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(Gina Grad, Andy Chanley, Mike Wagner, Bruce Chandler, Gary Bryan, Lisa Stanley, and John Brooks)
Latino Vin Scully
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(September 16, 2016) In 1959, a 23 year-old from Ecuador began calling Dodgers games in Spanish. Nearly 60 years later he is still working – and has helped transformed the team’s fan base. Read his amazing story by clicking Jaime Jarrin's photo ... Any chance the LA Rams will get over .500 this season. As Jim Healy might have said, "Bad coach, bad f#$%ing team" ... Joey Reynolds, veteran of KFI, returns to radio with a syndicated show on Cumulus Media’s WABC-New York on Sundays. Apparently KABC will also air Joey's show soon ... Thanks for all the birthday well wishing yesterday. My son asked if 75 was the new 60? Dunno about that because I've never much been into counting years, but what I do know is that EVERY day is celebrated with joy and thankfulness. I am truly blessed and look for ways to help others ... Steve Counts, last heard on Salem's KRLA, is now working at iHeartmedia in Charlotte ... Former K-EARTH pd Dave Mason exits BCA radio group in San Diego ... Congrats to Maggie McKay on her 15th wedding anniversary ... This weekend, Cherie and I are taking a trip to the Northwest and we are literally travelling by planes, boats, ferries, ships, Uber, and trains. Back next month ... |
Paul Freeman Set Free Among Margaritas, Chips, and Salsa
by Jeffrey Leonard
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(September 15, 2016) It was an L.A. radio star-studded
event for radio well-wishers to bid Paul Freeman
a fond farewell on Saturday, September 10th at Sol y Luna in Tarzana.
Former (and last) KHJ pd Chuck Martin was there sharing some fun stories. Martin talked bringing Rick Dees to Southern California from Memphis. Also in the room were Paul's colleagues: Kris Erik Stevens, Dave Sebastian Williams, Mike Wagner, Bruce Chandler, Jim Carson, World Famous Tom Murphy, Joe Cipriano, Don Elliot, Tim Kelly, Danny Lemos and many more. Long Beach's radio columnist supreme, Richard Wagoner, was on the scene to cover the event along with other L.A. radio veterans, Carson Schreiber, Mike Callaghan, Jerry Burnham, and Bob Moore. Apologies go out to anyone in attendance whose name was omitted. A toast was made to the late Charlie Tuna who was the Honorary Mayor of Tarzana for many years. Freeman is relocating to his home state of Washington to enjoy the other half of his life and get some fresher air. (photo: Tom Patterson and Paul Freeman) |
BEST On-Air LARP of 2004
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| #5 | #4 | #3 | #2 | #1 |
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| Ryan Seacrest | John & Ken | Kevin & Bean | Phil Hendrie | Howard Stern |
Best Off-Air LARP of 2004
| #10 | #9 | #8 | #7 | #6 | #5 |
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| Lynn Duke | Jimmy Steal | Val Maki | Kevin Weatherly | Jhani Kaye | Rita Wilde |
| #4 | #3 | #2 | #1 |
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| Stella Schwartz | John Davison | David G. Hall | Roy Laughlin |
Hear Ache
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(September 13, 2016) The Eric Dickerson Show is a new weekly program on KLAC. Last weekend, Dickerson welcomed former Rams tight end/two-time Pro Bowler David Hill and former cornerback/two-time pro bowler LeRoy Irvin. Every Monday throughout the regular football season, Eric Dickerson will broadcast live from noon to 2 p.m. from a different BJ’s Restaurant and Brewery. (Photo: David Hill, Fred Roggin, Dickerson, and LeRoy Irvin) ... KSPN has altered its lineup. The early morning “Kelvin & Travis” show is gone and the new morning drive show is hosted by Keyshawn Johnson, Jorge Sedano and LZ Granderson. Kelvin Washington moves to afternoons with Marcellus Wiley. Middays are hosted by Mychal Thompson & Mike Trudell, while Steve Mason and John Ireland from noon to 3 p.m. ... MY/fm's Ellen K appeared on The Talk this week. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz1f2EiAtzw ... Jim Rome is hosting a new podcast with highlights from his "Daily Jungle." ... Ever wonder what happened to former KABC talk show host Ira Fistell? Wonder no longer. Steven Spierer hosts a talk show on Marc Germain's (Mr. KABC) Talk Radio One and last weekend he chatted with Fistell. Spierer, a lawyer, always wanted to be a talk show host and shows how good he is in tackling the tough and delicate subject that has surrounded Fistell - why he left the scene of a fatal automobile accident Fistell was involved in (a 15-year old girl was killed) and claimed his wife was driving while he rushed off to his KABC gig where he never mentioned the accident. Check it out here: http://www.talkradioone.com/shows/steven-spierer-show/ |
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(September 12, 2016) Dick Enberg, after six decades
behind the microphone, is set to retire at the end of this baseball
season. Bill Shaikin featured a wonderful tribute to Enberg,
play-by-play announcer for the San Diego Padres, in yesterday's LA
Times. Some highlights: "He has little patience for a new wave of broadcasters prone to diverting the spotlight from the game to the person calling it." "With Dick, his brilliance spread over a number of sports. It didn't make any difference whether he was doing the French Open or the Super Bowl. Whatever he did, I just thought he was outstanding," said Vin Scully. "In the mid-1970s, you could hear Scully on the Dodgers, Enberg on the Angels and Rams, Chick Hearn on the Lakers and Bob Miller on the Kings, and you could read Jim Murray in The Times. Today, all five are Hall of Famers." "Now he has invested seven years in the Padres. He will surrender his microphone, but he will not surrender his heart. 'I want to be in line when they hand out the World Series rings, even if I have to be in a wheelchair to get one.'" Read the complete story at: www.LATimes.com. |
Sports Sunday at KNX
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(September 11, 2016) Beginning tonight, KNX will be the exclusive LA radio home for Sunday Night football, the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl 51. "It’s a great opportunity for us to try something different and see if it can help drive some new cume to KNX," emailed Ken Charles, KNX program director. |
Paul Freeman's Retirement Party Today
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(September 10, 2016) Friends
and colleagues of Paul Freeman
will be celebrating today at Sol y Luna restaurant in
Tarzana.
