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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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(Amy Lewis, Randy Kerdoon, Dick VanDyke, Nautica de la Cruz, Anita Gevinson and Jack Nicholson)
Former KFWBer Heads Tennessee NPR
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(April 23, 2019) Former
KFWBer Steve Swenson is the new
president/ceo of Nashville Public Radio. Steve was a newsman
at all-News KFWB in the 1980s, before moving up to assistant
pd. In 1985 he became pd of 1010 WINS and 880 WCBS-New York, then a decade later he was appointed vp/gm of WTOP-Washington, DC. Swenson joins the nonprofit following completion of a $4.6 million capital campaign. With more than 30 years of experience, including directing news operations and general management, Swenson most recently served as the senior vice president and market manager at CBS Radio in Washington, DC, leading six stations. Swenson has been involved with formats including urban, Spanish, Sports, Adult Contemporary as well as all-News. In other news: LA Times’ Tom Hoffarth has an observation about the new Dodgers radio play-by-play man Tim Neverett: “[He’s] spectacularly average. Sure, an improvement. Still, nothing like a Rick Monday-Kevin Kennedy tandem.” Ouch … KJLH’s Nautica de la Cruz is celebrating 23 years in radio. She’s also been on Power 106 and 100.3/The BEAT ... A huge story in the LA Times about Home Grown Radio gave a shout-out to “radio legend,” Julio G, of KDAY … Amy Lewis, former morning co-anchor at KABC with Dave Williams made her first trip to Las Vegas. Her husband surprised her with a trip to Caesar’s Palace to see James Taylor. |
** Brad and Brent Memories “During my thirty years of marriage to Brent Seltzer, I heard lots of stories about Brad Messer and the KGB days in San Diego. Brent’s face would always light up talking about his friend Brad and what fun they had working together on the air. Their timing, style and delivery perfectly complimented each other and they both shared the goal of packing every newscast with as many actuality cuts as they could fit in. They also shared a love of camping and always kept their camping gear in the trunk of the car, as well as their news gear, because they never knew when a story would break. One time, they casually mentioned on the air they were going camping in the desert that weekend. Fifty listeners showed up forming a caravan of cars behind them to the campsite. Off the air, they were best friends and roommates who were out for kicks and in for enjoying life in a paradise called San Diego. Brad convinced Brent to take skydiving lessons, so wearing rented parachutes, the two of them jumped out of an airplane together. Brad and Brent stayed in touch over the years. When Brent got sick, his friend Brad called frequently to check up on him. They’d reminisce about the good ole days and it was like time had never passed. Simultaneously, Brad’s wife of 40 years Carole, suddenly became ill and died March 22, 2016. Brent died April 18, 2016. And that’s when my own friendship with Brad Messer began. We were both members of the same club going through the same stages of grieving at the same time. We leaned on each other to get through and continued to stay in touch after ‘acceptance.’ Rest in Peace, my friend.” – Meg McDonald Seltzer |
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Listen to more sounds of LARadio between
1957 and 2003 by clicking Track 4 or 5
complete CD available from
KMR@kmrichards.com
for the cost of postage
Looney Thoughts about Radio
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(April 22, 2019) Tomm Looney is
a classic entrepreneur – drove a taxicab, been a bouncer,
worked as a bartender, served as a waiter, owned a
restaurant (Van Gogh’s Ear on Abbott Kinney), spent time as
a substitute teacher, maintained his own radio website,
appeared as an actor, performed as a movie producer, was
hired as an apartment manager, and was commissioned as a
vigilante. We know Tomm as being a longtime late evening sports show at KLAC with JT the Brick. Before the all sports station, you probably heard him on KLSX, KFWB, KXTA, or KFI. Born and raised in Elmira, New York, Tomm grew up listening to radio greats from Chicago, New York, Boston and Philadelphia. "When I was a baby dj, Greaseman, John & Ken and Steve Cochran worked in Elmira and they were an inspiration." Tomm was the voice of The Best Damn Sports Show Period on the Fox Sports network. When he was born in 1966, Tomm only had one M. "I added an extra M for the new millooneyum." His infectious excitement about life in general and radio in particular is an inspiration. You won’t find a more loyal friend. He was frustrated to read at LARadio that not one reader responded to the question about all the great things there are about the station where you worked. Even though Tomm is between radio assignments, he responded: |
| You asked your readers to send you a
note about “The best radio stations to work for in Los
Angeles.” Nobody responded, so I thought I would. For 20 years I felt like I was “getting away with something.” (Because … I was.) In the past 20 years, I have been VERY LUCKY. (I am sure MANY would agree.) Every radio station where I was presently employed at the time – was my favorite. Every one of them was “the best place to work” while I was there. I had nothing but TREMENDOUS experiences at all of them. I LOVED WORKING at KFWB. Kathleen Sullivan would tickle me when I was on the air. I LOVED working at KLSX. Jack Silver and Tim Conway, Jr. rolled out a red carpet for me. XTRA SPORTS 1150 was the best. What a frat house of fun guys, too long to list. I LOVED WORKING AT KFI. I would produce John & Ken with Ray Lopez, voice spots, and I’d fill in for Rich Marotta when he was out. People always assume that John & Ken must have been hard to work with. NO. Quite the opposite. I watched, listened, learned, and they treated me wonderfully. I had their back, and I still do. I LOVED WORKING at FOX Sports Radio and AM 570. What was it like working for Don Martin? He’s loud, loves to talk, and loves to hear himself talk. I’m loud, love to talk, and love to hear myself talk. For me, that’s called “normal.” Don is normal. PERSPECTIVE. Every radio station was THE BEST PLACE to work when I worked there. AND YES -- Every place I worked – some would complain from time to time of a “toxic work environment.” That’s like saying you are “stuck in traffic.” NO ... YOU ARE TRAFFIC. And at work: YOU ARE YOUR WORK ENVIRONMENT. “Toxic work environment" is a lame cliche. It’s abstract. One’s own behavior is REAL. That’s something in your “work environment” for which you have control. At work I have always tried to “bring my own weather” – and try my best to be friendly, fun and loving. Love, positive thinking and positive behavior – is stronger than any abstract “toxin.” I loved every radio station where I “worked.” I liked or loved 97% of the people with whom I worked. I always kept it in perspective: Working in radio beats working. In other news: This afternoon at 4 p.m. Wink Martindale will be the guest dj for SiriusXM’s “60’s on 6" channel. He’ll play his favorites from the time when he originally played them as morning man on Channel 98/KFWB along with the stories behind some of the songs … Bob Griffith checked in from Colorado. He had such a stellar LARadio career in sales management at KLOS, KMET, KFI, KJOI, KYSR/KXEZ and KCTD (1540AM). “I left LA gladly in 2012 and found an amazing mountain town (my quest) in Durango, Colorado,” Bob emailed. “I ski 50 days a year and teach Spinning twice a week. I also do a lot of MC work for local events. Life is pretty good, buddy. I for the most part DO NOT communicate much with Radio people with the exception of old KMET folks, Sam Bellamy, Jeff Gonzer, and a few more.” … Chaka Khan was a jock during the "B-100" days at KIBB (100.3/fm). The r&b singer guest stars as herself and performs on Fox’s Empire Wednesday night ... Didja watch the Motown special last night? What did you think? |
Nostalgia
Sunday - 21 Years Ago Today
(April 21, 1998) IS KABC READY TO BE BLOWN UP? This was one of the shocking revelations to come out of a very lively discussion last night at the Museum of Television & Radio. Five distinguished Los Angeles talk show veterans, Michael Jackson (KABC), John Kobylt (KFI + syndication), Tom Leykis (KLSX + syndication), Tracey Miller (KLSX + WCKG-Chicago) and Ken Minyard (KABC) gathered before a packed, SRO audience to talk about "What's All This Talk About Talk Radio." Highlights in no particular order: Ken: "Bill (KABC gm, Bill Sommers) said, 'Look, we aren't going to be a 2 and a half share radio station. If we can't do better than that, we're gonna blow it up.' I said, I think we should too. I agree completely. I don't want to be either." Tom: "The reality in this market is that the three highest rated talk radio programs are syndicated. No matter how many articles are written, no matter how many journalists yell and scream and jump up and down...There is a plethora of local talk shows in Los Angeles. Many of them have barely measurable audiences... This is a market where people don't even know what city they live in." Tracey: "Do you think anybody would not sell out in a New York second if they could get 50 stations right off the bat? Please." John: "Who in management cares about serving people?" Ken: "The guy in our audience who invented the format of talk radio and cared about people as much as anyone you are going to meet." Ken introduced Ben Hoberman (former gm of KABC). "One of the most successful broadcasters in history who cared about people and