and author of The Intern Insider: Getting the Most Out of Your Internship in the Entertainment Field, Vicki Pearlson – L.A. TheatreWorks, Kimberly Kelly, College of Liberal Arts Internship Program/CSULB, Terri Dourian, Power 106, 93.5 KDAY, and Teresa Puente, professor of Journalism & Radio station faculty advisor. Registration is $45 per person, which includes a light breakfast, a hearty lunch and a "pizza hive" networking social at the end of the day. To register visit www.mediaconferences.org or www.ibsradio.org. For local information, contact IBS Radio Vice President, Danny Lemos (danny.lemos@csulb.edu) |
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| A cool
KGFJ LA Times ad from Thanksgiving Day 11/27/63.
This is from David Grudt's personal
collection. Al Scott (at Dolphins of Hollywood), Chuck James, Brother Joseph Matthews, Rosko, Johnny Magnus, Herman Griffith and Hunter Hancock |
Scary Saturday for Host of Rhapsody in Black
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(November 27, 2018) As
Art Gould and Dave Kunz were wrapping up The
Car Show Saturday afternoon, the KPFK engineer put a
message on the screen that Billy Vera would
be guest-hosting Bill Gardner’s Rhapsody
in Black. “Very cool that a well-known musician was
filling in for Bill, who rarely takes a Saturday off,”
emailed Kunz. And then the shocker. “What we didn’t know at
the time was that Bill’s call to Billy was very much
last-minute, as someone had shot out Bill’s car window while
he was on the road!” Vera talked about the incident and said that Bill was unhurt, just a little shaken up. Over the weekend, Gardner posted details about the incident: “On Saturday morning I was driving west on the 91 frwy in Bellflower when suddenly I heard a thud on my rear driver’s side window. There was a hole in the glass that shattered the whole window. I didn’t stop because I was scared and in shock. I drove to the nearest police station. By that time, 99% of the window had shattered with the glass all over my back seat. The policeman said it wasn’t a bullet that caused this, it was probably some car that made contact. I was driving my 10-year-old Toyota Sienna. The policeman assumed the scratches on the side of the car was the result of a collision but I know I didn’t collide with a car! I got scratches all over my old car. He took my license for a while to make sure I wasn’t involved in a hit-and-run. There was no report of an accident on the 91 west at that time. So now I have to get a new rear window. I’m still shook up but thankful the Lord spared me any physical damage. Thank all of you for caring.” We reached out to Bill and he responded last night: "I got my window fixed. I wasn't injured, so I guess that's it. Thanks for caring!" |
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| From Dave Grudt's collection: KLAC radio LA Times ad from 11/26/68 |
Potpourri of the Day's News
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(November 26, 2018) LBI Media Inc., the nation’s largest
private minority-owned Spanish language tv and radio
broadcaster filed for bankruptcy last week, blaming its woes
on competition from digital media platforms and a heavy debt
load. LBI locally owns high-performing KBUE. In 2011, morning star Don Cheto (l) received a 5-year $3.5 million extension contract. KBUE is #1 with Hispanic Adults 18-34 in most dayparts. KWIZ/fm (Santa Ana), also owned by LBI, is #1 Hispanic in evenings in Orange County. A LARadio listener wrote to say he couldn’t hear the USC / UCLA football game on KSPN. Scott McCarty, gm, responded, “There was an early (east coast) Lakers game that day...2:30 pregame show start. If I remember correctly, we carried the USC pregame on 710 and aired the USC game/post-game on 1110. We have a couple of these Lakers / USC conflicts every year. And we heavily promote where to find the USC broadcast when we do have to move it.” Blogger Chris Smith wondered the whereabouts of Jim Brown, entertainment guy on KPOL in the 60s and NBC’s Today Show. Known to many as “Our Man in Hollywood,” Jim was born on June 27, 1932 and passed away December 3, 2017. He was 85. A native of Hollywood, he worked in radio for many years before turning to television, appearing on KNXT / Channel 2, KNBC / Channel 4, and finally the Today Show. “To his family, he imparted a love for thrift stores, superior navigation skills, the ability to appreciate Big Band music, a desire to drive the back roads, and a talent to quote classic films at the drop of a hat,” according to his obituary in the LA Times. “He also passed on a strong Christian faith and was truly an example of a man who lived out what he believed.” In other news: A number of LARP were inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame last week. They include: Mark Levin, Jonathon Brandmeier, Mike Golic, and Dr. Laura Schlessinger … Laurie Sanders, formerly with KOST, was in a bad car accident last week in San Leandro. She has a broken right leg and broken right wrist. Her spirits are high but she’s going to be immobile for a while, according to a Facebook friend … KFI’s Jennifer Jones Lee celebrates nine years of marriage. “Scott Lee has kept me smiling since the day we met back in 2005,” Jennifer posted on Facebook. Jillian Barberie went out for her second outing since surgery to give out meals to homeless on Thanksgiving. “We are so fortunate. You never know why people are in the predicament they’re in. One man lost his family and job. He was once a teacher. God bless these people. I’m so grateful,” wrote Jillian on her Facebook page. She announced on the podcast she does with Steve Edwards and Dorothy Lucey that her double mastectomy eradicated all of the cancer but that she will have to undergo radiation and chemo come the first of the year. |
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Nostalgia Sunday - 10 Years Ago Today
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The Single Most
Important Dodger Game Ever
But I was thinking about how lucky I am to cover radio, and it was never so evident that my good fortunes came to a pinnacle last Friday. The Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters proudly honored Vin Scully – arguably the best baseball broadcaster in the history of baseball. He was no slouch doing golf and NFL either, but he will be remembered as not only the voice of the Dodgers, but the voice of the summer for well over a half century. How fitting that the PPB luncheons ended a long run at the Sportsmen’s Lodge with a salute to a living legend. The Sportsmen’s Lodge, in its current facility, will become history next year as developers keep their secret plans, well, secret.
1. Wink Martindale, Tommy Hawkins; 2. Jaime Jarrin, Peter O'Malley, Charley Steiner; 3. Tom Hatten Tommy Hawkins – NBA star, KABC talk show host, director of communications for the Dodgers and now jazz host at KKJZ – was the perfect lead-off speaker from the Scully dais. Eloquent and passionate, Tommy acknowledged that this luncheon was the last place Vinny wanted to be. “But this is his day and I’m going to lay it on him,” said Hawk. “Vin is one of the most accomplished, beloved, celebrated, and decorated men in the history of broadcasting. In 28 years of being with Vinny – 18 years as Dodger vice president of communications, 10 years as sports director at KABC, breakfasts, lunches and traveling with this man. People would kill to do what I have done all those years. What I experienced and what I saw was the friendly neighbor next door who knew what the hell he was talking about.” “If Vinny had been a painter he would have been a Picasso or Rembrandt,” continued Hawk. “He is the poet laureate of broadcasting. Charley Steiner, I love you, but I’ve got to hear Vinny. You understand that. I remember when Rick Monday was playing outfield for the Chicago Cubs and rescued the American flag from these idiots who were trying to burn it during a protest period. And Vinny said: ‘It was probably one of the most patriotic defensive moves of Rick’s career.’ Where does Vinny come up with this?”
