Where Are They Now?
LARadio.com
LA Radio People - W
Compiled by Don Barrett

Send updates and changes to: AvilaBeachdb@gmail.com


W

W, Jeffrey: KEZY, 1986. Jeff ("the boy with all the songs") is working morning drive (Jeff and Anna in the Morning) at KDMX (Mix 102.9)-Dallas.
Wachs, Larry: KLSX, 1995-97. As part of the "Regular Guys" talk team, Larry was working at WKLS-Atlanta until the Spring of 2004 when they were let go following the accidental airing of explicit language during a "backwards porno." He left WFOM-Atlanta in November 2017 after a brief revival of "The Regular Guys." 

WADE, Bill: KHJ, 1963 and 1968-74; KBRT, 1980-81, pd. Born in Los Angeles on October 11, Bill spent his radio career in California.

Bill worked for KHJ in 1963, KDEO and KGB-San Diego. In 1966, he was working at KFRC-San Francisco.

He returned to KHJ, when it was "Boss Radio," in 1968. In 1973, Bill worked morning drive while waiting for Charlie Van Dyke to join the station. He had a different guest dj every morning with superstars of the day like Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, the Carpenters, Glen Campbell and the Osmonds.

In 1969 Bill ran the Bill Wade Broadcast School of Radio and Television. In 1975 Bill was the gm of KSOM-Ontario. Last heard he was teaching at Lampson Business College in Mesa, Arizona.

WADE, Shelley: KBIG, 2017-19. Shelley left her post at KBIG in late 2019. She's now with Classic Hip Hop WXBK (94.7 THE BLOCK)-New York. 

She has always had a passion for music and entertaining. As a young girl, the Houston, Texas native dreamed of being an award-winning singer and spent years performing at events throughout the state. Her interests later evolved into a curiosity for radio, and for more than a decade, she has graced the airwaves and entertained music fans from all walks of life.

Throughout her career, Shelley has been honored with numerous industry awards and honors including winning Best Midday Show by A.I.R. (New York) and being named Member of the Year by the San Diego Association of Black Journalists. She has also been featured in Time Magazine, and has appeared on daytime talk shows The Today Show with Kathie Lee and Hoda and The Talk. Today, she hosts the weekday afternoon drive on KMYI Star 94.1-San Diego, and can also be heard weekends on 104.3 MYfm and KUBE 104.9-Tacoma.

Fans love her relatability, her friendly demeanor, and her loveable laugh! Outside of radio, Shelley mentors high school and college students interested in careers in Journalism, and also volunteers her time hosting events geared towards helping women that have been victims of domestic violence.
(from KBIG website)

 

WAGMAN, Rob: KBBY, 2003-04; KYSR, 2004; KFSH, 2012-14. Rob owns Straight Path Media + Marketing.

Rob was programming WIBT-Charlotte until early 2009. Following a stint as apd/md at WXRK in New York, Rob joined KFSH in late 2012 for afternoon drive. He went on to WAY/fm and left in late Spring 2017.

"I grew up in a lower-middle class town called Carpentersville, Illinois, about 40 miles northwest of Chicago. I began winning radio contests in the 70's and would win so often that I would have to lie my name and change my voice to fool the djs, and out of that came a character named ‘Keith,’ who was a 5-year old prodigy child. Keith knew a lot about life, for a 5-year old. DJ's in Chicago found his content fascinating and his naiveté charming enough to put him on the air often, and eventually offer him a job."

 Larry Lujack, Fred Winston, Steve Dahl and Garry Meier were his earliest radio influences, as they demonstrated how ‘real personality’ can draw in an audience.

"Columbia College Chicago was where I chose to study radio, which quickly turned into on air and management positions at the college station, and an internship with B96, a CBS Top 40 in Chicago that would grow me up real fast. I was exposed to the fast side of our industry and my inability to manage the party lifestyle and the responsibilities of having a real job, got the best of me. I lost my positions in college, and eventually dropped out, before graduating."

 

WAGNER, Dave: KMZT, 2001. Dave joined "K-Mozart" as pd in March 2001. He is syndicated on a number of Classical stations.

As a Classical music broadcaster, Dave is heard regularly as the morning/afternoon host on WRCJ in Detroit. Other radio stations have included WQRS-Detroit, WGUC-Cincinnati, WTMI-Miami, WFLN-Philadelphia, and KTIM in San Francisco. 

Dave is also heard as the host of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra live broadcasts throughout the State of Michigan on the WRCJ/WKAR Radio Network.

 

WAGNER, Gary: KLON, 1992-2001; KKJZ, 2009-19. Gary the "Wagman" hosts 'Nothin' But the Blues' on K-JAZZ. “I first became interested in radio as a profession in about 1965. An L.A. teenager in the '60's, I grew up with KFWB and KHJ as my radio paradigm. The local rock 'n roll station in my hometown, Ontario, was KASK. Along with a couple of friends with similar interests, I started my own ‘bootleg’ station, which we called KEG. One friend built a 15-watt radio transmitter based on plans he modified from an article in Popular Electronics magazine. I built a four-channel mixer, and hooked up a couple of turntables made from Sears record players. Another friend donated a mike. We went on the air from my bedroom. For a couple of months, all the kids in the neighborhood were listening. After the FCC agents left, we set up a big audio amplifier where the transmitter had been, put a huge speaker on the roof of my parents' house, and began ‘audiocasting.’ Some of the adults living nearby were, shall we say, less than thrilled. So I started hanging around at KASK. I got to know the djs there and they let me run the board sometimes when the engineer needed to do something else. Then one day about a year later on a Sunday morning, one of the jocks didn't show up for his show."

"At the early age of 17, they let me go on the air and I have never looked back since," Gary continued. "After a stint in Southern California radio (KYMS, KACE and KNAC) I got drafted. As part of my Vietnam tour I worked at a 50,000-watt AM propaganda station. Upon discharge, I followed a radio career spanning the continent, including 5 years in Chicago, where at WJKL in 1979 I interviewed the great Muddy Waters. Upon returning to California to escape those cold winters, I spent a decade as a real estate broker in San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties. But I returned to my first occupational love, radio, to host ‘Nothin' But The Blues’ on KLON in 1992.” Gary owns MaxPacific, a Macintosh computer training and consulting firm. He left KLON (now KKJX) in May 2001. He returned to the Jazz station in 2009 where he hosts "Nothing But the Blues.

WAGNER, Jack: KNX, 1947; KGIL, 1951-52; KHJ, 1952-57; KBIQ, 1957-58; KHJ, 1958-62; KHJ/fm, 1967-68; KNX, 1968. Jack's show business career began at age 4 in Hollywood films as a French-speaking child actor. By age 17, he was a contract player at MGM. He became a radio personality at KHJ and the Mutual Network while performing in tv shows, including Dragnet, Sea Hunt, The Ann Sothern Show and 144 episodes of The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet as "Jack in the Malt Shop."

Jack started an association with the Disney organization when he and his family were guests for the opening of Disneyland. Beginning in 1970 Jack handled the voice work at the park and production of over 40 master tapes that contained background music for the theme areas at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. His taped messages included "Keep your arms and legs inside the coach," "All aboard" or "Enjoy your stay." For many years, he supplied the authentic voices of some 20 various Disney cartoon characters that were heard at the parks. His radio career spanned a period of special programs to popular music.

At KHJ in 1957, he hosted an all-night talk/music show with guest stars. During his first job at KNX, Jack was the announcer for a live music program featuring performances by his older brother, Roger Wagner. Jack was the last pd at KNX before the station switched to all-News. At KMPC and KABC, he was the guest host for Dick Whittinghill and Gene Norman. In the 1990s, Jack was a consultant to Las Vegas casino owner Stephen Wynn and produced the music for the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. Jack's son, Mike, was pd of KRLA for a decade. Jack passed away after collapsing at a rest stop on his way to Palm Springs on June 16, 1995. He was 69.

 

WAGNER, Mike: KEZY, 1974; KIIS, 1976-82; KRLA, 1984-94. Mike started his show business career at the age of 3 when he first appeared on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. He went on to appear in more than a dozen episodes. At age 6, he was featured on an album cover of popular easy listening music. In the 1970s Mike appeared in Happy Days and Ozzie's Girls. His father, Jack Wagner, worked for a half-dozen radio stations in the 1950s and '60s. Mike's uncle was Roger Wagner, conductor of the L.A. Master Chorale and the Roger Wagner Chorale.

His cousin Phil Volk was known as "Fang" as a member of the rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders. He started his radio career in 1973 at KDES-Palm Springs and in late 1974 joined KEZY. Mike became the KIIS all-night man on March 18, 1976. When the station went to a Disco format at noon on November 14, 1978, he was named pd.

In a 1979 LA Times interview, Mike commented, "I really believe that disco is the most mass-appeal format there is. It's become a new life-style." Mike resigned KIIS as pd in the spring of 1981 and stayed on another year in afternoons. Between KIIS and KRLA, Mike was vp of programming for Alta Broadcasting. Mike joined KRLA in late 1984 and served as pd for over a decade.

He has narrated countless video presentations, and his voice has been heard introducing guest performances and special parades at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Mike was the voice at the Sony Game Show Network.

In the fall of 1995 Mike joined Disneyland Paris as manager of product marketing and became the English language voice of the Eurostar train service between London and Disneyland Paris.  In 2000 Mike joined Group NRJ in Paris as director of adult formats running NOSTALGIE, the Oldies network; CHERIE FM, the AC network, and a news/talk format.

Mike works for a real estate firm in Kingman, Arizona. Once the Covid-19 pandemic ends, Mike is planning to start transitioning between Arizona and France to retire there with his wife of 42 years (Vicki, the Frenchie) at their home in Biarritz. 

Wagner, Shelley: KABC, 1979-2009. Shelley was the marketing head at KABC until the cluster downsized in early 2009. She worked for the Dodgers organization until 2020.

WAHL, Richard: KNX, 1960-67; KFWB, 1967-83. Richard began his radio career in Seattle in 1954. He moved to Los Angeles in 1960 and started working as a yeoman newsman for KNX. In the late 1960's, Dick joined the ABC Radio network news bureau in Los Angeles. 

“He was one of the forerunners of news anchors for ABC when they formed their multiple radio network operations,” remembered colleague Scott Shurian. In 1974 he served an ABC tour in New York City before returning to Los Angeles for a spate of service with KFWB news. “He then decided it was time to share his professional knowledge as a teacher of broadcast journalism at California State College, Northridge. He also shared his great respect and his ethical practices for electronic journalism with his students.

Dick was more than simply respected by his peers. He was admired by many of them for his quiet but strong approach to the business he dedicated so much of his life too. Dick gave up the ghost after a long painful struggle with Guillain-Barre syndrome,” wrote Scott.

Richard died August 18, 2001, at the age of 69.

Wailin, Jon R.W.: KZLA, 1979-80. Jon lives in San Leandro and is doing airborne traffic reports for KGO-San Francisco.
Waite, Charles: KNX, 1968-69. Charles died of a brain tumor at a young age. 

WALCOFF, Rich: KORJ, 1979; KRLA, 1979-83; KIKF, 1983-85. Rich broadcast sports on KGO-San Francisco from 1985-2016 until a major shake-up at the Cumulus station.

Rich was sports director at KIKF and the voice of the UC Irvine sports teams. He and the rest of the KGO Radio/49ers broadcast team were recognized by Associated Press in 1994 with an award for Best Play-By-Play Reporting of Sports. Rich has also done play-by-play announcing for San Jose State football and Cal basketball, and color commentary for Cal football.

Rich began his sports broadcasting career in 1971 while attending the University of Connecticut; he was the play-by-play voice of The UConn Huskies basketball, baseball and football games. Upon graduation in 1975, he went to WMMM in Westport, Connecticut as a news and sports reporter, and in 1979 moved to KORJ in Orange, California in the same capacity. A year later, Rich was lured to KRLA as news and sports director, and also became play-by-play announcer for U.C. Irvine basketball.

He holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Connecticut, is a native of Long Island, New York. As a nine-year old kid in New York, Rich used to turn the sound down on the Yankee games and do his own play-by-play into his tape recorder. He knew from an early age that sports reporting was what he wanted to do. He got his first real microphone experience as courtside announcer for his high school basketball games.

 

WALD, Ronnie: KGIL, 1981-83; KGOE, 1982; KFOX; KTIE, KPRO, KRLA, KMNY, KWRM. 2011 marked Ronnie's 30th year in LA sportscasting. Since 2003, he has been Internet streaming at: waldcast.net. Wald's impressive resume includes work with Cal State Fullerton, Pepperdine, Cal State Northridge, San Diego State, University of San Diego, and UC Riverside. The dean of broadcasters in the CCAA, Wald has called games for Cal State Stanislaus, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Monterey Bay, and Cal State San Bernardino. In 1984 he was the voice of the Cal State Northridge Matadors. Wald has also worked with the Visalia Oaks and Bakersfield Blaze of the California League and he's been heard around the world on Armed Forces Radio.

 

WALDEN, Mike: KNX, 1966-69; KFI, 1970-73. Mike was prominent in sports broadcasting in Southern California for over 30 years. He’s the only announcer in radio and tv to serve as both the voice of the USC Trojans in football and basketball, and later the voice of the UCLA Bruins in both sports. He’s well known for his play-by-play work on NCAA football and basketball, including tennis telecasts for the Prime Ticket Network (now Fox Sports West). He died in February 2017, at the age of 89.

Mike has done seven Rose Bowl games and major league baseball for the Dodgers, Cardinals and Braves. Mike served as sidekick (“on-scene” reporter) for the Super Dave tv comedy specials originally broadcast on Showtime.

He was born in 1931 and grew up in Springfield and graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in journalism. He worked on the Illinois Sports Network while in school. After the Air Force, he spent 10 years in Milwaukee broadcasting Wisconsin football and basketball, the Green Bay Packers and Braves. From Milwaukee he went to CBS radio in Chicago. Then, in 1966, he got the USC job.

In 1970, he became sports director at KFI. He has won four Golden Mike awards, an L.A. Press Club award and has served five terms as president of the Southern California Sports Broadcasting Association.

 

WALDOW, Mitch: KPFK, 1976-77; KFWB, 1977-83. Mitch was a news reporter, writer and editor at all-news KFWB. "After I left the station, I freelanced as a reporter and news writer at several L.A. tv stations, ending up at KCOP/Channel 13, where I have done everything from producing newscasts and specials to selling stock footage." He also works at Fox 11, KTTV. In late 2020, Mitch retired from KTTV, after 44 years in L.A. radio and TV. 

Mitch produced a bio-documentary on Ronald Reagan's Hollywood years, which won the Award of Excellence medal from the Film Advisory Board. He is a former L.A. area governor of the TV Academy, and now serves on the academy's executive committee as L.A. vice-president. 

Mitch's biographical sketch of composer/musician/writer Mason Williams appears in the Blues and Folk Encyclopedia, published by St. Martin's. For five years in the 90s, Mitch was a regular guest on Ian Whitcomb's show on KPCC. "I'd bring in a bunch of 78s and we'd 'whack the shellac.' It was a lot of fun doing that show." 

 

WALKER, Adrienne: KOST, 1993-95. Adrienne was co-host of the syndicated "World Chart Show." After 20 years at MIX/fm in Tucson, she left in late 2016.

Adrienne graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with in political science and government. She lives in Tucson and has done voiceover work for the last 25 years.

 

WALKER, Glynnis: KFI, 1996-99. Born and raised in London, England, Glynnis teamed with Maria Sanchez and eventually went solo for a weekend talk show during her time in L.A. radio. She said her big break when KFI program director David G. Hall called on April Fool's Day to say she was getting Tammy Bruce's weekend shifts. "I thought he was kidding."

In the early 2000s she was one of the few female morning drive talk show hosts in a major market. She has also hosted talk shows in San Diego at KOGO and KSDO. Prior to her radio career, she was the owner of a chain of 23 English pubs in Canada. In an interview with Gary Lycan of the Orange County Register, she said her favorite food is Bubble and Squeak (an English dish) with an egg on it.

Glynnis is the author of six books, including Second Wife, Second Best?, which was featured on Oprah in 1986. Glynnis earned a BA in psychology and English at Queen’s University and an MBA in marketing from York University. In the late 1980s, Glynnis hosted a call-in talk show on Toronto tv.

Before joining KFI, she hosted and produced “Real Talk” radio commentaries that were syndicated across the county. Glynnis left WAIT-Chicago in early fall of 2002.

Walker, John Lee: KIIS, 1977. Unknown.

WALKER, Mike: KABC, 2005-08. Mike hosted an entertainment weekend program on KABC until early 2008. He died February 16, 2018, at the age of 72.

The first time I met Mike Walker, King of Gossip for the National Enquirer, was ten years ago at a trendy spot on Santa Monica Boulevard. When we were introduced by our mutual pal, John Phillips from KABC, Mike blurted out to me, “how is covering a dying industry?” I could have said something similar about the publishing industry, but Mike was more than just the guy from the Enquirer. Mike was an entertainer.

If you didn’t read the National Enquirer, perhaps you remember him from his days at KABC or his weekly guesting on the Howard Stern show playing ‘The Gossip Game,’ [Walker read four stories and Stern had to guess which one was true]. Or maybe his foray as morning man at “Real Radio” KLSX. It could have been his newsmagazine, “National Enquirer TV.” Or the book he wrote in 2005, Rather Dumb: A Top Tabloid Reporter Tells CBS How to Do News. Walker co-wrote with Faye Resnick the #1 New York Times best-selling book about the O.J. Simpson murder trial, Nicole Brown Simpson: Private Diary of a Life Interrupted in 1994.

“The Hemingway of Gossip” — that’s how Howard Stern once described Mike Walker. To Geraldo Rivera, Walker was the “Guru of Gossip — the Dean of Celebrity News and a first-rate TV personality.” And Ryan Seacrest may have put it best when he asked: “Has Mike Walker ever missed a beat? Nope! Not to my knowledge. That guy impresses me — he always nails it!”
Mike Walker wrote, and some might say he was the face, of The Enquirer for five decades. Walker — who bravely battled a long illness with courage and humor — carried on writing items for his “Gossip: Coast to Coast” column right up to the end. “I knew I wanted to be a journalist by the time I was 12 or 13 years old,” said Mike. Leaving his family’s home in Boston at age 16, the future “Gossip King” joined the U.S. Air Force. During a four-year stint, he taught himself how to be a working journalist by freelancing features to daily newspapers. After the Air Force, Walker remained in the Far East and became the youngest-ever foreign correspondent for International News Service, honing his reporting skills on a top newspaper in Tokyo, Japan.

“What intervened then was a wife and two small children, and because I wanted to give them American roots, I decided that I had to give up the show business thing and go back to the States.” In 1970, Walker landed in The Enquirer’s newsroom, then based in Lantana, Florida. A colleague remembered: “Mike was hired as ‘Chief Writer,’ and he was a perfectionist. He was usually the first guy to arrive in the morning and the last guy to go home at night. He loved The Enquirer; how colorful it was and its great spirit.”

WALKER, Rhett: KRLA, 1967. Born in New Zealand (his mother was American, his father was British), Rhett came to the U.S. at the height of the musical "British Invasion." A number of stations during this period attempted to bring in English accented jocks. Despite the fact he was a New Zealander, his unique accent was good enough for Top 40/KRLA in 1967, where he replaced Casey Kasem. Rhett died December 18, 2012, in Victoria, Australia.

Rhett was also a popular dj at KOL-Seattle and KFXM-San Bernardino. Rhett arrived at KRLA in 1967 and left within the year. He returned to Australia in the late 1960s, where he stayed for the rest of his career.

He held several higher education degrees in music. Rhett had high profile stints on AM radio and played a central role in the establishment of fm radio in Australia as the format consultant and first general manager for FOX FM Melbourne.

When he left radio he became a professor of Business at Latrobe University in Victoria.

"He was a programming legend," according to Bruce Corneil, an Australian pop culture historian. "And he WAS a brilliant programmer. He did very little on air work after he came back to Australia. Rhett became a reclusive figure in later years, severing all ties with his former life in major market radio ending his days in rural obscurity, which is, apparently, just how he wanted it."  (Thanks to Bill Earl for the artwork, http://classicdjradioscrapbook.blogspot.com)

Walker, Sky: see Dave Skyler

WALL, Kevin: KFI, 2006-07; KABC, 2008. Kevin was a fill-in talk show host at KFI. He currently works afternoon drive at KMZQ-Las Vegas.