cared about the community. Maybe there aren't enough Ben Hoberman's to go around." John: "I never worked for someone like him." Michael: "I was replaced by the miracle man from San Francisco [Ronn Owens]. My worst rating ever, ever, ever, was a 3.2. In the book that came out yesterday, he zoomed up to a 1.2." Tracey: (on KTZN's format change) "It was very difficult because one day you're there and the next minute you're just gone...In the case of 'the Zone,' nothing can be weirder. Everyone was herded into a room and having the entire staff be told that as of 3 o'clock that afternoon we would be playing Disney music. It happened just that fast." Tom: "I'm on FM in Los Angeles. The main man of our station is Howard Stern. The mother lode of listenership on KLSX is males 18-34. That's the mother lode...Our job is to appeal to the core audience of that station...When Howard Stern is the main attraction, he has 600,000 listeners and you want to shovel some of them to afternoons. Ken: (on recent guest Dick Morris) "He is a lazy sack. He is such a slime ball. He's working for Fox. They don't care. Credibility doesn't seem to count anymore." John: (on producers and screeners) "We don't want all the energy sucked out of the show. What I tell our screeners is, this is like a radio play in our town. Anybody who comes on the phone better have something to say. It can be funny, hateful. I don't care. They have a cameo walk-on... It's very important for the screener to size up the listener in 15 seconds." Tracey: "Producers should get more money. Producers are not paid well enough." Michael: "I've never had a producer. I produce my show." Tom: (the internet) "If you're not part of it, you're just going to fall behind everyone. I get 2,000 emails a week from listeners." John: "I've always looked at the main competition as being the records. When the listener gets tired of us they might punch in a record, not another talk station. I can't compete with Larry Elder's politics. I've got to be more interesting than a Rolling Stones record." Ken: "Humor is a big element of a morning show, where it isn't necessarily so with a talk show." Michael: "I work alone and have ever since I was a lousy dj. I was so bad as a rock and roll dj, I was good." John (on show prep): "I listen to my wife, family and friends and their reaction to things. When I see them get excited about something, I listen in. I don't do a political show. I listen to what gets them crazy." Tom: "People are happy, they're optimistic, they're spending money. They don't think we've got big political problems, so they don't want to talk about them." John: "Most of the people who listen to the conservative wackos, they're already that way. That's a whole church there. Do you think Rush Limbaugh actually converted anybody?" Michael: "My wife summed it up when I was fired in one sentence. 'If this is going to happen to you every 31 years, give it up.'" John: "Tell me we need a guy telling us six times an hour that the 405 is backed up. Every time we break for news and traffic, I think we lose some audience." Ken: "I think radio is the low end of the entertainment food chain." (April 21, 1998) KABC's Ronn Owens passionately strikes out at comments made about him by Michael Jackson. Ronn emails: "Just saw the quotes from last night's panel...I am FURIOUS...I can't believe Michael Jackson out and out lied. 1. It's amazing he has a rating for my show on the book that came out yesterday...especially since hour by hours aren't out yet. Even the dayparts were just released this morning. 2. If he never had lower than a 3.2 (really?...check his weekend ratings, and check his last year in the morning slot), I'll bet any amount of money in the world that was for total persons 12+. Yet he quotes a 1.2 for me...the closest I can imagine that being is a TREND where I was in the ones, not a book, and in 25-54, not 12+. So he'll compare his 12+ with my 25-54???? I have tried to be gentlemanly with Michael. I have never said a bad word publicly. But behind my back he has worked feverishly at damaging my chance of success. It's unfortunate. I do feel for him. But the class I thought he had was permanently eliminated with his remarks last night. Regards, Ronn." |
Email Saturday, 4.20.2019
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** Missing Messer “Sad news for all LARPS indeed. Brad Messer was half of the sensational news duo at KGB FM/AM in San Diego when I arrived there as chief engineer in 1972, when Ron Jacobs was the pd. The other half of that great KGB news team was Brent Seltzer, also no longer with us. The way they played off each other during newscasts was amazing. Brent was more the comic and Brad more the serious journalist. I was proud to make their news studio more useful for them. They were both great to work and I am sure the rest of the staff felt the same. Brad was the consummate journalist. He did his homework before doing stories, a talent lost on some in the profession today. I left KGB in April of 1975 to go to KFWB. I missed working with Brad and Brent then. I still do. Thank you for being the ‘glue’ that holds us LARPS together!” – Richard Rudman, KGB CE, 1972-75 |
| ** Life Changing Hire
“In 1975, Brad Messer hired me at KGB and it changed my life. I was hired as weekend anchor and Monday through Thursday was Brad’s morning writer / reporter. Our first KGB newscast was 5:55 a.m. I would come in at 5 a.m. and write the worst newscast in the history of radio. Brad would waltz-in at 5:54:30 and would ‘sing’ that newscast so well he could win a Golden Mike. Then he would turn around and say something like, ‘oh, that was horrible,’ before we'd go upstairs and smoke a joint. He taught me to write my news stories as brief as possible, but always tell both sides of the story. I never forgot that along with all the other life lessons I heard from the coolest, most talented newsman I would ever work with. Brad was a pioneer in so many ways. He will always be in my heart. Pro!” – Jeff Prescott, San Diego ** Messer’s Cred “What a great story about Brad Messer! I loved that guy. He and Ron McAlister were the voice of credibility and authority right beside The Old Scotsman, Gordon McLendon on KLIF. I learned a lot from your story that I didn’t know after his KLIF Days.” – Mike Butts ** Messer a Major Influence “Another long time and excellent broadcaster has passed away. Brad Messer had a huge history in Texas, having worked for all three of Gordon McLendon’s powerhouse Texas stations – KLIF in Dallas, KILT in Houston, and KTSA in San Antonio – as news director of those stations. He was also a long-time talk show host on KTSA, in addition he worked at various other major markets around the country, including Los Angeles and San Diego. Brad was an excellent news director, anchor, and reporter, and a major influence on me when I made the switch from programming to news. He will be missed, and he’ll be remembered by the many other fine radio people who worked with him through the years.” – John Hale ** Dallas Connection “Wow, Brad Messer. I’ll always remember him from KLIF during my few months down in Dallas. Strange how people pass from our immediate vision, then we see an obit 50 years later. Strange and kinda scary, huh?” – Rich Brother Robbin |
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| ** KLOS Soundtrack “Wow. KLOS was the soundtrack of my youth. Such a rich history. Curious to see what the new ownership will do with it. Thanks to Don Barrett for the great report [as always]. Also, nice to see my old KYMS boss Dave Armstrong quoted here as well.” – Roger Marsh ** Sell Wrong Station? “I thought Cumulus would have sold [read that as unloaded] KABC/790AM and kept KLOS/95.5 FM. But I presume they needed those extra tens of millions of dollars to help pay down their large debt. In the past, it’s been the AM signals that were in trouble. Now it’s spilling over into the fm signals as well. I wish we could see ahead 100 years from now, as to what the state of radio will be.” – Denny Brougher ** Sticker Shock “Before the crash of ’08, KLOS would have been sold easily for $300 million. 96.3, a non-Mt. Wilson fm with no billing, went for 250 million. It was a crash of the economy, not a failure of fm radio, that caused the huge price drops. KLOS will be better, now that it has been freed from the shackles of Cumulus with a suit in his 20s back East determining the playlist.” – Jon Bruce ** No Tengo Miedo “This is good thing and far from the end of KLOS, now being operated by a Mexican group who gets it can only get better. Everyone fearing they will flip it to Spanish is just not likely, in fact, they will want to make KLOS better which is good for the demo.” – Victor Cruz ** Memory Lane “Thank you for the trip down [some of my memories] with the LARP audio tracks. That one with Hudson and Landry and Robert W. Morgan was hysterical – over a minute of great burns! I do feel bad for the talent in this town regarding not one ‘best’ radio station to work at. Unfortunately, it’s like that in all professions right now. In fact, you can lose a job by saying how much you love working. Scary. At least KLOS isn’t changing formats yet, but the month is young.” – Julie T. Byers ** Good News for KLOS “Why does everyone think this is some tolling of the bell for KLOS? This is the awesome news. No one ever wants to spin positive for a radio story. Ever. It’s as if people WANT to see us die so they can then ‘be right.’ We’re doing great and aside from the fact that we’re eventually going to be saying goodbye to our friends and family on the AM, the hallways are BUZZING. I wish somebody would print THAT. Rant over.” – Stew Herrera, KLOS ** KLOS Sell “Radio insiders were saying in the 90s ‘wait 'til the dust settles.’ Wait, what?” – Jim Carson ** KLOS News Heartbreaking “I love(d) KLOS. Heartbreaking to see it cast off for such a small figure.” – John Leader |