1. Commander Chuck Street, Bill Smith; 2. Bill Harris (former At the Movies host); 3. Tom Goodwin, Ken Levine Hawkins concluded with: “Vin Scully has been a brilliant beacon and an incredible constant. Long live the King!” Ned Colletti, general manager of the Dodgers, apologized for being with the San Francisco Giants for 11 years. He said he couldn’t find any other job. “I got a chance to see Vin Scully on the outside looking in for many years. You always wonder when you get to know somebody first hand and you spend every day with them, travel with them, celebrate the highs of winning and the lows of defeat together, what that person is going to be like. I can tell you from the first time I met him he was a classic gentleman and as I stand here today, he is absolutely a classic gentleman.”
Jaime Jarrin, the voice of the Dodgers in Spanish, paid tribute to Vinny. “Without a doubt, Vin Scully has more awards and decorations than a general in South America.” Jaime acknowledged his special appreciation of Vin. “And to think that this immigrant from Ecuador has had the privilege of spending countless hours and days with the best of the best, the titan of our industry, Vin Scully. Only in America, the greatest country in the world. Let me tell you, he is the wonderful human being. A great man.” When the Dodgers decided to broadcast the games in Spanish, they had to establish special lines from KFI to KWKW so Jaime could recreate the games. “Before the games Vin would take the time to give us as much information as possible. He would take the time to help us with the line-ups.”
1. Mr. & Mrs. Bill Mouzis; 2. Jonathan Winters with Scully; 3. Scott St. James and Mike Stark Hal Kanter, resident humorist for the PPB, was in rare form. “Have you heard the news that the President of the Dodgers has bought the color blue? Dodger Blue is aptly named. For years every chance they had to win a pennant, they blew it.” Some other highlights from Kanter’s speech:
Kanter implored Vinny to keep on doing what he’s been doing until the Dodgers win another World Series. “Thank you for years of showing us how effortlessly you ad lib and wisdom you display when you shut up.”
1. Mr. & Mrs. Gerry Fry,
Denny Adkins; 2. Scott Keene, Charlotte Baker; Tommy Lasorda got to the podium, he basically said, ‘Happy Birthday’ to Vin and sat down. PPB president Chuck Southcott masterfully orchestrated the pace of the luncheon and introduced Vinny. Vinny began his address: “Many years ago I established in my mind what I modestly call, Scully’s Law, that was the quality of the invitation to speak at a luncheon or dinner always depended on the success of the Dodgers the previous summer. Seeing a large crowd here today, I do not think of it as a tribute to myself, it means that the Dodgers won the Western Division, they also beat the Cubs and came this close to going to the World Series. There have been other years, however, including one year when we lost 99 games. I remember I spoke at the retirement dinner of an arthritic organist and there was one other invitation, to open a pet shop in La Puente.”
1. Bill Moran, Tommy Lasorda; Jerry Sharrell, Mike Johnson; 3. Wink Martindale and Shelley Berman In his brief time before the luncheon crowd, Vinny told the story of the most important single game since the Dodgers arrived in Los Angeles and you probably never heard it. As you read this story, it will come alive if you can hear Vinny telling it. “In 1958, the Dodgers trained as the Los Angeles Dodgers in Vero Beach and then they barnstormed their way across the country. The Dodgers arrived in Mesa, Arizona to play the Chicago Cubs. Before the game, Walter Alston said, ‘For the squeeze play we’ll use the runner’s last name.’ For those of you who don’t know what a squeeze play is, there’s a runner at third, less than two outs, and the runner takes off for home plate just as the pitcher is releasing the ball and the batter bunts. It’s going to be a squeeze to get the runner in and therefore a squeeze play.” Vin continued with his story: “This is the very first game in Mesa, Arizona. Gino Cimoli is an outfielder with the Dodgers and he’s at first base. Duke Snider, on his way to the Hall of Fame, gets a base hit, Cimoli rounds second and goes to third into a big slide and beats the throw from right field. There’s a photographer 20 feet off the line from third base. The third base coach is Charlie Dressen. Gino is brushing himself off. The photographer says to Dressen, ‘What’s his name?’ Dressen says, ‘Cimoli.’”
1. Tommy Lasorda, Peter O'Malley; 2. Alfred Archuleta, Jeff Leonard, Doug Dunlap; 3. Ray Briem “At the plate,” Vin continues, “is Gil Hodges, six feet two, two hundred and ten pounds with 370 home runs, only 1200 runs batted in and NEVER, not once in his entire life that he ever had been involved in a squeeze play, especially in the first inning of an exhibition game in Mesa, Arizona. The photographer didn’t quite hear Dressen and he wasn’t familiar with the name. ‘Who?’ Dressen is annoyed. He’s coaching. He’s working. And yells back, ‘Cimoli.’ That’s all Gino needed. The pitcher went into his stretch, he looked over at first. He looked over at third. Hodges waited at the plate. And just as the pitcher was delivering the ball, here comes Cimoli. Gil Hodges is so intrigued he backs away from home plate to watch this development. Cimoli is nipped at the plate by 20 feet.”
Scully concluded with: “I thank everyone on the dais for those totally immodest and incorrect remarks. I remember one line, ‘God gave us memories so we could have roses in December. You have given me a bouquet today and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” |
Email Saturday, 11.24.2018
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** Hogan Highway
“Really good to read your piece on Jim Hawthorne. And wasn’t he building a ‘drive-in volcano’ when he was on KRLA in ‘Pasa-Hogan’? A truly remarkable talent. Many thanks.” – Don Graham ** Announced for Hawthorne “Enjoyed Jim Hawthorne story. I was a fan. The guy was good, very good. I was his announcer on his ABC network radio show. His local show was much better because there were things he couldn’t do on the ABC network.” – Roger Carroll ** Ballance on Hawthorne “Thanks for the piece on Jim Hawthorne, a radio and television legend in L.A., and later, in Hawaii. When I was a kid, he was the first broadcast personality I was familiar with, and it was a thrill for me to include him when we produced KCOP’s 50th anniversary show. Jim and Bill Ballance were buddies since their Denver radio days. When we brought them together for an interview session [they had both worked at Channel 13 at various times], it was like a couple of teenage pranksters had taken over the set.” – Mitch Waldow ** Call Letter Confusion “I enjoyed the Jim Hawthorne article. I grew up listening to Hawthorne and he and Bob Crane were strong influences on me as a young broadcaster. But your mention that he started at KXLA [now KRLA] is misleading. KRLA 1110 is now KRDC and was once Radio Disney. The call letters KRLA are now used by the former KIEV. KRLA 870 The Answer is now a conservative talk station. It’s confusing and there oughta be a law.” – Gary Marshall |
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** Candle for Paradise
“I just want to light one lone candle as a mournful tribute to the people of Paradise, California. At the start of my radio career, I worked in that area, and spent many a day driving to Paradise with my longtime friend and fellow dj, Jimmy Cole. Paradise was basically a retirement community near the base of the beautiful Feather River Canyon. There has always been only one road in, and one road out of town. There have been other fires in that area in recent years, and one that occurred about 10 years ago inspired safety conscious folks to widen that highway for a better escape route. However, since that day of enlightenment came, business leaders, do-gooders and downright idiots helped create the bastard idea of a ‘road diet.’ If you don't know what a ‘road diet’ is, ask anyone that has been subjected to one in the Los Angeles area. They pitch it as a ‘safety measure,’ when all it does is add unnecessary bike lanes, reduce traffic lanes, parking, and mainly common sense. Yes, the four-lane Skyway highway has recently been reduced back to two. The result, at least 80 known dead, and hundreds more still missing. This idiocy has hampered firefighters and medical first responders. With over 6,000 structures destroyed, and cars found melted together on the only escape route, I can only quote Pete Seeger, ‘when will they ever learn?’ ‘WHEN WILL THEY EVER LEARN?’” – Bill Dudley |
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** Public Radio Woefully Lacking