The genesis of Kevin’s career in conservative talk radio came on September 11th, 2001. It was the day Kevin realized his career in sports talk radio was coming to a close. “The idea of debating the merits of the Detroit Lions running or passing on first down… or whether the Kansas city Royals should bunt a runner over in the first inning or hit away… it all seemed so trivial in comparison to workers leaping to their death from 90th floor windows of the World Trade Center.”

Beginning in late 2001, Kevin began hosting talk programs on major market conservative talk radio stations, like KFI and KSFO-San Francisco. He also filled in for name brand national hosts like Glenn Beck and Bill Bennett. After fulltime stops in Nashville and San Antonio, Kevin made the move to the Las Vegas Valley and CBS Radio’s talk station KXNT.

After four years at KXNT, Kevin created a statewide Nevada talk network utilizing Royce International Broadcasting’s KBET-AM as flagship. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, Kevin moved to AM 670 KMZQ.

 

WALLACE, Gerry: KFI, 1988-92. Gerry was part of the KFI "TNT" morning news magazine show. He died February 25, 2023, from complications of kidney failure. Gerry was 76.

"He started as a disc jockey in Lawrence, Kansas during college. He was a weatherman, talk show host and production director at WIBW in Topeka for 20 years, then weatherman and talk show host at WFMY-Greensboro for two years before joining KOVR 13-Sacramento where he worked as mid-morning tv host and weathercaster," accoring to Terri-Rae Elmer.

David Grosby and Terri-Rae left KFBK with David G. Hall in 1988. They did the morning show on KFI with Gerry as weatherman and Mike Nolan traffic. Grosby was replaced by Tracey Miller

 

WALLACE, Rick: KFWB, 1967-68 and 1971-76; KABC, 1976-78; KPOL/KZLA, 1978-80; KMPC, 1980-82. Rick was news director at KPOL and KMPC.

Rick lives on Vashon Island, Washington where he is working on getting a Low Power FM license for Voice of Vashon. He's also volunteer manager of Vashon Emergency Operations Center and president of non-profit VashonBePrepared.

As the manager of the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) on Vashon Island, it’s up to him to get the emergency operation team in motion when “the big one” hits the Pacific Northwest. That means jumping on his ham radio and instructing each volunteer member in the community to go to EOC headquarters (a large space at the main fire station) and report to the Island Incident Commander (normally the fire chief).

 

WALLACH, Paul, KIEV, 1976-93. Paul died May 26, 2002, of cancer.  For many years Steve Knight (below Paul) and Paul hosted a restaurant/wine show at KIEV.

“Though Paul had not communicated with me for many years, I had heard in recent years that he was not in the best of health. I had always thought that I would at least learn about his passing through a newspaper obituary. Turned out I was wrong.” Knight continued: “Paul was born in Los Angeles and much of his youth was spent in the Biltmore Hotel where his father was the house physician. Paul’s youngest son, Ward, was one of the six Americans and 520 victims of the crash of a Japan Airlines 747 Near Tokyo on August 12, 1985. [Japanese singer, Kyu Sakamoto-whose recording of Sukiyaki was a big hit in 1963 - was also one of the fatalities of that crash.] “Paul will undoubtedly be remembered well by many Los Angeles radio listeners for his long-running afternoon drive program on KIEV.

Paul came to the station in April of 1976 and left the station in 1993 over a disagreement with management about the direction of the program. I was originally Paul’s announcer on the program, eventually becoming his co-host. For many years Paul was the restaurant critic for Westways magazine. He also published a guide to the restaurants of Southern California, and for a time, a Northern California version as well. The guides were updated about every year and a half. He also hosted monthly dinners in connection with the radio program. These dinners regularly drew 200 or more listeners, depending on the capacity of the restaurants where they were held. Paul originally purchased the time from KIEV, beginning with an hour a day. Because of the intense interest in dining out and the advent of the celebrity chef – Wolfgang Puck, et al—the program expanded to as much as four hours to accommodate a high volume of commercials. Eventually, Paul worked out a deal with the station to share the commercial revenues from the program. For most of our years together on the show Paul and I had a lot of fun together and shared some remarkable dining experiences,” concluded Steve. 

 

WALLENGREN, Mark: KOST, 1985-2020. Mark co-hosted the morning show with Kim Amidon (they have a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame) and Kristin Cruz at KOST. In 2014, he began the program solo. In October 2015, he moved to afternoons. Mark exited KOST in early 2020 following a massive iHeart downsizing.

Born in Heber, Utah, Mark arrived in Los Angeles from KBOI, a full-service AC station in Boise. In a 1989 LA Times article profiling morning personalities, Mark said: "The key to our success is that we haven't changed. We've been consistent. We're kinda mom and pop. People who listen to us are keeping their eyes on the interest rates, hoping the variable rates on their mortgages don't go up." A career highlight for Mark was interviewing Paul McCartney. His personal high was being present at the birth of his first child. Mark was nominated for Billboard's 1993 Adult/Contemporary Radio Air Personality of the Year. When asked if Wallengren was his real name, Mark replied, "Would I change my name to Wallengren? You've got to be kidding."

 

WALLICHS, Clyde: When radio was struggling to figure out what to do when tv came along and stole all the major talent, radio discovered rock 'n roll music. And the coolest record store in the world was at Sunset & Vine. It was Wallichs Music City, a place where young people could gather and individual listening booths to hear the latest new music.

Clyde Wallichs figured it all out and he was the longtime president of the landmark Hollywood music store. He opened the record store in 1949. At its peak of popularity during the 1960s, it grew to 11 stores in Orange County, L.A. County and Phoenix.

The Wallichs Music City jingle commercials, performed by various celebrities on radio including Nat King Cole and Dean Martin, were very well know to Angelinos.

When the discount record stores began to proliferate, Wallichs found it increasingly difficult to continue his service-oriented business approach. He sold the business in 1978. The stores closed a year later.

Clyde died of heart failure on December 31, 1997. He was 80.

 

WALLIN, Fred: KIEV, 1976; KGOE, 1978-79; KPRZ, 1981-82; KWNK, 1985; KFOX, 1982-87; KABC, 1988-89; KMPC, 1992-93; KIEV, 1995; KWNK, 1996; KIIS/AM, 1997. Fred has been reporting on the world of sports for decades

He was one of the many who hosted KABC's afternoon drive "SportsTalk." He started hanging around KABC in 1975 doing odd jobs hoping for a shot. His first job out of Cal State Northridge, with a political-science degree, was as a producer. "Part of my morning newstalk responsibilities was to steal the traffic reports from KNX, since we no longer had a helicopter reporter." He followed Ed "Superfan" Beiler as a producer and got his first on-air experience filling in for Beiler on the weekends. In the mid-1970s, Fred worked as a sports producer in Boston at WEEI and WMEX.

In 1985 he left the Southland to join KEX-Portland but was back in four months. In 1987 he did fill-in work at WFAN-New York and was back at KABC "I enjoyed my two years at KABC more than anything else in my career. It was there I made the worst decision anyone in my industry could ever make. After gm George Green brought in Beiler, I was offered ‘DodgerTalk’ again. Insanely, for a few dollars and the matter of pride I turned it down."

At KMPC Fred started out doing all-nights during the all-Sports programming and then moved to mornings until Charlie Tuna arrived and Fred moved to weekends. . He is does Sports Overnight America for Sports Byline.
  

 

WALROND, Zoe: KPCC, 1991-94; KABC, 1996; KFWB, 1998-2006. Zoe was teaching news writing and reporting in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Humboldt State University. 

Zoe was a news anchor at KFWB.

 She was nd at KKAM-Pueblo, Colorado from 1973-76 and nd KCUR-Kansas City from 1980-84 plus many years in tv news. Zoe was a reporter and anchor at KOA/TV in Denver and WDAF-Kansas City, under the name “Zoe McCray.” Her first job was  doing morning drive news on the number one rocker “13-K” in Pueblo, Colorado.

"Radio is so much more fun.”

She was born July 25, 1947 in Greencastle, Indiana. “My dad, a Presbyterian minister, had a Sunday night radio program on - no kidding – WIOU-Kokomo, Indiana. I used to go with him to the station - it was magic. I practiced playing radio using a hair brush as the mic - and my sister's old 45s introducing songs like The Green Door and Love Me Tender!"

 

WALSH, Chuck: KFWB, 1968-79; KABC, 1979-93. One report has Chuck living in the South Seas as a beachcomber.

Born in 1935, Chuck was one of the first voices when KFWB launched the all-News format in March 1968. In the early 1960s he was an actor who always loved the movies. At KABC he worked morning drive with the popular "Ken & Bob Company" team and has done movie reviews for years. In 1986 he co-hosted a new food show with Jackie Olden.

 

WALSH, George: KNX, 1952-86. George died December 5, 2005, at the age of 88. He was a veteran with KNX from 1952-86. “When I was growing up in Cleveland in the 1930s, radio was magic. It was like being an astronaut today,” George told me when he was interviewed for Los Angeles Radio People. After high school graduation he joined the local steel mill and worked church socials at night. World War II broke out and George enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served for four years. “I froze in Munich and decided that when I got out I wasn’t going to return to the Cleveland cold.”   

In 1946 George became pd of KSWS-Roswell, New Mexico and stayed five years. In 1952 he decided to return to school for more education and enrolled in the Don Martin School of Broadcasting in Hollywood. On May 26, 1952, KNX offered a part-time job of vacation relief at $100 a week. He stayed 34 years.   

George was the announcer on Gunsmoke for three decades (10 years on radio and 20 on television). “By 1986 I was ready to retire. I had had a prostate cancer operation and a heart pacemaker installed.” George lived in Monterey Park where he phoned stories into KNX for many years after his retirement.

WALSH, Dr. Wendy: KFI, 2015-19. Dr. Wendy Walsh hosts a late Sunday afternoon show on KFI. She drew national attention in the spring of 2017 as one of the women accusing Fox's Bill O'Reilly of sexual harassment.

She is a Doctor of Psychology and media commentator who is obsessed with the science of love, according to her website. Walsh’s tv career began in Los Angeles at UPN 13 News where she worked as an anchor/reporter and later as correspondent on Telepictures Nationally Syndicated show, EXTRA. After a break from television to earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and raise two children, Walsh returned to tv as a news commentator on CNN and Fox New’s The O’Reilly Factor

In 2012, she co-hosted The Dr. Phil spinoff, The Doctors and was nominated for an Emmy Award. Other television credits include Investigation Discovery Network’s Happily NEVER After, and Dr. Drew on HLN. Dr. Wendy is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at California State University, Channel Islands. She holds a B.A. in Journalism, a Masters degree in Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and is the author of three books about relationships. 

 

WALTER, Lisa Ann: KFI, 2011-14. The actress, comedienne, writer and television series creator and executive producer started on KFI weekends in late spring of 2011. She left KFI in late summer of 2014.

Born in 1963 in Silver Spring, Maryland, Walter studied drama at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. She appeared in several local plays, performed stand-up comedy and starred in two television series, My Wildest Dreams on FOX and Life’s Work on ABC. She had roles in several movies, including Eddie, The Parent Trap (1998) and Bruce Almighty.

Walter was the creator and executive producer of Oxygen Network's 2009-10 dance/weight-loss reality series Dance Your Ass Off. Her KFI program, “The Fabulous Lisa Ann Walter Show,” was heard from 4 to 7 pm each Saturday and Sunday from May 2011 until August 2014, when she quit in order to focus on her acting career. She discussed acting, dating, dieting, self-esteem, body image and other subjects in her 2011 memoir, The Best Thing About My Ass Is That It’s Behind Me.

Walton, Cynthia: KNOB; KFOX. Cynthia is a part-time actress and is married to former KWIZ dj Johnny Lewis (Reeder).
Wamsley, Bill: KLAC, 1971; KFOX, 1971-72. Bill retired in the summer of 2001. He's enjoying his two passions - flying and photography.
Waples, Alvin John: KGFJ, 1972-77; KJLH, 1984; KGFJ/KKTT, 1984; KACE. Alvin left WMMJ ("Magic 102.3")-Washington, DC in the early summer of 2010 when the entire staff was let go and the station automated.

WARD, Bill: KBLA/KBBQ, 1967-70; KLAC, 1972-79; KMPC, 1982-93; KLIT/KSCA, 1993-97.  Bill was a radio pioneer bringing Country music to prominence with the personality-driven KLAC. He also forged a place for NASCAR broadcasts. If it wasn’t for Bill, there might never have been an AAA format in this market. Bill died July 30, 2004, of an apparent heart attack. He was 65.

Born on January 29, 1939 in Italy, Texas and raised there as well, Bill’s childhood hero was Gene Autry. Forty-three years later Bill went to work for Gene as President of Golden West Broadcasters. Whotta’ arch to one's professional journey.

His first radio job at age 15 was in Waxahachie, a few miles from his hometown. He got an FCC 1st Class Radio License and did the all-night shift at WRR-Dallas while attending the University of Texas at Arlington in the late 1950s. Bill went to Gordon McLendon's WAKY-Louisville in 1959 to do the morning show and in 1962 moved to evenings at WPRO-Providence. His first programming job was at WPLO-Atlanta while doing mornings. Bill moved to KBOX-Dallas in late 1964 as morning man and became program director in 1966. KBOX switched format to Country music in January 1967. In March 1967, he joined KBLA as pd and changed the call letters to KBBQ and the format to Country music. He became station manager in 1970.  

Bill was hired by Metromedia in the late summer of 1971 to program KLAC and within a year was promoted to general manager. In 1979 he was promoted to exec/vp of Metromedia and moved to New York. By the spring of 1980 he was elevated to president.  

He left Metromedia in the spring of 1982 and moved back to Los Angeles as president of Golden West Broadcasters, where he became manager of KMPC, in addition to his duties as president of the company. In 1985, Bill bought KUTE for Golden West, and the station adopted a Soft AC format with the call letters KLIT. Bill orchestrated the format change of 101.9/fm to KSCA, Los Angeles' first AAA station. 

WARD, Cameron: KALI, 1996-2000; KLOS, 1998-2009. Cameron is a Marriage Family Therapist in the San Fernando Valley. He is the son of the late Bill Ward.

"The best (and worst) holiday gift that I ever received as a child was a tie rack," Cameron responded to a LARadio quetion. "It was a gift that once of my chintzy cousins brought to a family gift exchange one year. The rule of the exchange was every gift had to be valued at ten dollars. This guy brings a tie rack with a price tag attached that read $4.59.

"The 'worst gift' was re-gifted more than a holiday fruit cake. Although I do not know who in our family ended up with the tie rack, the gift ended up being the "best" holiday gag. The best holiday gift I gave was a collage of Tom Petty photographs that I took of Petty receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. After taking several pictures of Tom at the ceremony, I asked him to autograph a copy of his CD Southern Accents for my sister Carmen."

Ward, Mike: KMPC. Mike was an anchor/reporter at news/talk KFBK-Sacramento. He's now a producer with Rubber City Radio in Akron.

WARD, Paul: KGBS, 1967-69; KFI, 1969-70; KOST, 1970-71; KBIG, 1971-72; KOST, 1973. Paul went on to program KEZS-Sacramento, KFRC-San Francisco, and WROR-Boston. Paul passed away October 27, 2009. He was 68 years old.

“Except for radio he was a Street Car fan and has traveled the world collecting and taking pictures,” said his former wife, Ans. 

Paul was born in Oak Park, Illinois, and he grew up in San Francisco. “I think I got the radio bug when my mom came home with a Dictaphone machine around 1953, and I produced many fine radio shows on it, including ‘Dragnet’ and ‘The Cisco Kid,’” said Paul when interviewed for Los Angeles Radio People. After a year at Georgetown University, Paul announced to his family that he was abandoning law for radio and was thrown out of the house. His first radio job was at KBLA. “I am one of the few people in radio today, who can still show scars from changing 78rpm soft steel needles every second record.”

He jocked at KVFM, but wasn’t paid. He answered an ad in Broadcasting (“Great radio positions for men who loved to hunt and fish, and enjoyed skiing, which meant that it was a terrible place to have to live.”) and ended up in Show Low, Arizona, the city named by the turn of a card, for $125 a week. The job didn’t last long and Paul returned to the Bay Area and went back to school and worked part-time at KPEN (later K101).

His journey took him to Truckee, Santa Rosa and Hawaii and Australia and New Zealand. Following his Southern California stay, Paul moved on to Sacramento, KFRC-San Francisco and WROR-Boston and then became head of Audio Stimulation, Wolfman Jack’s company.

Paul owned Far West Communications and was doing five formats on CD, and a service called MASTERDISC, which provided hard to find bits on custom CD for about 400 stations around the world. He was marketed outside of the U.S. by Radio Express. He also spent about three months a year in South Africa, consulting three Urban AC stations. He was president/ceo at Far West until his death. 

WARD, Rick: KDAY, 1962; KBLA, 1965; KIEV, 1973; XPRS/XERB, 1973-75; KALI. Rick lives in Little Rock, Arkansas and he was heard on RockitRadio.net.

Born David Ricci, Rick started his Southern California run at KDAY. In 1975, after the theatrical success of American Graffiti, Rick guided the rebirth of the Mexican mega-watt stations XPRS and XERB which could be heard in 13 states on a clear day. At the time, XPRS was on tape with the voices of Art Laboe, Ted Quillin and Sam Babcock.

Rick left for Macon, Mississippi, then returned to Los Angeles to work with Huggie Boy. He had brief stays at Spanish KALI, WQAM-Miami and WWSC-Cocoa Beach before spending time in the military.

Ward, William: KNX, 1958-62. William died December 13, 1996, at the age of 76.

WARE, Ciji: KABC, 1977-93. Born Corlis Jane Ware in 1942 in Pasadena, she moved with her family to Carmel in 1954. Her father was Harlan Ware, novelist and writer of the classic radio show, "One Man's Family." She attended Radcliffe and graduated from Harvard in 1964. Ciji majored in Renaissance History, but spent most of her time in musical comedy and ended up as the first female dance captain of the Hasty Pudding Club. She developed a career in radio and television, reporting and producing, often on consumerism or public affairs, and also wrote for magazines.

In the early 1970s Ciji was the consumer reporter for three local tv stations. In 1984 she wrote her first book, Sharing Parenthood After Divorce, after her own marriage came apart. She also won a local television Emmy in 1977 for a program on children whose own parents kidnap them during custody disputes.

Ciji worked with KABC's morning news team for decades as the health and lifestyle editor. She has published two historical novels, one titled Island of the Swans which was an 18th Century historical epic based on the life of the Duchess of Gordon, a Scottish woman and confidante of kings and queens. She also does voiceover work.

 

WARFEL, Lynne: KFAC, 1983-86 and 1987-89. Classical music icon Carl Princi hired Lynn on the fact that she was an ex-actor and classically trained singer. "Thai’s all the credentials Carl  needed," said Lynn. "I wasn’t afraid to talk and I could pronounce (at least somewhat) German, French and Italian. His Italian was more than perfect if that were possible."
 

After KFAC, she filled in for Jim Svjeda at KUSC and then left for Scotland where she worked in Rock at Radio Forth in Edinburgh. "In 1991, WCAL in Northfield at St. Olaf College hired me back into the Classical world and soon after, in 1993, Minnesota Public Radio hired me. Currently I am a host on their national Classical service C-24 and you can even catch me in LA on KUSC EARLY Saturday and Sunday mornings. My background before radio was in theater."

Lynn graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in theater and music. She came to LA in 1978 where she did bit parts in various and sundry tv shows and films, (Rockford Files, Mommie Dearest, and Rich and Famous) and then attended and graduated from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. While at Fuller Carl hired her as KFAC’s first female announcer. "I returned to KFAC with my husband, Tony Holt, until leaving for Scotland.

 
WARLIN, Jim: KPSA, 1972; KEZM, 1973; KJOI, 1975-79; KNOB, 1980; KMPC, 1980-81. Jim owns an insurance brokerage firm and is the "Love Doctor" on KEZN-Palm Springs.

Jim was born in Juno, Alaska. He worked morning drive at KPSA and went on to do evenings at Beautiful Music “K-Joy.”

After running a talent agency in Claremont, Jim settled in the Palm Springs where he owns an insurance brokerage firm and was a planning commissioner for Cathedral City. 