Festivities are set to begin at 2:52 p.m. Paul has been in Southern California radio since the early 70s, including 13 years at KIIS. Paul completed his LA run at KKGO last month and is set to retire to his hometown in Spokane. You are invited. Sol Y Luna is at 19601 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana - No Host Event http://lasfuentes.com/restaurant/sol_y_luna_contact.html (North side of Ventura Blvd just West of Tampa - Valet Parking in back) |
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KJLH's Front Page Goes Digital
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(September 8, 2016) After 27 years on-air in Los Angeles, 102.3
KJLH is dropping its daily broadcast of the popular news and public
affairs show Front Page. To keep up with the digital age, the live ninety-minute program
will end its traditional weekday broadcast September 16 and transition
to on demand content and a Saturday morning broadcast between 6 a.m. and
8 a.m. "Front Page is changing with the times,” said the show’s host Dominique DiPrima. “It will now be available 24/7 on the KJLH mobile app and we will be producing video content for Radio Free TV along with news, commentary and election updates throughout the day. We are calling it Front Page Mobile because it is in the on-demand format of today’s media. And of course the all new Front Page will air Saturday mornings which will allow us to still broadcast live in the community." Born out of the 1992 Los Angeles civil unrest during a need for Los Angeles’ African-American community to have an on-air gathering place for news and commentary on issues affecting the Black community. Front Page has been known as Southern California’s early morning communications in the Black community for almost three decades. |
Email Wednesday
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** KABC Questions "Sure miss the regular columns. The one thing I would have like to know was why Tom Leykis went on air for one day at KABC; and where is KABC going to re-locate? That property is going to be site for huge development that should make the traffic there even more horrendous, but city wants development regardless of real impact on areas or restrictions current zoning codes dictate. But that's all another story. Thanks." - Robert Guevara, Eagle Rock |
The New/Old Heidi & Frank Show with Frosty Stilwell at KLOS
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(September 6, 2016) By
8 a.m. this morning, Frosty Stilwell had received over
500 Facebook Likes on his return to the Heidi Hamilton
and Frank Kramer Show at KLOS. A smattering of
comments: "I'm loving the show!" (Glena Olausen), "Welcome back Frosty.
I didn't get up early to listen to the opening, but just caught the
Malort bit. So great to hear your wit. You have been missed. A winos
tears.... Bwahahahah." (Shaunna White); "I renewed my Vip just so I
could listed from SD!" (Tracy Horn); and "Still listening in Denver this
morning." (Tracy Gimer). Hopefully they will up their game beyond a discussion of what foods are still good to eat the next morning. Hear Ache. In other news: Beginning today, ALT 98.7 brings in Marty Whitney for middays from sister station in San Diego. "Marty’s been pinch-hitting on middays this summer while continuing to deliver our #1 rank among 18-34 Adults," said ALT pd Mike Kaplan. He'll continue to host nights on KIOZ-San Diego ... Good news for Dodger fans, KTLA Channel 5 will air the final six games in the Dodgers' regular season schedule that Vin Scully works — three games at home against the Rockies and three games in San Francisco. Vin has said he will travel to San Francisco to work the last series of the season. These will be his final six games in the booth and conclude 67 years as the Dodgers' broadcaster. The station will also air live the pre-game tributes at Vin Scully Appreciation Day on September 23, the first game of the Rockies series. |
Labor Day Weekend - 1999
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(September 3-5, 1999) Whotta’ week. A three-day weekend could not have come at a better time. If for nothing else, just to catch our breath. A major station swap with 14 AMFM, Inc. stations going to Cox Communications in exchange for KFI and KOST. Dr. Dre, Ed Lover, LaLa and the Baka Boyz debut at The Beat. KLOS hit with second lawsuit over "Black Hoe" promotion. John London and the House Party move from mornings at The Beat to "Mega 100." Whew. Walt Disney Co. was hit yesterday with a second racial-discrimination lawsuit stemming from its role in a KLOS promotion called "The Black Hoe," according to a front-page LA Times Business section story. KLOS account executive Carla Woodson is the second black employee to allege that she was retaliated against for complaining about the promotion. Art Laboe, Huggie Boy, George Jay and Chuck Cecil appeared last night at a special edition of "Nostalgia" night at the Pioneer Broadcasters monthly gathering. The program prepared by Lina Romay and Frank Bresee encompassed the early years of music radio and the foursome shared the journey on how they got into radio and their love affair with the medium. All four have taken their passion for radio and found a way to survive for decades in this business. |