During Woolsey Fires “I live in Westlake Village. As you know, the last couple of weeks have been very difficult for residents here, first with the Borderline mass shooting and then the Hill and Woolsey fires the following next day. The following comment was posted to a thread on NextDoor.com this afternoon regarding the lack of adequate information during the Woolsey fire. I thought you might find it interesting, especially the last sentence. I assume the author is referring to KCLU 88.3. We gave up on our local public radio station that doesn’t appear to have the ability to break satellite feed and give us updates. Same thing during Thomas Fire. Tried calling multiple times (during both fire events) for some kind of local broadcasts / updates and information...can’t say how frustrating it is to be told to go on their web site for updates when there is no data service due to the emergency. I don’t know how they can be considered ‘public radio’ when they fail to serve the public at such a critical time. It is a grave disappointment. Two major fires in a row and we get to tune in to All Things Considered while dodging fires and trying to figure out where is safe for evac for people and livestock and pets. No donation from us this year.’” – Terry Hardy |
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** Potpourri “That photo is a howl. Wink Martindale is so young, but the expressions on Bill Ballance and Gene Weed's faces are priceless! I’m very glad Go Country is doing Christmas music. They play a different mix than KOST and I like having a choice. And with all the sadness of the fires and shooting in Thousand Oaks, holiday music always makes me feel better.” – Julie T. Byers ** Casey on 48 Hours “I’ve never been much a fan of troublemakers like the Roseanne story, but am happy to learn of the special on Casey Kasem is on the way tonight. Not so much to get down there and wallow in the mud with all the other drama freaks but to learn what really did happen. Should be interesting as the dickens. Also loved the shot of that particular KFWB crew. Half of ’em look slightly to more-than-slightly shitfaced which did my ol’ heart good ... |
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** Looking for a Break
“I am a graduate of Los Angeles Valley College with a degree in broadcasting. I grew up listening to KRTH, KZLA, KBIG, KOST, KTWV, Mega100, KHHT and others. I’m looking for an opportunity at an entry level in LARadio. In the old days there were smaller markets to learn the business but they don’t seem to exist anymore. I am willing to do anything. Some of your recent posts on your website pretty much told me to ‘don’t give up on my dreams.’ But where do I go? I spend so much time thinking about this and I read your weekday posts and glance at your Sunday nostalgia and your email Saturdays and I get really inspired. I was thinking that somebody in your radio circle would be interested chatting with me.” – Chananya Freedman, cdfman1@gmail.com * “Just wanted to send a ‘Thank You’ for everything you do for all of us LARadio people. I have enjoyed reading and keeping up with everyone for many years now thanks to you. I know it takes a lot of work, and just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate it! And thanks for always including me too!” – Craig Powers |
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Thanksgiving Day - LARPs: These are some of
the most troubling and
challenging times for so
many of us. Craig Powers (VP Operations, Cameron Broadcasting): All 6 of our radio stations burned to the ground on June 2nd. It was a total loss. I personally also lost over 60 Gold and Platinum records that I had been awarded over my radio and record career. We have been rebuilding all 6 stations and are now just one week away from being in brand new, state of the art studios, in a beautiful new building. It’s amazing, a new Los Angeles quality facility in Bullhead City, Arizona. We have just re-built 6 stations from the ground up, in less than 6 months. And did you know that 80% of all businesses that were a total loss in a fire actually never return to business? Not Cameron Broadcasting. I am so grateful that we have made it through this experience. I’m grateful that I have had the chance to build 6 stations from the ground up, I’m grateful for the people on staff that worked long, endless hours and went above and beyond the call of duty to get us back on the air. I’m thankful for the listeners and clients who have stuck with us! But I’m most grateful for our owner Billy Jaeger who knows radio from all sides and the ground up. He taught us all how to keep moving forward, think positive and to NEVER give up. Without Billy we would have never made it through the fire! Oh and we had good insurance too! Lara Scott (K-FISH): Don, we are so thankful that our son is on the road to being healthy! He was diagnosed a few weeks ago with Kawasaki Disease, and we spent five days in the hospital and many, many sleepless nights holding him. We are also so thankful for the little things people have done to show us kindness: emailing that they were praying for us, bringing a book by for Dallas, the nurses giving us a handmade pillow for him to snuggle with. You know, being in radio for so many years, I have usually based my identity on the jobs I've had or the cool stuff I've done. But now, more than ever, I realize it is about the people we love. Nothing else matters. Thank you for letting me share. And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
This year, 2010, I look at that day - and life - differently. Getting a diagnosis of prostate cancer in July was a shock. The last time I was in a hospital for any kind of treatment was my hernia when I was a kid. Flash forward to age 65, and one hears the letter "C." Then it was a round of tests all within a month - biopsy, CT scan, bone scan, and what seemed to me like a medical team of a primary, a urologist, and a "medical oncology care" specialist. I was thunderstruck by what I was being told because I had no symptoms. I felt fine. The only problem I had (and recently resolved) was a blood pressure medication that was severely impacting my breathing (it was changed, I am OK now). So now, I'm thinking bucket list, I'm realizing I know more people dead than alive, I'm thinking in terms of months, not years. I'm thinking of friends who are also seriously ill. I'm thinking "cats know these things, is my beloved cat going to show me a sign?" And, then, as if the clouds parted and a ray of sunshine struck my mind and soul, I reminded myself I have always been, for the most part, a positive person, even in times of extreme adversity. Why should I abandon that concept now? I lecture broadcasting students on the value of positive thinking - passion, persistence, patience. Should I not pay attention to what I am saying? So, my urologist said no chemo, no radiation. He started me on hormone therapy, noting the prostate cancer had spread to my lymph nodes and my bones, from head to toe. In July, I got the first of the injections I get once every three months. I started taking a daily pill. To stay positive, and with the love and support of my girlfriend Hazel, I started a gym workout program and personal fitness training. Slowly, because I am not one to rush into these things, I'm feeling the result of such workouts. Then, September - late in the month - came the first feedback on my PSA. It was 3200-plus in July, off the charts. Now it was a 0.1. My urologist called it a miracle. I will continue the treatment for a year or two. Yes, I believe a positive attitude played a major role. Yes, the love and support of Hazel and close friends played a major role. True, I do not know what tomorrow will bring. But I look at life differently than I did before. Value each day, each moment, and I embrace the Sparky Anderson quote that there is no future in talking about the past. Whatever God's plan is for me, I will know soon enough. I have much to do before I move on to the next chapter, and God willing. I will accomplish much. And this Thanksgiving, I will enjoy the meal, of course, but ONLY after I embrace my loved ones and count my blessings. I have much to be thankful for. Jerry Longden (dj emeritus): The dictionary defines an economic depression as a prolonged period of recession, or a significant and prolonged downturn in the economy. Characteristics of an economic depression include declining business activities, falling prices and home sales, rising unemployment, increasing inventories, public fear and panic. I think it’s interesting how the Federal Government has avoided that word to the point of being obvious. Fact is, if the public perception is a depression, then that's what it is. I remember my parents telling me about the Great Depression and how no one had any money and seemed like everyone was out of a job. People couldn't pay their mortgages and the banks had to let people slide. Not like today. My mother said had it not been for the Salvation Army's food program back then, many working Americans would have starved. Joni Mitchell is right 'You don't know what you've got till it’s gone' … 75% of the world