Where Are They Now?
LARadio.com
Los Angeles Radio People, O
Compiled by Don Barrett
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O

O, Steven: SEE Steven-O Sellers

O'BRIEN, Bob: KOLA, 2001-04. Bob (Robert Leszczak) earned his BA in Communications at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey in 1981 and worked extensively with the college radio station there. He was also an on-air traffic reporter for numerous other area stations.

From 1981 to 1983 he toured and sang as one of the Duprees of You Belong To Me fame. During the 80’s, Bob worked mostly for stations in New Jersey before becoming program coordinator for specialty shows and special weekends at New York’s oldies station WCBS/fm (1983). He worked for a number of stations in New England. He was also writer/producer for the syndicated 5-hour weekly oldies magazine Solid Gold Scrapbook hosted by Norm N. Nite for the United Stations Radio Network.

In the summer of 1989, Bob moved to Orlando’s WOCL “Cool 105.9” to host evenings and was soon promoted to morning drive. He was also music director there and did a Saturday night request show. After Jammin' Oldies in Tampa, he has been production director/mornings for Orlando’s Smooth Jazz WLOQ and mornings and music at oldies KOLA in Riverside/San Bernardino.

In 2004, he moved to Palm Springs’ KDES to do mid-days and the music, and was upped to program director/mornings in the summer of 2012. By the beginning of 2015, he had moved into the PM drive slot at WJRZ/fm in Manakawkin, NJ.

 

O'Brien, Jim: KBBQ, 1967; KHJ, 1969-70. During a Philadelphia station promotion on September 25, 1983, Jim parachuted out of a plane with another guy, and their cords became tangled. Jim cut his own cords and fell to his death thinking that the two jumpers could not both survive. It was his 814th jump.

James Oldham, better known as Jim O'Brien was born in Galveston on November 20, 1939 arrived in the Southland from KCBQ-San Diego where he was pd and a jock. Between KBBQ and KHJ, he worked at WOR/fm-New York. At KHJ Jim replaced the legendary Ron Jacobs as pd. His first move was to loosen air personalities. He described the change: "It's like a rebirth within the framework of a Drake station."

Jim later went to Philadelphia. While working at WFIL, Jim started doing tv work on WPVI which included part-time sportscasting and hosting Dialing for Dollars. He was best known in Philadelphia as a tv weatherman. According to his wife, he wished to become a pastor and was a theologian who studied at Baylor University.

In addition to a love for motorcycle riding he was an avid skydiver jumper. On his fateful day, during their descent, under their open parachutes, they collided with each other and their parachutes became entangled. After they tried unsuccessfully to detach themselves from each other, O'Brien, an experienced skydiver, performed a standard skydiving emergency procedure called a "cutaway". He jettisoned his main parachute and deployed his reserve parachute. However, by the time he performed the maneuver, he was already at such a low altitude that he struck the ground before his reserve canopy was able to inflate. The other jumper managed to use the entangled main parachutes to land safely.
O'Brien was posthumously inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 1997.

 

O'BRIEN, Pat: KLAC, 2010-13. The sports/entertainment veteran joined the Loose Cannons show at KLAC in late summer of 2010 and left in 2013.

Pat got his start in the communications field by working for KSOO TV/Radio in South Dakota. After graduating from college in 1970, he worked his way up the ladder and headed to Los Angeles where he joined KNXT/Channel 2 in 1977 and won four local Emmy Awards. O’Brien was best known for his run at CBS that lasted from 1981-1997 where he did many pregame shows.

O’Brien covered six Olympic games and also was part of big-time events such as the Super Bowl and the World Series. He also became a regular on the very successful NFL Today with Lesley Visser, Greg Gumbel and Terry Bradshaw.

Pat left sports for entertainment in 1997 when signed on to be the co-host of Access Hollywood. He remained with Access Hollywood until 2004. At that point, O’Brien moved on to host the newly formed Insider. He held that position until 2008.

He had challenges with alcohol and addressed his downfall and recovery in his autobiography, I'll Be Back Right After This, in 2014.

 

O'BRIEN, "Big" Ron: KFI, 1979-81; KROQ, 1981; KIIS, 1982-87; KKBT, 1989-91; KOCM/KSRF, 1991-92; KIIS, 1992-93. Ron was a dj at KFI, KROQ, KIIS (also pd), KKBT, KOCM/KSRF and back to KIIS. He died April 27, 2008, from complications of pneumonia. He was 56. Most recently he had been working at KOGL-Philadelphia 

Born in Des Moines, Ron was the md at WFIL-Philadelphia before coming to Southern California in 1979. His earlier stops included WCAR-Detroit, WRKO-Boston, WCFL-Chicago, WPGC-Washington, DC and WNBC-New York. In the summer of 1981 Ron worked as Eugene Oregon at KROQ.  When doing research for Los Angeles Radio People, he commented that he was "#1 rated for 14 consecutive ARBs during the glory years at KIIS." In 1988 he went to WKBQ-St. Louis. For seven years he hosted the nationally syndicated CHR show "On the Radio," which was heard on over 200 stations coast to coast.

In the fall of 1991, “Big Ron” was part of the launch of "MARS/fm" and later he worked at KKBT as afternoon drive personality. In the '90s Ron worked for KZDG-Denver and KKBH-San Diego. In the summer of 1996 he went to afternoon drive at WYXR (“Star 104.5”)-Philadelphia.   

O'Brien, Scott: KORG, 1973. Last heard, Scott was working at KXDC-Monterey.
O'Connor, Ken: SEE Bob Allen
O'Connor, Mike: KGBS, 1975. Unknown.

O'CONNOR, Larry: KABC, 2019-20. Larry joined a re-vamped lineup at KABC in early 2019, working 10 a.m. - noon, while continuing to do a show from WMAL-Washington, DC.

He began his radio career on Internet radio in January 2010 on BlogTalkRadio. A year later Larry began filling in for many terrestrial radio shows and stations including nationally syndicated shows like Dennis Miller and Hugh Hewitt.

Born in Detroit he attended high school in Corona Del Mar. He's written for Andrew Breitbart's Big Hollywood site under the pseudonym Stage Right. In June 2011, O'Connor was promoted to the editor-in-chief of Breitbart.tv.

O'Connor, Pat: KNAC. "Pounding Pat" sells CDs and records.

O'DONNELL, Charlie: KRLA, 1964-67; KGBS, 1968-69; KLAC, 1969-71; KBBQ, 1971; KLAC, 1984-89.  Charlie was one of those rare renaissance men with numerous careers and he excelled at all of them. He was the original sidekick to Dick Clark on the decades-long, successful American Bandstand. He was part of the KRLA Top 40 jock team on stage at the Hollywood Bowl to introduce the Beatles. For three decades, he was the announcer on Wheel of Fortune. In the mid-90s, Charlie was the voice of the Academy Awards telecast for two years. 

Charlie knew early on that he wanted to make radio his life’s work. When he was 12 or 13 his sister was working in downtown Philly across the street from radio station KYW. She was asked to be part of a team representing her company, Du Pont, in a city-wide spelling bee. She asked Charlie if he would like to go along to see a live radio show. When they arrived he was impressed with the well appointed studio and once they were seated, a handsome man came out to the stage microphone and talked briefly with the audience, telling them what to expect and not to help the contestants. Theme music started and the man put his hand to his ear, ala Gary Owens, and opened the show. “I said to myself, ‘That’s what I want to do.’” 

WHAT-AM, a 250-watt black radio station in Philadelphia, was where Charlie started his career. When Storer bought WIBG, it became the city’s first rock station. Charlie was named news director. Charlie was the morning newsman with Tom Donahue. “We became great friends,” said Charlie when interviewed for LARadio. “He was the Orson Welles of rock and roll radio. He had that marvelous stentorian voice.”  

A neighbor friend of Charlie’s encouraged him to audition at a local tv station for an announcer position, which he got and his first assignment was the announcing job on American Bandstand with Dick Clark hosting. “Dick and I hit it off immediately. If anything, I’ve learned so much about the business from him. I still consider him one of the greatest commercial announcers of all time. He’s certainly one of the great businessmen.”   

The timing of American Bandstand certainly worked, as rock ‘n roll music had not only peeked behind the entertainment curtain, but arrived as it rocked around the clock. Before he knew it they had moved to Los Angeles, Clark believed the music trend was moving as the Beach Boys, Righteous Brothers and Jan & Dean were topping the charts.  