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Charlie Van Dyke at KRTH came across the Hallmark card reject list. "My tire was thumping, I thought it was flat. When I looked at the time, I noticed your cat. Sorry."…Sluggo returns to KROQ tonight and tomorrow night and then he returns to San Diego for his 911 job…New KKBT middayer LaLa will make an appearance at the Southern California Basketball Showdown over the weekend at the Venice Beach Courts. "I’m definitely going to slide through there and show my face." Daniel Johns of Torrance was listening to KGIL’s Jim Roope during his sports report. "He was talking about how bad the Angels are and said something like, ‘For those who saw the brawl between Cleveland and Anaheim the other night you witnessed just how bad the Angels are. There were faces of Cleveland players four inches in front of them and they were still swingin' and missin.'" Rick Dees interviewed actress Heather Graham and one of the stars of Bowfinger on KIIS yesterday morning. "If we had known you were listening at Agoura High School back when you were there, we would have done many more remotes." Rick commented about the relationship between Heather and Ed Byrnes. "It looks like he wants to eat you with a spoon." Heather returned with: "He does. Every night!" Charlie Tuna put a KLAC listener on the air yesterday morning who had high compliments for Charlie, Fran Tunno and the entire station. And then: "The only thing I don’t like about your station is Sunday morning. It would be nice to have music again rather than some guy talking about my intestines and colon." Ah, those infomercials… "Shotgun Tom" Kelly continues a quarter century tradition as co-host of the local cut-aways during the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy telethon over the Labor Day weekend. For 25 years he was the co-host in San Diego and this year marks his second with Casey Kasem . |
Email Thursday
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(September 1, 2016) "I enjoyed that newspaper article about you
when you were a student at Samohi (scroll down). Interesting that at any early age you
recognized that you wanted to be in radio. I didn’t know in high school
or college (Cal) what I wanted to do in my life. All I knew was that I
had to get a job. It was at Hunt Foods where I worked on the inside for
four years and accomplished some innovations that I asked to be given a
sales territory in order to have direct experience with selling and
meeting customers. My manager thought I was nuts but they carved up a
terrible territory for me in East L.A. and all I had was a bunch of mom
and pop grocery stores and two decent sized markets (one in Boyle
Heights and the other in Bell Gardens) both of which were not customers
for Hunt Products. There were 15 direct sales persons for Hunt Foods in Southern California. So, I did my research and started out. I immediately figured out how to develop a relationship with my clients and how to explain to them how they could save money by buying direct and how they could move our products. I opened 26 new accounts the first month and was the No. 1 salesperson in the Southland. And every month I was No. 1 through 3. The sales management went crazy and they couldn’t figure out what I was doing. Anyway, I learned that I was good at selling and realized that I had a future in selling and marketing. The president of the company called me in after 6 months and told me I was the best salesperson in the company and they wanted to send me to Chicago as assistant sales manager. There was no way I was going to Chicago and I expressed that to the president. Some months later, I walked into KFWB and asked to see the sales manager (Mort Sidley) and we became close friends until his death - he was a chain smoker) and told Mort that I would go to work for no salary. All I wanted was a desk and some unproductive accounts. And that is how I started and found myself in an industry that I truly enjoyed. I also understood early on that I did not enjoy the corporate culture. I tried for several years to put together financing and finally found KVEN AM and FM. The rest you know." - Bob Fox |
Two LARPs Join Passing Parade
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HICKS, Joe:
KFI, 2006-09. Joe was a community activist who had a weekend show at
KFI. He died August 28, 2016, at the age of 75. "A man of his times, he had been a Black Panther in his youth, but shifted right as he grew older, suffering the brickbats you might expect from old comrades even though he served as Greater Los Angeles director of Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Council," wrote Roger Simon of PJ Media. "If someone embodied the best of the civil rights movement through the years, I can't think of anyone the equal of Joe. Through everything that has happened to us, black and white, Joe managed to preserve the true goal of racial equality and integration, devoid of cant and race-baiting. He was one of the guardians of the true dream of MLK. BlackLivesMatter was not for this ex-Panther. But he was so much more than an activist. He was what we used to call "a cool guy," someone you wanted to hang with." |