does not have a car, 55% of the world has no plumbing or toilets, 65% of the world is in hunger, average global daily income is $3.75 for those who work, the deadliest thing on our planet after nukes remains the anopheles mosquito spreading the biggest killer, malaria. If I just stand here and look up in the sky, I have a lot to be thankful for considering where I am. I can't imagine Burbank ever becoming Calcutta. Personally, I'm just thankful to be around to see things improve at all, because getting worse doesn't have much room left. I just hope everyone this Thanksgiving will recognize who and where we are, compared to where we could be. By the way, 2010 is one of those years when my birthday actually falls on Thanksgiving. Not sure if I like being that closely associated with a feast, as my big day sort of gets lost in the stuffing. Happy Thanksgiving to you and our brave troops everywhere! Nautica de la Cruz (KJLH middays): Five years ago on Thanksgiving day I found my brothers and sister. I was working at the old 100.3/fm The BEAT and it was Thanksgiving day. I was doing the 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. shift when all of the sudden I was reaching a slow point in the show. No one was really calling and I had no giveaways. I decided to go on the computer and Google a whole bunch of stuff. Then I decided to Google a friend of mine from college. All of the sudden I found a website where you can find people. I Googled my father's name and some information came out about him owning a restaurant. I called the restaurant and my brother Erik answered. A beautiful relationship started from there. I have found my three brothers and a sister. It was my best Thanksgiving Day ever. Jennifer Bauman-Roy: The past two-years have definitely been a challenge, scraping together some freelance work, starting my own production company and working on a pilot for a new tv show. I admit there are days when I've felt sorry for myself despite the fact I have a great husband, a roof over my head, and plenty of food to eat. Any ‘poor me’ feelings evaporated over the weekend when I volunteered at a free medical clinic in the City of Orange. There was so much poverty among the people waiting in line. Some had serious infections, abscessed teeth and other major medical conditions most of us wouldn't dream of ignoring unless faced with the same challenge: How to survive when your cash runs out. The most heartbreaking story was a man who brought his little daughter to the clinic to get medication because the 2-year old was HIV positive. He told me how his wife had been cleaning abandoned properties before they were shown to potential buyers. That's when she accidentally got stuck with an infected needle. Not realizing she was infected, the pregnant woman unknowingly passed the virus to her baby girl. I guess the point of my story is to count your blessings, and when you can, help other people during these tough times. Mike Sakellarides (KTWV): Last week I urged people to vote, and I emphasized why I take going to the polls so seriously on my facebook page. ‘...If you don't show up, it's handing your vote to someone else. And my grandfather didn't lose his arm on a French battlefield for that!’ Then, Mr. Rock ‘n Roll, Brian Beirne sent me an email saying, ‘Great that grandpa was a hero. We are so lacking in role models, heroes and such today.” I replied: ‘Thanks, Brian! My grandfather Michael IS my biggest hero. For brevity (on Facebook) I didn't mention the bayonet wound in the neck and through his larynx which made his voice sound like Andy Devine. This happened in France in 1918. After hospitalization he came home, married the Greek girl who was arranged for him [and she fell madly in love with him]. He struggled for years. Then, in the 1930's, with a disabled veterans' loan from FDR, he bought and ran a pool hall 16 hours a day, letting him feed and keep a family of four kids, three of whom served in the WW II and Korean eras. How I loved sitting and laughing and singing on his lap with that one arm holding me, his first grandchild, good and tight. Thank Heaven a few precious pictures survive. He died when I was seven from the common problem of amputees: thrombosis. Yes, he's my American hero. When times are tough I think of him, and 'man up' so I don't disappoint him. God bless him. Red Blanchard: Yes, Don, quite a coincidence. I just ran across this little piece by an unknown author which contains some sage advice that I wish I had had back when my wife was alive. Perhaps your readers could take it to heart?
If you are ever going
to love me,
Love me now
If you have tender thoughts of me,
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Counting Backwards to 48 Hours
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(November 21, 2018) Casey Kasem and the family turmoil
swirling around his death is the subject of 48 Hours next
Saturday night. For the first time, more than four years
after radio legend died, his wife Jean Kasem reveals to the
CBS newsmagazine for the first time her version of her
husband's final days, levels allegations of murder in a
lawsuit and discusses a heated family feud.
Casey is best known to readers of LARadio as a unique dj at 1110 / KRLA for much of the sixties. At the top of his career, Kasem was later heard by millions around the world as the host of the music countdown show, American Top 40, and as the voice of "Shaggy" in the cartoon classic Scooby Doo. But toward the end of his life, Casey’s name was in the news for less palatable circumstances. His family made headlines over an ongoing dispute between Kasem’s children from his first wife (Linda Myers Naylor), and Jean Kasem, his second wife. After his death on Father’s Day in 2014, the feud escalated as both sides accused each other of contributing to his death, and they battled over his estate and final resting place. “They killed my husband,” Jean Kasem told 48 Hours’ Peter Van Sant. “They killed their father.” “Jean killed my father,” counters Kerri Kasem, one of Kasem’s three adult children, adding, “what she did led to his death.” In 2014, as Casey was dying of Lewy body dementia, a Parkinson’s like illness, his estate was estimated to be worth between $80 million to $100 million. Jean Kasem said her husband’s children, Kerri, Julie and Michael, were only after his money and that eventually her husband cut them off financially. “It was always all about the money,” she said. “We became the bank of Kasem. We were the personal ATM machine.” She claims the children were furious and initiated a premeditated plan that led to their father’s death. Kerri Kasem and her siblings make similar claims against Jean. “The only thing she ever wanted from my dad is money,” Kerri Kasem said. “That's it.” Jean Kasem reveals to Van Sant how she moved her ailing husband from a rehab facility in Santa Monica to a friend's home in Silverdale, Washington, where Casey spent some of his final days. She claims she had to move him there to “protect her husband.” Then, she said his children found them and forced him into a hospital where he was ultimately taken off life support. Kerri and her siblings blame her father's death on Jeans actions. Kerri had a court order that allowed her to take her father to a hospital for care. When Casey arrived at the hospital, his diagnosis was grim. Hospital records indicate Casey had a stage three ulcer of his back, suffered septic shock, respiratory failure and a host of other ailments. Kerri, Julie and Michael Kasem have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against their stepmother. Jean Kasem filed a countersuit against her husband’s adult children for the same reasons. “What she did to my dad was elder abuse,” says Julie Kasem. “Straight and simple.” What really led to Kasem's death? This is for certain: While his living relatives continue in a seemingly never-ending battle over his estate, Kasem’s body rests in an unmarked grave in Oslo, Norway. Check out 48 Hours Saturday night. Here’s a preview. |
| In other news: Jim Governale is celebrating 18 years of marriage. “We thank the Lord for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us. Too many to count,” wrote Jim … Lancaster library is turning into a dj workshop. Read the story here ... Josh Lewin, a familiar sports voice in the Southland, has been the voice of the New York Mets. The NY Post reports that Josh is now heading to San Diego as pre-game and post-game host for San Diego Padres broadcasts. Josh is also the radio voice of UCLA football and men's basketball ... The Academy of Radio Broadcasting in Orange County is celebrating 36 years in business … Wink Martindale enjoyed Jim Hawthorne's 100th birthday tribute and sent a photo of Jim and the KFWB “Good Guys” taken during the sudden emergence of the Beatles and their first Capitol album. “The picture was taken during the Hollywood Lane Parade circa ’63,” said Wink. A Beatles-inspired photo below … KKGO is now playing full-time Christmas music. “Once again twelve million Southern California listeners will have a choice,” emailed Saul Levine. “Traditional Country Music will continue on 105.1 FM HD3.” … Tomorrow, we will post some LARP thankful messages from the past, then on Friday memories of LARP when John Kennedy was assassinated. |