One night at the local watering hole for radio/tv people, Martoni’s, Charlie met the man who would be responsible for his greatest radio experience. Reb Foster was the pd at KRLA, which was in a Top 40 battle with Chuck Blore’s KFWB. “My three years at KRLA were sensational. Casey Kasem was doing his bios. The Hullabalooer, Dave Hull, was the silliest son of a gun I ever heard. He was unreal. If I was a kid in this city, there would be nobody else in this city that I would listen to. Dave Hull was the best. And Bob Eubanks was slick. He knew what it was all about. Bob was the Dick Clark of radio for the West Coast. I found myself in the middle of these people and wondered what the hell I had gotten myself into.”   

Charlie was between jobs when he ended up as the staff announcer at KCOP/Channel 13. “I would do three newscasts a day for ten years, host Dialing for Dollars, and then the afternoon newscast. I always liked news. I have some kind of affinity for it and I took it very seriously when I did it.”   

“It has been a great ride,” reflected Charlie. Charlie’s family sent a personal note that was included in the program for his memorial service. “Charlie was not only the voice of the world, but a loving husband and father. He was the voice in our heads, in our hearts and in our lives. He was a handsome, tall, silver-haired Irish presence. When he walked into a room, you couldn’t help but fall in love with this genuine and generous kind man who would captivate you for hours with his knowledge of pretty much everything, his stories of his past [and boy, he had some stories to tell] or just listen to whatever you had to say. No matter who needed him, nothing was too much trouble for Charlie.”

Charlie died November 1, 2010. He was 78.

O'DONOGHUE, Deirdre: KPPC, 1970-71; KKGO, 1979; KCRW, 1980-86; KMET, 1983-87; KNX/fm, 1987-88; KLSX, 1988-99. Deirdre, longtime host of "Breakfast With The Beatles" on KLSX and "Snap" on KCRW, was found dead in her apartment on January 20, 2001. A friend claims that she died of Multiple Sclerosis.

Born in 1948, Deirdre started her radio career in 1974 at WBCN-Boston, a station that she maintained was "the best radio station in the world." She worked at "underground KPPC" as part of the "community switchboard" in the early 1970s. Beginning in 1983, Deirdre was heard on two FM stations - non-commercial KCRW and KMET. She was with KMET until 1987 when the station changed format and call letters. Her show "Snap" (acronym of "Saturday Night Avant Pop") on KCRW aired three nights a week with anything considered on the cutting edge of contemporary Pop music. She started at KKGO in 1979 and went on to work for KCRW, KMET, KNX/fm and KLSX. Deirdre was 52.

 

O'HAIR, Thom: KMET, 1975-76; KFI, 1984. Thom was a pioneering radio pd and dj who helped revolutionize rock radio at the groundbreaking San Francisco station KSAN in the early 1970s. He was the pd under gm Tom Donahue at KSAN (during the days in which Tom was known as the only vice president of a major American corporation to sport a full length pony tail). Thom was named major market program director of 1975. Thom was a lifelong believer in the power of radio as a communication tool. "He knew what radio could do, and he went places with it that no one else had," said his son, Tim Gubbins. Thom suffered a stroke on January 8, 2001. He was 58.

Born and raised in a suburb of Chicago, one of Thom's first jobs was in a mechanic's garage, where he took over  the turntable, becoming  the in-house disc jockey during his shift. After a short stint in the Air Force, Thom moved to California in the early 1960s. He helped create KCSE, the radio station at California State University at Chico. He met and married his wife, Kay, in 1965. After working at radio stations in Eugene and Springfield, Oregon, Thom went to KSAN in 1971

KSAN had already gained a national reputation as a place where disc jockeys played what they wanted, where irreverence mixed with politics, and where album-oriented rock radio began. His fellow djs described him as wonderful, funny, and irascible. In 1977, it was time to start something new, and he returned to San Francisco to launch KMEL. After his AOR experience, Thom worked in Portland in 1980 at KQFM. Off the air he worked at various audio, video and computer firms. He developed training programs for the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System. In 1985, he started a syndicated radio news service called "Rip 'n' Read." At KOFY in 1988, he called his new format AS (“Adult Smoking”). "If it smokes on the air, we'll play it. We're looking to portray the spirit of San Francisco."

Thom moved to Eugene, remaining active in radio, serving as general manager of Fat Music Radio Network, an online radio station based in Santa Cruz. He also produced Mountain Blue Grass Festivals for many years.  Always interested in exploring new ways to use radio, Thom founded Hog Ranch Radio in the 1980s, which aired the twice-annual Strawberry Music Festival. The roots music and bluegrass event, held at Camp Mather near Yosemite National Park, attracts as many as 5,000 people every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend. But he remained active in radio until near the time of his death, serving as general manager of Fat Music Radio Network, an online radio station based in Santa Cruz.   

O'HARA, Russ: KGFJ, 1968; KRLA, 1969-72; KKDJ, 1972-74; KEZY, 1975-77; KROQ, 1979; KRLA, 1981-82; KRLA, 1992-93. Born Russell Nealeigh in 1946, the California native from Glendale spent time at many California stations from KSEE-Santa Maria to KMEN-San Bernardino. In 1968 he worked at KFIF-Tucson. Russ spent part of his time at KRLA working morning drive. In 1973, the station went MOR from a mix of contemporary/oldies, and jock teams were set for every time period. Russ was teamed with Steve Brown. His last assignment in Southern California was doing afternoon drive at KRLA.

"Russ O'Hungry," as he frequently called himself, went to do mornings at KEZN-Palm Desert.

Tthe prospect of riches and ″faraway places with strange-sounding names″ led him to quit his job and go to work for reputed Colombian drug lord Carlos Lehder Rivas, according to an AP story. He was given immunity for his testimony, said he began working for Lehder in 1978 as a co-pilot on drug smuggling flights. Lehder, 38, is charged with smuggling 3.3 tons of cocaine from Colombia into Florida and Georgia via Norman’s Cay in the Bahamas from 1978 to 1980. Robinson had claimed to know ″someone from South America who had a hot setup,″ O’Hara said of his decision to go to work for Lehder. O’Hara testified he earned about $155,000 in 1978. He said he received $20,000 for flying from Colombia to Norman’s Cay and $10,000 for flying cocaine from the Bahamas to Florida.

O'Hara, Steve: KFWB; KCBS. Unknown.

O'KEEFE, Walter: KHJ, 1962. Walter did remotes from the Hollywood Brown Derby and later at the Villa Capri restaurant. The former movie actor spun records and interviewed Hollywood celebrities. Walter died June 26, 1983, of congestive heart failure. He was 82.

Born in Hartford at the turn of the century, Walter was a versatile entertainer. He did radio, was a tv host along with a career as an American songwriter, syndicated columnist, screenwriter and musical arranger. He graduated cume laude from Notre Dame. Walter started as a vaudeville performer before going on to Broadway.  By 1937, he filled-in for such radio personalities as Walter Winchell, Edgar Bergen, Don McNeill and Garry Moore. He became the lof the NBC show Double or Nothing and was a regular on that network's Monitor series.

Walter was the host for the first Emmt Awards, held on January 25, 1949 at the Hollywood Athletic Club. O'Keefe was also a songwriter responsible for the musical scores of several Hollywood films. He introduced the very popular song, The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapese in 1934, and it became permanently associated with him.

 

O'KELLY, Morris: KFI, 2012-23. Mo'Kelly is also a political commentator for BBC Radio. Prior to joining KFI, he was the producer for Tavis Smiley Radio Show from 2005-10, producer for Ryan Seacrest's American Top 40 from 2003-05 and he started out as a producer for The Jim Rome Show in the early 2000s.

A graduate of Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, Mo is a long-time music industry professional, working with numerous record labels along the way including Capitol, Virgin, Warner Bros. and Interscope.

In addition, in 1996 he began branching out into entertainment journalism, scribing for newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals.  After a number of critically acclaimed Op/Ed pieces in the Los Angeles Times, he decided to combine his love of writing and media production. Among his awards for his contributions on and off the page, O'Kelly was recognized by Ebony magazine as a 'Superbachelor' in 1999.   In all 3 minutes of his free time, he practices and instructs the Korean martial art of Hapkido, where he is a 4th degree black belt.