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BROWNE, Dr. Joy: KGIL, 2007. The longtime syndicated psychologist started on KGIL on October 29, 2007, and she was heard briefly during the short-lived Talk format. She died August 27, 2016, at the age of 71. Browne was born in New Orleans and graduated from Rice University. A graduate of Northeastern University in Boston with M.A. and Ph.D. in psychology. In the late 1970s she was heard on WITS-Boston with a program called Up Close and Personal. She was known for her "one-year rule", which stated that people who have lost a spouse or partner due to break-up, death, or divorce should wait at a minimum one-year before resuming romantic relationships.Dr. Browne hosted a tv show on the Discovery Health cable channel in 2005 which was a live one-hour simulcast of her weekday show on WOR. She previously hosted a King World-Eyemark weekday syndicated tv advice talk show in 1999 for one year. She has written numerous books on life and dating. |
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(August 30, 2016) Karen Harlow has left all-News KNX weekends and is now dj jocking in San Diego. A replacement is close, according to KNX pd Ken Charles ... KLOS production extraordinaire Rob Frazier lost his job when Frosty Stilwell was hired to rejoin Heidi & Frank. Apparently odd man out but a solid pro who should land good soon ... KLAC's Colin Cowherd is launching TheHerdNow.com, a new digital home for content created and curated by Colin ... Condolences to the Sound's Bob Koontz on the passing of his brother ... KLAC's Bill Reiter is leaving his midday slot to join CBS Sports. Co-host Leeann Tweeden will be joined for noon - 3 by Channel 4's Fred Roggin ... Caught up with the scary 10 Cloverfield Lane and to my shock, KNX's Frank Mottek played a role. So versatile! |
KOST #1 Again in August '16 Ratings
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(August 29, 2016)
AC KOST remains at #1 in the
just-released PPM ratings (6+ Mon-Sun, 6a-12mid). The station popped up
another 4/10ths to ride the year in the top spot. KOST is almost a full
point of #2, MY/fm. 1. KOST (AC) 5.4 - 5.8 2. KBIG (MY/fm) 4.7 - 4.9 KRTH (Classic Hits) 4.8 - 4.9 4. KIIS (Top 40/M) 4.9 - 4.6 5. KTWV (the WAVE) 4.2 - 4.1 6. KLVE (Spanish Contemporary) 3.9 - 4.0 7. KCBS (JACK/fm) 3.6 - 3.5 8. KRRL (Urban) 3.1 - 3.4 KYSR (ALT 98-7) 3.2 - 3.4 10. KRCD (Spanish Adult Hits) 3.2 - 3.3 KSCA (Regional Mexican) 2.9 - 3.3 12. KAMP (Top 40/M) 3.8 - 3.1 KNX (News) 2.9 - 3.1 14. KPWR (Top 40/R) 2.9 - 3.0 15. KFI (Talk) 2.7 - 2.7 16. KSWD (Classic Rock) 2.6 - 2.6 17. KKGO (Country) 2.4 - 2.4 KLOS (Classic Rock) 2.3 - 2.4 19. KROQ (Alternative) 2.4 - 2.3 20. KLAX (Regional Mexican) 2.4 - 2.2 KXOL (Spanish AC) 2.1 - 2.2 22. KLYY (Spanish Adult Hits) 2.0 - 1.8 23. KBUE (Regional Mexican) 1.5 - 1.7 KPCC (News/Talk) 1.8 - 1.7 KXOS (Regional Mexican) 1.9 - 1.7 26. KCRW (Variety) 1.8 - 1.5 27. KJLH (Urban AC) 1.3 - 1.4 KUSC (Classical) 1.3 - 1.4 29. KDAY (Rhythmic AC ) 1.4 - 1.3 KWIZ (Spanish Variety) 1.3 - 1.3 31. KLAC (Sports) 1.3 - 1.1 32. KRLA (Talk) 0.9 - 0.8 33. KSPN (Sports) 1.0 - 0.7 KSSE (Spanish Contemporary) 0.7 - 0.7 35. KABC (Talk) 0.7 - 0.6 KEIB (Talk) 0.6 - 0.6 KKJZ (Jazz) 0.4 - 0.6 38. KFSH (Christian Contemporary) 0.5 - 0.5 39. KTNQ (Spanish Talk) 0.3 - 0.3 40. KKLA (Religious) 0.2 - 0.2 KLAA (Sports) 0.3 - 0.2 |
Paul Freeman Send-Off with a Touch of Tuna
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(August 29, 2016) Paul
Freeman is taking a
victory lap from Spokane to Spokane as he returns home to be with family
in his retirement. And his buddies are putting together a "Fan of the Man"
celebration on Saturday, September 10, at Sol y Luna restaurant in
Tarzana.
The Paul Freeman "Fan of the Man" Appreciation Celebration's first
'stop-set' will start promptly at 2:52 p.m. and 72 Dees-grees ['coming
out of a F 'ing up-tempo song? … you do this to me all-the-time, is Don
on the phone')," wrote one of the organizers Dave Sebastian
Williams. "We’re sending this to not only to all of Southern California's radio listeners but to his co-workers as well, because IT'S TIME TO RETURN THE FAVOR of Paul Freeman's generosity," Dave continued. "Paul said he 'likes the Charlie Tuna touch' of sharing this event with all the radio personalities and co-workers and his loyal radio fans who are welcome to drop by Sol y Luna. Everyone will also reminisce the wonderful Artistry of Art Ferguson who called Tarzana home and served as that city's Honorary Mayor for several years. Art [Charlie Tuna] had his headphones taken away earlier this year in February. It was after Paul’s stay at The OC’s KEZY and following his stay at the famed 93 / KHJ, that Charlie Tuna hired Paul to join him at 102.7 KIIS/fm. That was 1976 and Paul stayed til ’89 long after Charlie moved on. Following Paul’s 13 year stay at KIIS, where Tuna originally hired him, Paul’s next stop was KODJ where he again worked with Charlie. The KODJ call letters soon switched to KCBS/fm. Last day on the air for Paul was Friday, August 12th at KKGO." Sol Y Luna is at 19601 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana - No Host Event http://lasfuentes.com/restaurant/sol_y_luna_contact.html (North side of Ventura Blvd just West of Tampa - Valet Parking in back) |
Sunday Email
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(August 28, 2016) "I lived in LA for 15 years, and in
1979-80 I recall that there was a morning show, don’t recall whose, that
featured wonderful comedy skits including “BAKERSFIELD” (a spoof on
Dallas, of course) and The New Leave It To Beaver. Do you recall which
station aired this show, and who were the announcers? Still miss KNX/fm,
always will. And as a San Diegan before and after LA, the old KGB AM
(the mellow side) from the mid-70’s. Those stations, and so many
others, were true places and homes on the dial. Nothing like them now.