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** To Play Michael Jackson
or Not “In this week’s Los Angeles Business Journal, there is an interesting article on how LA radio stations have cut back on Michael Jackson music since the Leaving Neverland documentary. According to the article and Nielsen, radio plays of Michael Jackson songs in the LA County Market dropped from 16,861 in the first week of Jan 2019 to 10,999 the week of March 4-10. How could these Nielsen numbers be even close to accurate? There are 10,080 minutes in a week. This would mean that every minute of the week, a Michael Jackson song starts playing in the LA Market. Where does Nielsen come up with this? Or am I missing something?” – Jason Insalaco |
| ** Scarry Photo “Thanks so much for
posting the pic’ of Rick Scarry and me. I also loved the
story of one of one of my favorite people in my broadcasting
career – Ingram “Digger” Clark. Digger was a joy to know,
and to work with.” - Larry McKay
** LARPs Galore “There are two sides of the microphone. The input side is in the studio, but the output side is connected to the speaker in my clock radio and car radio. I may be old but I am still here, begging for someone to talk to me. Thank you, Jim Thornton for telling me what was happening to one the Cathedrals I studied for my dissertation as I was driving home this morning. Thank you, Jim Svedja for rocking me to sleep most nights. Thank you, Gail Eichenthal for keeping KUSC healthy. Thank you, Desmond Shaw and Jennifer York for waking me up most weekday mornings. Thank you, Larry Mantle for having something interesting for me to listen to after Frank Mottek finishes up at noon on Saturdays. And of course, thank you, Frank Mottek for your advice all of these years. Your article on Monday Don was very disconcerting to me, the most important cog in the machinery of radio, the listening public. Without me, KNX is 50,000 watts being wasted. KPCC and KUSC at least get to know how important they are by the ringing of the phone during pledge weeks. KNX gets to tremble in their boots waiting for the other shoe to drop. I truly hope that the people who bring the news and music to my life are enjoying the job of making me enjoy my life.” – Bill Mann, South Pasadena ** Hope for Radio “GREAT essay last Monday. I still believe that the ‘fall’ of corporate radio could bring a renaissance. The more that these corporate entities refinance their bankruptcies and magically find new financing, the quieter the employees will get and creativity be damned. I know a lot of people that are still in the system and ARE doing creative things, but it's lost in the 8-minute spot breaks and the ‘read off the cards’ mentality.” – Mike Stark ** Thoughts “Stan Freberg Ron Rackley Chuck Blore Gary Owens Bill Drake Ron Jacobs Tom Rounds Look what they gave us Look what they left us Look how they paved the way Like winning a war … and sadly… Look what we’ve done to it.” – Don Elliot ** Green with Envy “I am still around, but not in the radio business. Looking back, I had a great career at KABC. That was then. Now is now. I am happily writing children's books and some others. If there was someone out there looking for a job distributing books [a new career for someone] I would be interested in hiring them. Good luck. I think AM radio maybe almost gone but my automobile radio is on anytime I am driving. Someone is working in the business.” – George Green ** March Ratings “I see that in the latest ratings, KABC came in at number 40, tied with a Persian station. I see the connection -- Persians eat Falafel, but KABC is FULL-AWFUL.” – Peter Thomas ** Music Reunion “Phil Spector won’t be about to make the 7th Annual Music Industry Reunion on May 13 at the Canyon Club. He is otherwise engaged. I send regrets for him.” – Sterrett Harper ** LARadio History CD “Just thought I’d let you know, it’s a good thing Bill Schwarz had his problem when he did, because when I pulled out my copy it was showing signs of early problems as well. [I’ve heard of that happening with non-commercially produced CDs, because the technology is different.] In any event, I pulled all the tracks off using four different programs and reburned the CD from scratch. Made myself a new copy as well, and also made a ‘disc image’ file which will allow me to burn more copies quickly if needed. So, if anyone else has a problem, I can replace their copies if they’ll toss me a few bucks for postage.” – K.M. Richards, KMR@kmrichards.com ** LARadio Audio History “I haven’t written in a while, but I’ve sure been enjoying your column. Last week, I came across my LARadio montage CD. I hadn’t seen nor listened to this disc in years. A few days later, I read Bill Schwarz’s letter asking for a copy of the disc. I decided to listen to mine to make sure it still worked, then write to you and ask about sending a copy or an mp3 to him. I wouldn’t have done that without your permission. So today I started listening to the disc on the way to the restaurant where I’m now sitting. I discovered some skips and dead spots. I sit down with a Japanese chicken bowl and open your column, only to see that you’ve posted mp3s of the whole thing! Literally 10 minutes after I try to listen to this disc for the first time in years and find myself disappointed. I’m appreciate of K.M. Richards following through where I was unable. Kismet, or something.” – Jared Kliger ** Vinylthon “We had fun at the Vinylthon. I did the whole 24 hours. Lots of pizza, donuts, and chocolate consumed. Slept all day Sunday.” – Ken Borgers ** Chance Meeting with Gordon McLendon “Here’s another chance meeting with a legend. I was visiting my wife-to-be in St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica. As I struggled to carry in her dry cleaning from my car, a middle-aged man in white jogging shorts and tennis shoes walked up and offered to carry the load inside for me. Later, I learned the gentleman was also a patient at the hospital. His name was Gordon McLendon, a radio pioneer, founder of the Liberty Broadcasting Network. It was ‘The Old Scotsman’ himself. I told Mr. McLendon I was a dj in L.A., but he wasn’t impressed. He made no comment, though he couldn’t have been nicer. A multi-millionaire was ‘schlepping my dry cleaning!’” – Larry McKay (excerpt from my Memoirs: Lar’-on-the-Air) ** Dandy Don the Ice Cream Man “The ‘Mighty 1090’ has so many pleasant connotations for me although I haven’t tuned in—in years or ever—I seldom listen to radio for my sports news these days. DandyDon, the ice cream maker, is now retired from doing dairy commerce daily and do not miss the fun of hustling to turn nickels and dimes into dollars. Too much government regularly visiting our business officially investigating our operation. We always got top scores on their tests to no surprise to me! Summary judgment after 36 years making, selling and distributing ice cream...government inspectors and regulation-creating public servants prohibit growth in almost all industries whether it’s radio or ice cream. [My credentials included a First Phone, an RTV B.A. from SF State, 20 gold records for promotion, multi-govt award certificates, and more...] The freedom required to operate your own business has been replaced by too much power of ownership, read monopolies, controlling opportunities for a sole proprietor to create a competitive alternative to what’s dominant in that market. Free enterprise by itself working to improve our society makes our lives better or those enterprises are replaced by the synergies in a free market that allows for sustenance leading to more prosperity. LARadio is a prototype. Our niche society needs more spirit-blessed leaders as yourself in our midst of provocateurs with the desire to make this world an improvement over what we owned if our lives yesterday or last year or the last quarter, however, you measure progress. Rewards come from conquering the toil and tears that comes with the joys of hard work not from getting free stuff.” – DandyDon Whittemore ** Stern Email “I'm an avid Howard Stern listener, as are my adult and near adult kids, and he’s still on his game. Today it seemed his show had the air of a man 15 years younger. I didn’t hear an announcement on air or talk about it, but regardless a cloud lifted. He gets no break with music; he talks constantly and continues to make me laugh out loud. And if you think his efforts and energy equate to any ol’ talk radio show, may I remind you that comedy is HARD! It’s like 5 hours of stand up a day. It’s not normal. His program changed radio forever, and his honesty is a template for all radio that succeeds on the notion of truth. We’ll miss him terribly, but what a legacy. I’ve been hearing that voice since ’85 during my many trips to New York, and to have him in my car every day is a treat. No one like him.” – Ed Mann, MannGroup Radio |
Talaya's Last Ride on the WAVE
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(April 19, 2019) After
thirty years hosting middays at 94.7 “The Wave,” the silky
voice of Talaya Trigueros ended her run for the
Entercom station yesterday. In an internal memo, program
director Ralph Stewart said: “After 31
years at the very core of 94.7 The Wave, Talaya is moving
on. She set the tone and standard for the whole station. She
can read the ingredients on a can of Raid and make it sound
delicioso. But even more than her mellifluously tuned
instrument, Talaya exudes heart and soul in her every word.