Warne, Steve: KLAC, 1993. Unknown. 

WARREN, Bob: KGBS, 1970-74. The former announcer for the Lawrence Welk Show and This Is Your Life died May 21, 2013, in Bend, Oregon. He was 93. Born June 22, 1919 in Osmond, Nebraska, he spent four years in the early 1970s as a news anchor at KGBS.  

His first radio job was at WDEL-Wilmington, Delaware and then to WPEN-Philadelphia. "My dad met my mom, Madelyn, at WPEN and they married," emailed his daughter, Kathie Roberts Garrigus. "He joined NBC-New York before volunteering in World War II where he became a paratrooper and was shipped off to England, where they discovered there was talent in their midst and he was asked to announce for the Armed Forces Network and the BBC. While there he starred in a play by Sara Churchill, the Prime Minister's daughter, and got a part in the movie Stairway to Heaven with David Niven." 

"By V-day he was part of all the American networks and found himself working with Edward R. Murrow's roundup of the great victory," continued his daughter. "On his return to New York, he worked for ABC radio and landed the part of The Sherriff playing Mark Chase, Lawman. He moved on to tv becoming the announcer of such shows as Pinky Lee, Kate Smith, The Red Skelton Show and This is Your Life with Ralph Edwards. He worked for many major companies doing tv commercials like Tide, Colgate, Prell, Aqua Velva, Miller highlife beer, Hertz and on and on. He landed the 'lifetime' contract for Edsel commercials. That lasted 3 years. He was the announcer for the Lawrence Welk show for 20 years, where Lawrence would always thank him with his famous accent, 'Thank-a you-a Bob-a.'"  

“I worked closely with Bob at KGBS,” emailed colleague Bob Morgan. "Warren and the late Clark Alexander were the first two ‘Minuteman’ newsmen.  Bob was great!   They used to pre-cart the news each hour and they would bring the carts in to whoever was on the air and that person would put them in as close to :15 and :45 as possible.”

Morgan continued: “Bob was notorious for going ballistic when he’d mess up and have to rerecord one. Many times you could hear him throughout the halls letting go with a tirade after about 4 takes, then you’d see him look up out the window with a huge smile. Ron Landry called him one morning on the hotline which audibly rang in the newsroom while he was trying to record.  Obviously angry, he answered surly, ‘KGBS.’ Ron asked if he would tell someone today that he loved them and Bob said loud and clear ‘F*&k You!’ It was all live on the air with no delay.  The only call we got was from a guy who said: ‘You guys are sure trying  to find new ways to wake us up.’ I have an aircheck of the whole thing and it always brings a smile as I recall what a great guy Bob was to work with. He was Lawrence Welk’s announcer and was famous for his gentle delivery of the Rosemilk Skincare products, and you would normally see him dancing with a beautiful woman on the Welk show. So sad to hear of his passing. A top of the line pro to the bone.”

WARWICK, Stan: KXLA, 1957; KMPC, 1957; KLAC, 1957-64; KGIL, 1964-92, gm. "Your whole life changes after a stroke. I'm lucky I can still walk and drive but I can't write." That's the way Stan started a  phone conversation in the spring of 1996 from his home on the Central California coast. He spent three decades with Buckley Communications, holding every job within KGIL (dj, newscaster, director of news, pd in 1967 and, finally, gm). He was the Announcer of the Year in 1961.

From 1969 until KGIL was sold, Stan was the vp of West Coast operations at Buckley Communications.

He was born in Tekoa, Washington and graduated from Washington State College with a degree in communications a few years after Edward R. Murrow went through the same program. Stan suffered two strokes in 1995. One side of his brain was affected. Every Thursday, five men in the Morro Bay area who have had recent strokes gathered for group physical and emotional therapy. “I am thankful that the stroke was not worse and that I am able to get around.”

Stan died November 2, 2004 after a number of years of failing health.

WASHBURNE, Jim: KRLA, 1961-63. In 1966, Jim fell asleep at the wheel of his car coming home from a weekend in Big Sur and died in the automobile accident.

Jim came to KRLA as the Pasadena outlet's pd and afternoon drive jock. Some of his best remembered on-air references included calling the L.A. basin the "Washbasin" and saying "..but isn't it quiet when the goldfish die?"

During his short two-year reign, Jim brought Emperor Bob Hudson to the station. In 1963, Jim left everything for San Francisco and KYA.

Wassil, Aly: KABC, 1972. Unknown.

WATERS, Lou: KFWB, 1968. Lou was one of the original news anchor at CNN in 1980.

Lou began his broadcast career in 1959 as a reporter for KDWB in Minneapolis, where he became the city's number-one disc jockey. After a half-decade working early evenings at KDWB, Lou moved to Los Angeles and sister station KFWB for the all-night shift. He was at the station the last night that rock music was broadcast along with Gene Weed, Roger Christian and Joe Yocam.

After KFWB, Lou became a reporter for WWTC radio in Minneapolis, worked in San Francisco at KNEW, then at New York’s WCBS. His first television assignment was as a reporter and anchor for KVOA/TV in 1970. Later, after two years at KOLD/TV, the CBS affiliate in Tucson, where he served as assistant station manager and anchored evening newscasts, Lou joined CNN as a news anchor for their launch in 1980. He co-anchored Early Prime and hosted special editions of the program including Coming of Age, a series of specials on aging in American society.

In 1986, Lou co-anchored seven hours of live, continuous coverage of the space shuttle Challenger explosion. In 1989 he covered five space-shuttle missions, anchored CNN's one-hour special on the Voyager mission to Neptune and anchored the initial tense hours of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. In 1994 Lou traveled to France and England to prepare a series of reports on the 50th anniversary of the allied invasion of Normandy. He spoke with German and allied survivors of the invasion, adding depth and perspective to CNN's weeklong coverage of the D-Day anniversary.

A graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Architectural Engineering, Lou received three Houston International Film Festival awards and a first-place news award at the New York Film Festival for his extensive political coverage. In addition, he won a CableACE Award for Inside Politics, several Golden Microphone awards and an Emmy Award for spot news reporting.
WATKINS, Chick: KMPC, 1987-88; KGIL, 1998-2000. Chick worked at the Adult Standards format at Dial-Global for over a quarter of a century. He left in late spring of 2012 after a company downsizing.

Chick was the pd of WW1’s Adult Standards format, and he also hosted a program. The format was aired on KLAC. Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, Chick got his radio start at WCUE-Akron and stayed for 12 years. In 1972 he was the pd of WGAR-Cleveland during the Don Imus/Jack Thayer period. In 1982 he joined Transtar Satellite Network in Colorado Springs. Two years later he became pd of KOY-Phoenix. In 1988 he rejoined Transtar which had become Unistar and later Westwood One. The Adult Standards format was carried on over 250 stations. “We were originally designed as an alternative for AM radio, and it just grew from there.”

 

WATSON, Bill: KHJ, 1972-73; KIQQ, 1973-74; KMPC, 1975-78 and 1982-87. The former Drake-Chenault national pd used to split his time between Carlsbad and Rosarita Beach. "If you're looking for me, I'll be in the first row, dead center shady side at the Tijuana bullring every season Sunday at 4. Bill Watson, who achieved major success in the world of radio broadcasting, died May 15, 2018 at the age of 88. His death was a result of pneumonia and emphysema related health issues.

He was raised in the San Fernando Valley. After his discharge from the U.S. Air Force in the mid 1950's Watson attended the Don Martin School of Broadcasting in Hollywood with help from the G.I. Bill. He began his professional radio career in the Sacramento area. Bill enjoyed almost immediate success as a disc jockey and hosted a local tv show for teens. The show was modeled after Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Eventually, the super self-confident Watson had a falling out with the radio station's management. He quit and headed South to Los Angeles in search of a disc jockey job there. Watson hoped to land a position at the dominant Top 40 radio station KFWB.  Unfortunately there were no openings at the station at that time.     

While in L.A. he visited a friend who was employed at KDAY. It was in the hallway there that Watson met a young hyper-active radio executive by the name of Ron Jacobs.  Jacobs invited Watson to lunch at a Hollywood restaurant which was frequented by record promoters and out-of-work disc jockeys. Jacobs had previously enjoyed major success as a disc jockey and program director at Honolulu radio station KPOI. The parent company of KPOI had recently purchased two radio stations on the mainland.  One in San Bernardino and the other in Fresno. Jacobs was looking for talented disc jockeys to staff the two stations. As Watson tells the story "Jacobs was talking a mile a minute" and trying to convince Bill to join the staff at the San Bernardino station KMEN. KMEN was situated in a cow pasture there and was not generating any ratings (there were no listeners).

 Before the lunch was over Jacobs had convinced Watson to accept a position as afternoon drive disc jockey. And for a little extra money he would serve as the program director too. Turns out that Watson was a natural leader and excellent program director. Within six months KMEN went from Last to First in the Inland Empire radio ratings. At the peak of Watson's tenure KMEN generated 70 shares which meant that 70% of the people listening to the radio were tuned into KMEN 1290. Watson was instrumental in bringing the Rolling Stones to San Bernardino's Swing Auditorium for their first performance on American soil.  

He very skillfully established the perfect pitch for the on-air presentation at KMEN and rode the wave of the Surf sound and the British Invasion. After four years at KMEN, Watson left and became a programming consultant for other radio stations. Within a short time Bill Watson teamed up with the legendary radio programmer Bill Drake.  Drake and his partner Gene Chenault had been given the task of turning around the radio stations owned by RKO General. Those stations included 93 KHJ in Los Angeles, KFRC in San Francisco, WRKO in Boston, and WOR-FM in New York City. Other stations under their direction included KGB in San Diego, CKLW in Detroit/Windsor, Ontario and KYNO in Fresno. Together Watson and Drake worked their programming magic on these radio stations creating the "Boss Radio Format." Within a short time all of the stations enjoyed top ratings too.     

Later Watson was instrumental in producing the national version of the "The History of Rock and Roll", "The History of Country Music", and several other syndicated radio specials. Towards the end of his broadcast career Watson was program director at K-100 FM and KMPC 710.  He guided KMPC to the number 4 position in the Los Angeles ratings in a market where 86 stations could be heard on the dial.  It was the last music formatted AM station in town to reach the Top 10 in listener ratings.  (Obit by Commander Chuck Street)

Watson, Rich: KUTE, 1982-87; KOCM, 1988-89; KJOI, 1989; KLIT, 1989-90; KIKF, 1990; KACD, 1992-98. Rich is the entertainment director at Knotts Berry Farm.

WATSON, Tom: KKDJ, 1972; KJLL, 2009. Tom was the operations manager of Amaturo's JILL/fm stations until late 2009. He died in October 2022.

Tom arrived in the Southland from KERN-Bakersfield. He also worked at KXKL-Dallas. Tom went on to be a producer and programmer at Premiere Radio Networks in Los Angeles for the National Network shows: Country Music show, “After Midnight with Blair Gardner,”  Delilah Love Songs, Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, Jim Rome Show and others.

 

Tom also did production for William Shatner’s Malibu based company, “Heartbeat of America.”

 

WAY, Art: XTRA, 1958-61. Art passed away on March 25, 2008 of a heart attack. He was 76. Art jocked at the flame-thrower Top 40 station from just below the border at XEAK (690 AM) in the 1950s and early ‘60s. Art was also a popular air personality at Crowell-Collier's KDWB-Minneapolis, sister-station to KFWB.  

During the infamous KFWB strike in August 1961, KFWB needed several KDWB jocks to substitute on KFWB, according to Dream House author Bill Earl. “Because Art had already been heard by Southern California listeners from his days on 690 AM, right before he joined KDWB earlier in 1961, it was a shocker the Way was passed over to be a KFWB substitute jock by KDWB brass. KDWB instead sent its two popular drive-timers Hal Murray (6 – 9 a.m.) and Bobby Dale (3 – 6 p.m.) to jock on Channel 98 during the KFWB strike, leaving the more "familiar" Art Way BACK in Minnesota.”

After leaving KDWB, Way was also heard on San Diego's 136/KGB, right before the 1964 flip to the "KGBeach Boys" Drake-format. Only Bill Wade made the "cut" from pre-Drake KGB, again passing over Art, who left KGB in April 1964 upon the start of the KGBeach Boys format. 

 

WAYMAN, Tom: KMPC, 1962-81. At various times during his two-decade involvement with 710/KMPC, Tom was news director. He was the news sidekick to both morning show veterans Dick Whittinghill and Robert W. Morgan.

In early 1981 he hosted a one-hour cooking show as the station was heading toward an all-Talk format.

Tom began his radio career at age 14 just after the outbreak of World War II. Most of the announcers at his hometown station in Logan, Utah, had been drafted. When he walked into a radio station with his booming voice, he got the job, despite being in his teens.

He wrote a cookbook called Chef Tom's Chicken. (Tom is pictured on left with Paul Panther Pierce)

Wayne, Bill: KZLA, 1983. Unknown

WAYNE, Bruce. KFI/KOST. Born in New Hampshire, Bruce was KFI's fixed-wing traffic veteran reporter whose single-engine Cardinal crashed shortly after takeoff from Fullerton Airport. He was considered the nation's dean of flying traffic reporters. He started in 1961 for a Boston station. He died exactly one month before his 25th anniversary as an airborne traffic reporter.

Bruce reflected in an interview before his death, "I was in television and radio for 10 years before I ever had a flying lesson." He came to Los Angeles in 1968 and because of his media background was able to cover breaking stories from the air.

In 1985 his wife talked about the dangers of traffic piloting, "It's very hazardous. Most people don't know that. It's stressful too. Heart attacks are very high among them." He died June 4, 1986.

 

WAYNE, Darrell: KEZY, 1972-74; KAGB, 1975; KHNY, 1975; KROQ, 1976-81. "Insane Darrell Wayne" Wampler buried disco albums at the beach as part of a disco funeral.

During his time at KROQ, Darrell was pd, operations director, chief engineer and he worked afternoon drive. “I ran the Don Martin School of Radio and TV in Hollywood from 1981 till 1984 along with some cable radio and hosted a tv program through 1994,” said Darrell.

“I recovered from the party atmosphere at KROQ in 1985 and have been clean and sober ever since. Went back to school in 1994 and completed my master’s degree in business administration in 1999.”

Darrell was vp of sales and marketing for an Aerospace manufacturer in Ventura County. Darrell lives in Ventura, edited LARadio.com, and owns KTHO-AM in South Lake Tahoe.

WAYNE, David: KGER, KWVE, 1993-2009. Born David Parks, he hosted and produced the Saturday Morning Kids Show using the on-air name of 'K-Dave.' He created and produced successful evangelistic/entertainment stage presentations for family audiences. He died in his sleep on April 18, 2009. He was 54. Born on July 4, 1954 in Gardena, David grew up in Anaheim. He earned a commercial art degree from Cypress College in Cypress. David went to school at the LA Broadcasting School and Columbia Broadcasting. A news release from KWVE says that the cause of death has not been officially announced, but Parks had a stroke a couple of years ago as well as some later medical complications. “K-WAVE lost a longtime staff member last weekend who was one of those creative individuals who can never really be replaced,” said KWVE gm, Richard MacIntosh. Dave began at KWVE (K-Wave) in 1993, when he worked the overnight shift. In 1995, he took on the hosting and production duties of the Saturday Morning Kids Show while at the same time continuing the overnight on-air shift. During Dave’s tenure, the Kids Show popularity soared. Dave’s passion for kids combined with his love for his work and ministry was clear. Dave created and was the official co-host of Woody the Bear. He additionally worked to take the Kids Show “on the road” and created the Saturday Morning Kids Show – LIVE, a 2 hour live version of the on air show.

WEATHERLY, Kevin: KROQ, 1993-2018; JACK/fm, 2005-18; KAMP, 2009-19. Kevin programs three successful radio stations – KROQ, JACK/fm, and AMP Radio – in the market. After a short stint with Spotify, Kevin returned to Audacity and SVP of KROQ.

While running KROQ, he also guided the launch of JACK/fm, arguably the most successful JACK format in the country. His peers believe that he has localized JACK and integrated lines and attitude so much so that we forget the station is jockless. In early 2009, he flipped the FM Talk Station KLSX to a high powered relentlessly pounding Top 40 station named AMP Radio with instantaneous results. He put Carson Daly in the mornings. Carson emerged as a national star as host of The Voice and part of the ensemble on NBC's Today Show. Kevin has been acknowledged with many industry accolades over the years.

Born in 1963, Kevin started his career at age 12 working for his father at KPIN-Casa Grande, Arizona. He came to “the ROQ” from KKLQ (“Q106”) – San Diego. Before “Q106,” Kevin was the md at KIIS and KMEL-San Francisco and on the air at KZZP-Phoenix. When he arrived at KROQ, he immediately tightened the playlist, reflecting his Top 40 background. During the summer of 2001, Kevin was made vp of all Infinity (now CBS/Entercom) music stations in the LA cluster.  

 

WEAVER, Beau: KHJ, 1975-76; KRTH, 1990-94. Beau was the voice of Entertainment Tonight.

Beau grew up in Tulsa, and got his start hanging around KAKC the summer Bill Drake became consultant. Beau weaseled his way into the station by bringing fresh KHJ airchecks of Rober W. Morgan and The Real Don Steele he obtained from a family friend in California. "At fourteen, I was calling the jocks up on the hitline, telling them about format mistakes they did not know they were making," said Weaver, as part of a ReelRadio bio. "Eventually PD Lee Bayley hired me, mostly to shut me up."

That paved the way for later stints on sister Drake stations. Michael Spears, who would later take Weaver to KFRC, brought him aboard the groundbreaking team at KNUS- Dallas, the fm station Gordon McLendon kept after selling his legendary KLIF. KNUS was an AOR/Top Forty hybrid that eventually knocked off KLIF, and was one of the first major market fm's to dominate in the Arbitron. It is the marriage of Drake discipline and McLendon showmanship which would be the hallmark of Beau's style. He was one of the seven "original astronauts" on the pioneering Transtar Satellite network (now Westwood One)." He has a prolific voiceover career, heard daily on network program promos, trailers for feature films, national commercials and animated cartoons.

 

WEAVER, Bill: KWIZ, 1964-90, vp/gm. Bill was responsible for the very successful Oldies all-Request format that dominated the Orange County ratings for many years as well "You Pick the Hits" and "Yes/No Radio" in San Jose, Seattle, Fresno, and San Francisco. He created one of the first male-female morning teams with Buddy & Fran in addition to an all-female FM air staff, and sales staff.

Born in Brooklyn New York in 1918, Bill 's family moved to Los Angeles in 1928. His first job at Ralphs grocery store, after graduating from Marshall High School. He served in the Navy during World War II, he attended Ventura Junior College. After attending radio school in Los Angeles, his first radio job was at KGFL-Roswell, New Mexico followed by KBST-Big Springs, Texas.

Unable to lose his New York accent, Bill returned to California, working for the Ventura Star Free Press. In 1951 he remarried and they opened an advertising agency in

Ventura called Weaver Saucier and Associates. A year later, Bill moved to Sacramento and joined the sales staff of KROY. Bill found the programming related to his sales so he then began creating the "weaver sound."

Bill left KROY and jumped crosstown to KXOA only to return with ownership in Sacramento Broadcasters and KROY. He also owned an ad agency in Sacramento called Media Scope. In 1964 he moved his family to Orange County and started rhw Voice of the Orange Empire, KWIZ AM & FM with a format consisting of "instant requests, and voting."

Weaver added additional stations KLOK-San Jose, KUUU-Seattle, KARM/KFIG AM & FM-Fresno - KLOK/fm-San Francisco. "My father very rarely if ever took vacations he loved what he did, and he looked forward to going into the station each day," wrote his daughter Patrice. "It was never work for him, it was a love. He ate, slept and lived radio. He was that rare person who gave so many people the chance in radio. It was always exciting to be around him." Bill passed away in January 1990. In 2013, he was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Museum.

Weaver, Bill: KPOL, 1967-70. Bill was the second CapCities general manager at KPOL. Unknown.
Weaver, Hank: KLAC, 1957-61. Hank was a sportscaster in the 50s and 60s and he was replaced at KLAC by Jim Healy. He was in an automobile accident in the early 1960s on his way home from a boxing match at Dodger Stadium. Hank was eventually taken to Stanford University Medical Center and died several weeks later.
Webb, Larry: KRLA, 1965-75. When Larry left his general manager post at KRLA, he joined the staff of FCC Commissioner Robert T. Lee.