Thank God for KUSC. Dan Goldzband" Engelman, Ron: KRTH, 1979-81; KWST, 1981-83; KMGG, 1983. Ron spent his time in Los Angeles radio teamed with John London. The London & Engelman morning team was enormously popular. Ron died August 29, 2007, following a 3-year battle with lung cancer caused by Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, according to his 19-year old daughter, Krista. He died peacefully in his sleep at home, in the Texas Hill Country. He was 68. Ron was born in Denver. The radio bug bit him in 1961 at Northeastern College in Sterling, Colorado. He started at KGEK-Sterling and moved on to KBOI-Boise, then mornings at KLAK-Denver and KLIF-Dallas in 1973 where he met his eventual partner, John London. Ron became nd at KUPD-Phoenix in 1975 then to KHOW (“96KX”)-Denver. When Ron moved across town to KTLK-Denver, he began as a team with John and stopped doing news. Their journey took them to Portland, back to KLIF, to KULF-Houston, and then K-EARTH in 1979. Within days of their arrival in L.A., they stirred it up with a skit that had Eddie Haskell teaching the Beaver how to snort cocaine. The duo admitted that their Denver act was a bit sicker than what they did on KRTH. |
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After KMGG ("Magic 106,") they
did some tv writing before joining WFLA-Tampa and then KMEL-San
Francisco in 1986. During their stay in the Bay Area, which would be
their last as a team, Ron was in the hospital twice, once for open heart
surgery and later for an aorta bypass. The break-up of the London &
Engelman partnership was, as Ron related in a 1998 telephone interview
from his home in New Mexico, "real ugly." Ron went on to WZOU-Boston in 1990, followed by a return to the Bay Area at KSOL-San Francisco. In early 1993, Ron became a talk host at KGBS-Dallas. Shortly after his arrival, all hell broke loose. "Waco hit and all of a sudden I and the station became a link with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians,” said Ron. “Tapes of my show were being monitored and obtained by the FBI. I was on virtually every single press outlet. At one stage the Branch Davidians hung a banner from the fortress that said WE WANT RON ENGELMAN." The government would not let Ron approach the compound and controversy swirled. He made an emphatic point that he did not agree with David Koresh, but, as Ron said, "POWs during the war were treated more humanely." After the Waco incident, he lost his job and had "a real, real tough two years." While waiting for his next radio assignment, he restored a 1934 Rolls Royce, which is now in a Houston museum. Ron purchased some land in New Mexico and moved there in 1994. Thanks to Waco, he was unable to keep steady job in radio until he was hired once more in 1999 for Talk Radio Network, doing live late-night national news broadcast from Wichita Falls. After his contract ran out in 2000, he and his family returned to New Mexico where Ron returned to fill-in work for KKOB. Ron was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004, and a tumor was removed from one lung. He was given three to five years to live. When his condition began to worsen post surgery, he needed to move to sea level to breathe easier. He and his family relocated to the Texas Hill Country (between San Antonio and Austin) in January of 2006. |
Question of the Month from 10 Years Ago
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Richard Turnage:
What do you hear on the radio
that makes you stay in the car until it's over?
Many things,
including but not limited to (and in no particular
order): a hilarious Phil Hendrie segment, a classic
Sinatra tune on KKGO-AM, a Dave Ross commentary on KNX,
listening to Uncle Joe Benson being humorous and
informative about the music he plays during his show and
Gary Moore's feature
'Whole Lotta Led'
on
ninety-five-point-five KLOS. Ronni Richards: I rarely reply to you, because I know you have trazillion responses, but I remembered something the other day that made me turn change stations immediately. I was listening to an Oldies station, searching for my Motown fix, when suddenly, Morris Albert comes on singing Feelings. I got whiplash reaching for the radio dial! I had to play that song once an hour in high rotation when I was on the radio and hearing it again was beyond painful. I know there are so many people who loved that song and it is probably a wonderful ballad, but to me it was chalk on a blackboard. Sorry Morris, for my money, there was only one ballad in '77, Elvin Bishop's Fooled Around and Fell in Love! Brie Tennis (KOST): What do you hear on the radio that makes you stay in the car until it's over? A great song or a tease that a great song is coming! The 5 o'clock funnies! A jock who is fun to listen to and who knows the music! What do you hear on the radio that makes you instantly turn the dial? Endless commercials. Bad voice on the radio. One that really gets me is poor grammar. It's amazing to me how many times I hear ‘anyways’ on the air - in L.A., the #2 market. |
Mike Botula, Veteran of KNOB, KFWB, KRLA, and KMPC Pens Book About His Father
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(August 26, 2016) "I just wanted to take moment of your
time to let you know that my book about the LST 920 has been published.