Those of us fortunate enough to have worked with her will
forever be in awe. And I’ll always be grateful for our
longtime friendship.” Talaya has reigned for many years as the Queen of Middays, consistently earning top five ratings and developing a loyal following for her stellar on-air performance and her commitment to the community and to the arts. She is also a popular voiceover artist who has done promos for Fox Sports and CBS/tv. As one of the few bilingual voiceover talents, you can hear her voice on Spanish announcements on the LA Metro. She has been chosen as off-stage announcer (“the Voice of God”) for numerous high-profile events including the SAG Awards, The Imagen Awards and the Los Angeles Theater Center Annual Gala. Her impressive collection of awards includes The GENII Award for Excellence in Radio Broadcasting from the Alliance for Women In Media, National Hispanic Media Coalition Award and special recognitions from the Los Angeles County and City Board of Supervisors, including an Angelus Award. (Photo: Talaya, Tami Heide, and Kat Corbett) |
| Talaya was born and raised in
Albuquerque and worked in the broadcast community while
attending the University of New Mexico and San Francisco
State during the mid-1970s. Her first commercial job was
doing a special Latin show called "Sabor y Salsa" on
KRE-Berkeley. A change of ownership and of call letters to
KBLX allowed her to be part of the new "Quiet Storm." During her stay in the East Bay she was very active in community events, including serving as emcee for the first four years of UC Berkeley’s Cinco de Mayo concerts. Fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, she acted as contributing editor to a Hispanic entertainment magazine called Avance and produced a variety music show on cable tv called Entertainment Spectrum. In 1984, the owners of KBLX asked Talaya to introduce the "Quiet Storm" on their L.A. station, KUTE. Additionally, Talaya was the voiceover host for Turner Superstation WTBS' Night Tracks and hosted a cable tv show called The Jazz Network. Before her long run at KTWV, she was briefly on KNX/fm and KOCM/KSRF. A proud SAG/AFTRA member since 1981, Talaya advocates on behalf of her fellow broadcasters to ensure fairness in all contracts. She has donated and volunteered for various nonprofits like the Juvenile Diabetes Association, Breast Cancer Awareness and she emcees the annual High Hopes Head Injury Benefit Concert in Newport Beach, among others. Hear Ache. Congratulations to Sandy Kelley celebrating her 20th wedding anniversary. They celebrated at the San Ysidro Ranch … Al Michaels is the guest on Ken Levine’s podcast this week. He talks a lot about his baseball career, the earthquake he covered, and the Dating Game. Here’s the link. … Gina Grad and Teresa Strasser have a new podcast. Both young ladies have or are Adam Carolla’s news anchors on his podcast. On the second issue of their podcast entitled “Easy Listening,” Gina and Teresa talked about boobs. “I’m the Triple-D cup to your A cup,” said Gina, who said bras go into double and triple G. Who knew? … In light of Talaya ending her three-decades run at KTWV, the WAVE, Entercom is not replacing her but extending shifts to three 6 six-hours slots beginning Monday: Pat Prescott 6 a.m. – Noon; Deborah Howell, Noon – 6 p.m. and Frankie Ross 6 p.m. – Midnight. The WAVE would not confirm this move … Randy West salutes the world’s oldest teenager, Dick Clark, who died of a heart attack this week in 2012, at age 82 in Santa Monica … Christopher Ames will resurrect the Odyssey File on the Internet version of KNXfm93.com. He was one of the signature voices of that CBS format … Didja know that Wayne Jobson, longtime reggae host at KROQ, splits his time between Los Angeles and Ocho Rios, Jamaica?... Any chance that Meruelo is on a buying spree and will get KXOS? At 93.9 it was "Movin' 93.9" once upon a time when Emmis owned KMVN. Station also had a history as KPOL/fm and KZLA ... Despite the fact I grew up on the beaches at Santa Monica listening to the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean, I am like a moth to the flame to the music of Myrtle Beach on SiriusXM's Carolina Shag channel. I figured out why after hearing this four-song set last night that started with Love Makes the World Go Round (Deon Jackson), Opportunity (The Jewels), Only the Strong Survive (Jerry Butler), and The Entertainer (Tony Clarke). Maybe it is dancing to my version of the electric slide. |
Former KMET News Director Dies
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(April 18, 2019) Brad
Messer, former news director at KMET in the
mid-seventies, died late Tuesday evening. It is difficult to
put into words the kind of man, newsman and talk show host
he was. Oh, okay. He was the BEST in all categories. Brad
had been in ill health in recent months. Earlier this year,
Brad’s sister reported that he was in the hospital, followed
by time in a nursing facility under hospice care. A dear friend
and neighor from his San Antonio days, Diane Richarson
Bryant, wrote: "Our mutual friend in San Antonio has been
keeping me abreast of his condition after Brad was no longer
able to speak on the phone or read his email." Wherever Brad landed during his 47 years in rado – in Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and San Antonio – he was always the guy who knew how to make the news broadcast soar. Much of his professional time was spent at KTSA-San Antonio where Brad was named at TALKERS magazine among The 100 Most Important Radio Talk Hosts in America for seven consecutive years. During his 16 years as a talk radio host, Brad cites several on-air conversations as especially memorable, but one stands out: In 1992, on the topic of the military draft, one caller mentioned his tour in Viet Nam. Brad thought it would be appropriate to tell the veteran "thanks for going over there," words Brad had never expressed nor heard anyone else offer. The caller was silent for so long that Brad thought maybe he had hung up, when the vet finally said, in a choked-up voice, "That's the first time anyone has ever said thank you." After that, Brad made it a point to express appreciation for the military service of his KTSA listeners. |
| “Y’know that
stage kids go through where they keep asking ‘why this and
why that?’ Well, I never grew out of that stage – and it got
me the best job in the world,” Brad said when interviewed