WEBER, George: KMPC/KABC, 1993-95. George was murdered in his New York apartment March 20, 2009. For more than a decade after leaving 710/KMPC, George was the morning news anchor at news/talk, WABC-New York. He was 47. His blog provides some insight into George Weber: 

"As a kid growing up in Philadelphia, I was always fascinated by radio ...so much so I took over the basement of my parent’s home to set up a make-shift radio station. I even did a tv show but, in reality, I just created a set and talked into a tape recorder. 

In high school, after a grueling audition, pronouncing words like Versailles and not ‘ver-sallies’ and Grand Prix and not ‘pricks,’ I spent a few years at WCSD in Warminster, Pa. Unlike my basement set-up, this was a non-commercial fm radio station, one of only two licensed to schools in the United States. 

While still in high school, I talked my way into a job at a day-time only radio station in nearby Doylestown, PA – WBUX.  I remember going into the boss’ office, after three years at WBUX and asking for a raise. He whipped off his glasses, and while shaking them at me said ‘if you want to make more money, leave.’ 

I did. I spent two and a half great years at WAEB in Allentown, PA reporting and anchoring the news and making some great friends in the city where they're closing all the factories down, as Billy Joel sings to us. I still have my audition tape that I sent to Phil Boyce, the news director at KIMN in Denver, a legendary Top 40 radio station with a big commitment to news. I was hired as a street reporter and anchor in 1985 and to this day, KIMN [it’s pronounced KIM] remains one of my greatest career moves. I was offered jobs in Atlanta, Sacramento and imagine, Buffalo at about the same time. 

Sadly, two and a half years after my arrival, the music died. KIMN’s call letters vanished and it became a Country radio station - leaving many of us without jobs. Luckily, Kris Olinger, now a good friend, remembered how – while covering a fire – I walked a good 50 feet before realizing I was dragging my microphone on the ground behind me. She hired me at KOA in Denver, a 50-thousand watt clear channel radio station heard in 38 states at night. Originally, I was hired as a reporter, but ended my career there doing a highly rated night time talk show. That launched my talk career. 

  irst stop, KGO in San Francisco, where I split my time between talk and news - and never got to experience a big earthquake. I arrived a year too late for the ’89 quake. What didn’t go over so well here was    my weekend talk show, which the general manager thought was a little too racy. I was asked to stay on in the news department, but decided instead to go to KOGO, a newly re-formatted talk station in San Diego. Less than a year later, management decided it couldn’t afford the cost of running such an expensive format. I was fired, but spent the next six months [thanks to a nice severance deal] sitting on the beach. 

Unfortunately, I spent too much time relaxing and not enough time looking for a job, that I actually considered getting a roommate to share my loft in downtown San Diego. As luck would have it, I ended up picking up some cash doing weekends in Los Angeles at KMPC, which was attempting to do a hot-talk format. I actually had a blast doing shows there, but then an old friend came calling. 

They hadn’t forgotten about me in Denver and so – I was invited back by the same company at a brand new talk station, KTLK. Never before have I had so much fun doing a radio talk show. This was the kind of radio I liked, controversial, upbeat and a little edgy. Unfortunately, ‘Real Talk Radio’ as they called it was about to be blown-up for a new talk format. 

Just in time, the biggest radio station in the world called – wondering if I’d like to do news on WABC in New York. I said yes – and a few weeks later – I was living in the West Village and talking on the radio.

WEBER, Pete: KRLA/KIIS/KPRZ, 1978-81. The former color commentator for the Los Angeles Kings is the play-by-play voice of NHL's Nashville Predators on Fox Sports Tennessee and WGFX ("The Zone").  

As one of the sidekicks to veteran hockey announcer Bob Miller, Pete broadcast the L.A. Kings games between 1978 and 1981. When Pat Riley left as Chick Hearn's colorman to be an assistant under coach Paul Westhead, Pete finished the broadcast season.

Born in Galesburg, Illinois, he graduated from Notre Dame with a B.A. in modern languages and an M.A. in communications arts. He spent his sophomore year at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. Pete has done play-by-play for a number of sports. He was connected with the Buffalo Sabres for better than a decade. Pete has also been associated with the Buffalo Bills pre- and post-game shows along with being a radio analyst. His baseball play-by-play assignments include the Buffalo Bisons since 1983.

Pete did vacation fill-in for Fred Hessler on KMPC with Robert W. Morgan. Pete is the play-by-play voice of the NHL’s Nashville Predators.

 

WEDEL, Rosie. KOST/KFI. Traffic reporter Rosie Wedel retired in the early fall of 2018, wrapping up 28 years on the air, according to a note from colleague Alan Ross. “OMG! Rosie Wedel IS Airwatch, Total Traffic, et al.! She’s heard on KFI, KOST, among others during her time on Airwatch America, Airwatch Traffic, and Total Traffic+Weather Network. She was also news director for several stations contracted with AirWatch.”

Alan has high praise for Rosie. “What a talent, what a leader. What an organizer. She’s absolutely a teammate and a friend. We’ll never really be the same without her in the building...period!”

“We love her, and we will miss her,” wrote colleague Karen Kirkman. “Happy retirement Rosie!! #TrafficQueen #TotalTraffic.”

We asked Rosie for highlights during her three decades of getting us through the thick of Southern California traffic. “I think I will just go quietly into the sunset,” she responded. “It’s been a lovely career and I am very blessed.”
WEED, Gene: KFWB, 1958-68; KLAC, 1971. Born in 1935, Gene started in Texas radio when he was 17 years old and attended North Texas State University. He went on to work in Dallas, Omaha and Miami before joining KFWB.

The "Weedy One" worked weekends at KFWB at the age of 23 while assigned to Armed Forces Radio and Television Service in Hollywood. In early 1961, Gene was made assistant pd to Jim Hawthorne. He moved to afternoon drive in 1961. Except for a month during the infamous personality strike in 1961, Gene stayed with the station until the very end, on March 10, 1968, having worked every shift.

In 1966, he was voted top all-night dj in Billboard magazine's Radio Response Ratings. He created the nationally syndicated Shivaree tv rock show, which ran for three years and aired in more than 150 markets and seven countries overseas. He produced and directed over 200 of the mini-movies for recording artists such as Glen Campbell, The Fifth Dimension, Creedence Clearwater and Debbie Boone. He has produced and directed over 300 tv commercials and numerous industrial and sales presentations.

As senior vp of television at dick clark productions (dcp), Gene developed, produced and directed major television series, specials and annual events. Each year he produced and/or directed the Golden Globe Awards, The Academy of Country Music Awards, The Soap Opera Digest Awards and the Sea World/Busch Gardens Party. In the early 1990s, Gene produced and directed the Hot Country Nights series for NBC, which continues to air on The Nashville Network. His other specials include Farm Aid III and IV, The Golden Globes 50th Anniversary Special, The Lou Rawls Parade of Stars and Prime Time Country nightly on TNN. He also directed the three-hour LiveAid concert for ABC. His work as a producer/director earned him two first place awards for creative excellence at the International Film Festival in Chicago. A spokesman at dcp said, "Gene was one of the foundational posts here."

Fellow KFWB dj Jimmy O'Neill was "shocked" to learn of Gene's death. "I hadn't seen Gene for 30 years when we ran into each other about five years ago. I was struck by his kindness. He could not have been nicer." Gene died of lung cancer on August 5, 1999, at the age of 64.

     

 (Cynthia Walton, Gerry Wallace, and Rick Williams) 

WEED, Steve: KIIS, 1977-80; KHTZ, 1980. Steve "Smokin'" Weed exited his post as Senior VP of Programming for iHeartMedia Fresno in the fall of 2019 and announced his retirement.  

He's had quite the career touching down at WXLO (99X)-New York and KIIS/fm in the 70s. Throughout the 80s he was heard on KHTZ, KMJM (Majic 108)-St. Louis, KTSA/KTFM-San Antonio, WCZY (Z95.5-Detroit pd and pd at KHIT- Seattle from 1989-91.

In 1991, Steve took over the programming role at KMGC (Magic 108)-Seattle and programmer at KYKY (Y98)-St. Louis and later WKQI (Q95)-Detroit - PD 95-98.

Steve left for at decade at WMXV (later WDBZ)-New York, taking on the role of operations manager. In 2009 he joined KDND (107.9 The End)-Sacramento as station manager and then KBOS/KALZ/KSOF/KFSO/KHGE/KCBL (Clear Channel) Fresno. He became ops manager in 2011 for the Clear Channel cluster in Sacramento. He finished his career as svp/programming of the iHeartMedia cluster in Fresno. 

 

WEINER, Dan: KXTA, 2000-04; KTWV, 2004-07; KTWV/KNX/KRTH, 2007-09. Dan left his position as head of the CBS/LA cluster in March 2009 to join Fox Interactive Media. He's now vp/sales for the Western Region of Pandora.

In 2008, Dan debuted on the list of Top 10 Best Off-Air LARP. “He’s been working in the L.A. market in various sales and management capacities since 1994. Dan first worked locally with Christal Radio, part of the Katz Media Group and its 300 radio station clientele, handling national business. In 1998, Dan moved to KBIG and KLAC, then owned by AM/FM Radio, managing local and national sales.  After Clear Channel purchased AM/FM, Dan ran the sales and programming for KXTA (XTRA Sports 1150) and Lakers’ flagship KLAC for the next five years. In 2005 Dan became a senior vice president and director of sales for CBS Radio. During his time with CBS he has been vp/gm at The ‘WAVE,’ KFWB and K-EARTH. 

Dan graduated from the University of California at San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Services. He spent five years with a medical firm before joining the radio business. 

Some comments from those who voted for Dan:  “Great managerial style, finds good people and let’s them do their jobs. You always feel respected and supported.” “It’s gotta be a LOT of work to oversee three CBS stations and he’s an approachable and genuinely NICE guy.”

 

WEINTRAUB, Roberta: KMPC, 1981-82. The former Los Angeles school board member and president was an activist. She died January 1, 2019.

A tireless champion of young people, particularly those in underserved communities, Roberta became known for her outspokenness and willingness to take on important issues, however controversial, according to Legacy and the LA Times. "Roberta had two passions in life – education and law enforcement. Perhaps best known for her groundbreaking Police Academy Magnet School program that today thrives at 9 schools across the city, she inspired countless young people to pursue careers in public service. In 2007 she started the Police Orientation Preparation Program (POPP), and together these two programs have touched the lives of thousands of students who are now proudly serving in law enforcement.

Roberta, a proud third generation Angelino, was raised in a household where fighting for the underdog was a way of life. A product of public schools, she was graduated from UCLA in 1960, after which she worked on the John F. Kennedy campaign and participated in the civil rights movement. Additionally, she holds a Certificate in State and Local Government from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Elected city-wide to the LA Board of Education in 1979, she served 14 years including 4 terms as Board President. Her work on the Board included establishment of the Magnet School Program, Gender Equity for Administrators and an array of programs designed to promote student achievement and student health and safety. After leaving public office, Roberta continued her fight for better educational opportunities for all. (thanks to the LA Times)

 

WEIR, Charlie: KUSC, 1999-2001. Charlie worked all-night at Classical KUSC.

He began his career at KMYR- Albuquerque, New Mexico. In the late '70's, Charlie moved to New York City where he wrote and produced plays for an off-off Broadway theater until 1990. He has also acted and was recorded in a production of Beginning Terrain which aired on WNYC/FM.

Charlie attended the University of Colorado at Boulder. He earned a master's degree in media management from Kent State University

Weiss, Dave: KEZY, 1990-98; KXTA, 1998-2001; XTRA Sports/KLAC, 2001-23. Dave, on-air known as DC Williams, is the promotions and marketing director at all-Sports KLAC.

WEISS, Eric: Eric is one of the most respected broadcast agent / consultant / brokers dealing primarily with radio clients.

LARadio asked Eric what he hs found most satisfying during his career? "Helping build big corporations like Westwood One, being on the Board of Premiere, serving as coo of National Media, a New York Stock Exchange direct response television company, and serving as ceo of Buyitnow.com were tremendous learning experiences. It was also ego gratifying being able to attain  certain positions at a fairly young age. But what I am doing now - working one on one with talent, is more rewarding. I am doing what I want. It is as hard as I’ve ever worked, but it’s enjoyable and there’s nothing like helping someone achieve a dream. For some clients I have helped them achieve financial independence and it’s a great feeling.  For others it has been about getting them launched, helping them find their focus and begin what will be very exciting and successful careers. It’s hard to get those kinds of feelings in corporate America now. But on a one on one basis with clients there’s more personal gratification. It is also incredibly rewarding to work with folks who are absolutely the best at what they do, and have proved it over the long haul."

Weiss, Jonathan: KNX, 2006-17; KKJZ, 2006-07. Jonathan broadcasts traffic and he had a weekend shift at all-Jazz KKJZ.

WEISSMAN, Sharon: KLON, 1982-94. Sharon is the senior advisor and transportation deputy to Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, previously served as board liaison to the Mayor’s Office from 2014 to 2016. She also served as chief of staff to Garcia when he was vice mayor of Long Beach, to California State Senator Jenny Oropeza and California State Assemblymember Tony Mendoza.

Sharon is a member of the Board of Directors of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, the Long Beach Public Library Foundation and is the former chair of the Long Beach Fair Housing Foundation Board of Directors, according to the release.

Prior to her work with elected officials, Weissman was the director of the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center at Cal State Long Beach, the station manager of KLON (now KKJZ) a jazz radio station and an instructor in the field of radio, TV and film at CSULB.

Welch, Clarence: KDAY, 1965. Unknown.
Welch, Cliff: KMPC. The fill-in pilot/reporter for KMPC died in 1999.
Weldon, Steve: KLAC, 1985-87. Steve works at WSM-Nashville.

WELLES, Dara: KNX/fm, 1976-79; KRTH, 1979-80, nd. Dara was born and raised in Milwaukee. "I attended Nicolet High School, where a girl a year behind me did pretty well in broadcasting. Her name was Oprah Winfrey."

Dara developed an interest in radio at the college station at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was a music major and performed as a singer, but was always intrigued by the news department. She hung out and learned to edit copy.

"I moved to L.A. after graduation to be with my boyfriend. We broke up, but I got my first radio job at KNX/fm." From 1979 to 1987, Dara was an anchor and correspondent for NBC's youth radio network, "The Source." In the late 1980s, she was a host on NBC's syndicated advice radio net "TalkNet." She went on to host shows on WNYC and WABC-New York. The former WOR-NY newswoman is now with Cablevision and Sirius/XM Radio. 

 

WELLS, Don: KMPC, 1961-72; KFWB, 1972-87. Don was part of the original broadcast team for the Angels. Don died October 3, 2002, in Switzerland after a long illness. He was 79.

Oh, the irony of it all. On the day the Angels baseball team wins their first ever playoff series, it was announced that Don Wells, part of the original broadcast team for Gene Autry’s California Angels in 1961, had died. 

Born in Sacramento in 1923, Don grew up in Salinas, where, as a kid, he could "tune in on our aging Kent radio" the play-by-play reports of the San Francisco Seals and the Oakland Acorns of the Pacific Coast League. After spending three years in World War II becoming a Corporal, Don went to the Hal Styles School of Radio and Television. "We didn't have tape recorders then but one of the school's facilities was a large studio turntable that enabled me to record an acetate disc for audition purposes," he told me when interviewed for Los Angeles Radio People. A recreated play-by-play baseball game led to a job at KSBW ("Salad Bowl of the World") as sports and program director. At the Salinas station, he broadcast Class C ball games along with local college football and basketball.

His next stop was KWBB-Wichita where he called the action for the Wichita Indians. In the late '40s and early 1950s Gordon McLendon created the Liberty Network, which recreated games from wire services and Don would travel to various Major League cities to do the game-of-the-day broadcasts. When the Liberty Network collapsed, Don joined the White Sox broadcast team in Chicago where he worked for eight years. He also did Big Ten football and basketball plus the NFL Chicago Cardinals games before the franchise moved to Phoenix. 

As the first announcer for the Angels, Don's first broadcast partner was the "voice of the Rams," Bob Kelley. After the 1972 season, Don joined KFWB doing sports reports for the next fifteen years. When Don retired, he and his wife moved to Switzerland to join his family. "We now have permanent residence in Switzerland and don't plan to return to the U.S.A.," Don told me in 1997. Don's son is a "valued employee" at the Village City Hall. Don and his wife owned a three-family chalet in the village that is surrounded by the Alps. "When we retired it was time for a restful climax to an oh-so-active 40 year career. I have never forgotten all those who were so helpful during that long span of time." 

WELLS, Jack: KABC, 1963-67. Jack was a talk show host at KABC for four years in the 1960s. He died June 27, 2010, from complications of a stroke at a Los Angeles nursing home. He was 86.

Jack was a pioneering broadcaster who hosted Baltimore's first morning tv show. Jack created and hosted an LA tv show on KHJ/Channel 9, called The Age of Aquarius. Wells decided to go into radio during World War II, when he served in Europe as an Army radio operator with Chuck Thompson, who went on the become a legendary Baltimore Orioles announcer. Wells also did voiceovers and guest starred on shows such as Days of Our Lives, The Young and the Restless and General Hospital.

 

WELLS, Pam: KACE, 1987-89. Pam works at "Majic 102"-Houston.

Pam arrived at KACE as pd from WHRK-Memphis and was the 1987 Billboard magazine Radio Award winner. Pam was pd until a family illness forced her to take a leave of absence. She returned on-air to the Willie Davis-owned station without the programming chores.

Pam got her start in her native Houston at "MAJIC 102" where she became music director. Later she was promoted to national music director for the entire Amaturo chain, then the owners of MAJIC. She has worked at WBMX and WGCI in Chicago.

"As a morning personality, her diligence in combating the stereotype of a female as 'the giggling sidekick' set new standards for women in radio. She captures the hearts and minds of listeners with her talent, wealth of knowledge, piercing interviewing skills, wit, compassion and relatibility. Pam is the host of Sunday's MAJIC Classics.
WELLS, Paul: KMET, 1986; KNAC, 1986-88. Paul hosts a syndicated show, "Lobster's Rock Box." He is the co-founder/ceo at Flow Communications in San Francisco. He was inducted into the 2021 Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame

Paul a
ttended the City University of New York to become a veterinarian. Went in for a DVM degree, and became a dj, according to a profile in AllAccess. "As a freshman, I started doing shows at the campus station (WCCR). By my senior year, I had changed majors and in the winter, visited my brother who was a grad student at Stanford. There were five fm Rock stations around the SF Bay and the weather was warm. I knew then what I wanted to do and where I wanted to live. By summer, I moved west, to the Redwoods between SF and SJ. My dog was really happy. So was I."

"In 1986, I landed at KMET, then became the first heavy metal morning man at KNAC. Returned to KSJO for mornings there, and replaced by a shock jock, which I am not. Then The Lobster Breakfast moved to CBS' 97.3 The Rocker, KRQR-San Francisco. I got into syndicated radio, producing a series of 25th Anniversary of Woodstock features for CBS Radio Network, which connected me with the company that produces The House of Blues radio programs. I became their director, production, marketing executive. I do my podcast radio/tv Talk program from Pop-up locations around iconic and scenic San Francisco locations. We've been broadcasting on Facebook Live and KSCO, streaming from their website as well.

 

WELLS, Sandy: KABC, 1998-2019. Sandy worked at Radiate Media providing news and traffic.

Sandy made news when he was conducting interviews at a local charter school he was attacked. The assailant received three years' probation, 400 hours of community service, and an order to pay $174 to the Sandy. Ramon Flores pleaded no contest to one count of robbery in a plea bargain that led to the dropping of an assault charge. He drove his car over the curb and at KABC reporter Sandy Wells and took the tape from his recorder.

Sandy earned a bachelor's and master's degree in History from the Columbia University in the City of New York. He also holds a maser's in Theatre from Temple University.  

Wells, Scott: KLON, 1983-2000. Scott left KLON in early 2000. He teaches foreign language and has been nominated for Disney's "Teacher of the Year" award.
Welsh, Pat: KROQ, 1979-84; KACD, 1995-96. Pat is a professional golfer.
Wendell, Bruce: KDAY, 1960; KBLA, 1967. The longtime Capitol Records executive and baseball fanatic in the mid-1990s joined Rotations promotion and marketing firm.