Titled LST 920: Charlie Botula’s Long, Slow Target! It’s being
released through Amazon.com’s publishing division, CreateSpace. It is
available in paperback or the Kindle e-book. This project would not have become a reality but for all of the morale support, photos, interviews and the opportunities for me to get to know some of the people that my father talked about while he was regaling my brother and I with the stories of his adventures aboard the LST 920. His Navy service was the high point of his life, and, I’ve come to believe that the August day in 1944 and the encounter with U 667 was the highest point of his Navy service. The US LST Association’s magazine, Scuttlebutt, will soon publish my latest article on the ship. (The editor tells me it may be in the November issue). Here’s part of the news release that will accompany the marketing for the new book: LSTs, the amphibious landing ships, or Long, Slow Targets - as the men who sailed on them referred to their ships – were a key ingredient in the Allies’ victory in World War 2. From the beaches of Normandy, North Africa, Italy and the island fortresses of the Pacific, these lumbering ships delivered the troops and their weapons and supplies where they were needed. In telling the story of LST 920, author Mike Botula pays a tribute to his father, Lieutenant Charles Botula, Jr who served as the 920’s second in command as well as the other sailors who helped win the ultimate victory. Included is the back story of the LST 920s mission, including the LST 920s captain, Harry Schultz who defied orders in order to save the lives of men from an LST torpedoed by an enemy U-boat. It’s also the story about the challenges facing an America family during the greatest war that the world has ever seen. It has become a reality, and I wanted to let you know about it. Regards, Mike Botula, Cedar Park, Texas (916) 835-4485" |
Pat Kelley Returns to Familiar Home
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(CBSLA.com) — The Rams are back in LA and, for now, calling the
Coliseum home. Pat Kelley was back in the Coliseum for
the first time since 1978. CBS2’s Greg Mills was there
for the happy and poignant homecoming. He says the Rams made it special
for Kelley. (click artwork) He introduced the Rams’ starting lineup on the Rams radio broadcast. “To be on the field– to look up into the booth where you guys are, where I spent the majority of my life as a young man with my dad and to being back his memory,” said Kelley. His dad was legendary Rams broadcast Bob Kelley. He broadcast Rams games from the day they first moved to LA to the day he died in 1964. “I got downloaded with the Bob Kelley gene. Lucky me,” said his son. He was able to travel on road trips with his dad and he helped him appreciate football. Kelley says he was in the press box for every Rams home game, too. “My dad used to refer to them as ‘My Rams. That’s how I think of them,” says Kelley. He and his childhood friend — actor Mark Harmon — even got to wear Rams uniforms. If you are a longtime LA rock radio fan, you most likely known Pat Kelley as Pat Paraquat Kelley and from his years on the Mighty Met. His wife is actress and former 2 On the Town host Melody Rogers. He’s had multiple sclerosis for the past 13 years and he says it’s taken a toll on him physically. It’s hard to watch him decline for 13 years like this,” Melody says. She says his humor, and hers, help them cope. “Melody,” he says, “God bless her.” She is his primary caregiver and she speaks out often about this disease and insurance. Back to today’s radio gig, he got to pay tribute to his dad and his favorite player, Deacon Jones. The Rams told him they wanted to give him a day he’d remember the rest of his life. “Well, if I don’t remember this,” he said, “the rest of my life, there is something wrong.” |
Everybody's working for the weekend / Everybody wants a little romance / Everybody's goin' off the deep end /
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(August 19, 2016) Jeff Smulyan is trying for a third time to take his media company private. In addition to taking Emmis private, Smulyan wants to sell some assets to reduce the company's debt. Emmis will begin seeking buyers for the company's publishing division, excluding Indianapolis Monthly magazine, as well as a New York gospel radio station and its four radio stations in Terre Haute ... One reader thought the new LA Rams play-by-play guy was okay but his sidekick talked too much. Maybe nerves ... Country singer Easton Corbin has been tapped to “take over” the midday show on KKGO during September ... Mark Zander joins WXRX - 104.9 The X in Rockford as pd ... Rush Limbaugh signed a new deal with Premiere Networks. No details ... Perhaps as a sign that Heidi Hamilton and Frank Kramer were not performing as well as KLOS pd Keith Cunningham had hoped, Frosty Stilwell rejoins the duo to become The Triplets once again ... Ty Bentli, former afternooner at MY/fm (KBIG), joins mornings at Cumulus' syndicated NASH Country ... And former KZLA morning team, Gene & Julie, just got blown out of WRAL-Raleigh/Durham. Understand they had terrific ratings. Nice couple. |
REAL Job Opportunity at Geebo.com
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10-Q's Joe Nasty Dies
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(August
18, 2016) Joe Nasty, one of the original jocks on "the new
ten-Q" when it debuted December 26, 1976, passed away last Monday,
August 15, at the age of 68. Joe was born Dennis Alvord on November 19, 1947 in Kalispell, Montana. In addition to KTNQ, he worked at KPWR from 1987-88. In 1988, Joe went to WQHT (“102-Jamz”)-Orlando, and in 1992 to XHTZ-San Diego. In 1994 he worked at KTFM-San Antonio and the following year went to WPOW-Miami. He loved his two dogs, Teenie and Brownie. His favorite saying was “I want to sing, I want to dance, I want to ha cha cha cha.” One colleague said: "Dennis became a friend to everyone he met and he will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him." |