for Los Angeles Radio People. After high school, Brad joined the Army and served in the Far East as an interpreter and translator (Chinese language specialist). He started his radio career at KILE-Galveston, where his father was a newspaper editor. Brad always had a way of capturing the “people” aspect to the news, a tradition he carried throughout his career. Brad began as news director of the legendary Gordon McLendon stations in Texas, KILT-Houston and KLIF-Dallas. By age 30, he was news director of KYA-San Francisco during its #1 days, toward the end of the “Flower Period.” Brad’s next destination was San Diego. “KGB was the most fun I ever had. The station became a legend under the brilliant guidance of pd Ron Jacobs.” Ron teamed Brad and Brent Seltzer for a noon news-and-comment show. “At times it was the highest-rated 15-minutes in San Diego radio.” He also hosted “Brad Messer’s Day Book” which was among the first shows syndicated by Westwood One. For 13 years he wrote a weekly column for Radio & Records. KTSA-San Antonio rehired Brad three times. “Huh? It’s true. My same station hired me back [good focus groups, good ratings history] and put me on against Dr. Laura Schlessinger, and flukey book or not, I beat her (yay!) so now they have put me in the sure-death slot against Rush. We shall see. This means I have now worked every slot except 2 – 4 p.m. at KTSA," emailed Brad back in the early 2000’s. “In my spare time I love flying my open-cockpit aerobatic airplane.” A monthly feature at LARadio.com was asking a question in order to get learn more about our LARP. Who gave you the best advice? Brad replied: “The best advice I ever received was from my dad, who spent most of his life as a Texas newspaper editor and absorbed more than the typical share of Life’s lessons. His advice? “Always take the long view unless it conflicts with short-term desires.” That seemed to cover almost every situation I encountered, except for my second-best advice, which was ‘Put that thing away.’” In the late 1960s, Charlie Van Dyke was in his early 20s. He was program director at KLIF-Dallas when he got the offer to head to Detroit and work at CKLW, the “Big 8.” Brad had a surprise for Charlie. Messer was parked on the tarmac with the KLIF Headliner Cruiser streaming messages that said a number of things, including, “CKLW, take care of our friend.” Charlie remembered: “It was night as I left Dallas. I could see the Cruiser as the plane was gaining altitude, turning…then heading…away.” There is a beautiful website of Brad’s life at: www.BradMesser.com. He shares his life with many photos of the time of his storied career, the time he “became” a black man and memories of Carole, his late wife of 40+ years. |
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LARPs Grace Award.
Two LARP are winners of the 44th annual Gracie Awards.
Congratulations to KOST morning lady Ellen K (l)
and KABC morning co-host Jillian Barberie.
The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) continues to celebrate programming and individual achievement by, for and about women in radio, television and interactive media, which includes podcast categories. The Gracie Awards Gala will take place on Tuesday, May 21 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. Some of the most talented women in front of and behind the microphone and outstanding programming will be honored. Christine Travaglini, President, Katz Radio Group and Chair of the Board of Directors said: “In the more than four decades since the inception of the Gracie Awards – what stands out in 2019 is bravery. The courage of storytellers to share poignant, relevant and compelling content. This will be a year of true celebration.” |
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It's the Law
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(April 17, 2019) “We’ve
all seen the famous photo of Vin Scully,
Chick Hearn and Bob Miller
standing side by side, holding their Fox Sports
microphones,” wrote Arash Markazi of the LA Times.
“Ralph Lawler remembers it well. The
longtime Clippers announcer was there when the photo was
taken and is still looking for another version he has never
seen. “Somewhere there is a photo of Vin, Chick, Bob and me,” Lawler said. “I’ve seen the photo of Chick, Vin and Bob but somewhere out there is a photo of the four of us because we were all there that day and all of our games were on Fox in those days. I’d give anything to find that photograph.” Some highlights from the Markazi article: When Lawler calls his final game at Staples Center it will mark the end of a golden era of sports broadcasting in Los Angeles. Hearn passed away in 2002 after being the voice of the Lakers for 42 seasons, Scully retired in 2016 after 67 seasons as the voice of the Dodgers and Miller retired in 2017 after being the voice of the Kings for 44 seasons. Lawler, who has called Clippers games for 40 seasons, often got lost in the mix in Los Angeles. “I just felt lucky to be on the periphery of that trio,” Lawler said. “This city is really good to its broadcasters. Here I was with those three and at that point I had been in the city for 25 years or something and I was the junior to Vin, Chick and Bob. I mean how can that be? I’m in my 60s and 70s and those guys were older and had been doing their jobs longer. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. |
| “I remember one year we had T-shirts that
had a big 3-0 on it. The goal was to win 30 games. I mean
that was our goal. If you win 30 games that means you lose
52 games. That’s what we have risen from, which is pretty
remarkable. Going through this year I just wish I was 10
years younger because I want to be here for the next 10
years because I believe they’re going to win multiple
championships. Not just one but multiple.” Essential California. Now, with the Clippers in the playoffs and longtime broadcaster Ralph Lawler calling the final games of his career, we started wondering: How often did Lawler’s Law hold true? This is one of the 80-year-old Lawler’s signature catchphrases and is used when a team breaks the century mark. Lawler exclaims, “You know Lawler’s Law. First to 100 wins. It’s the law.” Well it’s not actually the law, but The Times crunched the numbers and found that, aside from being catchy and alliterative, Lawler’s Law turned out to be remarkably accurate. Over the last 23 years, among more than 27,000 NBA games, the first team to reach 100 won 94% of the time. But the modern game may be changing the law. Los Angeles Times |
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| The second edition of Los Angeles Radio People in included a bonus CD with a number of aircheck segments, jingles, etc. Unfortunately, after more than 15 years, reports are being received that many of the CDs are now starting to fail and play erratically. In the course of creating a replacement CD for a reader of the column, K.M. Richards extracted the individual tracks and corrected any playback errors. At Don Barrett's request, they have been digitized to MP3 files and presented here for the convenience of those who wish to hear them. Click Track numbers: |
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Happy Anniversary, KLOS - You're Sold!