 

O'LEARY, Jim: KBIG, 1960; KMPC, 1962; KFI, 1965-68. Jim, a veteran of KBIG, KFI, and KMPC, died October 16, 1963, of a heart attack. He was 37. A pastor on Catalina officiated.

Jim grew up in Long Beach and served in the Marine Corps before attending Long Beach City College. His early career included KGEK-Gallup, New Mexico, KFXM-Inland Empire and stations in San Diego. Jim hosted the all-night shift at KFI, "Night Call," and commuted to Santa Catalina (Avalon) daily for his shift.

O'Loughlin, Sean: KLON, 2000. Sean hosted a midday weekend show at the all-Jazz station.

O'MALLEY, Paul: KYSR, 1997-2003. Paul was made station manager at "Star 98.7" in early 2001. Paul served as senior vp/Strategic Sales Partnerships, for Westwood One. Beginning in 2017, Paul took over as general manager for Saga's Charleston (South Carolina) cluster of 6 stations.

He had previously spent eight years with Katz Radio in New York, St. Louis and Atlanta, eventually climbing to vp/Southeast Division.

O'Neal, Don: KIIS, 1990-94. Don left Fresno radio in late 1997. Unknown.
O'Neil, Garvey: KLAC, 1959. Unknown.

O'NEIL, Mike: KHJ, 1969-71; KWIZ, 1972-73; KUTE/KGFJ, 1974-76; KIQQ, 1975-77; KUTE, 1977-78; KIIS, 1978-83; KLAC, 1983-86; KRTH/KHJ, 1986-87; KMPC, 1989-90. Mike is retired and living in Las Vegas.

He recalled an embarrassing open mic: "On Thanksgiving in 1976 or 77 I was at K-100FM. As with most holidays, most of the staff was at home enjoying the holiday and turkey dinner. I was hungry as hell that afternoon and our crack production director, Eric Lee Levinson volunteered to scour the Hollywood area for an open hamburger stand. He was successful! He walked into the studio with two of the biggest, juiciest burgers you ever saw. I started to devour mine and realized I had a quick liner to do over a segue at the bottom of the hour. All I had to say was 'This is KIQQ, Los Angeles...K-100FM.' I grabbed my headphones, opened the mic and said, 'This is KIQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ Los Angeles.' It was the biggest BELCH you ever heard. I just closed the mic and looked over at Eric who was on the floor laughing so hard he was crying. The belch was so long and deep, it was the one time I equaled Ernie Anderson's Pipes!"

O'Neill, Erin: KACE, 1979-80. Unknown.
O'Neill
, Gary: KGFJ, 1983-84; XHRM. Last heard, Gary was working at Warner Bros. Records.
O'Neill
, Greg: KSRF, 1988-90; KXEZ, 1990-96. Greg is a writer and is involved in tv and film productions.

O'NEIL, Scotty: KNX/fm, 1965-71; KGIL, 1971-74; KPRZ, 1983-85; KKLA, 1985-86; KMPC/KLIT, 1985-92; KJQI/KOJI, 1995; KGIL, 1998. Scotty collapsed onstage during a broadcast remote in Las Vegas on March 24, 2011 and died. He was 69. A report in the Las Vegas Sun-Times said, "They were in the dressing room, going over the monologue. Scotty seemed in really good shape, jolly like he always was. They came out, did the monologue and sat on the couch. They went to commercial. Scotty got this expression on his face, his eyes rolled up, and he just looked very peaceful. Everyone thought he'd fainted. His partner thought he might have been doing it as a joke, a comedy bit. A nurse from the audience rushed to the stage but she could not find a pulse."

Scotty was born in 1942 in Raleigh and graduated from the University of North Carolina with a broadcasting journalism degree. He arrived in the Southland in 1965 from WKRG-Mobile to work at KNX/fm and within two years was appointed pd. He replaced one of the legendary voices on KGIL, Paul Compton. He spent a number of years in the 70s at KGIL. At KKLA in 1985, he hosted an afternoon drive show, "Music on Faith." At 710/KMPC Scotty was the midday host. When KMPC's sister station KLIT joined the Lite AC format battle, Scotty was deejay and pd.

When the all-Sports format was attempted on KMPC, Scotty "was brought in and asked to save a sinking ship," according to Larry Stewart of the LA Times. "O'Neil did the best he could. He immediately lifted morale and brought in upbeat Charlie Tuna to host the important morning drive shift. Scott was part of “Music of Your Life" for a time. Throughout the 2000's, Scotty had been living and working in Las Vegas. 

O'NEILL, Jimmy: KRLA, 1959-62; KFWB, 1963-67; KDAY, 1969-71; KRLA, 1984-85 and 1990-93. Jimmy was the host of one of the earliest network (ABC) tv rock shows, Shindig! when he was only 24 years old. The program regulars were Leon Russell, Darlene Love, and Billy Preston, and one of the dancers who "frugged and twisted" was actress Teri Garr.

Jimmy died January 11, 2013, at the age of 73. His daughter Katy wrote on Facebook: "On January 11th our beloved father Jimmy O'Neill peacefully transitioned into a better place. His vivacious laugh, talented voice, sense of humor and warm heart will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him. His legacy will live on and he will never leave our hearts. Thank you to all our friends and family for all of your support during this difficult time. Blessings." He suffered for many years with a heart condition and diabetes. 

"When I first arrived in LA to work at KRLA, Jimmy was the first to welcome me," emailed Sam Riddle when he heard the passing of O'Neill. "Jimmy always invited me to Sunday dinners at his mom's house. Jimmy was on the air 3-6 p.m. and I was 6-9 p.m. so I saw him just about every day.  Jimmy was definitely 'one of a kind.'"

In the mid-1960s, Shindig! brought some of the greatest names in rock 'n' roll into America's living rooms. Born in Enid, Oklahoma in 1940, Jimmy worked three times at KRLA. He arrived in Southern California from Pittsburgh radio. Jimmy was one of the original "11-10 Men" when the Rock station debuted on September 3, 1959.

In 1960, at the age of 20, he became the youngest deejay ever to be rated #1.

In 1962, Jimmy opened the first Los Angeles teenage nightclub, Pandora's Box, a former coffee house on the Sunset Strip. He opened two other teenage nightclubs in Los Angeles: The Showboat on Melrose (partnered with Phil Everly and Sam Riddle) and the Chez Paree on La Cienega. Jimmy's first tv exposure was The Jimmy O'Neill Show on KCOP/Channel 13. It was a 1962 youth-oriented talk show. Rhino Records released Shindig! on home video in 1992.

People magazine chronicled Jimmy’s journey: “In 1966, unable to find steady work in showbiz, he began a downward journey that would take him through several careers, three marriages and years of drug and alcohol abuse.” When his first wife, Sharon (Poor Little Fool) Sheeley, left him the same month Shindig! was canceled, the stress was too much. People reported that one night shortly after the show’s demise, a drunken O’Neill tried to set Sheeley’s house on fire. When police and firefighters arrived, he says, they took pity on the obviously troubled former star and told him to go home and sleep it off. Since he couldn’t burn the house down, he took a sledgehammer to it. He was taken to a psychiatric hospital for observation but was quickly released without treatment. He then went to radio jobs in Albuquerque and Omaha, where he met and married the sister of actor Troy Donahue. Jimmy found a 12-step recovery group and gave up drinking. He spent  the seventies selling stocks and cars and managing nightclubs. He ended the People piece: “I have walked through every nightmare you can imagine and HAVE come out okay.” 

O'Neill, Sean: KLYY, 1999-2002. In late 1999, Sean was appointed gm at "Viva 107.1." He left the station in early summer of 2002. 

O'REILLY, Bill: KABC, 2002-09. The former host of FOX's O'Reilly Factor started working the 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. shift at KABC on May 8, 2002. He abandoned his syndicated radio show in early 2009. The program was routinely the highest-rated show of the three major U.S. 24-hour cable news television channels and began the trend toward more opinion-oriented prime-time cable news programming.

O'Reilly has long said that his inspiration for speaking up for average Americans is his working-class roots, according to Wikipedia. He has pointed to his boyhood home in Levittown, New York, as a credential.  

After Roger Ailes (head of Fox News)  was fired and the network settled a lawsuit with Tucker Carlson, O'Reilly settled a sexual harassment claim against O'Reilly with former Fox host. Legal fees in this case were settled and paid for by Fox News. The New York Times reported the settlement to have been worth $1.6 million. A series of sexual harassment lawsuits followed.