 

(Mitchell Whitfield, Bradley Wright, and Tom Watson)

Wendell, Johnny: KFI, 2002-04; KTLK, 2005-13. Johnny, also known as Johnny Angel when he writes for the LA Weekly, hosts "Southern California Live With Johnny Wendell" every Sunday at 4 p.m. plus fill-in on the Progressive station.

WENDI: KIIS, 1990-96; KZLA, 1998-2001. The former Miller Genuine Draft poster girl moved to mornings at KZLA in the fall of 1999 and to middays in the Spring of 2000. She left the station in the fall of 2001and went on to Country KSCS-Dallas.

Born Wendi Westbrook in Shreveport, she is also an actress, appearing in Models, Inc., Silk Stalking, Beverly Hills 90210, and Renegade. Wendi said that she was an "ugly duckling" grouping up and was unpopular with the in-crowd in high school. "It has been a huge motivatig factor in my life trying to live up to the standards that other people set for me," she admitted.  She also spent a year as an MTV veejay.

Today she specializes in individual, family, small business, employee Benefits and commercial drivers legal plans that allow anyone to have access to the legal services they need for an extremely low monthly fee!

 

WENNERTEN, Robert: KFAC, 1985-90; KKGO, 1991-96 and 1998-99. Robert was program director at Classical KKGO.

“We just got tired of Los Angeles and it taking an hour to drive ten miles,” said Wennersten “So we started looking at different locations and found a house on the Internet and we ended up in St. Joseph, Missouri. We came out to St. Joe, took a look at the house and bought it. It is a 3-story, 7,000 square foot mansion that was built in 1917. It is pretty terrific.” 

Bob was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and grew up in Independence, Missouri until he was 18, so he knew a little bit about the Midwest before returning in 2006. The day after graduation from college in 1963, he got into his car and drove to Los Angeles just because “I had never been there.” No family or friends, but he wanted to experience it because he thought it would be “cool” thing to do. “I’m just kind of adventuresome. I ended up living in L.A. some 40 years.” 

The radio dream for Bob started in high school. “Between high school and college I had two radio jobs, one was writing copy during the week and I did a Pop radio show in Lincoln on the weekends. In college I worked at the student station.”  Yet in spite of his early dreams, Bob didn’t work in radio right after getting out of school. When he arrived in the Southland in 1963, he instead spent the next 15 years in the insurance field, working for Prudential and Occidental.


“They were terribly boring jobs but I had to make a living,” said Bob. He graduated with a degree in history. “I really don’t know what I had planned to do with a history degree, but everything worked out okay,” said Bob.  

Bob is a little fuzzy on how he got into radio in Los Angeles. “I just loved radio. I’d be happy doing anything in a radio station,” said Bob.  In the early 1980s, George Fritzinger [owner of KFAC] hired Bob to be assistant music director at Classical KFAC and later promoted him to music director, a job he kept during the Louise Heifeitz [general manager] regime. Bob approached the music at the Classical stations from a ‘hits oriented” perspective. “Not that every piece had to be a hit because over time it would wear out the listener. But at least every hour there was something that was familiar.”  “I really enjoyed working for Fritzinger and Heifetz. They both had sense enough, if that’s the word, to realize the people they hired knew more about what they were doing than the bosses did. They left us alone. I wouldn’t think there are people like them left in radio today,” Bob guessed.
robertwennersten@hotmail.com

 

WERNDL, Bill: XTRA, 1996-2008. Bill was part of XX Sports Radio 1090AM in San Diego until late 2008.

Born on December 29, 1945, Bill is talking sports at WCHE and WBCB-Philadelphia. He has a 50-year career in sports radio. He also teaches a class at Widener University.

Bill began his broadcasting career in the spring of 1966 at WFIL-Philadelphia working in the mail room. By the end of the year he was a newsman, covering over 3,000 stories over the next 30 years. He then became an associate producer on various sports programs before becoming the spotter on Philadelphia Eagles radio broadcasts in 1973. Werndl also worked at XX1090 before returning to his native Philadelphia market in 2008. In 2016, Werndl released his memoir, No Curveballs: My Greatest Sports Stories Never Told.


Werth, Paul: KRHM; KVFM; KNOB, KNAC, KFAC. Paul was a knowledgeable, creative musical documentarian. On the KNOB his program was called "Werth Listening To." He brought Bing Crosby back to live performances with a concert at the Music Center. His career began in the 1950s in New York, where he produced concert performances for Harry Belafonte, the Weavers, Woody Guthrie, the Modern Jazz Quartet and Stan Getz. He moved in 1957 to the Southland where he produced concerts and theater shows for Dinah Washington, Herbie Mann and others. Paul produced many radio specials including "This Is Steve Allen" and "Johnny Green's World of Music." In 1972 Paul received a Billboard Air Personality award while working at KFAC. He wrote and directed the Leukemia Society radiothons for many years. Paul created an audio history of Harry Truman titled "A Journey to Independence." In 1992 he adapted and produced Neil Simon's Sunshine Boys as the first in a series of Mark Taper Forum Theater of the Air radio programs. Paul died on December 20, 1996, of cancer. He was 69.

WESHNER, Skip: KRHM, 1957-64 and 1966-71; KNAC, 1972-74; KPFK, 1981; KFAC, 1973-79 and 1983-84. Born August 10, 1927, Skip hosted KFAC’s “Man for All Music” show introducing many people to the music of Latin America, as well as people like But & Travis, Hoyt Axton, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell. Many of these artists singled out their interviews with Skip as being one of the highlights of their career.

He was married to Lynne Taylor of The Rooftop Sings (Walk Right In), who died in 1979. Frank Blau, president of Blau Systems has reels and reels of “his amazing eclectic shows. He was a dear friend and a true presence in Los Angeles radio.”

Before he arrived in the Southland, Skip had a show on WBAI and WNCN in New York called “Accent on Sound.” This was the first "folk music" show heard in New York City.  Blind musician José Feliciano was probably first heard on Weshner's show. During the first session, Feliciano accidentally fell down the stairs of Weshner's duplex apartment.   Weshner often broadcast from Greenwich Village, including The Bitter End on Bleecker Street and the Cafe Feenjon on MacDougal Street. At the New York Hi-Fi Show at the New Yorker Hotel, around 1963, Weshner's live broadcast included the then relatively unknown Bob Dylan.

He died in 1995.

WESLEY, Jim: KFI, 1973-80. Jim is president/ceo of Patterson Broadcasting and he is living in Atlanta.

He arrived in 1973 at KFI radio, having been hired as general manager of the then-newly acquired Cox Broadcasting property. Cox had purchased KFI for $15 million, at that time the highest amount ever paid for a radio station. The 50,000-watt clear channel station was having a tough time finding a format that would be more successful.

“KFI is a massive operation. Turning it around is like changing the course of the Queen Elizabeth – it will take time," he told the LA Times at the time of his arrival. Wesley’s first action was relinquishing the broadcast rights of the MLB Dodgers. That move would help propel KABC’s ratings reign, but Wesley had his eye on finding an fm station.

A deal was reached with Dallas broadcaster Gordon McLendon, to purchase his KOST (103.5/fm) for $2.2 million. “I contacted McLendon by telephone when I heard from our Washington attorneys that he wanted to sell. We had been trying to make a deal for an fm station in Los Angeles for several months. I had met with several owners but could not reach an agreement.

Jim continued: "In our first telephone conversation, McLendon told me what he wanted for the station. We agreed on the deal during a second telephone call, which I made late in the evening from my kitchen at home in Woodland Hills to Gordon in London. He was on his way to an International conference of economists. Gordon and I met with our attorneys in Washington a few days later to work out the details of the purchase agreement. It was a quick and very pleasant negotiation. Gordon was a brilliant businessman and a delight to work with. He was one of the most charming and creative men I have ever met. He talked a lot about the development of his various formats, and although he was in the process of moving out of radio, he continued to think about new ideas for the medium and for television. I had hoped to see him again at the closing at his office in Dallas, but he was ill that day and we worked with his lawyer. I never had the pleasure of talking with him again.”

West, Andy: KHJ, 1963. Andy died of cancer on April 3, 1975 in Reno. Andy gained national fame for his vivid description of the shooting and struggle with Sirhan Sirhan following the killing of Robert Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel.
West, Bert: KNX, late 1950s; KRLA, 1980-84. Bert is retired and living in Palm Springs.
West, Charlie: KLOS, 1987-89, pd. Charlie died October 23, 2004. He died in his sleep at his home in Tucson. West had informed friends in August that he was in need of surgery for a brain tumor. Charlie arrived at KLOS in April 1987 after a 10-year run at KMOD-Tulsa. In the spring of 1989, he formed his own consultancy firm.

WEST, Donald: KROQ, 1975-78. Don later went on to become a criminal defense lawyer in Florida for over 35 years and he successfully defended George Zimmerman in the Treyvon Martin killing, not what one might have expected from a one-time KROQ morning man.

Don is among the handful of lawyers in the nation who have tried death penalty cases in both state and federal courts. After Mr. Zimmerman’s acquittal, West continued to represent Mr. Zimmerman in the federal civil rights investigation until in 2015 the Department of Justice announced that no charges would be filed.  

He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees before attending law school. He attended the Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles and completed his legal education at SUNY at Buffalo School of Law.  After graduation, Mr. West moved to Florida and has been practicing criminal law ever since.
 
WEST, Garrison: KSBR, 2005-19. Garrison came to the radio game in 2005 as a student taking classes at Saddleback College’s Communication Arts (KSBR), under the tutelage of Terry Wedel, John Coleman and Tina Anderson. Upon completion of the school’s curriculum, Garrison took on two days a week on the Morning Drive, holding down morning drive shifts on the Smooth Jazz station for over 13 years.

In 2010, Garrison was tied for 11th place with Andy Chanley on an LARadio Poll of the best of the LARP.  Ironically, they were side by side again at KCSN in 2018, with Andy on the afternoon drive.

When KCSN and KSBR became synchronized at 88.5/fm, Garrison was one of the KSBR deejays hired to work on the new mega-station. He enjoyed excellent ratings on the midday music mix show from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. weekdays. Garrison cites his interest in radio as life-long with vivid memories of Dallas area deejays Mike Selden and Jim Tabor. 

A big fan of Wolfman Jack, he recommends Wolfman’s autobiography as a great poolside read (if you haven’t already). Garrison is married to KSBR news director, Dawn Kamber and step father to her son, Neil Levin.

 

WEST, Gene: KIQQ, 1972-73; KGFJ, 1975-76. Gene worked in San Diego at KGB and KCBQ and the all-night shift at KFRC-San Francisco before arriving at “K-100.” Gene left his afternoon drive slot when Drake/Chenault bought KIQQ in the fall of 1973.

In the late 1970s, Gene worked at KWOW-Pomona.

“I was born and raised in San Francisco. I attended San Francisco State University and became interested in radio while in the Army. I was in the Medical Corps during the time of the Vietnam conflict, but wasn't sent overseas. Honorably discharged in 1965. One of the guys in the barracks with a pronounced southern accent told everyone that he was ‘on the radio’ in Alabama. I thought, if he could do it, I certainly could. Additionally, my dad was a bus driver in San Francisco for the Gray Line Tour Company and was always in front of a microphone on his tour bus. He was so good at knowing the lore of the City that whenever dignitaries came to the city and wanted a tour, my dad would take them around in a limo, pointing out the sights. I guess it runs in the family.”

Gene holds two Master's degrees - clinical psychology and school administration. He lives  in Canyon Country. Gene was a reading coordinator for Los Angeles Unified School District, and later Gene became a Secondary Assistant Principal for Los Angeles Unified School District.

West, Joe: KNX, 1992-95; KMPC/KTZN/KABC, 1994-98. Joe's HEREontheWeb program was heard on KNX. He lives in Palm Springs.
West, Mark: KIIS, 1979. Unknown.

WEST, Phyllis: KIIS, 1984-85; KLSX, 1985-87; KNAC, 1987. During the 1980s, Phyllis Weixelbaum West worked at KIIS, KLSX and KNAC.

She died March 27, 2007, at the age of 44.

Phyllis was born on Long Island and grew up in Atlanta and attended George State University. She started her broadcast career in 1980 at WRAS. Before arriving in the Southland she worked at WFOX-Gainesville, Georgia and WQXI-Atlanta. At KIIS she was  “Big Ron” O’Brien’s producer. In 1987 Phyllis was the co-host (with Fraser Smith) of WTBS’ Night Tracks. When she left L.A. she went on to do mornings at KAFE and KXFX-Santa Rosa, promotion director at KUFX-San Jose, KCDU-Salinas and Metro Networks at KGO-San Francisco. Phyllis was also morning host and promotion/marketing director at Alternative rocker KMBY-Monterey.  

Since 2003, Phyllis was working at WIMZ-Knoxville. Terry Gillingham, general manager for South Central Radio in Knoxville, said Phyllis had been ill since the summer of 2006. She was diagnosed with a rare form of muscular cancer. She stopped appearing on the air in September 2006 and sought treatment at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. "It's a terrible loss," said Gillingham, who first worked with West at KMBY. "She was a very compelling and interesting woman. She was extremely intelligent and she loved to say things just to get a reaction. She had a much greater impact than any of us realized. People have called and told us how much she really touched them."  

WEST, Randy: KMGG, 1983-87. Randy's love for radio is only surpassed by his love for game shows. He is the fill-in announcer on The Price Is Right and is the announcer on the traveling Price Is Right stage show.

His name has been connected with scores of tv game show as the announcer and/or the warm-up guy. He hosted another version of The Newlywed Game for GSN, hosted by Carnie Wilson.

The engaging Randy was apparently vaccinated at birth with a phonograph needle. "I was chapter president of WABC's Cousin Bruce Morrow fan club and audience regular at tv game show tapings while in high school," said Randy. He started his radio career at age 17 working for a number of stations in New York including WRNW, WALL, WHVW and he first pd'ed at WFIF-New Haven.

In 1979 he arrived in the Southland and worked in record promotion, and then in syndication at The Creative Factor. He joined KMGG (Magic 106) as production director and later worked weekends and swing. "I appeared on several tv games shows in the 80's and, with mentoring and encouragement from Johnny Olson, decided to break into the protected bastion of game show announcing and audience warm-up. While waiting for ‘the’ break during the tough years I made condo payments with the help of dj jobs at KCAQ-Oxnard, KWNK, KKUR and KGMX, and did a nightly talk show at KIEV." Randy also taught at Jimi Fox's L.A.B. He broke the tv barrier announcing Hour Magazine and The Chuck Woolery Show. During the '90s he voiced a number of game shows including Trivial Pursuit, Boggle, and Wild Animal Games. His list is impressive. Randy has worked The Price is Right, Deal or No Deal, Weakest Link, Supermarket Sweep, the California Lottery’s Big Spin, and others, which has placed him alongside iconic hosts Ryan Seacrest, Bob Barker, Wink Martindale, Dick Clark, and Howie Mandel.

Following his mentor’s death, Randy was entrusted with Johnny Olson’s personal notes and memorabilia from an impressive 58-year career. From those materials and his hours of conversation with Olson, Randy authored the definitive biography of the broadcasting pioneer, Johnny Olson: A Voice in Time.

West, Rick: KWIZ, 1976-78. Rick is vp of marketing and product planning at a Southern California company.  

WEST, Rod: KZLA, 1984-85; KIIS, 1985; KSUR, 2004-05. Rod worked morning drive at Oldies "K-Surf" until a format change in the Spring of 2005. He began his broadcast career as a teen in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, when he built a radio station in his high school. These early days of entrepreneurial spirit led to a series of highly-successful and featured positions at blockbuster radio stations WPRO in Providence, WHTT in Boston, Z-100 in New York and KIIS.

Rod's love of being behind the mic has carried him from the days of being in-person/in-station in-studio to the digital age of tracking his charismatic voice for stations across the United States. ​ Rod is a recipient of the Rhode Island Radio Hall of Fame coveted Legacy Station of the Year Award and may be available to track daily shows for your station.

​In 1998, Rod West was appointed the general manager of ABC Watermark. In this role, Rod oversaw the production of two giants in the world of broadcast syndication: American Top 40 and American Country Countdown. To this day, both shows still hold the records as the longest running, highest revenue producing syndicated programs. While with ABC Watermark, Rod was also responsible for four other national weekly programs and created and produced over fifty specials. His website is at RodWest.com.

West, Roland: KNAC, 1983-85; KROQ, 1986. Roland now works in San Francisco for the Island Def Jam Music Group.
West, Scott: KIKF, 1984; KCRW 1996-99; KOLA, 1998-2000. Scott worked all-nights at the Inland Empire Oldies station, KOLA.
West, Sonny: KWIZ, 1980-82. Sonny, who worked as Greg Panattoni at KWIZ, went on t0 KyXy in San Diego. In 2014, he ended his run 24-year run as co-host of the "The Afternoon Ride with Sonny, Susan & Kevin. In his own words ‘You’re not on the air for a long time, you’re on the air for a good time!’
Westbrook, Wendi: SEE Wendi

WESTGATE, Murray: KPOL, 1963-69. Murray, a veteran of KPOL (1540 AM) for most of the sixties, died July 26, 2014, from apparent complications of a stroke he suffered a few months earlier. He was 85. About two weeks after Westgate’s death, he was posthumously inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. We missed his passing five years ago, so we are now updating his entry for posterity.

Murray was an independent entrepreneur with business interests in the Far East. He was the Sacramento reporter for KPOL, providing a number of phone reports daily. He eventually joined the L.A. operation full-time. In 1969, Murray moved to Las Vegas where he broadcast news for a number of radio and tv stations. Eventually he became the longtime director of public affairs for Nevada Power and Light.

Westgate was born September 5, 1928, in Saskatchewan, Canada, later graduating from Midwest Broadcasting College in Chicago. He began his career in Canadian radio. Prior to coming to Nevada, Westgate served as a correspondent for 23 radio and tv stations nationwide and all three major television networks.

In 1969, Westgate relocated to Reno and worked as a reporter for KTVN-TV, Channel 2. A year later, he settled in Las Vegas, where he received several awards for covering the education beat for radio station KLAV, of which he was news director.  

In 1972, Westgate was appointed news director for KLAS-TV, Channel 8 and worked for most of the tv stations over the year. In 1978, Westgate ran unsuccessfully for the Clark County Commission. In recent years, Westgate split residency between Thailand and Las Vegas, serving as president of the Thailand-America Educational Foundation, Inc., a Nevada-based, non-profit corporation, which promoted educational and cultural exchange between Thailand and the United States.

WESTHEIMER
, Dr. Ruth: KFI, 1983-84. Before Howard Stern, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, known as 'Dr. Ruth' was a breakthrough on sexual issues. The former kindergarten teacher turned sex guru, 'Dr. Ruth' broke new ground on talk radio. On her show she dispensed frank and sexually explicit advice. She borrowed from a Supremes song when she discussed premature ejaculation: "you can't huwwy love." She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in late 2019.

Ruth was born in Germany in 1928, where she lost her parents and grandparents to the Nazi regime and grew up in a Swiss orphanage. She earned a B.A. degree in psychology at the Sorbonne and had a daughter by a French lover. She migrated to Israel and became a kindergarten teacher. Dr. Ruth came to America in 1956 knowing little English and three years later earned a master's in sociology from New York's New School for Social Research. Her doctorate is in the interdisciplinary study of the family, not sexuality. She has written 14 books, one called The Value of Family: A Blueprint for the 21st Century.

The psychosexual therapist started sex counseling in the early 1970s.

Westman, Dick: KLAC, 1959-60. Unknown.

WESTWOOD, Denise: KNAC, 1977-80; KROQ, 1980-82; KMET, 1982-86; KNX/fm, 1986-89; KEDG, 1989; KLIT, 1990; KLOS, 2000-16. Denise spent a decade during the 90s working in San Diego radio at KCLX, and KGB. . In 2000, she began working weekends and fill-in at KLOS. She left the Classic Rock station in early 2016. Born on December 21 in Syracuse, but, when only 15 months old, she moved to Southern California where Denise grew up in Palos Verdes.

Denise grew up on LA’s famed “Boss Radio” and never dreamed one day she would actually be in the biz herself meeting some of those legendary performers. Although, some high school friends have since told her at class reunions that upon graduation she already had her sights on becoming a dj. She graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and got hands on experience at the campus radio station. It was a lucky break when the first FM rock radio commercial station started up in SLO and she landed the AM show and was working professionally her last 1 1/2 years in school.  