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KFWB jocks in the front row are L to R: Sam Riddle, Wink Matindale, Don Anti (Music Director), Bill Ballance, Gene Weed
Back row L to R: Jim Hawthorne, Roger Christian, Elliot Field
'Ol Weather Eyes Would Have Been 100
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(November 20, 2018) Today
would have been Jim Hawthorne’s 100th
birthday. “Hawthorne passed away in 2007, like so many Los
Angeles radio pioneers who were performers with a passion,
not necessarily a large paycheck,” wrote his son Darr. Hawthorne was one of the most creative talents L.A. radio and tv has ever seen. He was a frequent contributor to LARadio.com and penned a series, “Hawthorne’s HIStory,” for many years. Jim started at KXLA-Pasadena (now KRLA). His humor established him as a unique broadcaster in the early days of personality radio, yet his major success came from television. In 1950, he created, produced and starred in the Saturday night coast-to-coast radio program, The Hawthorne Thing, which was the final network radio show to originate in NBC's Hollywood Radio City. At KLAC/Channel 13 in the early 1950s, he created the first late evening talk show on television, This Is Hawthorne. An article in the LA Times reflecting on early tv described the show as “the predecessor of NBC’s Saturday Night Live.” On KNBC / Channel 4, beginning in 1952, he did a daily five-minute weather show. Then in 1958, Jim traveled to KYA-San Francisco and created “Voice Your Choice,” which he brought to KDAY. In the early 1960s, while doing Instant Weather on KTTV / Channel 11, Hawthorne joined KFWB as assistant pd and mornings, and eventually became vp / national program manager for Crowell-Collier Broadcasting. |
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While still at KFWB he joined Sherman
Gricreating the Checkers and Pogo kids show for tv which ran
for 11 years. He was also involved with programming
KGMB-Honolulu and was creative consultant to morning legend
Aku (Hal Lewis). As one of his bits, since the tv weather was so short, Jim would hold up cards and do a pantomime. In 1970, Jim moved back to his hometown, Denver, to help his ailing mother. He stayed for 11 years and established a very successful career at KOA, eventually becoming general manager. In the late 1980s, Jim returned to Southern California. Time Magazine offered a profile on Jim on May 10, 1948: Jim Hawthorne, a young Pasadena disc jockey, used to be bored with his job ($85 a week). Sometimes he would sign off with a sneer: “This is KXLA, the 10,000-watt jukebox.” But he is bored with his job no longer. One night, without notifying his bosses, Hawthorne suddenly turned his show into a carefree, wit-loose “Hellzapoppin on the air.” Next day, before the station had time to fire him, the place was snowed under with fan mail. Both ABC and Mutual were dickering for national network rights. Hawthorne’s salary is now $450 a week. In the middle of a recording, a voice may suddenly announce: “I’ve got cole slaw in all my pockets. I’m cold.” Hawthorne was great for the advertiser. When a commercial was coming up, he banged on his “attention getter” (a pair of crash cymbals) as a red alert to the audience. Most of the transcribed commercials are played at either very slow or breakneck speeds, so that they sound like either a foghorn or Donald Duck. One listener thought Jim was, “half haw, half thorn.” |
| An example of the HIStory inserts he provided for LARadio: Back in 1945, the tiny town of Yellville, Arkansas, held its first annual Turkey Trot Festival. It was named after the Turkey Trot dance, which was popularized on a 1913 recording by the Charles Prince Orchestra. This is the orchestra that later recorded So Long Letty, which I adopted as my radio theme song - but I’m getting off the subject. The Turkey Trot Festival featured a turkey shoot, a turkey calling contest, a “Miss Drumsticks” pageant, and – for the grand finale – a live turkey was thrown from the roof of the courthouse. In later years, they started tossing turkeys out of a low-flying airplane. This was halted in 1989 after animal rights protestors raised a fuss – or maybe I should say “raised a gobble.” But the turkey drop inspired what is considered to be the most memorable episode of WKRP In Cincinnati, a 1978-82 CBS sitcom. |
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John & Ken #1 in LARadio 8th Annual Listening Poll in 2006
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In 2006, more readers of LARadio.com listen to KFI’s John & Ken in afternoon drive (3 p.m. – 7 p.m.) than any other personality or radio station. About 300 readers of the Web site voted John & Ken as the clear afternoon winners. We revealed last week that KFI’s Bill Handel is the most listened to in morning drive. |
The Top 10 most listened to LARP in afternoon drive:
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John & Ken (KFI)
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Randi Rhodes (KTLK)
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Larry Elder (KABC)
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Mason & Ireland (KSPN)
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Tom Leykis (KLSX)
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Joe Benson (KLOS)
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Michael Savage (KRLA)
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“Shotgun Tom” Kelly (KRTH)
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Bryan Simmons (KOST)
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Don Burns (KTWV)
"Nobody Knows Anything"
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(November 19, 2018) “Nobody
knows anything.” The man who coined this phrase,
William Goldman, died a few days ago. He was a prolific
writer of screenplays. His list of blockbusters include All
the President’s Men, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance
Kid, Marathon Man, Princess Bride, Misery,
and many more giant hits. Goldman maintained that not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work, including him. Every time out it's a guess and, if you're lucky, an educated one. Goldman wrote a book, Adventures in the Screen Trade, where his distressing and encouraging words appear in the first chapter. I’ve written four screenplays, none becoming a movie, but one resulted in two studio meetings. Goldman’s book is a must-read for any aspiring screenwriter. It helped me a lot. As I read all the obits and tributes to Goldman over the weekend, I wondered if his prophetic line about the Hollywood movie business pertained to other industries. Isn’t it the maverick who becomes the stand-out? Against all odds, armed only with a dream, we see brilliance emerge. No one made boxing movies anymore, then along comes a dreamer in the form of Rocky Balboa. No one makes outer space movies, yet along comes a dream from George Lucas. What about radio? Do dream makers exist in radio anymore? Or are we just another ho-hum industry safely playing the hits over and over. The early dreamers always knew it wasn’t the music (anyone could play the top 10 songs), it was always what happens between the songs. The same questions can be asked of information formats. Are the same news stories offered repeatedly with numbing redundancy? Even sales demonstrate the same malaise. Are our sales people just selling numbers, or are they excited about what their morning man / woman said that morning? We must create moments every hour, every day. Or do William Goldman’s words become a nail in the coffin of radio? Who are our dreamers in LARadio who bring compelling content every day? Or, maybe it’s time to re-image radio. Look at all the audio competition for our ears – SiriusXM, Pandora, Spotify and podcasts. It’s time for the curtain to open on the next generation of radio dreamers. Are you out there? |
Sunday Nostalgia - 8 Years Ago Today
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New Baby Will Spice Up Ginger's Life
The folks at AirWatch – led by Sharon Reardon and Rosie Wedel – threw a co-ed baby shower for first-time mom Ginger Chan, traffic reporter for KTLA/Channel 5’s Morning News. The shower quickly served a dual purpose as a reunion of colleagues past and present. “It was just a great party because it was what I call, vintage AirWatch – people who had jobs, all of us who loved being there early in the morning and shared camaraderie,” said Sharon. “We all had different stations and it was crazy and insane schedules at AirWatch. Some of us had eight stations to report the traffic for. I think Chris Hughes had seven news stations.”