In June 2021, it was reported that O'Reilly was launching a speaking tour with former president Donald Trump. The four city program will launch at the end of 2021. O'Reilly claims the events will “provide a never before heard inside view of his administration.”

 

O'SHEA, Michael: KPOL, 1979; KMPC, 1979-80. Michael is market manager for Sonoma Media Partners.

Michael was a product of the golden years at KLIF-Dallas. He was a great midday jock. Michael’s a programming talent who moved into management and eventually ownership. Before KLIF, Michael worked as a jock in Ohio and Michigan. After his stop in Dallas, he joined WFTL-Miami and WLW-Cincinnati. In the late 1970s, Michael was hired by KVI-Seattle to oversee the Mariners baseball broadcasts. He did the job so well he became national program director for Gene Autry’s Golden West Broadcasters.

“KMPC was an old line MOR station in the Dick Whittinghill days and I moved it into a talk format to go after KABC, which was a very successful talk station.”  Most people don’t know that Michael was part of the management team that brought Dr. Laura Schlessinger to KMPC. “KMPC program director Jim Davis and I found her doing a public access show at two in the morning. That’s how I discovered her,” remembered Michael. “I brought her in to interview with then-general manager Ken Miller. On the day of her interview, she brought a gingham tablecloth for the conference table and brought in croissants and sandwiches and we had a picnic that she catered. We hired her on the spot.” 

“AM radio was really getting strangled by fm. KZLA was a hot fm station airing a cross between AC and alternative rock. It was an eclectic, fairly new format that everybody seemed to embrace. My job was to squeeze a few more drops of life for the Golden West stations – KSFO-San Francisco, KEX-Portland and KVI-Seattle. They could never get an fm station down here until it was too late.” 

Michael returned to Seattle in the early 1980s and stayed for 20 years, essentially with one radio station (KUBE) through four ownerships, including his own at the end. The Marriott family bought KUBE and hired Michael to be the first general manager.

Oakes, Robert: KFWB, 1967. After a stint at WBZ-Boston, Robert has been seen as an ABC reporter. 

OAKES, Royal: KPCC, 1983-88; KFWB, 1988-2006; KABC, 1994-2018. During the “trial of the century,” Royal was one of the resident legal voices heard on KFWB and KABC, in Los Angeles, and on the ABC Radio Network nationally, describing the O.J. Simpson proceedings.

Royal's interest in radio started in the early 1970s while attending UCLA and working as a newsman and dj on campus station KLA. He went on to get a law degree and became a partner in the firm of Barger & Wolen, where he specializes in business litigation, employment law and media law.

In 1983, Royal started broadcasting a one-minute spot, "Focus on the Law," on KPCC. The feature wound up being syndicated on 55 NPR stations.

KFWB hired Royal in 1988 to be the on-air legal adviser. In addition to his "Focus" feature, he has been there for analysis during highly visible trials. His legal expertise and on-air skills have evolved to talk show work on many California stations. 

 

OBER, Ken: KLSX, 1995-96. Ken was part of the experimental “Real Radio” at KLSX during the mid-1990s. He hosted MTV’s Remote Control before teaming up with former Brady Bunch star Susan Olsen as part of the launch of “Real Radio,” a non-traditional Talk format. He and Susan left KLSX in early summer 1996. Ken hosted a revised tv version of Make Me Laugh and he worked briefly at Comedy World. He died November 15, 2009. He was 52.

A graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, he worked in Boston radio before moving to New York to pursue comedy and acting. He appeared in the tv sitcoms Parenthood and Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Ober had worked as writer and producer on Comedy Central’s Mind of Mencia in recent years and also did a stint as a consulting producer on The New Adventures of Old Christine in 2006.

 

OBUCHON, Homer: KGFJ, 1940s - 1970s. Homer was an engineer at KGFJ and in 1975, helped build the antenna. He died May 1, 1977, at the age of 67, of multiple myeloma.

Homer helped build a number of new studios in several locations. He was chief technician at KGFJ for many years.  He worked on the top floor of the IOOF building in downtown L.A. for most of that time and was part of the move to the Wilshire Blvd. building.

He was one of the first ham operators in the U.S., using the call letters W6EPD.

 

OCEAN, Bobby: KHJ, 1975-80; KWST, 1980-82. Bobby is a premier imaging voice based in Northern California. He's working at XM Satellite Radio. There was a time when radio was concerned about the total sound of a station or a program, which included the sound of the jock, jingles, commercials, imaging, contests, promotions and production elements. You could tune into a Bobby Ocean station and know right away that he was involved and what station you were listening to.

There was a time when arguably the best production man in Contemporary radio was Bobby Ocean. His voice, style and presentation created an ambiance and image so that you knew you were listening to a winner. I wondered what he was up to and he had such a fun response that I wanted to share it with you.

But first, for those of you who were not around for the Bobby Ocean days.

The seventh generation Californian started in radio as Ray Farrell on KMBY-Monterey. In 1968, Bobby was Johnny Scott on KYNO-Fresno before becoming Bobby Ocean at KGB-San Diego in March 1968. He joined KCBQ-San Diego in 1971. Bobby debuted on KFRC-San Francisco in September 1972 and on May 2, 1975, joined KHJ. He left "Boss Radio" in March 1980 to successfully pursue voiceover work in Los Angeles and also joined "K-West" that same year. He left KWST in the spring of 1982 to return to his native San Francisco. He joined K101 but was soon heard again on KFRC beginning February 10, 1983 and continued as the image voice for close to 20 years.

“I have both reached retirement age and established three companies [1.Imaging for Radio/TV; 2.Commercials; 3.Online Marketing and Promotion].

Bobby has a different definition of retirement. For him he reached a stage in his life when he’s not hustling for work or auditioning anymore. Once he gave up the quest for money, now people search him out for projects. His attitude steered him from the Bay Area to an imaging job in UFO country, Roswell, New Mexico.

He claims to have been living in the best of both worlds for the past five years. “I had gone pretty mystic, living like a monk, that is, if monks live on instant oatmeal,” said Bobby. “Suddenly I have a roommate and personal assistant, and I am eating well. It's the addition of my niece: my older brother's oldest daughter, Debbie, who has come to live with me. She takes great care of me, cooks very well and has a remarkable upbeat attitude. She works with me in my business and has sniffed out the perfect part- time job close by so she can buy a few groceries. She's been with me for close to two years now. She has her own boyfriend.”

As for a relationship in his own life he claims to occasionally date a “real cutie,” but he’s still single and “I probably ought to remain that way.”

When you ask Bobby Ocean about his broadcasting career, he claims to have had enough. “I have had every dj's dream come true. All I wanted was an all-California career and I got way more than I figured, and worked with absolutely the best. That's enough. Today's corporate radio is for others. I'm sated with being a dj. I was one when it was fun.”

“Now I work as I choose and with whom I choose,” Bobby reflected. “I learned, during the monk years, to live pretty lean and translate all my broadcast skills to online marketing and promotion. I also learned to say no, and to play again. My garage is converted into an old school Art Room, able to move from inkwork and calligraphy to cartoons [Bobby did all the cartoon work at Radio & Records for years], then to wire, beads and leather work to personalized apparel. I have a big family and can gift them with all of our experiments. Most of the family proudly wears a one-of-a-kind Keith Richards T-shirt (my sketch, embedded), as an example, which is available nowhere else.”

Bobby concluded: “There's too much in this world to cherish rather than miss out completely for a jammed schedule. Now that my schedule has been freed up a bit-- pleasingly, I have more time for my own tasks. More time for the many other things all happening at once in this exploding miracle of life, and even more time to BS about radio. What a splendid adventure THAT once was!”

OCHLAN, PJ: KMZT, 2011-12. A veteran of the original K-Mozart, P.J. is also an actor with a career spanning more than 25 years. He has appeared on Broadway, been in several critically acclaimed films, performed in Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival, and been a four-time tv series regular. He left Saul Levine's operation in the summer of 2012.

PJ has a very active voice career with audio books.

 

OCHOA, Anthony: KWST, 1981-82; KTSJ, 1983; KYMS, 1985-86; KWVE, 1986-92; KUSC, 1993-2000; KKLA 1993-2001. From 2001-19, Anthony was with Salem Media Group Corporate Engineering.