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(April 16, 2019) Happy
Anniversary KLOS! Congratulations on broadcasting AOR Rock
and Classic for 50 years. We’re bringing back our iconic
morning team,
Mark & Brian,
for a one-day salute. To celebrate, we’re selling the
station. No sooner had the Cumulus bulletin been sent to LARadio readers, reaction was swift. Cumulus (owner of KABC and KLOS) announced that it has entered into an agreement to sell KLOS to Meruelo Media (owners of KDAY and KPWR) for $43 million in cash. Longtime LARadio executive Norm Epstein was shocked at the price Cumulus got for the Classic Rock station. “Amazing that KLOS, at one time, one of the leading stations of its format in the US, selling for only $43 million. I think at one time it was worth nearly $250 – $300 million.” Bob Fox, former radio station owner and chairman of the Radio Board of the National Association of Broadcasters, also said that 20 years ago the station would have sold for at least $200 million. |
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| Dave Armstrong,
former Salem general manager, emailed: “Will the last one
out the door please turn off the lights?” Rich Brother Robbin read the Cumulus news and emailed, “THE SKY IS FALLING THE SKY IS FALLING! ACTUALLY, IT’S BEEN FALLING FOR SOME TIME, JUST THAT NOT EVERYONE’S AWARE OF IT YET.” After 50 years at 95.5/fm, will the new owners change the format? We don’t know. Technically, Meruelo takes over programming today. Even though revenue has dropped substantially since billing in the $35-40 million range, we imagine Meruelo will want the revenues already on the books. Plus the station does VERY well in Men 18 – 34. Otto Padron, president of Meruelo, added, "KLOS will be a crown piece in our strategically curated, L.A.-focused multimedia portfolio. As we've done with all our media properties, we will take full advantage of our deep local resources to grow the globally recognized KLOS heritage rock brand for generations to come." Who knows, maybe the new guys have some new ideas. After all, Chris Ebbott has reinvented Classic Hits at K-EARTH to where it is now #2 in the current ratings just released. Cumulus also announced some station swaps in Allentown and the Lehigh Valley. Mary G. Berner, president/ceo of Cumulus, said, “These transactions are part of the continued execution of our portfolio optimization strategy. Both transactions are accretive, and the sale of KLOS to Meruelo Media at an attractive multiple allows us to generate substantial cash, which can be used to further pay down debt and invest in high potential business opportunities.” (Thanks to OC Weekly for KLOS staff: front row - Frosty Stilwell, Gary Moore Frank Kramer; back row - Marci Wiser, Heidi Hamilton, Jimmy Alvarez) |
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KOSTING at the Top of the LA Ratings
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Adult Contemporary KOST continues at the top of the heap, a
full point ahead of runner up K-EARTH. The WAVE (KTWV) is a
strong third while KIIS and MY/fm (KBIG) come in 4th and
5th. On the bottom side of the Top 40 listing, the KFI
Stream stays steady with O.6 and Radio Iran (KIRN) appeared for the
first time, tied with KABC. Nielsen Audio ratings for March
'19 6+ Mon-Sun, 6a-12mid: 1. KOST (AC) 6.5 - 6.5 2. KRTH (Classic Hits) 5.3 - 5.5 3. KTWV (Rhythmic AC) 4.4 - 4.7 4. KIIS (Top 40/M) 4.4 - 4.3 5. KBIG (Hot AC) 4.3 - 4.2 6. KCBS (JACK/fm) 4.0 - 4.1 7. KFI (Talk) 4.0 - 3.8 8. KLVE (Spanish Contemporary) 3.4 - 3.6 9. KLAX (Regional Mexican) 2.9 - 3.1 KNX (News) 3.6 - 3.1 |
| 11. KXOL (Spanish AC) 2.7 - 3.0 12. KAMP (Top 40/M) 2.8 - 2.7 KPWR (Top 40/R) 3.0 - 2.7 14. KLOS (Classic Rock) 2.5 - 2.6 KRRL (Urban) 2.5 - 2.6 16. KRCD (Spanish Adult Hits) 2.4 - 2.5 17. KUSC (Classical) 2.4 - 2.4 KYSR (Alternative) 2.0 - 2.4 19. KKGO (Country) 2.6 - 2.3 KROQ (Alternative) 2.4 - 2.3 21. KBUE (Regional Mexican) 2.0 - 2.1 KLYY (Spanish Adult Hits) 2.0 - 2.1 KPCC (News/Talk) 2.7 - 2.1 24. KJLH (Urban AC) 1.8 - 1.9 25. KSCA (Regional Mexican) 1.5 - 1.5 26. KCRW (Variety) 1.1 - 1.3 27. KDAY (Rhythmic AC) 1.1 - 1.2 KKLQ (Christian Contemporary) 1.4 - 1.2 29. KSPN (Sports) 1.5 - 1.1 30. KKJZ (Jazz) 0.9 - 0.9 KRLA (Talk) 1.0 - 0.9 KXOS (Regional Mexican) 0.9 - 0.9 33. KEIB (Talk) 0.8 - 0.8 34. KFSH (Christian Contemporary) 0.7 - 0.7 KLAC (Sports) 0.9 - 0.7 KWIZ (Spanish Variety) 0.9 - 0.7 37. KFI (Stream) 0.6 - 0.6 KFWB (Regional Mexican) 0.7 - 0.6 KKLA (Religious) 0.6 - 0.6 40. KABC (Talk) 0.6 - 0.5 KIRN (Persian) 0.4 - 0.5 |
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J Cruz Cruises to iHeart.
Meruelo made another headline when iHeart’s KRRL (Real 92.3)
nabbed Meruelo’s J Cruz morning show from
Power 106 (KPWR) and put Cruz, executive producer Jeff
Garcia, plus DJ Lechero and
DJ Lezlee in afternoons. Still working
mornings at KRRL is Big Boy. KRRL’s pd Doc
Wynter said, “Big Boy in the mornings and J Cruz in
the afternoons -- I get chills just saying it!" Beginning Thursday on Power 106, Cece Valencia (photo in gallery above) takes over “LA’s Hip Hop Morning Show.” Why would J Cruz leave the morning show and go crosstown to do afternoons? An observer of the LARadio scene guesses that Meruelo knew the KLOS acquisition was coming and tightened their budgets elsewhere. This way they refused to play ball with Cruz when his contract came up, so he looked elsewhere. iHeart would be foolish not to jump at that opportunity, even if they don't plan to keep him long. Cruz’s presence in the building also helps keep Big Boy in line. Interesting? (Photo: J Cruz and Big Boy) |
Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Radio Station
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(April 15, 2019) Nothing.
Nothing funny happened on the way to the radio station. Are
radio people a dying breed? Have we discarded radio people
onto a heap of old CDs, or worse, vinyl? Is anyone having
fun or has radio become just a job? Two weeks ago, in an attempt to do a positive story about radio, I borrowed a front-page story that you see in Forbes or Fortune – Best Companies to Work For. The publications offer page after page of employees sharing great experiences about the companies they work for. Bosses who care what people think. Bosses who are open to new ideas and willing to take chances. Like pixie fairy dust, some companies spread joy with breaks at a ping pong table or a free vegetarian lunch. New ideas from a variety of sources are considered and embraced. Maybe there are joyful radio station environments. We solicited your comments on the best radio stations to work for in the Southland. Let’s spread the joy. Hey, radio is not dead. It is a vibrant entity. Apparently not. Not ONE vote. No one responded. Crickets. Now in all fairness, there may be great working environments, but employees have been trained to avoid the press. Why? Fear. In an industry where communication is the key component, management has put such fear into their people, the only communication is in whispers. Why did so and so leave? Were they really pushed out? Are we being sold? Did you hear what is going on in San Diego? A station couldn’t even pay the rent so the transmitter was turned off. Last week, that meant dozens of people lost their jobs in a flick of the switch. Now they will know real fear. But they will find other opportunities, but chances are it won’t be in radio. Podcasting, voiceover, maybe even sales. Making a living? Tough to know if your heart is not into it. If radio is not dying, is it breathing? Bankruptcy is the new “b” word. Fear seems to be the commander in chief. Fear is the great new paralysis. It suppresses everything, especially creativity. Cumulus sells their flagship New York fm station. Is Los Angeles far behind? Reports of iHeart downsizing. Entercom making significant changes in their news/talk stations. LARadio gets no joy in an essay like this. Is revenue still a challenge? Are we broken? Is anyone there? I can’t hear you. Is anyone there? |
Email Saturday, 4.13.2019
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** Farewell Mexican