Rebecca Campbell; Mike Nolan and Commander Chuck Street; and Sharon Reardon and Ginger Chan Ginger Chan – who is quite far along with child, yet still reporting traffic on KTLA’s morning show, is expecting her first baby with her husband, KTLA pilot Mark Kono. Seen and heard at the party: KFI’s Rick Smith, MYfm’s Irma Blanco, KFI’s Angel Martinez, formerly Angelfish, Barbara Brooks, Dianna Olea, KFI’s/KOST Eye in the Sky Mike Nolan, and KIIS/fm’s Commander Chuck Street. “Not to be overlooked, TTN’s (Total Traffic Network) Chris Hughes, the Southland’s best singing traffic reporter from Star 98.7, also showed up, but left his lovely singing voice at home,” said Sharon. “Ginger, who sported a beach ball along with Rick Smith’s wife Asuka – who’s due around the same time as Ginger – talked about old times and asked a bunch of questions of the current moms!”
Ginger Chan and Asuka Smith; Chris Hughes and Angel Martinez; and Trevor and Justine Willson and Dianna Olea Sharon remembered AirWatch during a much more hectic time. “You’d just be on edge before you started your shift and by the end you’d be shaking, but in between you’d be yelling at other traffic reporters to shut up. Nobody ever thought it would come to everything being automated and basically the news and traffic operation in the morning was 15 – 20 people at its peak and is now down to five or six. I just loved getting in there and feeding off of the energy in the room with everyone doing so many reports. Now it is so quiet. It is so different.”
Rosie
Wedel, Barbara Brooks, Nancy Bond,
Ginger Chan, and Irma Blanco; These days, when Sharon fills in at AirWatch, you can hear her on JILL/fm, KKLA, KRLA and sometimes KFI. “I originally got hired at KFI to do Saturday nights when AirWatch did weekend and overnights. At one time I was filling in for Irma Blanco on the KBIG morning show with Charlie Tuna, KOST and sending news stories to Clear Channel stations all over the country.” “This party was just pure fun,” concluded Sharon. Good luck to Ginger. She is due in December. |
Email Saturday, 11.17.2018
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** Home For the Holidays "Thank you for the great article about Bill Haley, Sr/Jr.. The behind the scenes story by Bill Jr. and Mr. Rock 'n Roll was fascinating. It's interesting how a B-side made more then one career happen. And considering how infrequently Barry Manilow gets played on mainstream radio, I'm glad yet another generation gets to hear a really fun version of Happy Holidays/White Christmas. I just hope KOST also includes Christmas is Just Around the Corner or Christmas Is For Children and Just Another New Years Eve in their playlist. And the Nelson's This Christmas with Wilson Phillips. I think you'd like that one, too! The new book about Tom Petty sounds really good. I look forward to reading that." - Julie T. Byers |
| ** In the Air – Everywhere
Over the Bay Area “WoW! Memories! To bring you up to date I left mornings on KABL, after 33 years in 1993. I did mornings on a station in Lakeport for another 21 years. I currently write and voice the stuff on KABL worldwide on the Web and am inching along toward the Big Nine O in February! ‘Time, you old Gypsy-Man, will you not stay. Hold up your caravan, just for one day.’ I DO recall the ‘incident’ of so long ago and all is forgiven.” – Bill Moen |
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MIA LARP “I used to listen to an online station called icountryradio.com, which no longer exists. The main dj was Andy Rodgers. I was wondering if you could help me try to figure out what he is doing now. With regards to Shawn Parr, I think KKGO would jump really high in the ratings if we got Shawn’s syndicated show Nash nights live on the station. Do you think you might wanna bring that up to Saul Levine?” – Chananya Freedman, cdfman1@gmail.com |
| ** Funnie “This morning’s cartoon, reminded me of how much the world has changed during my lifetime. After getting a chuckle out of a great, somewhat corny joke [I love the corny stuff], it occurred to me that most people under 30 wouldn’t even get this joke. I only wish I could come back 50 years from now and see what the world will be like then.” – Bob Scott |
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** Yada
Yada “Upon leading into your story of Laura Ingram, leaving her show to be with her family, on my own retirement, I actually ‘did’ retire with no plans for a podcast in my future. My voice will still be on tv and radio through the business I continue to do thru my advertising agency.” – Joe Collins, Fresno |
| ** KABC Woes “Not necessarily wanting to pile on, but I have very fond memories of listening to KABC during my high school and early college years. Ken and Bob, Michael Jackson, Dr. Dean Edell, Dr. David Viscott, Ira Fistell, Dodger Talk. Those were fun years indeed. But now, seeing where my once beloved station has ended up, is very sad but very predictable as well. I do put blame on Maureen Lesourd, who came in and cleaned out house and brought in national hosts who at that time did not seem right for the local market. Management thereafter has continued to double down and make things even worse. A few years ago, the nth management took over and decided to bring back local hosts, but by then the country and the average talk radio audience had changed. It was too late to right the ship. Furthermore Doug McIntyre, Peter Tilden, Dr. Drew, and John Phillips are hardly riveting hosts in anyone's vocabulary. It's all about personalities and none of the current KABC hosts have that magical element. Once upon a time Tom Leykis was my choice after he left KLSX, but now he has grown old and stale too and would no longer work either. Times have changed and KABC continues its inevitable slide into irrelevance and eventual disappearance from the talk radio format. It’s a sad end to a legendary station but definitely predictable.” – Steve Change, Venice |
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Ingraham Transitions to Podcasting
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(November 16, 2018) “I’m
resigning in order to spend more time with my family.” Or,
“I’m going to pursue some new opportunities.” Whatever
happened, you're usually encouraged to come up with a party
line about how you're pursuing your lifelong dream and
leaving your terrific job. Some think it saves face. In the movie business sometimes, the parting gift is a production deal, which if doesn’t work out, REALLY means you’re fired. In the radio business, the latest soft landing for those who are not working out is to be given a podcast, funded by the company for a year or so. The cost of a podcast is miniscule for the company and the talent or exec gets to save face. Rarely will they ever make any money for their podcast. Industry hasn’t figured out that one. Laura Ingraham, formerly with KPLS, KRLA, KGIL, and KFWB, is ending her syndicated radio show and joining the world of podcasting at PodcastOne at the first of the year. Currently, her closest syndicated station to the Los Angeles airwaves was Apple Valley’s KIXW (960AM). “While hosting a prime-time television show and raising three children on my own, continuing a three-hour morning radio show was no longer feasible,” said Ingraham. “Although I will greatly miss my radio listeners and affiliates, working late nights and early mornings has taken a toll on my family life. Plus, my radio audience is smart, savvy and committed, and I know most will follow my new show in the format that is revolutionizing the audio world – digital podcasting.” |