"It was absolutely a great and very long run ... personally and closely working with SalemLA general manager Dave Armstrong, KKLA talk show host Warren Duffy & network national hosts Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved, Mike Gallagher and Larry Elder ... for a cumlative total of going on 27 years."

 

ODM, KIIS, 2004-07; KGGI, 2007-21. Robert Gutierrez, aka ODM ("One Dope Mexican"), worked late evenings at KIIS from KGGI-Riverside until late 2007.

He continues at KGGI in morning drive with Evelyn Erives.

Ofgang, Jeff: KFWB, 1998-99. Jeff is an executive producer at KBAK/tv-Bakersfield. 

OGONOWSKI, Greg: Greg is a bright light in the world of audio. While most radio engineers concentrate on the transmitter site and keeping broken equipment fixed, Greg has spent a lifetime improving audio processing and creating software that will enhance and produce the best possible sound reproduction. He also served as a former engineer at KBIG and other stations.  

“Radio stations don’t want anything to do with computers,” said Ogonowski in a phone interview. “They’ve lined themselves for what I call the great digital divide. When it came time to take advantage of streaming ones’ signal around the world, most of these radio guys went to service providers who have developers. A lot of them are in India or places where the people don’t have a pot to pee in.” Ogonowski maintains that these foreign-based companies have never seen the inside of a radio station or a recording studio. As a result, they don’t have a clue about the audio business when writing software, resulting in awkward and error-filled segues into commercials or getting in and out of commercial stop sets in a clumsy manner. “And therein lies the problem,” insists Ogonowski.

“Radio transmitters are going away," claims Greg. "The manufacturers are all in trouble with low sales today.”

Streaming offers a whole new world of radio revenue that the industry seems to ignore. A generation ago Coke, Pepsi, car manufacturers and shampoo makers used radio to reach their audience in specific audiences. Now with streaming, the same brands can be heard around the world when they buy locally.

A local group just hired an overseas company for ad replacement. Greg said, “Here we go again with another bunch of monkeys with a football.”

 

OLBERMANN, Keith: KNX, 1985-92; KSPN, 2005-07. Keith hosted Countdown on MSNBC until November 2010 when he was suspended for contract violations. He came back and officially left MSNBC in January 2011. He abruptly left Current TV in March 30, 2012. He left ESPN2 in the summer of 2015.

The puckish sportscaster worked on KNX providing sports reports and commentary (“The Sports Column”) in both drive periods. He co-anchored KNX wire-to-wire coverage of the L.A. Marathon for four years.

Born in New York in 1959, Keith graduated in 1979 with a B.S. in communications from Cornell University. Always in sportscasting, he started as a commentator for UPI Radio Network in 1979, moving to RKO Radio Network a year later. Assignments for WNEW-New York, WCVB/TV-Boston, CNN and ABC Radio preceded his journey to Southern California. While on KNX, Keith was a sportscaster for KTLA/Channel 5 and later KCBS/Channel 2. Larry Stewart of the LA Times reported his salary went from $80,000 to $250,000 when he joined Channel 2. In 1992 he became a part of ESPN and three years later he won the Cable Ace Award as the best sports host on cable tv. Keith left ESPN in the summer of 1997 and in the fall started a nightly issues-oriented talk show on MSNBC called, The Big Show

 

OLDEN, Jackie: KNX, 1978-86; KABC, 1986-87; KGIL, 1988-92; KABC, 1992; KNX, 1994. Chef Jackie Olden Andrews passed away on August 4, 2019 in Laguna Niguel.

Born on May 2, 1934 in Omaha, Jackie moved at a young age to California. While living in Anaheim, Jackie took her passion for food and began her career as a caterer in Orange County. Her popularity propelled her to the KNX Food News Hour, the only culinary-telephone talk show at the time. With her side kick, Mel Baldwin, Jackie entertained thousands with her light hearted kitchen philosophy and her infectious laugh. She co-authored countless (28) cookbooks, was a community activist, appeared as a regular on ABC's Home Show and was the mother of three. She earned her chef certification at Los Angeles Trade-Tech.

For 10 years she ran Just Ask Jackie, an Orange County catering company. Angry that she could not secure a contract at KNX, she bolted for KABC. During her second stint with KNX she hosted a weekend food show. Jackie's signature greeting to her listeners was a cheery "Come On Into The Kitchen." Sharing her knowledge of food and fun, she made many appearances on talk shows. Retirement found her still broadcasting once a week in the Coachella Valley.

 

OLDEN, Paul: KLAC, 1974-88; KMPC, 1990-91; KNX, 2005-09. Born in 1954, Paul announced play-by-play for the UCLA Bruins basketball and football games. In 1990 he replaced Joe Torre as KTLA/Channel 5's Angel play-by-play announcer and also hosted a baseball show called "Sportsline."

In 1991 he started covering the L.A. Rams and moved from UCLA to the Rams, replacing Eddie Doucette.

As a young production assistant at KLAC in 1978, Paul asked Tom Lasorda that infamous question about Dave Kingman’s performance and the four-letter laden response was used as a regular part of the 30-minute Jim Healey daily sports report. He announced for the New York Yankees and Jets in recent years, and has been the public-address announcer at recent Super Bowls. In the spring of 1998 he started as the radio play-by-play announcer for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Paul is currently the public address announcer for the New York Yankees.

 

OLEESKY, Mark: KABC, 1996-2006. Mark co-hosted a computer show at KABC for almost a decade with Marc Cohen called, The Marc & Mark Show. Marc was the radio geek and Mark a computer geek. They came from two very different places but the show worked. Marc turned to Mark to be his expert on the radio show. Marc was a graduate of CSUN and a member of Mensa.

Oleesky remembered their first remote that took place at the PC Club in Burbank. “It was a rainy day and I remember driving up to the store and seeing this huge line of people and wondering what they were there for,” said Mark. “I couldn’t even imagine the whole parking lot of Toys R Us was filled to capacity. I couldn’t park in the lot. Turned out they were there for our show.”  

He was head of an IT division for a real estate/property management company in West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. He died of a heart attack on January 11, 2011, at the age of 60. 

Oliva, George: KFI, 1989-91. George is now writing. 

OLIVAS, Kevin: KFWB, 1996-99. Kevin is Parity Project Director for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in Washington, DC since 2002. 

While working on his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, Kevin worked at campus station, KCSN. Following graduation he worked at KYCA-Prescott, Arizona, KVEN-Ventura and KSDO-San Diego. In addition to his work at KSDO he was a contributing reporter for AP and ABC Radio. Kevin is active in the California Chicano News Media Association.

"I was an on-air reporter at KFWB Radio News 98 in Los Angeles," emailed Kevin. "Before that, I was an on-air reporter at what was then KSDO News Talk Radio in San Diego from 1993–96. And my start in radio in Southern Californai was as an on-air reporter at what was then KVEN News Talk Radio in Ventura from 1990-93. Among the highlights of stories that I covered: the O.J. Simpson civil trial, the first trial of the four LAPD officers caught on videotape beating Rodney King, a man who stole a tank from a San Diego National Guard Armory, the assassination of a Mexican presidential candidate in Tijuana and the 1995 Super Bowl between the San Diego Chargers and the S.F. 49ers. Los Angeles is my hometown and I will always be a proud Angeleno.

 

OLIVER, King: KJLH, 1968-85; KACE. King Oliver (Oliver Nelson Harris Jr.) had a long run at KJLH. He passed away February 2, 2022, at the age of 85. "Oliver had some sort of blood infection from treatment of brain cancer," said his friend Bill Gardner.

Oliver grew up in Newark, Delaware, in fact before he settled on the King moniker at KJLH he called himself “the square from Delaware.” “Someone told me, ‘you’re no square, you are a king.’ And that’s how my name came about,” said Oliver. Radio didn’t always pay the bills for his growing family, so he became an electrician at Texaco Oil Company where he retired in 1999.

His radio career was confined to evenings and some after midnight shifts. Rhapsody in Black host Bill Gardner called Oliver the ‘baby maker’ because of the soft and soulful r&b music he played while on the air at KJLH. “Some called me the ‘Voice of Love,’ because I drifted towards that kind of music, like the O’Jays and Spinners, those groups with the deep voices singing that great, sweet stuff,” said Oliver.

His father was a sailor so the family moved around. Oliver had three brothers and three sisters. When Oliver was sixteen, the family moved to the island of Guam, where he finished high school and then off to Park College located in Parkville, Missouri. After graduation he joined the Army and spent eight months at Fort Ord before going to Bamberg, Germany for the remainder of his time with the service.