Transmitters "Thanks for your coverage of the BCA Radio implosion. I worked for them from 2008 when 'The Walrus' was born from 'XX Sports.' We had a good run as Classic Hits hadn't been heard in San Diego since 99.3 left the format in 2005. There were times in 2009 that The Walrus jumped to #1 in the Nielsen weeklies. We were respectfully in the Top 10 until 2010. That's when station management changed and they tried to add to the staff of 105.7. Our one-person morning show expanded to two hosts and a producer. John Nolan and Kim Morrison hosted, trying to add personality. I moved to middays and Cindy Pace was afternoons until Rich "Brother" Robbin was hired for afternoons. BCA was part of a plan to build Local Media in San Diego with the addition of Finest City stations XHRM, XHTZ and XETRA/fm. In 2010, the 6-station cluster was split as those three became LMA and BCA returned to existence with XHPRS, XEPRS and XEPE. The loss of 3 stations was the first financial blow to BCA. Anyone doing the math will see the difficulty in operating two AMs and an fm radio stations with a collective bill of over 2 million dollars on January 1. XEPRS lost the Padres [rumored to be costing another $5 million in rights fees]. The talent acquisition at XHPRS of Jack Diamond [who stayed a week] and Jack Murphy [who lasted 9 months before being released] was costly and didn't produce a ratings or revenue increase. Downsizing of 105.7 began in 2016, and as we all know the station 'crashed' last year. XEPE (1700) is at a place on the radio where no one seems to visit. The signal is fair, but if no one knows it's there -who's gonna listen? Thanks to people like Ray Lucia and other local hosts who paid for air time, 1700 was almost paying its own way. Adding ESPN radio was helpful to trying to build the brand, but it only helped 1090 to acquire 'fringe' programming from the network. |
| As several of the BCA hosts
have said, other things may come out over the next few
weeks. Scott Kaplan is smart and has connections but it might be hard to find someone to not only continue to financially support XEPRS but make up the back payments which could be up to $400,000. Some have suggested that AM radio is dead, and the elimination of two English speaking sports stations certainly doesn't increase the need to tune in to the band. Even 1360 has an fm translator to try to appease that audience. I share the sentiments of Chris Carmichael. Chris is an honest, sincere fan of the media in San Diego - and when he was doing his daily blog he went out of his way to point out the positives. Sorry to see the staff at BCA in this pickle. There are a lot of good, talented people there and we're hoping they'll land on their feet. Whether 97.3 will acquire some or all of the talent is questionable as KWFN is part of a company that's required to exercise financial responsibility. That means revenue and ratings. I'm sure if Entercom management feels that adding the displaced BCA talent - any or all - will help, they will. Talk may be cheap, Don. Talk radio isn't. All of us wish nothing but the best for the BCA crowd. Thank you for sorting this all out." - Dave Mason ** J. Paul Huddleston “I’ve wanted to let you know that J. Paul Huddleston, before his legendary KHJ work, was the news director and weeknight anchor on the short-lived KCHU channel 18 in San Bernardino from 1962-63. This was the first commercial UHF in Southern California, beating KMEX by seven months, the incarnation of channel 22 [which launched with LARP Larry McCormick on its staff by a full year, and channel 39 in San Diego by three years]. I tell the whole story at the History of UHF Television website, which is owned by Clarke Ingram. He tapped me to be the site’s content coordinator where I've written a lot of articles myself. The focus is on early UHF stations that tried to make a go of it but failed. Here's the link to the KCHU article, which includes a great picture of Huddleston in the newsroom: http://www.uhftelevision.com/articles/kchu.html” – K.M. Richards ** Better Things “I love that you love Better Things! Pamela Adlon is wonderful!! I can relate to her on so many levels. Except for the parts about owning a home and having a good career part.” –Molly Paige ** LARP Saw “While scrolling through the group of ‘M’s’ I came across Red McIlvaine’s name and photo with that mischievous grin of his. We worked together briefly in 1959 at KPHO-AM in Phoenix. However, we never saw each other because the newsroom was in another building. I think he was inspired to do the below because he was headed to LA and was running out his time in Phoenix. We had a lumberyard sponsor of the five-minute newscast at 10 a.m. It featured the sound of wood being sawed. While I was in the middle of the newscast, I heard in my headphones the unmistakable sound of the saw for about ten seconds, followed by Mc Ilvaine chuckling. It didn’t bother me and I kept on reading. Station management probably wasn’t amused. To tell the truth, I thought it was funny, but I kept my own counsel.” – Warren Cereghino ** M&B Anniversary “With 95.5 KLOS celebrating its 50th Anniversary as a Rock station, it’s quite a history in Southern California radio and great talent over the years. Originally KECA/fm, the call letters switched to KABC/fm in 1954 and was mainly a simulcast of its AM counterpart. In 1968, the FCC started requiring fm sister stations provide unique programming. That year, ABC owned fm stations broadcast the syndicated ‘Love’ progressive rock format, presented by Brother John Rydgren. An ordained Lutheran minister, Brother John had a great set of pipes and often discussed the spiritual side of rock music. His son, also named John, has a similar sounding voice. When I met the younger John Rydgren, I recall him telling me that his dad interviewed rock bands from all backgrounds – even some early Jesus music rockers such as Larry Norman (formerly of People). In 1969, 95 1/2 KABC/fm switched to an all local, free-form progressive rock format. Two years later, in 1971, the station became 95 1/2 KLOS, adopting an AOR (Album Oriented Rock) format under the slogan ‘Rock ‘N Stereo.’” – Josh “JJ” Jacobs ** LARadio Audio “Do you know of anyone who could make me a copy of Audio Montage of 50 Years of LA Radio, Volume 1: 1957-2003? The hour-long CD sold for $12. The reflective foil [the part with the data] fell off my CD and I’m just devastated. Someone must have a copy of it in their closet somewhere.” – Bill Schwarz |
Mighty 1090 Not So Mighty
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(April 12, 2019) The
“Mighty 1090,” a high-rated San Diego sports station (also
heard in L.A.), operates on XEPRS from Rosarito, Mexico, and
is currently leased by Broadcast Company of The Americas.
The station has been a fixture in the market for the last 16
years. Right now, The Mighty 1090 is off the air.
Apparently, BCA didn’t pay their bills to the Mexican
company that owns the frequency, so the plug was pulled late
morning on Wednesday. BCA president Mike Glickenhaus put together a hastily called urgent staff meeting where he explained they were taken off the air by the people who own their tower. In a recorded message posted to the station website host Darren Smith, who has been with the station since 2003, said he wasn’t too surprised by this because it had happened before to at two of the other stations the company owns. Smith wrote on social media: “Hearts filled with your kind words and messages. We’re streaming the show today via http://Mighty1090.com & Mighty1090 app. Same poop, different diaper (for some) at 12 noon.” Smith told the San Diego Union-Tribune: “I don’t want to go out like this. I’ve been here too long to go out like this.” Smith said people were in tears at the station. Afternoon host Scott Kaplan said there was a relationship issue and a breakdown in negotiations between the owners of the frequency and the parent company of the radio station. (Thanks to Union-Tribune for artwork) |
| Podcast $$. Radio
Ink had a fascinating story from the NAB Show in
Las Vegas. “Even the big radio companies are discovering the
challenge of monetizing podcasts.” The site said that
Beasley Media Group’s Chief Digital Content Officer Lori
Burgess has been “around the world and back” with
podcasting, now it’s time to make some money. Apparently Beasley created a new division dedicated to podcasting. It’s a mix of original content and recorded live shows from Beasley’s radio hosts that fans can listen to whenever they have the time. The company also asked its hosts to start producing original podcasts, while rolling out “Best Of” shows, according to Burgess. Burgess says that making money has proven to be a challenge. And she believes it’s because radio has not figured out how to market podcasts as of yet. Fred Jacobs, of Jacobs Media, has a theory about that. He believes radio is a little afraid to go all out promoting podcasting (and streaming) because those platforms are not rated the same way as over-the-air radio, so they don’t want to push those listeners away.