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In other news: KOST has completed their first week of full-time Christmas music. “We started our Christmas programming right after 9/11,” emailed KOST afternooner, Mark Wallengren. “Felt like the right thing to do. Every year we have started our Christmas programing with Barry Manilow’s Happy Holidays/White Christmas. This is our 18th season and our cume jumps to nearly 6,000,000 people a week. It’s really incredible.” ... Andy Bloom, former pd at KLSX, has left the operations position for the Entercom cluster in Minneapolis. He only arrived at the Twin Cities in April … Dan Goodwin is trying to reach Manon Hennesy concerning her family home in the Malibu fires. Anyone know her contact info? … Ted Prichard, a.k.a ThrashPie / Thrasher, is a former morning personality at KNAC-Long Beach. He also played "Engineer Ted" at KLOS for Mark & Brian. Ted recently published his radio memoir -- Head Bangin' Radio: My Life at Southern California's Heavy Metal Flagship KNAC/fm, now available on Amazon.com in paperback and digital versions. For more details, visit headbanginradio.com … Bob Koontz, sales management at KFWB, KLOS, and a number of other stations, has joined a new commercial real estate division of Keller Williams Realty in Anaheim … Yesterday, When I Was Young was a terrific gift that Roy Clark left behind for us. He died this week, at age 85 … Chuck Rowe, traffic reporter favorite at KNX, checked in from his new home in Arizona: “Well, it was a privilege to have had the opportunity to be a part of the team at KNX, once again. There is a lot of talent in that building and I’m honored to have been a part of the team, but my home in Arizona was calling me back.” |
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| Adam Carolla making his 52nd appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! |
Music, Music, Music
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(November 15, 2018) Living
on the Central California Coast provides some challenges
when it comes to seeing concerts. We get our share of cover
bands, Bill Haley, Jr. and His Comets recently appeared at
the Clark Center in Arroyo Grande (near San Luis Obispo and
Pismo Beach). The audience was made up of old white hairs
like me, but we were all ready to Rock Around the Clock. Haley the rock star led a jam-packed life into his 55 years. His son, Bill Jr. was the second of 10 children and was part of a dysfunctional family, including his mother, and and two subsequent step-mothers. Bill was a hopeless alcoholic who wreaked havoc through much of his life and the people who populated his world, but still left an indelible mark on the early beginnings of rock ‘n roll. Bill’s son was very candid about his father’s life as he parceled pieces of the Rock legends’ life in between live performances of Rock Around the Clock, See You Later, Alligator, Shake, Rattle and Roll, Rocket 88, Crazy Man Crazy, Skinny Minnie, and Razzle Dazzle. During his lifetime, Bill Sr. sold over 50 million records. The best story Bill Jr. told was how Rock Around the Clock made its way into the iconic juvenile delinquent film, Blackboard Jungle. Richard Brooks was an excellent director who helmed Rock Around the Clock onto the movie’s soundtrack. Some of his later films included Looking for Mr. Goodbar, In Cold Blood, Sweet Bird of Youth, Elmer Gantry, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. As Brooks was looking to make his mark in the mid-50s with Blackboard Jungle, he was having a post-production dinner with the star of the film (and Santa Monica High School graduate) Glenn Ford. Brooks was talking about finding a song to open the film (over the credits) that would set the mood for something edgy, unique, and provocative. Glenn invited him into his teen son’s room where Peter Ford was just discovering rock ‘n roll. Peter had already flipped Haley’s first Decca release, 13 Women, a novelty r&b tale about an H-bomb explosion that leaves just fourteen people alive, one man and thirteen women. But Ford’s son loved the B-side and so did Richard Brooks. Eight months after Bill Haley released 13 Women, the flip side became the signature song to help usher in a new form of music. “Rock Around The Clock was the true catalyst that brought Rock and Roll into the mainstream culture,” emailed Brian “Mr. Rock ‘n’Roll” Beirne, the 29-year veteran of Oldies K-EARTH. “It was the first rock ‘n roll song to hit #1 on the Billboard charts. The success in the US led the song to becoming #1 the world over. I was 19 the first time I worked with Bill Haley & His Comets. I had just moved into a one bedroom apt the day before and my refrigerator was stocked with beer. I invited everyone over, and pretty soon Haley & The Comets were playing in my apartment. It took about two hours before the police were called and I of course was evicted the next day, but what a thrilling night." If the song was before your time, click the artwork. |
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Another LARP Loses His Home in Fire
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(November 14, 2018) “I'm so sorry that Joel Denver's
home is one of the many, many that were lost in the inferno
of the Woolsey firestorm,” wrote Mary Beth Garber, former
president of the Southern California Broadcasters
Association. She lives in Malibu. “I am so very grateful to
the 10 brave people who, armed with fire hoses, used the
fire hydrants in our 68-unit complex to keep it whole while
the structures on either side and many behind us burned to
the ground (l). I am so anxious, yet hesitant to be able to get
back in to see what has happened. It sounds as if our area
on PCH has been devastated.” When Mary Beth was evacuated,
fellow LARP Terry Saidel was in a clear area, so he took in
Mary Beth her dog, Ernie. “We are so grateful to him! My
son, Greg and his family were evacuated from their home in
West Hills, which is still standing and is whole. I hope all
other LARP are safe and sound and still have homes to go
back to.” Entercom Senior Account Executive George Karthan and his family have also lost their home and possessions in the Woosley fire (r). He, his wife, and two small children are safe, but they face a long road of rebuilding and recovery. His friends at Entercom have set up a GoFundMe account. You can help! |
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In other news: Local endorsement in radio pays. For the past 20 years, Lars Larson has been doing spots for Sleep Number Beds. Lars is based in Portland and syndicated. We met him when Saul Levine turned his 1260AM into Talk radio, when Lars worked middays. “Today, my wife Tina (Sleep Number 35) and I (Sleep Number 65) mark exactly 20 years of taking our night’s rest on a Sleep Number Bed,” Lars told Radio Ink. “I have been doing live read radio ads for the company on my national and Northwest regional radio shows for that long. As many of you know, they don’t keep me on as a Sleep Number endorser because of my charming personality. They want and deserve results, and for two decades they have been getting results from my stories about the superiority of Sleep Number Beds. When I do live remotes, several dozen times a year, listeners kid me about my Sleep Number and they ask, ‘Do you really sleep on that bed?’ and I tell them that, unless I’m on the road in a hotel, I do. That’s the secret of successful endorsements."
Retiring Soul. After more than 55 years in broadcasting, Joe Collins ends an eclectic career tomorrow. “I’ve had the pleasure to get to be a part of Art Laboe’s KOKO 94.3 in Fresno for the past 7-and-1/2 years. It’s time to take a break, do some more traveling and run my advertising agency from my home in Fresno. I’m truly grateful for this and many other opportunities I’ve had over these years since 1964. I'm grateful for all who I’ve encountered along the way.”
Joe and I worked together in 1965 at KNEZ-Lompoc. A very dedicated and talented broadcaster.