He was discharged from the Army in July 1962. In those days, the government sent you back to wherever you called home. “I went to my parents’ home.” That’s how he got to Long Beach. “My father was still serving in the US Navy and stationed at a navy base in Long Beach. During my college years, my family lived in San Diego. I usually spent my summers with the family in San Diego. We had an antenna on top of our home so I could listen to Hunter Hancock broadcasting from Los Angeles. At that time was no r&b station in San Diego,” Oliver remembered. 

 

OLNEY, Warren: KCRW, 1992-2017. Warren hosts national syndicated To the Point. He ended the 23-year run of Which Way, LA in January 2016. His daily program ended on November 10, 2017. To the Point is a weekly podcast heard exclusively on KCRW's digital platforms.

"I started at KCRW on the last day of the Riot/Civil Disturbance/Uprising in 1992," he told Anita Garner. "I had quit commercial tv news after 25 years out of anger and despair."

 Olney was asked if he always deals with seriously issues-oriented subjects - or has he ever yearned to write/report on a lightweight non-issue - something just for fun? "I've done a lot of feature stories over the years, including ladybug harvests and Nevada whorehouses. I like to treat serious subjects in a light way whenever I can."

Olney calls Berkeley, Washington, DC, and the Marina home. He's a fourth generation Californian. "My great grandfather was Mayor of Oakland, grandfather was on the state Supreme Court; father worked for Earl Warren and was Assistant Attorney General of the US. I'm surrounded by lawyers: uncle, sister, brother in law, niece, niece's husband, wife. I have four children [no lawyers] and six [6] grandchildren." (Photo by: Theo Jemison)

 

OLSEN, Susan: KLSX, 1995-96. The former Brady Bunch tv star was best known for her role as Cindy Brady.

She teamed with Ken Ober during the launch of "Real Radio" in the summer of 1995. She left KLSX in early summer 1996. For a brief time she worked at ComedyWorld.com.

Susan attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and worked as a graphic artist. She co-executive produced CBS' Brady Bunch Home Movies.  Susan is spokesperson for Migraine Awareness Month and a mother. She hosts a weekly show with Sheena Metal on LA Talk Radio.

 

  OLSON, Stu: KVFM, 1969-74; KWST, 1971-72; KWNK, 1987. Stu became an actor who appeared on such shows as Punky Brewster. He died February 24, 2023.

"Through the years, we worked at dick clark productions," emailed colleague Dixie Randy. "He went on to the Creative Radio Network. and shows for AFRTS,

Onink, Dirk: KFOX, 1983-85. Dirk hosted a Heavy Metal show called LA Rock Scene at KFOX. He interviewed all the famous metal bands from those days, including Scorpions, KDIO, Poison, and Metallica.

ORCHARD, Ken: KHJ, 1959-80. Ken serves as FCC Compliance specialist for Public Inspection Files, EAS, Stations Logs and other FCC rules and regulations for over 125 stations in seven states. Ken Orchard attended college in Los Angeles and graduated with Radio & Television Broadcast Degree. This program also included classes in engineering. Ken still holds an FCC General license with radar endorsement. After college, Ken went to work in the engineering department for KHJ/KRTH and KCAL Channel 9 TV in Los Angeles.He loved operating the "board" for infamous Boss Jocks.

It was always Orchard's dream to build, own and operate his own radio stations. After more than 20 years working in LA Ken left to build and operate an AM and FM radio group. Ownership and operations gives Orchard credibility as a consultant. In 2000, after the consolidation of radio, Ken discovered a new opportunity helping stations with FCC Compliance. No longer an owner, Ken reinvented himself and launched a new career.  “I went from the last big radio network days to Robert Q. Lewis, Wink Martindale mornings shows, Steve Allen, Lakers basketball to ‘Boss Radio.’ I left just before Country KHJ and Car Radio. As they say in All in the Family, those were the years. Hey, I even get a pension from KHJ. Of course, it only gives a few Big Macs and French fries each month, but he check is good.”

 

ORDUNIO, Doug: KFAC, 1973-86; KKGO, 1991. Doug was senior music programmer for AEI Inflight audio service. In addition to a weekend air shift, Doug was music director of Classical station KFAC.

Born in Glendale in 1950, Doug attended UCLA, Glendale College and Cal State Northridge. Close to graduation in 1973, he got the job at KFAC. He sings professionally as a tenor in various churches around Southern California. During his time at KFAC, he produced and hosted some of the most unique programs in the history of the station, including the unusual combination of popular, jazz, classical music and poetry (read by Carl Princi) Global Village, He also hosted the shows At Home With, KFAC Musical Theatre, Crossroads of Music, and the talk show KFAC Artsline. He also created and produced a monumental series of five four-hour programs known as The Circular Path. These shows concerned the entire history of classical music from the sound of a mother’s aortic pulse recorded within the uterus through the contemporary classical music of the time (1982).

Doug performed with the Duke Ellington Band, the NY City Opera, and the Greek Theater Opera. He was also a program annotator who wrote over 300 articles about Classical music. His employers in this regard included UCLA Center for the Performing Arts, Ojai Music Festival, Pasadena Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Ambassador Foundation. His voice has been heard on numerous audiobooks. In 1989, he became the producer of the popular syndicated radio program, The Romantic Hours, hosted by concert pianist Mona Golabek. Although he began to write poetry in 1981, since 2005, he has devoted himself exclusively to writing. He designed the website for New Millennium Records, for which he invented The Classroom—an online location where young people can learn the basic rudiments of music in over 100 rooms of images, audio, and text. For over a decade he hosted a Classical music program for Armed Forces Radio.
   
ORMAN, Suze: KFI, 2001; KLAC, 2002. Suze's syndicated show aired at KLAC until a format change in late 2002. She hosts a podcast through Podcast One.

Suze is the author of the bestseller The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom. Her first book, You've Earned It, Don't Lose It, which was first published in January 1995, is in its 21st printing and has sold more than 400,000 copies in its combined hardcover, paperback, and audio formats. It also made the business bestseller lists of USA Today, Business Week, and The Wall Street Journal.

A one-hour PBS television special based on The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom aired nationally during the March 1998 PBS pledge drive, the most successful in PBS history. Suze writes a monthly column for Self magazine.

Prior to establishing the Suze Orman Financial Group in 1987, Suze, a certified financial planner, served as vice president of investments for Prudential-Bache Securities from 1983 to 1987. From 1980 to 1983, she was an account executive at Merrill Lynch. She lives in northern California.

 

ORNEST, Laura: KFWB; KNX, 1997-2009; KUSC, 2009-13. Laura is an award-winning television and radio reporter and producer who joined Didi Hirsch’s Board in 1999 as a way to “give back” to her community and to help erase the stigma of mental illness.

A native of Canada, Ornest worked as Assistant General Manager for the Vancouver Canadians, a AAA Baseball team owned by her father, Harry Ornest, who subsequently owned the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. When her father sold the Vancouver Canadians in 1981, Ornest launched her broadcasting career as a sportscaster for CKNW radio in Vancouver.

A year later, CBC Television hired her to host the 11 PM nightly news sportscast and a weekend sports show, making her the first female tv sportscaster in Western Canada. Ornest began working as a freelance tv news reporter for Channel 9 and ESPN in Los Angeles in 1985. She also produced shows for E! Television, CNN and CBS before she crossed into broadcast news radio.

She worked as a local news reporter for KFWB and then KNX 1070, where she earned several Golden Mikes and Associated Press awards for her work.

 Ornest currently interviews, writes and produces features on the arts for KUSC Classical Radio 91.5. She also serves on the Board of Jewish Family Services and the Jewish Federation. She spent a year at La Sorbonne in Paris before earning a BA in French, with a minor in Spanish, from UCLA. She lives in Santa Monica with her husband, Rick Leslie, an architect, and their teenage son. (bio from Didi Hirsch website)

Orozco, Lance: KCLU, 2003-18. Lance is the award-winning news director at KCLU.
Orr, Vern: KZLA/KLAC, 1982-85. Unknown. 

ORTAL, Raul: KCAL, 1966-71; KALI, 1970-96; KWKW, 1995-98; XRPS, 1998-2004. Raul owns a consulting company, Video Sol Communications, dealing primarily with Spanish-speaking stations in the States and Veracruz, Mexico. He's now with MundoFox 34-Las Vegas where he is an account manager.