Great American Songbook Returns to 1260 AM
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(August 17, 2016) The only major format, The Great American Songbook, not presently on the radio in Los Angeles, returns Friday afternoon, August 19th on AM 1260, according to a press release from Saul Levine. The programming can also be received over 105.1 HD 3 in digital FM stereo. The Unforgettable format will also be carried on Internet. The core artists to be heard on Unforgettable AM 1260 include – Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall, Steve Tyrell and dozen of others. Classical KMOZART, currently on AM 1260, will continue on 105.1 HD 2, and KMOZART.com AM 1260 is owned and operated by Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters. |
Hyde the Analyst
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(August
17, 2016) Veteran college football analyst, talk show host and
former UNLV Head Football Coach Harvey Hyde joins AM
830 KLAA Radio as host of a new midweek college football talk show. The
announcement was made by Dennis Kuhl, president of AM
830 KLAA. "Coach Harvey Hyde is one of the most knowledgeable college football analysts in all of media," said Dennis. "The Coach has a tremendous following of USC Trojan fans and is respected by UCLA football insiders and has a national reputation that has been earned by his development of legendary college football Hall of Famers, Super Bowl MVP’s and current college and NFL coordinators and assistant coaches. He will be a tremendous addition to the lineup of talent, shows and live college football and NFL games that we are building for AM 830 KLAA this fall.” “College Football Mid-Week Review” will premiere Wednesday, September 7 (7 p.m.) and runs through the College Football Bowl Season focusing on USC, UCLA, the Pac12 Conference and the College Football Playoff selection committee process. A native of Pasadena, Coach Hyde began his Division One, college football coaching career (after coaching in high school and junior college) as an assistant football coach at the University of Hawaii. He returned to Pasadena to coach at his alma-mater Pasadena City College as a Head Coach and Co-Head Coach for 14 years with six conference titles. As the Head Football Coach of the Pasadena City College Lancers, Hyde made his mark in a brilliant 25-7 run during the 1979-81 seasons. |
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(August 16, 2016) Sacramento’s K-ZAP, the
listener-supported radio station with big ears (“50 Years of Rock, Blues
and More”) is reuniting one of the top morning teams in rock radio
history. The new show will birth on Labor Day , Monday, September 5.
It will air from 6 a.m. - 9 a.m. Monday-Friday, the station’s
award-winning news director Ace Young will once again
captain the airwaves with Jeff “The Gonz” Gonzer, his
former longtime on-air partner at the Mighty Met with “Ace & Gonzer in
the Morning .” And neither could be more pleased. "We are both so excited,” Ace said with just a slight tongue-in-cheek aside, “we are starting with a clean slate in a new town! Seriously, we can cover whatever we want—we discovered back at KMET that we have a great chemistry together—we have lots of stories, music we love-- and we want the same kind of audience participation---plus, we have better tools now---like the Internet.” Gonzer agrees. “Sacramento’s K-ZAP is one of best radio stations in America, hell the world. It’s true to its roots by presenting the great artists we grew up loving, and the new artists keep the rock tradition going.” The duo plan to keep the show music-centric, and “have such great stories for our audience that will personalize the music. We want them to be part of our fun.” |
Rams Off and Running
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(August 15, 2016) The LA Rams came from behind to win
their opener pre-season game over the weekend. What did you think of the
radio broadcast team on KSPN and 100.3/The Sound? Any thoughts?
You can share them here at
db@thevine.net. From Melody Rogers on Facebook: "Some exciting news for us. The Los Angeles Rams have asked my husband, Patrick Paraquat Kelley, to announce the Rams starting lineup live from the press box for the game next Saturday, August 20, at the Coliseum where the Rams will be hosting The Kansas City Chiefs. It will be broadcast on ESPNLA710 radio. As many of you know, Bob Kelley, the original voice of the Los Angeles Rams was Pat’s father. This is a picture of the team in 1956. The man in the white shirt in the middle of the first row is Bob Kelley and the little guy next to him on his left is Pat. He was 6 years old. Pat grew up with the Rams, spending many hours at the Coliseum, training camp and watching them on the field. This opportunity to honor his father’s memory has touched him very deeply. He loved his Dad and he loves the Rams." |
Sunday Morning Memory of Claude Hall's Vox Jox
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(August 14, 2016) In 2015, I played in the World Series of Poker, a Super Seniors
(65+) event. No hoodies, just cowboy hats and good ‘ol boys accents. Out
of the 1400+ entrants in the Super Seniors, I only saw a handful of
women. They probably didn’t want to show ID that they were REALLY a
Super Senior. Between tournaments, Cherie and I had the treat of