After graduation she joined KNAC in Long Beach in ’77. By late 1980, “The Roq of the Eighties” was calling at KROQ where she did middays. A huge dream was realized when KMET hired her in late 1982 to eventually replace the retiring Mary Turner at “The Mighty Met.” While at KNX/fm, the station lobbied for a Star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk Of Fame for the late John Lennon, and when it happened, Denise hosted the event on the air. Interviewing Yoko Ono at the ceremony turned out to be a pretty amazing experience.  

Wexler, Paul: KOST; KWST. Paul was the voice of God in the movie Ten Commandments. He died of leukemia in the mid-1980s.

WHATLEY, Dixie: KJOI, 1978-79. The former host and correspondent for Entertainment Tonight and co-critic with Rex Reed on At the Movies, hosted a morning entertainment show in Boston for many years.

Dixie is now a noted sculptor. Four of her works are owned by rock legend Eric Clapton. Her sister is Susanne Whatley.
 


She holds a Masters in Journalism from the University of Southern California, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. from USC. She also studied international relations and journalism in Geneva, Switzerland, and art at the DeCordova Museum in Massachusetts.

Her mother was an acclaimed radio drama/comedy writer for CBS Network.

 

WHATLEY, Susanne: KHJ, 1981-85; KFI, 1986-2001; KLAC, 2001-02; KFWB, 2002-09; KPCC, 2010-23. Susanne left her anchor chair at KFWB following a format flip in September 2009. She is now the Morning Edition Host at KPCC.

After graduating from USC and circling the globe with a backpack for a year, she began her career as a general-assignment field reporter covering courts, crime, quakes, fires, floods, and politics for KRTH and as an L.A. correspondent for national radio networks including the Associated Press. She served over a decade as the Hollywood correspondent for the A.P.'s "Portfolio" news magazine, interviewing hundreds of film and tv stars, directors and writers.

She also hosted weekly live reports for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and stations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Her honors include Golden Mikes and APTRA awards for Best Newscast and Best News Writing. Additional awards from those and other professional organizations include first place in spot news, documentary, entertainment and feature reporting and use of feature sound. In 2009, she jumped into television and currently hosts "Healthline," a weekly cable interview show.

Susanne was born and raised in the Pasadena area and enjoys a deep appreciation of the region's people, places and peculiarities. She is an orange belt in Shaolin Kempo karate, and at peace with the fact her young daughters will always outrank her in the sport.

Wheatley, Bill: KRLA, 1959; KFWB, 1965-66. Bill passed away in Broward County, Florida in the mid-1990s. 

WHEEL, Christian: KIIS, 1998-2005; KBIG, 2005-09; KRTH, 2010-14; KFWB, 2011-14. Christian worked weekends at MY/fm until a Clear Channel downsizing in the spring of 2009. He hosted Let's Talk Tech at KFWB until a format flip in September 2014. He did fill-in at K-EARTH until September 2014. After a stint with Apple Music / Beats 1, Christian is involved in numerous ventures.

"I was bitten by the radio bug at a very young age and began working in the field at 18," Christian wrote in 2005. 'I started in Los Angeles. I often hear industry people complain of the current culture of our field, the overlooming corporations, our impending doom due to the internet, satellite, or the new medium du jour. Everyone seems to long for the 'good 'ol days.' Funny thing is, the way things are right now is all that I know. As a teenager, long before I worked in terrestrial radio, I set up several hobby Internet streams. I learned how to be a jock by voicetracking in the Prophet System. I have always worked under the umbrella of a multi-million dollar corporation. Frankly, I don't understand what everyone complains about. This is the way things are, and for me, the way they've always been."

Christian continued: "I wasn't around for 'the good 'ol days.' Were things really THAT good? I have a great time on the air NOW, is it possible to have had such delectable joy as to eclipse the tremendous amount of fun in the current climate?"  
   

(Rich Watson and Johnny Wendell) 

WHEELER, Mark: KMDY, 1986-89; KNJO, 1989-96; KSCA, 1996-97; KRTH, 1997-2002. Mark reports traffic for a number of Southland radio stations including KRTH and KRLA and news at KLON/KKJZ.

Mark was the program director for one of the broadcast services. He joined Shadow in 1993 and was promoted a year later.

Mark was born in Encino on July 13, 1965, and got his radio start at KSTR-Ventura. Mark is well liked among his peers and will be the first to announce that he is a staunch Republican. He did fill-in news at KSCA. At KRTH he replaced Richard Turnage for morning drive traffic when the station switched traffic services.

 

WHELIHAN, Kelly: KFWB, 1992-2009. Kelly Whelihan Kaufman was a news editor at all-News KFWB until mid-2009.

 

WHITCOMB, Ian: KIEV, 1977-80; KROQ, 1980-84; KCRW, 1986-91; KPCC, 1991-96. Ian, who burst on the music scene in 1965 with the Top 10 hit, You Turn Me On, had a show on Sirius/XM Satellite radio. He died April 19, 2020, at the age of 78. “He was at the Californian convalescent center in Pasadena. "My condolences go out to his widow, Regina, and his many, many fans,” his radio partner Jim Dawson posted on Facebook.

Ian produced numerous albums, recorded hundreds of songs and written ten books (his favorite is After the Ball, which is a history of popular music from rag to rock). He has written music for a Las Vegas revue and his songs have been used in many movies. He was the original tv host for the long-running BBC series The Old Grey Whistle Test.

Ian was born in Surrey, England, in 1941 and was an undergraduate at Trinity College in Dublin. His life has been dedicated to early American and British popular music, especially Tin Pan Alley, Ragtime and British Music Hall.

White, Brian: KREL, 1970-71; KDAY, 1976-77; KIIS, 1977. Brian is operations director and afternoon jock at Oldies WKOO-Jacksonville, North Carolina.
White, Dave: KCBS, 1993-96. Dave is working in Detroit radio.
White, Jack: KJLH, 1965-67. Last heard, Jack was living in Colorado.

WHITE, Jamie: KYSR, 1998-2007. Jamie was part of the morning team of "Jamie, Frosty & Frank" at "Star 98.7" until September 15, 1999, when Danny Bonaduce joined her for a two-person team. Danny left in the summer of 2005 and she was teamed with Mike Roberts (Stench) and Jack Heine until late 2006. She's now working mornings at "Alice" in Denver.

A kerfuffel with KFI's Bill Handel may have led to our downfall. In 2007, Bill was voted Best Morning Man in the LARadio.com peer poll and Best All-Round personality in our 2006 poll. But Bill didn’t seem to have a handle on his temper, with an apparent on-air meltdown in December when he burst into sister station KYSR’s morning show and turned Jamie white as he screamed at her, threatened her and shoved the producer. Handel was upset over an earlier confrontation between Jamie and Handel’s 12-year-old twins, Jamie objecting to the distractions caused by the twins wandering in-and-out of KYSR’s Burbank studios. Handel broadcast one floor away in the same building. His outburst caused Handel to be suspended and fined, as well as offering an on-air apology. Jamie left shortly after the incident.

White, Wood: KDAY, 1987. Unknown.
Whitesides, Barbara: KPOL, 1978; KNNS; KFI, 1980-93; KFWB, 1996. Barbara is teaching at Palomar College, near San Diego.
Whitfield, Mitchell: KMPC, 2003-05. Mitchell was part of the morning show at all-Sports 1540 The Ticket.
Whitlock, Mark: KACE, 1986-95; KFI, 1990. The African American talk show host left KACE in 1995 when Cox Enterprises bought the station. 

WHITMAN, Brian: KIIS, 1994-2005; KABC, 2000-05; KLSX, 2005-08; KRLA, 2012-20. A funnier radio personality you won't find. His comedic talents started in L.A. doing voices and characters for KIIS morning superstar Rick Dees.

While at KLSX during the irreverent Talk days, Brian partnered with Tim Conway, Jr. for the nightly show until leaving in March 2008.

Over the years, Brian's comedy bits appeared on various morning shows. He was co-anchor of the morning show at KRLA 870AM until the end of 2020. Audiences knew something was up in the Spring of 2020 when he took a month off. He wrote on social media: "I will be fine. I’m taking time away because my body and my mind are telling me it’s necessary. On the air, I’ve discussed anxiety I’ve been dealing with and sleeplessness and stress. The resulting mental fatigue is overwhelming and it creates physical fatigue. Often, I’m in physical pain. At 47, I’m prepared for some of this. The consistency of all of the above means I need to feel better.”

Whitman, Don: KXLA, 1957. Unknown. 

WHITNEY, April: KROQ, 1980-92; KEZY, 1993-97. Early in her career, she was the house dj at Big Ben's record store in Van Nuys. In the March 1986 Playboy, April appeared in a 10-page feature spread on "Lady D.J.s." She was pictured in a seductive pose, reclining on a bed in pink lingerie with a Brian Ferry compact disc at her side - and it's clear that she left her underwear at home. She was afraid that a lot of kooks might come out of the woodwork after the Playboy appearance. "So far the only really weird call came from a guy in Dallas who wanted to send me a plane ticket to do some more photos."

In a 1990 LA Times story by Patrick Goldstein, April talked about her life recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. "There was a time at KROQ when it was the inmates running the asylum." As part of her rehabilitation, she participated in a two-hour program called "Clean and Crazy" with KROQ jock Jed the Fish and her then-husband, Chuck Randall. Born in 1961, April started an event production company and returned to school to work on her Masters in psychology. She would like to be a radio psychologist.

 

WHITNEY, Marty: KYSR, 2016-18. Marty joined Alt 98-7 for middays in the fall of 2016. He voicetracked the show from KIOZ-San Diego. He left his midday slot in the summer of 2018 and continued with nights at KIOZ.

His passions are music, swap meets, football, boxer dogs, beach days, fatherhood and being an awesome-not-too-cheesy wedding dj on the weekend.

 

WHITTAKER, Debbii: KGFJ, 1993-94. Debbii changed her air name in 2001 to Toni Terrell. After stops in Colorado and Texas, she is now the apd and an air talent at WHRP-Huntsville, Alabama.

Debbii worked as a midday jock at KGFJ in 1993-94. When she left the Southland, Debbii went to San Francisco and worked at KSOL and then moved over to V101.1/fm in Sacramento.

“In 2001, I changed my air name to Toni Terrell,” emailed Debbii. “After KHYL I moved to Colorado, and then Dallas where I worked at KRNB and KSOC.”

Whittaker, Gary: KBBQ. Last heard, Gary worked at KHMO-Hannibal, Missouri.

WHITTINGHILL, Dick: KIEV, KGFJ, KMPC, 1950-79. For three decades on KMPC, every morning Southern Californians were "Whittinghilled." In the 1950s and 1960s, KMPC was "The Station of the Stars" - the personification of MOR radio - and Dick Whittinghill was the #1 star in the galaxy. Dick was the first dj to get a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. He died January 24, 2001, following complications from colon surgery. He was 87.

In the 1940s, Dick was a singer with The Pied Pipers, a vocal ensemble from the Big Band years that sang with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He was born March 5, 1913, and began his radio career in his hometown at KPFA-Helena, Montana, making a stop in Denver before arriving in the Southland to work at KIEV and at KGFJ. He then had an incredible quarter of a century with Gene Autry's KMPC, beginning in 1950. His old morning rival Bob Crane said it best: "Whittinghill has likability." He was described as steady, honest and faithful to his audience. Crane continued, "Whit's a flag-waver. He likes golf and booze. He says so on the air and he's completely honest and likable."

On his 25th anniversary, Dick commented: "What I'm doing is basically the same format that I've used since 1954. We'll go with an instrumental, a boy vocal, then a girl vocal, up tempo...you just can't play the same type of music constantly." What he did do constantly was an hourly "Story Record," in which Dick told a joke that was punctuated by the lyrics from a song. His engineer, Hal Bender, did bg and voices for Dick. Part of his morning ritual was his breakfast break during a half-hour newscast, when he would leave the station and walk two blocks down Sunset Boulevard to Norm's, where a plate was already prepared with a hamburger patty and tomato slices. His morning team included traffic reporter Paul "Panther" Pierce, Herb Green, Dave DeSoto, John McElhinney and news director Tom Wayman. In 1957, Dick was co-chairman of the high-profile Southern California Heart Fund drive. Dick never made any bones about why he loved radio.

In an LA Times profile, he said he enjoyed the money and did the morning show because "it's more money and I can get away early for golf every day." He hung out daily at the Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake. "The disc jockey," he once said, "is the lowest rung on the show business ladder. There's no talent required for this whatsoever. Believe me. I should know, I've been doing it long enough." In a 1978 interview, Dick said, "I don't believe in ratings and surveys. The way you know you're doing well is to look at your log; if you have a bunch of commercials in there, you know you'll be back the next day." He valued the friendships with his sponsors and advertisers: "I play golf with some of the fellows. Cadillac has been with me about the longest." Dick made a commitment to never tease the sponsors. His show had something for everyone. He had a number of trademark features that his audience could always count on: soap opera lampoons of "Helen Trump," "On This Day in History," and he ended the show with a minute or so of an instrumental.

When he retired from the morning show on KMPC in 1979, he said, "You keep saying to yourself that it has to happen sometime but when you finally make up your mind, it becomes kind of scary. I'm perfectly reconciled to the fact that I've been here long enough and have nothing more to prove." In 1976, he wrote his best-selling autobiography (with Don Page) Did You Whittinghill This Morning? He was immortalized in the Hollywood Wax Museum. In 1982, Dick went to KPRZ and got to sleep in by working afternoon drive. The "Music of Your Life" format was eventually abandoned and the station was renamed KIIS/AM. "The real tragedy was not my leaving the air but rather the city's loss of one more good music station." Dick was featured in hundreds of tv shows and movies. Whittinghill summed up his journey: "I just stumble through life."  

WHITTINGTON, Dick: KNOB, 1960-62; KLAC, 1960-63; KABC, 1966-68; KGIL, 1968-80 and 1985; KFI, 1975-77; KIEV, 1982 and 1988; KHJ, 1983; KABC, 1989-90; KMPC 1990-91; KNJO, 1994-95. Voted one of the Top 10 Los Angeles Radio People of the second half of the 20th century, Sweet Dick is living on the Central California Coast and writing a novel.

Born Karl Whittington in Philadelphia and raised in Odessa, Delaware. "Sweet Dick" carved his niche in morning radio with zany stunts for decades in Southern California. He personifies the theme that radio is "the theater of the mind." Dick started in radio working for his mother after a short career as a lightweight boxer. Six months later, she fired him. Working small and medium markets across the country, Dick eventually came to Los Angeles and landed the all-night shift at KLAC but was shortly fired. A few months later in Phoenix after reporting a giant teapot spritzing iced tea on freeway traffic, he was fired again.  

"I really believe I did some of the best Talk radio I was capable of," he said modestly. "From midnight to six, I worked with just an engineer, who also screened calls for me at KIEV. I roamed the city seeking out out the 'all-night people' everywhere; bars, LA train station, where on whim, I wanted to test the acoustics of the waiting room, so I sang Be My Love to the station master, who threw me out, but laughing all the time. It probably was heard by maybe five people,  but that was OK."

Over the years his Sweetness made a couple of records on both Decca and Warner Bros. "A guy who owned a bar in Glendale placed all three on his jukebox. A few times I would invite the audience to join me for a brew and dancing to my records. One being: 'I'm Just a Surfin' Boy, tho' you treat me like a toy, I'm a man, can't you see through my tan, et.al.' The same five showed up."

"Driving my Mercedes, with just a phone, no remote equipment, I once walked down Glendale Blvd. blindfolded with only a seeing eye dog as my guide," Dick remembered. "I liked that segment of my career. When I left KIEV for KABC, the listeners threw a picnic for me at a local park. How they coordinated the event, I to this day don't know. The top 5 showed up along with another couple a hundred. I left not because I wanted to work for George Green, but because he offered me a hundred thousand, which he later reneged, and paid me twenty five less. I was stuck, but that was, and I imagine still 'good ol' George."
Back in Los Angeles, Sweet Dick was hired by KGIL. After five months he was fired once again. Weekends at KABC resulted in KGIL calling again. From this period on Whittington engaged in a succession of stunts which have since become legendary. Dick won the 1968 Personality of the Year honors from the LA Times. Radio editor Don Page wrote: "Even his competition agrees that Dick is the freshest, funniest and most original personality on local radio."

A review of just a few of his stunts: During the controversy surrounding the film Last Tango in Paris, Sweet Dick shot a film titled "First Fox-trot in Fargo" starring an old rooster and a young hen. Afterwards the theater audience celebrated its success by eating the stars. He was named Times' Radio Personality of the Year again in 1969.

As General Patton MacArthur Whittington, he led an invasion of Catalina Island, with his audience dressed "in the war of their choice" while tap dancing triumphantly into Avalon. Conducting an audience paint-off in the KGIL parking lot, he subsequently flew to Paris where the painting by the numbers was permitted to hang in the Louvre's men's room. In 1973 "Sweet Dick" was voted Billboard's top MOR personality. While at KFI, he married the Queen Mary to a tugboat, witnessed by an audience of 10,000. He later added Time-Life's "Radio Personality of the '70's Decade" award to his resume.

After leaving KMPC and Los Angeles radio, in 1981, Dick joined station KAVR-Apple Valley as general manager and morning man. This arrangement gave "Sweet Dick" an opportunity to fire himself. He did, noting: "I just didn't work out." Unfortunately there are too many Whittington "hirings and firings" to list in this limited space, but perhaps the highlight was 1995 when Dick Whittington fired the radio industry once and for all.
 
WHITTLE, Jeff: KNX, 1998-2002; KFRG, 2002-11; KRLA, 2012-13; KABC, 2013-20. Jeff was  the morning drive news anchor at KABC for six years and left in the spring of 2020.

Jeff started his audio career while at St. Mary's University of Minnesota from 1979-81. He studied mass communications at Michigan State University and earned a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Iowa.

In addition to working at KABC, Jeff narrates and produces audio books for self-published authors and at University Press Audiobooks. He's now a personal trainer and fitness coach.

 

WICKES, Don: KABC, KRLA, XTRA, KFI/KOST, KWKW. Don worked in radio sales and KCOP/Channel 13. He died on February 19, 2010. He had been struggling for many years with cancer. Don was born in the Bronx on September 25, 1931. He worked as a sales representative in the radio and tv industry for over 40 years.

In his forties Don went to night school and studied law while continuing to work during the day as a sales executive. He passed the bar the first time he took the test and left the broadcasting industry for five years and practiced law. He then rejoined the radio industry as a sales executive and also had a law practice.  

After retiring, he did pro-bono law work. During his career, Don was very active in the Milline Club and for a number of years helped on the production of the annual Milline Show. The Milline Club was legendary in the Los Angeles radio and tv industry. Don had many friends in the industry and was admired and beloved by all who knew him. He was a genuinely decent and loyal person, said SCBA prexy Mary Beth Garber.

Wickstrom, John: KWOW, 1974. John was program director of the station and his brother Dean was in sales. Their father, Dean and his wife Florence worked at the station too with a hands on approach. They were in the building a lot of the time, according to Bruce Chandler. 

WIGGINS, E.Z.: KAGB; KACE, 1977-2000. E.Z. worked evenings at KACE until an ownership change in 2000. The voiceover artist recorded many local spots as well as a couple of national spots.

E.Z. is a graduate of Don Martin School of Radio and TV Arts and Commications in 1974. He was the last surviving air personality from the original airstaff at KACE. "The station went on the air April 11, 1977, and with the exception of about a 10-month period I have been there from the beginning."

He is most known for hosting E.Z.'s "Mood For Love" program. "I hosted this show from the late '70s and the decade of the '80s. I chose and played my own music."

He was born Ezell in Cleveland and grew up in Des Moines where he studied theater arts at Des Moines Tech High. After a four-year stint in the Navy, he came to Hollywood. Buzz magazine listed E.Z. as one of the "Buzz 100 Coolest" and described him as "the Barry White of deejays."

 

WILBRAHAM, Craig: KKBT, 1991-99. Craig passed away August 15, 2010, at the age of 63.  Craig was vp/gm at KKBT (92.3/fm, ‘The BEAT’) for much of the 90s. In 2000, Craig worked for Premiere Traffic Network. Most recently he was the western sales manager for XM Satellite until the company merged with Sirius. 