He graduated from Columbia College in Mexico City.

Ortega, Sam: KRLA, 1996-98. Sam is a commercial truck driver for an aerospace manufacturing company‎ in Ontario, California.

ORTIZ, Arianna: "I'm a late bloomer. Some people know me from my time as a broadcaster in Los Angeles. In what feels like another life, I spent many years doing news and traffic reports for Southern California and other cities, when I wasn't doing theater or shooting commercials. I couldn't really get an agent or tv and film auditions. I was never quite Latin enough for the kinds of roles that seemed available and I was theatre trained with no one to guide me in the ways of Los Angeles. Ha!

I probably should have gone somewhere else, but I got the broadcasting job right after theater school when I basically "acted" my way into the role of "reporter" with no proper training and only a few months experience at a small local radio station during college. (A gal's gotta eat!) Needless to say, I really committed to the role and that became a full fledged second career for awhile. 

But with the industry changing I left that behind a few years ago. I'm blessed to be a full time working actress ever since. 

My first day of theater school at CALARTS, I begged my mentor for a transfer to the film school. I'd been obsessed with movies and directed a short film in high school and quite frankly, theater school was WEIRD for a simple gal from Texas. I was there on a scholarship (and also, that's not how it works) so I was told to stay put. I'm so glad I did and I truly love being an actor. But I've also never shaken my passion for films. Hence, my directing and producing projects and what I do in my free time.

I think bios are a little awkward, but they do provide context. The basics about me are that I don't believe in short cuts and I'm a glutton for hard work. And I like long walks and great comedy. And cheese apparently. My husband says I eat a lot of cheese. (from Arianna's website)

 

ORTIZ, Joe: KABC, 1971; KLOS, 1972-73; KPFK, 1975-76; KPPC, 1986; KPZE, 1988-89, KABC, 1992. Joe lives in Redlands, managing three blogs and two websites and is still President of the Official Tom Flores Fan Club, pushing for the first Latino to win two Super Bowl rings to get elected to the National Football League's Hall of Fame.

Joe is a public relations consultant in the Inland Empire and also writes for local and national periodicals
.

Author Ortiz presents a study of the Bible based on etymology. He claims to disprove many of the principles commonly believed by Christians in his book, The End Times Passover: Etymological Challenges to Millenarian Doctrines. By deciphering etymological clues in the Bible, Ortiz argues that Christians cannot count on the Rapture for their salvation. He also disputes a number of recognized Christian principles, including the idea that the Promised Land is located in the Middle East, the belief that human souls go directly to heaven or hell after death and the promise that God’s only children are ethnic Jews.

 

ORTIZ, Yesi: KPWR, 2006-18; KAMP/KNOU, 2018-21. Yesi worked middays at Power 106 for years. In the spring of 2018, she moved to middays at AMP Radio. In late summer of 2018, she was appointed music director at AMP. In the fall of 2019, Yesi moved to afternoon drive. In the summer of 2020 she took on apd duties. She was evenings at KNOU (97.1/fm) until the fm began simulcasting KNX in December 2021.

Born and raised in Orange County, she commuted every weekend during college to Las Vegas to get her start in radio.

She
is part of the Style Network’s “Latina Modern Mom”
initiative, which targets Hispanic moms between 18 and 49 years old with new programming and makeovers of existing shows. Yesi hosted a new reality show called, Single With 7. The Style Network is part of NBC/Universal, which has been focusing on the Hispanic female market. 

Osborn, Dale: KMPC, 1966-69. Dale lives in Portland and does occasional free-lance voice work.
Osborn, Jamie: KQLZ, 1989-91; KRLA, 1999-2000; KLSX, 2001-03. Jamie was the commercial production director at KLSX.

OSBORN, Lisa: KMNY, 1990-92; KKLA, 1995; KFI/KOST, 1996-2003/ KSUR, 2003; KFI, 2005-07; KFWB, 2009-14; KCRW, 2014-15. Lisa broadcast traffic/news and was a fill-in anchor at KFWB until a format flip in September 2014. In the spring of 2015 she was morning host at KCRW-Santa Barbara until the summer of 2015. She is now the News & Public Affairs Director at University of California Santa Barbara.

Lisa was born in the 1960s and grew up in Garden Grove. "I got into radio because I am a news junkie and I like sharing info with others," said Lisa. On KKLA, Lisa hosted "The Information Network," one of the first talk shows to cover issues relating to technology and how it affects the lifestyle of consumers.

In 1991 Lisa founded Brittany Communications, a media production company specializing in creating customized voice mail prompts and message on-hold productions for business telephone systems. During this time she also worked at KNTF-Ontario as “Brittany on the Breeze.”

In addition to broadcasting, Lisa has a passion for technology. She is the founder of Traffic 411, a real-time traffic news service. As a traffic reporter and newscaster for AirWatch America, Lisa was heard on stations including KFI and KOST. She was also a weekday anchor on the short-lived “Traffic Center” (1650AM). 

 

OSBORNE, Super Dave: KLSX, 2001; KLAC. Bob Einstein, better known as "Super Dave" Osborne for his bizarre stunts that always go awry, he was part of the broadcast team of the Xtreme Football League. He died January 2, 2019, at the age of 76. Shortly before his death he had been diagnosed with cancer.

We went to Chapman College (now University) together. He was on the basketball team and always very funny, in a dry, droll way. My roommate was also on the basketball team, so we all hung around a lot.

Bob went on to create the “Super Dave” character, appearing frequently on Late Night with David Letterman. He also was a two-time Emmy winner who was seen fairly regularly on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm as Marty Funkhouser. Bob was the older brother of comedian and writer Albert Brooks. Bob was part of the writing team for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (which he was also appeared as “Officer Judy”), Sonny and Cher and Dick Van Dyke.

"Super Dave" was a fairly regular fill-in on the Sports Nuts show at KLAC, subbing for Gabe Kaplan.

Osborne, Sean: KRLA, 2002. Sean was co-host of "Ian Faith's Music Scene Revue" at KRLA. He's also produced the Dennis Prager Show. He's music supervisor at CanApple Productions. 
Oscar, Carlos: KLSX, 1995-97. Carlos is a comedy actor and writer.

OHSE, Daniel: KHTZ, 1979-82; KLOS/KABC, 1982-2003. Daniel was part of the engineering team at KABC. After more than two decades with the stations, he retired at the age of 62. He's living in a senior citizen complex in Portland. “I called the NABET pension office and found out how much I was going to get and I was shocked it was so generous, so there’s no reason for me to work anymore.” He was originally hired at KLOS in 1982 as an engineer because at that time the jocks could not play their own records. They sat in a room with a microphone and all the records and the jocks couldn’t play the records or touch the equipment. “They had a little door in the wall and the jock would pick out an album, open the door in the wall, which was just big enough to slip an album through it to the engineer. Through the intercom, the jock would tell the engineer which cut to cue up,” said Dan.

One of Dan’s highlights at KLOS was working with B. Mitchel Reed. “I grew up in L.A. and listened to Color Radio/KFWB Channel 98 and he was one of the stars at KFWB. It was a real thrill to play his records at KLOS.” 

Born Daniel Ohse in Oregon City, he grew up in Ventura listening to the leading rock stations in Los Angeles. Daniel graduated from Ventura High in 1965 and was voted student most likely to succeed Wolfman Jack. "Unfortunately, it never happened," he admitted with a wink. He went to KNDE-Sacramento in 1972 and KRUX-Phoenix for five years beginning in 1973. KHTZ (97.1/fm) pd Bobby Rich recalled the circumstances of Daniel's move to L.A. radio: "The day Greater Media took over, we let the staff go except Charlie Tuna and Jim Conlee. I really hadn't given this enough thought and realized I had NO air staff, and there was nobody for overnights. I went through the tapes that were on my desk and started calling people who sounded decent. Daniel was one of them. I called him and said, 'Here's the deal, I need someone starting TONIGHT. If you can be here by 10 p.m., you've got the gig; otherwise I've got to find someone else!' He called back 20 minutes later, quit his job and started driving to L.A.!" Tough making the transition from jock to engineer? "You feel bad for about a week. Then you start having fun and the money, benefits and people you get to work with make up for your loss.” 

 

OSHIN, Steve: KBIG, 1983-97. Steve was gm of KBSG/KNDD-Seattle. In the summer of 1999, he was promoted to head the Entercom cluster of five stations. He left Entercom in February 2008.