In other news. When Adimu was on KKBT, the BEAT, he worked afternoons from 2000-03. He has joined WDAS-Philadelphia as the new host of “The Quiet Storm.” … Rita Pardue, Ms. Senior California 2018, will headline at the USC Trojan Affiliates at their Year End Celebration on Thursday, May 2. Her topic will be “It’s Never Too Late to Make Your Dreams Come True.” … Larry Elder has extended his contract with Salem Radio Network through 2022. His show airs locally on 870/KRLA and heard on more than 350 affiliated stations and on the Salem network … Peter Burton, former gm at KSWD (100.3/The Sound) is the new vp/market manager of the Beasley Media Group cluster in Las Vegas … 24 hours of vinyl streaming tonight at midnight and running all day Saturday at KLBC.org and KCTYFM.org. |
Past and Present Music Intersect
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(April 11, 2019) If
you’re of the age when Golden Oldies are all you listen to –
music that’s familiar, music that hasn’t passed you by like
current offerings – Dave Sholin has a
website for you. Sholin, a Top 40 veteran, record company executive, and charter member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, has created a new website for baby boomers. BoomerMusicUpdate.com is a quick catch-up (85-220 words) that links a song from "back in the day" to a current artist or song that has a similar sound / content / style. It features the cream of the crop from the four most popular music formats: Top 40, Pop, Country, and Alternative. The site updates content every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. “We put the songs in their generational context,” said Sholin. His website can link a current hit to a similar sounding Oldie. Sholin had been on the forefront of popular music. He was the last person to interview John Lennon, the accompanying photo was taken just hours before his death. Here’s a link to the site. |
Music Reunion. The 7th Annual Music Industry Reunion Los Angeles returns Monday, May 13 at the Canyon Club. This event is open to all members of music business related industries, past and present. “This is a great time to hug a friend, meet a new friend, and reconnect with your pals from our great industry,” said co-organizer Jon Scott. Past reunion events (NYC and LA) have brought together over 500+ industry influencers, industry legends and icons as well as the brightest radio / music / management / publicity / marketing execs in the business today. Peace Corps. After I mentioned that my son had joined the Peace Corps and was in Zambia, I received a very touching note from Robert Berlin. I did not know his name but he wanted to share some insights into the Peace Corps, as his daugther is in a small African village and a neighbor has a daughter in Senegal. He belongs to a group of Peace Corps parents in Northern California that get together and share experiences, so he wanted to reach out and offer a lifeline of communication to us. Over the decades, I am constantly amazed at our readers. You might remember the doctor who was part of my daughter’s dental challenges. We had never talked before that fateful day. He had been a listener and fan of LARadio and subscribed to the website to learn more about radio. And he was there at the exact moment of need. When Robert Berlin reached out, we had never previously communicated. He has an interesting background that I thought you might find fascinating. I did. Berlin grew up in the San Fernando Valley. In the late 60s, he thought he wanted to work in radio. “I begged my way into a volunteer job at KEDC (nee KCSN) in the days when Mike Horn and Doug Brown were there. I migrated over to KCRW in 1971. I did some programming, even did a music show on Saturday evenings. I think they had a 5-watt transmission at the time, so no one was listening. Anyway, I decided that radio was not a career for me, even though I was fascinated by it.” Berlin worked in public relations for Linda Gray and did some music production. His buddy in high school became Ron Fair, the outstanding A&R man. Berlin ended up in the world of tech. He’s been in the Bay Area for 25 years after living in San Diego for 10 years. “How did I find LARadio? I've been working with and in internet companies forever,” emailed Berlin. “I spend time Googling around. I’ve been reading it for years. You’ve done a wonderful job and I some point I think you should approach the Smithsonian so the archive has a place to live for the future. Seriously.” |
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** Open Email to David
Schwartz "Hi folks! Thanks again, David, for the comforting remembrances of things past! The Parade Ralph and I did was my favorite in important ways. Hilarious writing meetings in a smoke-filled room - - meetings described by Ralph as populated by people who didn’t 'know _ _ _ _ from Shinola'. ;-) I heard that ‘review’ quite a few times during our adventuresome years together. He was a busy man during those late ’60’s-early ’70’s days…I continue to be so grateful he was able to squeeze me into the mix. I still wish he’d written the book he planned on Hollywood’s History, which he had this green farm girl research by spontaneous walk-in interviews of every single business on Hollywood Boulevard, up one side and down the other. (The Frolic bar and Frederick’s of Hollywood among the most memorable. A real education for me!) It would have been a best-seller, I think. I miss him today, as I do every day. Much love to all! - Stephanie Edwards |
Hear Ache
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(April 10, 2019) KABC’s Jillian Barberie continues to post on Twitter her courageous fight against cancer. Yesterday she posted: “I fell asleep during the PET scan today bc unlike the CT scan, they didn’t require me to hold my breath etc. It was oddly relaxing. After the blood work and the sugar dye I was tired (no coffee) and ready for that nap!” A few hours later, Jillian posted: “Just received a call from my oncologist and nothing lit up during my PET scan today!!! This most likely means it’s nothing! We will monitor it again in 3, 6 and 9 months to make sure it hasn’t grown!! Going to bed with a peaceful mind! Thank you for your prayers!!!!!”… Larry “Supermouth” Huffman was in St Mary’s Med Center this week, initially for a simple Stent procedure. “WRONG. Seems that I have chronic heart disease and must undergo open heart surgery asap,” emailed Larry ... Jim Duncan is in knee replacement hell. “My replacement from last June took an ugly turn in January,” emailed Duncan. “Somehow the wound got infected and they took out the hardware. After six weeks of high-powered antibiotics, I should be ready for a new replacement. Wish me luck.” … Ken Minyard (pictured above in LARP gallery) has a two-word posting on Facebook, “Remission. Yay!” ... Humble Harve needs our prayers, accoring to Vic St. John. Apparently some issues that are diabetes related … KFI makes some Saturday shift changes on April 27. Handel on the Law is shortened to 8 – 11 a.m. Home With Dean Sharp will now fill the 6 – 8 a.m. slot … KROQ’s Bean of Kevin & Bean gave a shout-out to Mark & Brian on the announcement there would be a reunion later this month. “Hey, these are those guys that did the thing,” wrote Bean. |
Archives April/May 2019: Passing Parade: Brad Messer; LARPs win AllAccess Awards; Series on Podcasting; Bob McCormick exits California; Bob Eubanks dazzles telling Beatles stories; Ken Levine on podcasting; Mark & Brian reunite
Archives 1st Quarter 2019: Passing Parade: Sylvia Chase; Eva Ross Kilgore; David Horowitz; Richard Kimball; Super Dave Osborne, Harvey Mednick; Bruce Williams; Let's Go Trippin' with Dick Dale; Larry Van Nuys jumps into the (K)Surf; KABC shuffles line-up; LARP who died in 2018; Art Laboe set for PPB honor luncheon; Jaime Jarrin honored; Marketing lesson from Fiji Water Girl; Cindy Dole out styling; Saul Levine essay on his 105.1/fm beginnings; How will a recession hurt the radio biz?; Update on KFI reporter Hanna Scott; Series to preserve radio archives; Golden Night; 1,000 homes on site of KLOS/KABC; Video in cars; Jimmy Steal to Chicago; New head of Southern California Public Radio; Celebrating Scott St. James; Laughs are on Phil Hendrie; Afternooner like no other; Art Laboe honored by Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters; Wendy Williams show postponed indefinitely; KNX vet Diane Thompson set to retire; Delilah tells all; Motown at 60; Martoni's; Steve Harvey and Mo'nique in kerfuffle; It's news to Steve Gregory; Auspicious start for 88.5/fm; Triplets 10-year anniversary; How Pete Weber made the hockey team; We Will Rock You; Randy Keith is the piano man; Triplets partner in hope; History of Gary Theroux; New news from Diane Thompson; John Batchelor reveals he has cancer; Bean announces in leaving KROQ morning show; Actor Sal Mineo was a LARP; Sky Daniels retires from 88.5/fm; Ask Dr. Ruth; USC broadcast rights; Buzzards return to Hinckley, Ohio; Nancy Plum's new book; Elaine Perkins perks up the news; Podcast with Passion
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: Scott St. James; Hal Pickens, Ed Crook, John Lyle Campbell, Mike Parker, 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!; Mornings growing at 870/KRLA; Another Southern California Inferno; Ingraham transitions to podcasting; Nobody knows anything; Casey Kasem counts backwards to 48 Hours; Jim Hawthorne would have been 100; Best Broadcaster ever!; Wink a heavenly treasure; 2018 rearview review; Scott St. James remembered; Bob Cole to hell and back; VO artists sing for kids; KLAC raises 1/4 $; Highest paid radio people; Doug McIntyre is set to leave KABC after 22 years; Wally Clark falls; Vic the Brick feelin' you; KABC, By George Green; Art Vuolo's farewell party