Born and raised in Detroit, he served his country as a Marine in Vietnam. Upon returning from the war he completed his bachelor degree at Oakland University and went on to a successful career in broadcast management. Craig got his start in 1977 as an Account Executive for Christal Radio in Detroit and was promoted to run their Chicago operation shortly thereafter. He then spent time as the general manager for FM-100 in Chicago before moving on to Barnstable Broadcasting in Boston as a vp.

Wilbo [as his friends knew him] took special pleasure in witnessing the success and growth of the many appreciative individuals he mentored and tutored over the years.  

WILBERDING, Jason: KTWV, 2000-04; SBS, 2004-08. Jason joined Spanish Broadcasting System as vp/DOS in late Spring 2004 and became vp of sales at English/Spanish KXOL. In 2009, he joined Premiere Networks as vp of sales In late 2022, Jason was appointed president of sales at Key Networks.

His task was to provide leadership and direction to his team, while developing customized media solutions for numerous clients and agencies based in the Western U.S., according to a Premiere statement. He reports to Carol Terakawa, Executive Vice President, Sales. 

“I’m extremely happy to join an innovative and forward-thinking company like Premiere,” commented Wilberding. “It’s an exciting time in this industry, and Premiere is leading the way with its incredible roster of audio, digital and mobile assets.” 

Jason' s media sales and management experience includes: National Advertising Director and General Manager of BrandX for Tribune’s The Los Angeles Times Media Group, VP/Director of Sales for Interep’s D&R Radio Sales and Spanish Broadcasting Systems’ KXOL/KLAX. Wilberding is a graduate of Central Michigan University with a B.A. in Management. He’s married with two children and resides in Manhattan Beach. 

 

WILBON, Michael: KSPN, 2007-09. Michael is one of the nation’s most respected sports journalists and an industry pioneer as one of the first sportswriters to broaden his career beyond newspapers to include television, radio and new media.

He is a co-host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption with Tony Kornheiser.

 

WILCOX, Brent: KCRW, 1980s. Brent died unexpectedly in Girdwood, Alaska on February 20, 2012. He was 55.

Brent was born in Pasadena, and grew up in Rancho Santa Fe. He attended La Jolla Country Day School, The Choate School in Wallingford, Connecticut and graduated with honors from the film school at UCLA. He loved to write and he loved music but most of all he loved sharing his special perspectives and special musical selections on public radio.

Brent’s passion for public radio led to over 30 years on air and fans worldwide. His first show was in Los Angeles on KCRW with his show FRGK (Funny Rock God Knows), then moving to Cambria, California, he took his fans to “Dreamland” in San Luis Obispo. For the last 11 years, Brent shared his love for world music, progressive and alternative rock, avant-garde, and experimental music with his extended family at Girdwood’s independent radio station KEUL. His radio show “Smoke and Mirrors” aired every Sunday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. He was also the station’s Jazz music director.

He moved to Alaska and started working at Alyeska Resort in 2001 as a doorman. He was quickly tapped to be a reservationist where he moved up the ranks over the years. Brent was promoted to Revenue Manager in the fall of 2009 where he has been a critical part of the hotel’s pricing and forecasting team.

Adept with technology platforms and complex hospitality booking systems, Brent worked hand-in-hand with a variety of hotel departments in establishing sound practices and policies for hotel rates, packages and overall guest service.

Wilcox, Margaret Kerry: KKLA, 1992-2004. Margaret hosted a number of weekend shows at Christian KKLA. 

WILDE, Rita: KEZY, 1978-82; KLOS, 1983-2009; KSWD, 2011-17; KLOS, 2017-19. Rita worked evenings at 100.3/The Sound until the station was sold to the Educational Media Foundation (K-LOVE Christian stations). She did fill-in at KLOS until late 2019.

What started out as an internship at a small station in Orange County (KEZY) has grown into a full-fledged radio career that ranges from her own on-air shifts locally, to nationally syndicated programs as well as international radio features. She is a radio broadcasting legend.  

Rita joined KLOS in 1983 and did mornings until Mark & Brian arrived. She served as the music director of KLOS, hosted the daily "Rock Report" for years, and was the program director for over a decade. Rita has a couple of obsessions – the Angels and football. She was in a plane crash the first and only time she went skydiving.  Rita celebrated a quarter of a century with KLOS. Rita is one of the radio industry’s most recognizable female voices.

Rita moved to Orange County when she was 13 years old. After graduating high school, she began taking classes at her local college. It was there that her Speech teacher, after observing her distinctive voice and extensive music knowledge, suggested she might be well suited for radio. As Rita put it, “For me, at that time, it was like a bolt of lightning. It was like, ‘Radio! Of course!’”


WILDER
, Chuck: XTRA, 1971; KIEV, 1971-2000; KRLA, 2001; KPLS, 2001-03; KSPA, 2005-07. Chuck produced the George Putnam Show, heard at KSPA and Cable Radio Network, for decades. Chuck then hosted the CRN show, "Talk Back," solo. He has been recognized by Defense of Veterans Memorial Project of the American Legion Department of California for his efforts on behalf of fellow veterans and American freedom. He retired from radio in the late spring of 2023.

"Chuck Wilder - and George Putnam before him - live by the code of duty, honor, country," said Rees Lloyd, co-founder and director of the Defense of Veterans Memorial Project.  "They have done so much good for our veterans." Lloyd presented Wilder with a plaque for recognizing the honoree as "a veteran, patriot, radio host and journalist extraordinaire."   

"Chuck exemplifies what makes our country great," said Michael J. Horn, CRN's ceo/president. "He honorably served in the military, actively promotes veterans causes and stirs American passion every day on his show. All of us at CRN are very proud of him." Chuck started with armed forces radio aboard the USS Matthews and then became one of the highest rated radio rock jocks in Texas. He hosted a tv dance show on two ABC stations in Texas and New Mexico and acted as music director, program director and producer. His honors include Billboard DJ of the year, and a member of the board of directors Academy of Country Music. Chuck gave up his exciting career to hook up with George Putnam.

Wildman, Diane: KMET, 1973. She went on to KPFK.

WILEY, Marcellus: KSPN, 2011-18. The former NFL star and ESPN analyst joined Max Kellerman to form the “Max & Marcellus” show that aired weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Their show launched 1.24.11. After a series of co-hosts, Marcellus left KSPN in early summer 2018 and is now with Fox Sports.

A native of Southern California, Wiley attended St. Monica High in Santa Monica, where he was an academically and athletically honored student. Wiley, like his co-host Kellerman, is a graduate of Columbia University.  

A 10-year NFL veteran, Wiley played for four teams during his career, including Buffalo Bills (1997-2000), San Diego Chargers (2001-03), Dallas Cowboys (2004) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2005-06).  Wiley was also voted to the Pro Bowl and was named one of Pro Football Weekly’s Top 50 Players in the NFL.

After the NFL, Wiley turned to broadcasting as an NFL commentator for ESPN. He has appeared on ESPN programs such as First Take, NFL Live, SportsCenter and ESPNEWS and served as contributing analyst for ESPN’s Super Bowl coverage. In addition, Marcellus co-hosts Winners Bracket, with Michelle Beadle, on ABC.  

“I feel like I've just been signed to the Dream Team and we have home court advantage throughout the Olympics,” said Wiley. “L.A., get ready - your son is back!” 

“I am excited to team Max and Marcellus together,” said Mike Thompson, KSPN pd. “Marcellus will bring a unique and well-rounded perspective that very few broadcasters could provide – as a scholar, professional athlete and native Southern Californian. Max and Marcellus’ humor and insider knowledge, on both a local and national level, will engage and connect with our fans.” 

In 2012, he appeared on Millionaire Matchmaker. In the fall of 2018, he released  an autobiography, Never Shut Up: The Life, Opinions and Unexpected Adventures of an NFL Outlier.

Wilkinson, Bud: KSUR, 2003. Bud hosted "Broadway's Biggest Hits" on "K-Surf." His show was syndicated around the county.

WILLARD, Mark: KMPC, 2003-07; KSPN, 2008-14. Mark was part of the morning sports show with Roger Lodge at KMPC 1540/The Ticket until the spring of 2007, when the station was sold to Radio Korea. He then moved to KSPN and co-hosted a show with Mychal Thompson until late summer of 2014.

Mark, a Foster City native who is a lifelong fan of Bay Area sports teams, is now part of KNBR i
n Francisco.

 

WILLES, Ray: KGIL, 1966; KBIG/KBRT, 1968-77.  Ray was pd at KOIL-Omaha, worked at WHK-Cleveland, KISN-Portland, and KDEO-San Diego before arriving in Southern California in 1966 to work at KGIL. In the mid-70s he teamed with Gary Gray in morning drive at KBIG. Ray went on to a very active VO career and he was the voice of the Barbara Walters Specials for well over a decade. He retired in 1999, but his voice was heard periodically over the years on commercials. “I first met Ray when I was 15 years old,” said KRTH’s Shotgun Tom Kelly.

“Ray was one of my mentors. He used to cut voice tracks on Saturday afternoons and let me run the board at KDEO while he was in the production room. Ray was always good to me and we became great friends. Ray was one of the first people to call me and congratulate me when I got the job at K-Earth 101 in 1997. Ray will be missed by many of his colleagues and friends in the Los Angeles community.Ray died February 23, 2010 at the age of 74. 

WILLIAMS, Brad LaRay: KACE, 1981-87; KKGO/KKJZ/KJQI/KNNS, 1989-97; KKJZ, 2007-17. Brad worked mornings at all-Jazz, KKJZ until the summer of 2017.

Brad is a musician turned dj. In 1979 he attended the KIIS Broadcasting Workshop. He started at KACE as a weekend announcer and moved to middays and production director. Brad was talent coordinator and stage manager for the KACE Concert in the Park series. He spent some time doing production and announcing duties for Mt. Wilson Broadcasters' stable of outlets including KKGO.

"My passion for music began in the 1960's and 70's," Brad wrote on his webiste NewSchoolGrooves.com. "I listened to radio, borrowed and collected records, watched musicians on tv and became a real music fanatic. I  was especially fond of  R&B music, with great record labels like Motown, Atlantic, Stax and Philadelphia International to name a few.  After playing  in several 'garage bands' in my teens, I enrolled in broadcasting school and got my first radio job in 1980.  Since then, my experience has included stints at Top 40, Classical, Jazz and R&B stations."  


WILLIAMS, Bruce: KGIL 1989. His widely heard, enlightening show was heard locally on KGIL in the 80s. The TalkNet host died February 9, 2019, at the age of 86. His syndicated show ran for more than 29 years. Bruce was 81 when he hung up his headphones for the final time in 2013, signing off as he always did by saying, “Keep in touch.”

Spanning a career that lasted more than three decades, Williams created a loyal evening listenership with his informative and entertaining program. He seemed to have a logical and common sense approach to all problems.

Born on February 18, 1932, the Hall of Famer didn’t begin his radio career until he was in his forties. His eclectic background provided enough experience resulting in a compelling Talk show. Bruce seemed to know a little bit about a lot of things.

After serving in the Air Force during the Korean conflict and graduating from Newark State College, he opened a pre-school named after his children. He spent time driving an ice cream truck in New York City. He was also a taxi driver and drove a beer truck. He also sold insurance, owned a flower shop, a car rental agency, a barber shop and he owned and operated several nightclubs.

In 1975, he started a general Talk show at WCTC (1450 Talk Radio) in New Jersey, called “At Your Service.” He eventually landed at WMCA-New York. NBC was looking to launch a nightly advice-oriented talk show, and Bruce was chosen and his program launched in November, 1981. It was from this platform that Bruce’s reputation as a broadcaster blossomed.

In 1999, he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago. Bruce authored six financial and real estate advice books as well as a syndicated advice column called Smart Money.

WILIAMS, Charlie: KFOX, 1960-72. Charlie moved to Nashville and built a home on a lake. He managed Bobby Bare and hosted a talk show on WSIX. Charlie passed away in 1995.  Charlie Williams, songwriter, publisher, actor and radio personality, died of cancer Oct. 15 in Nashville. He was 62.

Beginning his professional career in radio, Williams traversed the country working in Tupelo, Fort Worth, Pasadena, L.A., San Francisco and Nashville. While in L.A. he also did work for the Armed Forces Radio & Television service. In addition, he served as co-host of “Town Hall Party,” a country music TV show on KTLA-TV. As a songwriter, Williams is credited with having more than 200 of his compositions recorded by artists such as Johnny Cash, Bobby Bare, Ray Charles, Dean Martin, Randy Travis, Willie Nelson and Jerry Lee Lewis. He was the recipient of five BMI songwriting awards as well as a BMI “Million-Air” award for his song “500 Miles Away From Home.”

Williams moved to Nashville in 1973, opening the country division of ATV Music. Eventually he ran Willie Nelson Music and in 1983 joined Green Harbor Music, a publishing company owned by his wife, Diane Dickerson. TV credits include “Highway Patrol,””Gunsmoke””Wagon Train” and “Dragnet.”

 

WILLIAMS, Dave: KRTH, 1973; KABC, 2000-01; KNX, 2002; KFWB, 2002-03; KNX, 2004-08; KABC, 2009-10. Dave was the morning drive co-news anchor at all-News KNX until late 2008. He went on to afternoon news anchor at KABC and left in the summer of 2010. He's now a news anchor at KLIF-Dallas.

Dave Williams was born and raised in Sacramento. His career has taken him from there to Los Angeles, Chicago and now, Dallas, where the Associated Press named him and Amy Chodroff the Best Major Market Radio News Team in all of Texas.

“Hosting the KNX Morning News for five years was a career crowning achievement of which I am proud," said at the of his leaving KNX in 2008. "A special thanks is due my mentors, David G. Hall and Julie Chin. They are not only the best and brightest in the radio news business, they are also among the most decent and caring ‘people’ people I have ever worked with. I am humbled by the honor to have been in their service.” Williams saluted his morning drive partner of five years, Vicky Moore. “Vicky was the perfect partner. Her strengths support my weaknesses. She propped me up often." 

Dave and his wife, the woman he calls “The lovely-and-feisty CarolAnn Williams,” have two sons and two grandsons in California. At home in Frisco they live with their two beloved Yorkies and a righteously indifferent cat named Cora.

Williams, DC: KEZY, 1994. SEE Dave Weiss.
Williams, Dudley: KGIL, 1966-70. Unknown.

WILLIAMS, Eric: KFWB, 1972-2009. Eric, veteran of all-News KFWB from 1972 until his retirement in 2009, passed away June 11, 2014. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2010 and apparently it had spread to his brain. He was 69.

Eric was unemployed for a year before joining KFWB, but went on to celebrate over three decades with the all-News operation. 

Born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Eric grew up in Salem. “My father worked at WBZ-Boston for 20 years and he would take me to the station to watch him work.” 

Eric studied journalism at El Camino Junior College and San Jose State. At San Jose State he could waive an internship if he secured a full-time job. He walked into KXRX-San Jose in 1966 and was offered a job as a news reporter. A year later he joined San Jose’s KNTV/TV, where he worked in the news department for five years. 

“In 1970 I got caught in the recession and the station laid off half of the 18 person news team.” Eric would leave the Bay Area and land in Southern California. At KFWB, Eric covered several national disasters and commercial airliner crashes. “During the MidEast War I wrote hours and hours of copy.” 

WILLIAMS, Gary: KKGO, 1994-97. Gary worked in Boston public radio before arriving at KKGO.

Gary left radio and became a movie actor in Bruno, starring Sasha Baron Cohen and Inspector Morse, starring John Thaw. He is a full-time writer, a television host, and he's developing a pilot for a talk show on the paranormal.

Gary lives in Los Angeles.

 

WILLIAMS, Hamilton: KCBH, 1966; KFAC. Hamilton died June 30, 2006. He was 83. Hamilton Davis Williams, was a singer, broadcaster, teacher, mentor. Born November 15, 1922, he died of prostate cancer.  

Those of you who were classical music fans in the 60’s and 70’s will remember his nightly "Concerto from Coldwater Canyon" on KCBH and his interviews with the likes of Zubin Mehta, Beverly Sills, Eugene Ormandy and Erich Leinsdorf. His dulcet tones with meticulous attention to the pronunciation of  names and terms in all languages were later heard on KFAC. As an opera and concert performer he was in great demand, especially in the Pasadena area. For thirty years Hamilton taught voice from his studio at Highland and Hollywood. His students will miss him greatly.

A widower of twenty seven years, he is survived by his companion and mentee of thirty three years, William Jackson of Hollywood.

Williams, Hugh: KFWB, KGFJ. Hugh earned an Emmy for his work on AM Los Angeles at KABC/tv. Hugh died August 6, 1994. He was 63.
Williams, J. Otis: KKJZ, 2006, J. Otis worked weekends at the all-Jazz station. He spent time with KSDS, Jazz Radio in San Diego.
Williams, Jeff: KABC, 1974-76; KTNQ, 1978-79; KFWB, 1982-84; KIIS, 1984-87; KTNQ/KLVE, 1993-2006. Jeff is head of research at the Spanish stations.

WILLIAMS, Johnny: KRLA, 1965; KHJ, 1965-74. Johnny lives in Hawaii and hosts premiere radio Website, 440int.com. He is best known as the all-night man during KHJ's "Boss Radio" days

In 1962, Johnny worked afternoon drive at KISN-Portland hosting the “Fabulous Fifty Hit Parade.”

He was born in Fort Scott, Kansas and lived there until he was 5 years old. He came to the Southland from Denver where he was "Dapper Dan, the All-Night Man" via a stop-over as pd at KCBQ-San Diego. When Gary Mack left KRLA to join his old friend Bill Drake at the newly formatted KHJ, Johnny was brought on to KRLA in the spring of 1965. Johnny only worked one weekend shift before becoming one of the original "Boss Jocks." He did nine to noon for a brief time in early 1967.

In Billboard magazine's Radio Response Ratings of 1966, Johnny was voted top all-night jock. In 1975 he went to work for his old friend Ted Atkins at WTAE-Pittsburgh. In 1985 Johnny left WTAE and started a Pittsburgh advertising agency with his wife, Carol. It was during this time that Johnny developed an interest in computing and telecommunications. He started a bulletin board system in Pittsburgh. In late 1991 he and Carol closed the agency and moved to the Islands.

“Hawaii is our most favorite location on earth." He worked for the two all-News stations in Hawaii until 1995. He has been surfing the Net and running the “best” radio Website.

Williams, Keith: KLSX, 1998. Unknown.
Williams, Larry: KUTE, 1973-76. Unknown.
Williams, Laurie: KSCA, 1994-97. Laurie is working for a radio syndication company.

WILLIAMS, Morgan: KGFJ; KBCA; KRLA; KFI/KOST; KBIG, 1984-98. Morgan worked at KBIG for 13 years and passed away in her Mid-Wilshire home after a short but difficult battle with lung cancer on July 17, 1999. She was 67.

Born Morgan Spencer on February 29, in Roselle, New Jersey. She was first heard in the 1950s as Margi, sidekick to Hunter Hancock at KGFJ. "Hunter thought his name was so unusual and not many women were named Morgan, so I became Margi," Morgan told me when I interviewed her for my book, Los Angeles Radio People.

A graduate of William and Mary University, Morgan worked in media across the country. In the 1960s, she was a news reporter at KABC/Channel 7, and KHJ/Channel 9 (now called KCAL/TV). In the '70s she had a long stint with KFI radio covering news and public affairs. In the '80s and '90s, she was public affairs director at KBIG, where she was known for her unique and intimately styled weekly long-form interviews on "The Big Picture."

Morgan married the lead singer of the Platters, Tony Williams.

Her love affair with radio began with a love for her grandfather. "When I was three or four I would sit at my grandfather’s feet and listen to the radio news with him. I would say ‘Papa Charlie what does the man mean?’ And he would answer me like a grownup. He said if I was old enough to ask the questions, I was entitled to an answer. He never told me to hush." Morgan ended my interview with the following that seems somewhat appropriate: "I have truly been blessed in this life."