Steve spent twenty -three years in the radio business in Los Angeles and Seattle. Following his broadcast career, Steve transitioned into non-profit work raising money for Children’s Hospitals in North America. Steve and his team at Children’s Miracle Network raised over three-quarters of a billion dollars to help sick and injured kids. While working at Children’s Miracle Steve pursued a lifelong dream and returned to college to get his Master’s in Counseling Psychology. In May of 2020, he accomplished this goal. Today, Steve is a successful therapist living and practicing on Bainbridge Island in Washington State.

 

OSTER, Ron: KWIZ. The former California Man of the Year owns Rawhide Travel Agency (7 offices around the world) based in Phoenix. His Arizona agency is #1 out of 631 in the state. He's currently writing a book, The (mis)Adventures of a Travel(ing) Agent.

When Ron left KWIZ in 1977, he opened his own production facility and later a travel agency. “My production company was called Ron Oster Radio Productions and it had quite a following. I also opened a travel agency in Tustin called Silver Streak Travel. I had been VERY involved in the community and state. It paid off when I was nominated for AND became Man of The Year...the youngest ever to receive this most prestigious award. I was also given the Lifetime Honorary Citizen of Orange County Award presented and bestowed upon me by The Orange County Board of Supervisors.
 

Othenin-Girard, Linda: KPCC, 1992-2012. Linda worked mornings at KPCC and as a senior producer for Air Talk.
Otis, Don: KHJ, 1965. From the world of ad agencies, Don was operations director at KHJ just prior to Boss Radio. He passed away in the 1980s.

OTIS, Johnny: KFOX, 1958; XERB/XPRS, 1967; KPPC, 1970-71; KPFK, 1975-89. Born John Veliotes on December 28, 1921, of Greek parentage in an integrated section of Vallejo, Johnny decided early on to live in the black community. Johnny died January 17, 2012, at the age of 90.

In a 1979 LA Times interview, he confirmed, "Despite all the hardships, there's a wonderful richness in black culture that I prefer." In a 1995 OC Register profile: "The kids in my neighborhood that I played with, they were of the African American culture. We were raised together and I didn't care to leave and go anywhere else."

How did he get to L.A.? Johnny told Billy Vera: "I was working with the Love Otis Band at the Barrelhouse in Omaha. Jimmy Witherspoon and Nat Cole came to Omaha and they wanted me to play drums. At first I thought it was too good to be true, but that's how I got to L.A."

In the early 1940s, he was making $75 a week as a drummer at the big band Club Alabam. By the late 1940s, r&b was beginning to take hold. Johnny was one of the forerunners of the r&b music of the 1950s, leading his band to a #1 single, Willie and the Handjive. Johnny hosted a local tv show with all the r&b stars.

Johnny was a regular at the El Monte American Legion Stadium. As a writer he scored hits with Dance With Me Henry, So Fine and All Night Long. He produced early hits for Little Richard, Johnny Ace and Etta James, and he discovered Jackie Wilson, Little Willie John, Esther Phillips and Hank Ballard & the Midnighters. With the advent of the Beatles, r&b suddenly died. Johnny then became involved in the civil rights movement, wrote a sociopolitical column for the LA Sentinel. He twice lost the Democratic nomination for a California State Assembly seat and was chief of staff for former Lt. Governor and Representative Mervyn Dymally.

In the early 1990s, he bought a farm near Sebastopol and converted his barn into a recording studio. In 1995 he was selling Johnny Otis Apple Juice in San Francisco health food stores. His artwork is featured in Colors and Chords: The Art of Johnny Otis. Johnny and his wife Phyllis were married for over a half century.

In 1994, Johnny was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with Bob Marley, Duane Eddy, Elton John, John Lennon, The Grateful Dead, The Animals, Rod Stewart, and The Band.

Owen, Ray: KPOL, 1961-69. Ray is retired and living in Aqua Dulce.

OWENS, Buck: KBBQ, 1967. The legendary country singer once worked as a dj. By 1970 Buck owned four radio stations, four ranches, a travel agency, a recording studio, a million-dollar publishing company and a syndicated tv show that was shot in Oklahoma City.

Buck was born on August 12, 1929, in Sherman, Texas. The son of a sharecropper, he left school in the ninth grade to work in an Arizona nightclub. A big break came in 1963 when his song Act Naturally was recorded by the Beatles.

Buck died March 25, 2006.

OWENS, Gary: KFWB, 1961-62; KMPC, 1962-81; KPRZ, 1982-84; KKGO, 1985-86; KFI, 1986-89; KLAC, 1992; KJQY/KOJY, 1993-95; KGIL, 1997-99; KLAC, 2005; XTRA, 2005; KSUR/KKGO, 2006-07. A veteran of KFWB in the Top 40 heyday and two decades with the Station of the Stars 710/KMPC, Gary died on February 12, 2015, at the age of 80. A diabetic since the age of 8, Gary died in his home surrounded by family.

Gary was voted the #1 disc jockey for the second half of the 20th century, by readers of Los Angeles Radio People. He was nationally known for holding his cupped hand over his ear while announcing the comedy breakthrough show Laugh-In. Gary is one of the most famous broadcasters in Los Angeles radio history.

Gary was born Gary Altman in Plankenton, South Dakota. He started on the air at KORN radio, worked at KMA-Shenandoah, Iowa, and KOIL-Omaha. It was at KOIL that Gary changed his name to Owens. After stops at KIMN-Denver, KILT-Houston, KTSA-San Antonio, WNOE-New Orleans, WIL-St. Louis, and KEWB-San Francisco, he moved to KFWB in 1961, where "G.O." became the morning man, with number one ratings.

A year later, he moved to KMPC, staying for two decades. Gary has made over 1,000 national on-camera tv appearances, been on over 10,000 radio shows, nearly 3,000 cartoon episodes, 35 videos, 20 albums and CDs (six Grammy nominations), 12 books on tape, thousands of commercials (he has won over 50 Clio awards) and appeared in 12 motion pictures.

Gary worked every episode of the Emmy award-winning Laugh In, making famous the phrase "Beautiful Downtown Burbank" which he had been using for years on his radio show. R&R and Billboard called him "a legend." Advertising Age and Adweek said he’s "the most decorated man in broadcasting." He was the emcee for the 1969 Grammy ceremony and the nighttime host of The Gong Show.

Gary's comedy writing included Bullwinkle and Fractured Flickers. He was the voice of Roger Ramjet. The Times named Gary 1968 Disc Jockey of the Year. At KFI he teamed with longtime friend Al Lohman. Gary was inducted into The National Broadcasters Hall of Fame, The National Radio Hall of Fame, The NAB Hall of Fame, and The South Dakota Hall of Fame - all in the same year. In 1979 he was the first radio personality to be inducted into the Hollywood Hall of Fame. In 1980, he was honored with a Star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame. He received the NAB Radio Award for lifetime achievement. In late 1995, Gary was listed in Vanity Fair's TV Hall of Fame as one of the legendary voices in the history of television. Gary was one of the original voices for the "Music Of Your Life" format and in early 1997, he became the announcer on the Rosie O’Donnell Show.

“Humor has helped protect me from the bruises of life, in addition to a daily supply of fantasy, illusion and talcum powder."  

 

OWENS, Ronn: KABC, 1997-98. Ronn worked middays at KGO-San Francisco for decades before replacing Michael Jackson at KABC “TalkRadio” on July 14, 1997 and left July 31, 1998. The KABC experiment was a similucast between KGO and KABC lasted just a year.

Ronn started as a Talk show host at age 23 in 1968. He worked in Atlanta, Miami, Cleveland and Philadelphia before joining KGO in 1975. Ronn graduated from Temple University where he studied sociology and communication.

He was on KABC from July 14, 1997 to July 31, 1998. Ronn announced in the summer of 2014 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In 2015, he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. In early 2018, KGO dropped Owens' talk program in favor of 10-minute commentaries.

Oxarart, Frank: KFWB, 1968-69 and 1977-84. Frank retired from his post as vp/gm at KCBS-San Francisco in late summer 2003 and moved to Sarasota, Florida.

OZOMATLI: KYSR, 2008. The six members of the L.A. based band, Ozomatli took over mornings in late summer of 2008 and left two months later. The action by management apparently is in response to how fast management can receive ratings information and make adjustments.

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