visiting with Claude Hall and his bride of 52 years, Barbara. Claude was the quintessential dispenser of information about radio and record people in Billboard magazine. His column was called Vox Jox and if you were in the industry during the heady days of early Top 40, when Billboard arrived, Claude’s column was your first destination. I found Claude to be a very humble man. He’s always loved journalism and writing, spending the early part of his career at different publications. He said he LOVED working at the New Orleans Times-Picayune. He’s written over a dozen books, all published, mostly Westerns. We talked about mutual friends we admire but we found much more in common as we talked about life and some of our early struggles. Our hour-plus visit passed much too quickly but it was time to get back to the Rio to ‘shuffle up and deal.’ Claude is the real deal and the man who started writing about radio people. It was an honor to take a sliver from his legacy to laser-focus on LARadio People for over two decades. Someone will come along with equal interest in preserving the rich history of LARadio. They won’t do it like Claude, or the folks at R&R or AllAccess, or myself. They will bring a fresh approach as the media seems to be creeping into the digital age with lightning speed. |
Early Top 40 in LA
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(August 13, 2016) "Bob McGehee of San Diego asks what L.A. stations did fulltime Top 40
before KFWB. I can offer only that there were two other stations in
LA which debuted fulltime Top 40 [or almost Top 40] formats not before
but simultaneously along with KFWB in January, 1958 - they were KABC
and KHJ [decades before the later Boss Radio KHJ/93 format]. KHJ's known star was Paul Compton. KABC's wild evening jock was Don MacKinnon (l), who enjoyed goofing with Short Shorts by The Royal Teens and other hits. But KFWB ultimately dominated even though the other two stations also were simulcast on fm, which hardly mattered in 1958. Before L.A. first heard a fulltime Top 40 format on The Mighty 690 (XEAK) from San Diego in 1957, local KMPC 710 essentially owned evenings 9:30-midnight with Lucky Lager Dance Time hits hosted by Val Clenard." - Bill Kingman, Lake Tahoe |
New/Old Afternooner at KKGO
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(August 12, 2016) Christine Martindale returns to
Country KKGO to work afternoons in the soon-to-be-vacated slot. Current
afternooner Paul Freeman is leaving the Southland after
decades and retiring to his home in Spokane. Christine will work 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. “I am thrilled to be back on the air and work again with the Go Country 105 family” said Christine. She worked middays at the Country station from 2013 until earlier this year. She also worked at KIKF, KBIG, KOST and Westwood One's Soft AC format. "With the return of Ms. Martindale, the air schedule for Go Country 105 is complete," said new pd Michael Levine. "The middays will be filled with Nashville Country stars performing as guest djs." |
Emails
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** Oldies Days
"Seeing the old newspaper clippings of you as a young lad in 1957 brought to my mind a question that I have thought about for years and never found a good answer. What stations did top 40 full time in L.A. before KFWB? I have seen surveys from KDAY dated from '57 and I know The Mighty 690 got rolling in April of that year but who did it before them? I have read about shows on KPOP and KLAC and, of course, KGFJ played r&b in the early '50's but was there a 24/7 outlet originating in Los Angeles prior to Channel 98? I grew up in San Diego and didn't get my own radio until 1957 when I was 10 years old so I wasn't able to listen as much as I would have liked. KCBQ debuted in late '55 and I listened whenever I could but my dad hated rock and roll and frowned on me tuning it in on the family hi fi.
Any memories you have about pre 1958 L.A. Top 40 radio that you can
share would be greatly appreciated." - Bob McGehee, San Diego
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** From Facebook "So, I'm watching the documentary, O.J: Made In America [excellent by the way], and I'm in the 3rd part of the series where the trial has begun. Chris Darden is talking to reporters. First I see a KFI Mike flag ... then shocked to see that the person holding it, is ME! Yikes, I'm sporting a beard, and wearing my U of I baseball cap. NOT a good look for me." - Mark Austin Thomas |
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** KLAC DJ of the Week "How cool to see those clippings of you as DJ of the Week. And Jack Smith. I remember he became the host of You Asked for It after Art Baker. I visited KLAC in a couple of locations when Joe Pyne was there and when Lohman & Barkley were there. Then in 1958, KFWB appeared! I went there and met Joe Yocam and Elliot Field and newsman Mike Henry." - Gary Campbell |
About the Publisher of LARadio.com, Don Barrett
As publisher of
LARadio.com,
Don Barrett chronicles radio news and lists 6,000 people in Los Angeles who work
or have worked in radio in the past 50 years. Barrett is a historian of
contemporary Los Angeles radio history and author of Los Angeles Radio
People, published in 1994. He published a second volume of the book a year
later, along with the launch of a daily website column.
In 2013, he was the
radio columnist for the Orange County Register. Barrett's
Southern California roots (Santa Monica) include a bachelor's degree from Chapman University.
He also earned a master's in psychology. He spent 10 years in radio
working as a disc jockey, program director and general manager (W4-Detroit and
WDRQ-Detroit). He
launched KIQQ (K-100) Los Angeles in the early 1970s.
In the mid-1970s Don joined the motion picture business, working as a
marketing executive at Columbia, Universal, and MGM/UA. Barrett was part
of the marketing team that released E.T., Close Encounters
of the Third Kind, Back to the Future, Thelma and
Louise, Rocky and James Bond movies.
He also represented a number of films at the Cannes Film Festival.
He was the first recipient of TALKERS Magazine's Lifetime
Achievement Award. Don has been honored with an honorary Golden Mike and
Special Recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists.
LARadio
2016 News
Compiled and Written by Don Barrett
Send mail to
db@thevine.net with
questions or comments about this website
Copyright © 1997-2016 - Los Angeles Radio People
Last modified:
September 16, 2016