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Southern California Inferno
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(November 13, 2018) Unless
you have been in or near one of our fires, it is tough to
comprehend the power and ultimate devastation mother nature
yields. I remember an occasion when I was on our roof with a
water hose, extinguishing flying embers. The fire never made
it to my house but in 1994, half our house came down in an
earthquake. People moving in. People moving out. Just a
ball of confusion. This current Woolsey Fire has hit home (pun intended) to many LARP. Tragically, one of those structures lost to the Woolsey Fire is the longtime Malibu home of Joel Denver, president of All Access. "Sadly, my fiancee Kym and I lost our home in Latigo Canyon in the fire on Friday. It was my home for 31 amazing years. We evacuated grabbing our pets, some belongings and very little else, so we are in rebuild mode. Our heartfelt thanks to the many friends and clients who have reached out with words of support and kindness -- it has truly buoyed our spirits. We are planning to rebuild,” wrote Joel. His nearby Malibu offices were untouched by the fire. However, until the roads are opened, AllAccess employees are working from home to keep AllAccess.com active with news of the radio and record business. “No one can reach the offices as roads are still closed due to the on-going fire danger and gusty winds. Services like power and connectivity have not been restored and may not be back until the end of the week,” said Denver. KNX’s Claudia Peschiutta retweeted a pertinent message: “I just want to say thank you to all the journalists who put themselves in harm’s way, work long hours and put their own needs and concerns aside to keep the public informed. #journalismmatters” … Former KNX program director Andy Ludlum had to evacuate and move in with his daughter … Frank Kramer, part of Frosty, Heidi & Frank morning show at KLOS, lost his home in the fire. He tweeted: “Trying to grasp the situation this morning. I lost everything yesterday when my home was destroyed in the Woolsey Fire. My family is safe and that is all that matters. Things keeping popping in my head that I left behind, but we will build from our ashes. Thanks for the love.” |
| KABC afternooner Jillian Barberie journals
on Twitter her recovery from breast cancer. “Day 3 after
surgery and I’m feeling good. I wish I could sleep on my
stomach though. I’m getting up on my own to use bathroom.
Still light headed. Shots for pain ended last night so we
will see how I do.” KFSH evening host Delilah was inducted into the 2018 Adoption Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in Washington, DC, last week. The Adoption Hall of Fame Award is given by the National Council for Adoption in recognition of outstanding commitment, service, and sacrifice for the cause of adoption by an individual or organization who has positively impacted the practice of adoption. A mother of 13 children, 10 of whom were adopted, Delilah was honored for her decades-long commitment to children in need of a family, and for using her national radio platform and her non-profit organization Point Hope to celebrate adoption and raise awareness of children waiting to be adopted from the U.S. foster care system. Hear Ache. Sam Farmer writes a regular NFL column in the LA Times. He answers questions about the NFL. Last Sunday Farmer volunteered, “When it comes to play-by-play announcers, nobody tops NBC’s Al Michaels.” … Lori Kelman has joined KABC as a weekend news anchor … KROQ’s Bean paid tribute to Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee: “Wow, very few people created more entertainment for the world than Stan. We will really miss his visits to the @KevinAndBean Show too.” |
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Brian Whitman & Jennifer Horn Anchor Growing Mornings at KRLA (870AM)
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(November 12, 2018) While
much of the Talk Radio obsession in Los Angeles has centered
on the continued success of KFI and the freefall of KABC, in
the middle of the dial, Salem’s KRLA (870AM) quietly marches
forward. The station offers a combined sound of a feisty
local morning show and some of the leading syndicated
conservative Talkers throughout the day, including a
brand-new show. And KRLA is making waves. In the October ’18 PPM 12+, "KRLA is now four times greater in audience than KABC. Astute followers might think comparing any numbers with KABC is a fallacy, but KRLA had a 1.7 share compared to KABC’s O.4. This has been a long time coming,” declared Phil Boyce, the man behind the Spoken Word stations at Salem. Boyce comes with supporting credentials. In 1995, he joined WABC-New York as program director, putting together the successful team of Curtis Sliwa and Ron Kuby. It was also Boyce who brought Sean Hannity to New York from Atlanta. For all of his success, Phil was promoted to vp of programming for ABC Radio’s News/Talk stations, while continuing to run WABC. In 2012, Phil took over a similar role at Salem Communications as VP and Director, Spoken Word Format. He’s been awarded industry accolades from Radio Ink and Radio and Records as Programmer of the Year. His challenge in L.A. was formidable. “We knew we had to do something to give the station an identity,” said Boyce. He re-branded the station as “The Answer” to give it that identity. “We wanted to be the answer for anything on their minds. At that time, KABC had a solid line-up, with Sean Hannity, Larry Elder and Mark Levin. After about a year, they decided to let those three go. I picked up Larry and Mark, and Sean went across town. Today, Mark is beating his old station by 4 times, and so is Larry. It rarely happens like that, but it did in this case.” |
| Finding a morning combination of
personalities has been tough. Parading in and out of the
Burbank headquarters have been a diverse collection of
Talkers. But the one constant presence is talented talker /
comedian / host Brian Whitman. He’s another
talent that KABC allowed to get away. “We feel Brian Whitman has true star power, and last year we paired him with Jennifer Horn. The two instantly developed that elusive ‘chemistry, camaraderie, and rapport.’ We call it CCR, but it is crucial to making a team show work. They sound great together,” Phil said modestly. “Brian was always the glue holding the show together. Jennifer adds conservative fire power. She’s smart, funny, and really understands how to relate to the Southern California conservative listener. We’ve doubled our share since she joined Brian and we re-created The Morning Answer.” The mid-term political angst is over. I asked Phil if he was making any adjustments. “Not really. We know we are located in a liberal state and city. But we also know there are a lot of conservative listeners. We don’t need to have everybody listening to us, just those who love what we do. Our audience base looks to us as the bastion of freedom and democracy. We will stay true to the mission.” Phil is always on the look-out for new talent. He recently found Dr. Sebastian Gorka, who will host the noon-3 p.m. hours come the first of the year. The timing coincides with Michael Medved moving on to a podcast. “Dr. Gorka has an amazing story. His father was a freedom fighter and thrown in prison in Communist Hungary in 1956. He escaped, and built a family, with Sebastian learning about freedom and democracy from an early age. He is a naturalized US Citizen with a doctorate in political science. He is a Fox News contributor. He will be a great talk show host. Imagine Brian & Jen, Prager, Gorka, Levin, and Elder. With Mike Gallagher at night. Now THAT is a strong lineup. You are always striving to get better,” concluded Boyce. (photo: Phil Boyce) |
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Archives 4th Quarter 2018: Classic win for K-EARTH; Ellen K doubles down; Rachel Maddow profile; Imus lawsuit thrown out; Jeff Baugh's book; Gary Thompson was at right place, at the right time; Don Elliot reports from NAB/RAB Radio Show; Rocio Rivera gets more time at KFI; Johnny Gunn's new book gets dressed down; New life for KNX/fm; Passing Parade: Hal Pickens, Ed Crook, John Lyle Campbell, Mike Park, Dave Roberts, Bill Dudley plays a record; Invisible LARP; RJ Curtis hits jackpot; LA Times beats up Charley Steiner; KBIG begins with Poole; 93/KHJ gets benched; Allie MacKay's Journey; Al Wisked Away by Dallas;What did music stations talk about during World Series; Heaven is in Your Mind; Brother John source material; Gary Moore stands up for cancer; Jillian Barberie diagnosed with breast cancer; What's in your berry bag, Wolfman?; Flash! Bohemian Rhapsody is a Smash!;