Williams, Rick: KACE, 1970-71; KNAC, 1977, KSCA, 1994. Rick is the A&R supervisor at DCC Compact Discs in L.A.
Williams, Rob: KKHR, 1983. Rob was a newsman during the Top 40 days of HIT RADIO.
Williams, Travis: KACE, 1970-71; KTBT/KORJ/KDIG, 1971-76; KOCM, 1974 and 1976-77. Since 1996, Travis has been a regulatory affairs analyst with the County of Los Angeles.
Williams, Verne: KABC, KFWB, KFI. Verne was one of the original anchors when KFWB went all-News. Born in New York, he grew up in Texas and Massachusetts. He started out on WESX-Salem, Massachusetts and later spent two decades with WBZ-Boston. Verne’s son Eric has been with KFWB for 25 years. When Verne left the Southland in 1971 he moved to Sacramento and San Francisco. While he was in the Bay Area Verne was the executive assistant to the mayor of San Francisco. Verne passed away in 1992.
Williams, Vince: KFWB, 1968-70. Unknown.

WILLIAMS, Warren: KNX/fm, 1987-88; KLSX, 1991-96, pd. Warren died February 21, 2010, of a heart attack. He was 54. "It could have been an aneurism in the heart, but the doctors aren’t sure because there wasn’t any particular stress with Warren,” said his wife, Kim. 

Warren arrived for his first visit in the Southland from KSRR/KKHT-Houston for morning drive at KNX/fm. He left in 1988 to program WOFX-Cincinnati and returned to the Southland in 1991 to be assistant pd at KLSX, later becoming pd in 1994.

Born June 13, 1955, in Nyack, New York, Warren graduated from Penn State University with a B.A. in speech communication. While doing post-graduate work, he produced Coach Joe Paterno’s pre-game show that aired on the 80-station Penn State Football Network. In 1981 he programmed KATT-Oklahoma City and three years later became pd of KDKB-Phoenix, which is where Kim and Warren met. Warren had an active production company that was responsible for the writing and production of all radio advertising for Fox Sports in the mid-90s and he created the national radio launch campaign for the conversion of Prime Sports to Fox Sports Net. He worked for Larry Kahn with Sports Radio Network and was the voice and did the production. He was also the voice talent for Sinclair Broadcast Group for many of their Fox TV stations around the country. 

 

WILLIAMS, Wendy: KDAY, 2007-08. Wendy had a syndicated radio show, heard on KDAY, until landing a tv talk show in 2008. She left radio when she was given a 6-week tryout for a syndicated tv show. It worked and audiences love the audacious host who is willing to say almost anything. Her The Wendy Williams Show was renewed through 2020 and ended in 2022. She was profiled in a full-page February 2017 issue of Fortune. Some highlights:

"Born and raised in New Jersey. Her parents are academics with three master's degrees between them. Wendy has written seven book. They aren't typical celebrity pabulum. Instead, she writes fiction. Her latest is a romance novel.

Wendy has a Home Shopping Network clothing line that has grown 75% year over year in gross sales.

Her charity, the Hunter Foundation, helps families affected by drug addiction, which she once struggled with."


WILLIAMS, William F.: KDAY, 1960; KBLA, 1965-67; KBBQ, 1966-67; KRLA, 1968-69; KPPC, 1971-72. Since 1984 William hasd been living and writing in the mountains. He died December 27, 2019, at the age of 84. Born on February 9, 1935, William F. was a popular dj in the 60’s at KMEN in the Inland Empire. He loved writing, riding his Harley, flying his Cessna, Kauai, cars, reading and movies. Never at a loss for words, he was a great story teller and could make anyone laugh. His motto was IFIAFFI, if it ain’t fun f… it!

In 1960, William worked San Jose's KLIV before arriving at KDAY where he spent his days at Martoni's with Alan Freed waiting for the format change. After KDAY, he returned to KMEN for three years. While at KBLA, he worked a live-concert booth at the first Teenage Fair at the Hollywood Palladium and was voted by the Fair's attendees "L.A.'s Coolest Jock." He left KBLA to be pd of KCBQ-San Diego.

While at Country KBBQ, he was Bill Williams. His time at KBBQ led to the formation of a production company with Jimmy Webb. They co-produced MacArthur Park by Richard Harris and Up Up and Away. William described this period as "weird," and he lived on a mountain top until KRLA pd Doug Cox in 1968 coaxed him to morning drive. There, his "weirdness" prompted a memo from the gm which William read on the air. Another gm memo told him to refrain from airing internal memos. William read this memo on the air. The next memo was "you're fired," which he read on the air, before leaving the station.

He played a Presidential advisor in the Peter Sellers movie Being There. After a return stint to the mountains, William's old friend Doug Cox was now gm at KPPC. “As jock/pd in 1971, I instituted the first and only truly ‘free-form’ radio station in Los Angeles. The country was in the throes of an unpopular war, and we reflected the restlessness of the times.” By 1972, William got on his Harley and headed for Mexico. In 1976, he rejoined Jimmy Webb for another run at the music business, where he wrote tv specials for Rolling Stone, Ringo Starr, Olivia Newton-John and acted as music supervisor on a couple of feature films and a tv series. (Thanks to Ted Ziegenbusch for assistance with William F. Williams' bio)

 

WILLIS, Scott: KLON, 1992-2002/KKJZ, 2002-07.  Scott hosted "Mostly Bop" weekend show at the Jazz station and he was music director until the spring of 2007 when there was a management change. Since 2011, he has been music director of JazzRadio.com. 

Scott has over a quarter of a century experience as a broadcaster in commercial, non-commercial, and Internet radio working as a program director, music director, producer and host. He is currently music director of several online radio channels and can be heard hosting jazz programs as part of the in-flight entertainment for domestic and international airlines as well. Twice nominated as jazz personality of the year by Gavin magazine, he has been an industry panelist and moderator at numerous jazz conferences including Jazz Times, Jazz Week, and the International Association of Jazz Education. Scott has also been heard on the air as a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, News & Notes, and at NPRMusic.org, and has been the senior producer and host for several national broadcasts including the annual Playboy Jazz Festival and the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival.

 Over the years, his interest in the history and stories behind the music he loves has led him to create a number of unique programs, including most recently "Talkin' Jazz with Scott Willis," a syndicated jazz feature program launched in the Spring of 2007 and carried on over 30 stations nationwide during its time in production. 

As a music supervisor, Scott has worked on independent film and television commercials for several production companies. He continues to be called on as a consultant for jazz documentaries, film soundtracks, reissue recordings, and archival holdings. 

Wills, Maury: KABC. Maury, a former star with the LA Dodgers and host of SportsTalk at KABC, lives in the South Bay. He has a role in the Legends program within the Dodger organization.

Wilson, Andy: KRHM, 1966; KPPC, 1966-68. Unknown.

WILSON, Bob: KDAY, 1969-72. The former owner of Radio & Records was involved for a time with the syndication of Wolfman Jack.

Born in 1946 in Providence, Rhode Island, Bob moved to California with his family in 1955. "I was a major radio and music junkie by age 5." Bob used to park cars in the Hollywood lot behind KFWB, where he was befriended by Gary Owens. "Gary helped me get into radio and he also wrote a weekly column for me in the early years of R&R." Bob was pd of KAFY-Bakersfield before moving to KDAY, where he said he was "putting show business back into radio." He put Wolfman Jack on L.A. radio. "We extended him to television, with Wolf hosting Midnight Special and playing a key role in American Graffiti." "Wolf and I were partners in a company called Audio Stimulation - the logo was a radio with a lighted dynamite stick stuck in the side." They syndicated two versions of the “Wolfman Jack Show” (Hits & Gold), two weekly concerts from the KDAY series that ran Wednesday and Friday nights from the Troubadour and the Whiskey night clubs. KDAY was the first station to bring back "live concerts." They also produced a six-hour Beach Boys special, Jefferson Starship and Hank Williams specials. "The only other player of our size was a new company called Watermark and a show called ‘American Top 40.’"

Bob revolutionized the publishing business in the summer of 1973 with the launch of Radio & Records and virtually overnight the publication became the bible for radio and record people. During this period Bob was the co-creator of the long-running television show Solid Gold. He moved R&R into music entertainment productions for outdoor venues. They produced giant, multi-screen traveling shows like "The Great Rock & Roll Time Machine." "We had the Eagles reunion two years before they toured." After selling R&R he partnered with Jeff Pollack and Mel Karmazin, developing a grand concept for what radio really could be like on the Internet. 

 

WILSON, George: KIQQ, 1980-85. Born George Wilson Crowell on July 18, 1929, in Katonah, New York, he made his marketing presence felt with the Bartell chain. George, starting out as a professional baseball player, became a sports announcer and then a disc jockey in the 1950’s. He died April 10, 2013 of complications from a heart attack two weeks earlier.

George was pd of WOKY-Milwaukee. In the early 1970s he was gm of WDRQ-Detroit. In a multi-part interview in Billboard in 1975, George, as the executive vp of Bartell Media's radio division commented: "Chuck Blore was always kind of like my hero. He used to have phenomenally great ideas and I would just find out what he was going to do next week, then I'd do it."

George has since moved to Albuquerque.  As a broadcast executive with Bartell Broadcasting and the Starr group of stations he was twice honored as National Program Director and named by his peers as Radio Executive of the Year. George served as station manager, President and board member of major radio broadcast groups. He served on the Nominating Committee of the "Hit Parade" Hall of Fame and operated "George Wilson's Memory Tunes" website.

 

WILSON, Marina: KOCM, 1988; KIKF, 1990-92; KEZY, 1992-96; KLIT, 1992-94; KOST, 1995-96; KACD, 1996; KZLA, 1996-2001; KFSH, 2000-03; KRTH, 2006; KOLA, 2003-10; KTWV, 2010-14; KMZT, 2014. Marina worked weekends at KOLA in the Inland Empire until July 2010 when she joined weekends at "The WAVE."

Marina was an art/history major at UC Irvine and was an art animator and eventually worked for a museum. She worked in the Redlands/San Bernardino market at KCAL, KFRG and KQLH. Her voice work includes AEI In-flight programs and the Warner Bros. tv series Hawk and Life Goes On. Some of her commercial work includes Nissan, Mighty Ducks NHL and Woolite. At KACD she worked as Michelle Knight.

Wilson, Mark: KLYY, 1999. Mark started mornings at "Y107" in the spring of 1999 and left in late 1999 following a format switch to Spanish.

WILSON, Nancy: KTWV, 1987-95; KLON, 1997. Nancy is living in Pasadena and doing voiceover and sudying acting at Actors Improv Studio- teacher, Bill Applebaum.

“I joined ‘the Wave’ two weeks after it was launched. There were no announcers in the beginning but when John Sebastain arrived, he put me on the air.”

Nancy was born in Merced but grew up in Granada Hills. At 17 she was doing tv work and was an early female hire in the engineering department at KCOP/Channel 13. “As an editor we were still cutting tape with a razor blade.” Nancy decided to pursue radio and started all over again. She was a dj in 29 Palms and the Antelope Valley all the while “begging” KFWB for a job. After working at KFWB, Nancy became an engineer at KABC but wanted to be on the air. While attending music school, she heard the promos announcing the change at KMET to KTWV, applied and got the job. “I had always wanted acreage and after the 1994 earthquake I started making plans to leave. I bought 10 acres in Idaho and moved in 1995.” She has been working radio and doing on-camera commercial work in the Spokane area. Nancy’s planning to return to the Southland. “The winters are brutal. We were buried in snow this year and now plan to use my Coeur d’Alene residence as a second home.”

Wilson, Scotty: KNAC, 1984-88; KIIS, 1993-94. Scotty has been working for HardRadio.com.

WILSON, Warren: KABC, 1965-68; KFWB, 1968-70. Warren was a longtime reporter for KTLA/Channel 5. He retired in 2005, after 21 years at KTLA.

He is well known for brokering the surrenders of some 22 fugitives during his many years on the beat. During his tenure at KTLA, Wilson’s scoops included interviewing Rodney King in 1991, just days after King was beaten by L.A. police officers in a videotaped incident that helped spark riots in the city the following year. In March 1993 alone, two suspects involved in unrelated incidents contacted Wilson to arrange their surrenders. One was a 14-year-old boy wanted for questioning in a murder case who told Wilson that he reached out to the reporter because of his “reputation for honesty.”

He joined KTLA in September of 1984 as a part-time field reporter for the station’s Prime News. Prior to coming to KTLA/WB, he held various senior journalist positions for 15 years with KNBC and NBC Television News. He received fifteen Emmy nominations. In 2005 Wilson received two Associated Press Television-Radio Association Awards for Best Live Coverage of a News Event and Best Spot News Story. His citations include: Most Responsible Reporter in Southern California from former Los Angeles Police Department Chief Daryl Gates, and he has received commendations from various community organizations, state legislature, county supervisors, the City Council of Los Angeles, Mayor Tom Bradley, schools and many women’s organizations. He won a Peabody Award as part of team coverage of the Rodney King beating case, and in 2002 was honored as broadcast journalist of the year by the Society of Professional Journalists.

His extensive education has earned him a L.L.B. Degree from West Los Angeles School of Law; a B. A. degree in Political Science from the California State University and an A. A. Degree in Journalism from East Los Angeles College. He has majored in News Film at Columbia University’s Special School of Telecommunications in New York and in Political Science at UCLA. He taught Radio/TV News Writing at California State University, Los Angeles.

WIMAN, Al: KFWB, 1959-66; KLAC, 1966-69. Al had three incredible journeys reporting news in Southern California. He was at KFWB during the Chuck Blore/Jim Hawthorne rock years, the Joe Pyne talk era at KLAC and the early stages of the successful KABC/Channel 7 Eyewitness News. While at KFWB in 1964, Al narrated The Beatles' Story album for Capitol Records. 

"I was at the Charles Manson murder site with my cameraman and sound engineer. We found the bloody clothes on a hillside six minutes and 20 seconds away from Sharon Tate's house. We got in the news van and traveled down Benedict Canyon. I was undressing in the station wagon and when I put on new clothes we stopped the station wagon. We hiked down the hillside and found the bloody clothes. The detectives were flabbergasted. We filmed it but didn't touch the pile of clothes," said Al when being interviewed for Los Angeles Radio People. He was referenced in the Manson book and tv movie, Helter Skelter.

Al joined KFWB doing traffic reports while he was in the Navy. Civilians were running Armed Forces Radio and were jealous of Al's involvement with KFWB so they shipped him out on the U.S.S. Topeka, a guided missile cruiser. "I took music on the ship along with a jingle package. We must have been the only ship with a set of jingles."

Al grew up in Laurel, Mississippi, and was the medicine and science editor for KMOV/TV-St. Louis for decades. When a photo of Al was requested from KMOV/TV, the marketing manager Mary Westermeyer wrote the following unsolicited words about Al: "Al is extremely humble and will never pat himself on the back. He's an outstanding reporter, St. Louisan, husband and father, but foremost he's an incredible human being. Al personally gives back to the community more than any other talent with the station. He has an impeccable reputation within the St. Louis medical community. Al has a terrific wit, caring attitude and he's adored in the community." Al has moved to KSDK/TV in St. Louis.

WINCHELL, April: KFI, 2000-02; KABC, 2003-04. April left KFI at the end of 2002 and she appears every Tuesday evening with Marc Germain on TalkRadioOne.com. She wrote about her famous father Paul Winchell: “The mere mention of my father's name evokes bowls of cereal on the floor on Saturday morning, a sense of wonderment and a suspension of disbelief we don't have as adults. His work was magic to us,” wrote April. “I loved his work. I was at every puppet show, every recording session, every supermarket opening and public appearance. I was his biggest fan. Never at any time, will you ever hear me discount his talent or his accomplishments.” 

April continued: “My father was an extremely gifted man. He did amazing things with his intellect. He contributed not only to television, but to medicine, society and technology. Some of you have even said that he was infinitely more talented than I will ever be. You're probably right. But I was never in competition with him, nor am I jealous of his accomplishments. I am very, very proud of them. I can honestly say that he left this world a better place than he found it. 

“Every one of my siblings suffered more than you will ever know," wrote April. "I'm sorry if you're disappointed, but it was not Winchell Mahoney Time at my house. It was dark and frightening and very, very sad. Last year, my father wrote a book called Winch. That book was so cruel, that I no longer felt compelled to protect him, or you.” 

“Imagine that your father writes a book depicting your loving and generous mother as a whore. Imagine him laying waste to your entire family, under the guise of ‘getting well.’ Imagine too, that all his memories are filtered through years of self-admitted drug abuse and mental illness, and bear no relation to the real events. 

"What would you do with that? All I can tell you is what I had to do. I had to defend my mother. Because she really is a hero. My mother stood by my father for 12 years, throughout his drug abuse, his infidelities, his paranoia, his psychotic episodes, his physical abuse and his institutionalizations. She did so because he was my father, and she did that for me. 

"When she finally realized our own mental health was at risk, she left. She was heartbroken. He retaliated in ways that are unspeakable. Still, my mother insisted that I keep in contact with him, because he was my father. She forced me to go on visitation with him, because he was my father.

Whether you think I'm funny or not, my sense of humor is my greatest gift. It has been my vocation and my lifeline. And that sense of humor was a gift from my mother. She taught me the value of laughter. She gave me self-esteem. And most importantly, she was there." 

Windsor, Natalie: KMGX, 1990. Natalie covers the country music beat for AP Radio Network.
Winesett, Barry: KRLA, 1984-92. Barry is doing post-production for several syndicated radio shows including The Dr. Demento Show.
Wingert, Wally: KTWV, 1987-2001. Wally is a national voiceover talent.

WINNAMAN, John: KLOS, 1974-78. The gm of the AOR station died September 16, 1978, of a aneurysm on the baseball field during a KLOS promotional game. He was age 42. The LA Times paid tribute to John: "He was also president of vp of the Southern California Broadcaster Association. Winnaman was a tireless, eloquent spokesman for the medium. Several years back, a certain reporter had interviewed Winnaman regarding KLOS' participation in an outdoor concert. The station was to have conducted backstage interviews and monitored traffic for this event, but somehow the reporter got his facts crossed and wrote that KLOS would be broadcasting the concert itself - a gaffe that created no small downpour of havoc with the KLOS phone lines jammed with angry listeners. Winnaman, instead of reacting with justifiable anger, called the embarrassed reporter to thank him for the article, accepted the blame for the reporter's misunderstanding (he was totally blameless) and then followed that up with a letter to the reporter's editor echoing those same sentiments. He was a professional and a gentleman."

 

WINRICH, Darrell: KABC, 1968-85. Darrell is retired and splits his time between Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Dana Point. Darrell was a financial reporter on the morning drive "Ken and Bob Company" show for almost a quarter of a century.

"Radio was an important but secondary career for me. My main occupation was running an investment company I founded in 1976, WCM Investment Management, which is still going strong. I retired from radio in 1985 and retired from business in 1991." His radio career began accidentally in 1964. “I was the director of research at a large brokerage firm in San Francisco. The owner and my boss, who was a good friend of the vp at KCBS, agreed to do a live interview with audience call-ins in our boardroom, but wanted me to be at his side to answer the ‘difficult’ questions. As it turned out, he gave me almost all the questions, the audience reaction was apparently very positive, and a few days later I was offered a spot on the Dave McElhatton show, which was number one in the Bay Area at the time. I was reluctant, believing I had zero talent, but after a successful taping, Dave and my boss prevailed. It turned out to be a great success over the next four years. At that time, I was tempted by a better job offer in L.A. so moved to So Cal in 1968. A few months later, Ben Hoberman of KABC, called my new boss with this great idea. How he knew about me I never found out. Once again I surrendered reluctantly under pressure from the head of the firm. The rest is history.”

Darrell was born in Bakersfield on May 20, 1929. When he was 12 his family moved to Long Beach and he went to College of the Pacific (now UOP) on a tennis scholarship. In 1951 he went undefeated, winning the Northern California Intercollegiate Singles title. He served in the Korean Conflict.

 Winslow, Harlan: KMET, 1975-76; KMPC/fm/KEDG, 1988-89. Harlan is semi-retired and living in Northern California. 

WINSLOW, Michael: KODJ, 1989. Michael is sound effects actor in the Police Academy series. Dogs barking. Feet squishing in soggy sneakers. Chalk screeching across a classroom chalkboard. Jet engines roaring. Michael makes all the sounds sound real. His mother remembers hearing him in the crib imitating passing trucks and sirens.

Michael was born September 6, 1958, in Spokane, Washington. His father was in the Air Force and so the family moved frequently. Michael used the sound effects and humor to avoid being picked on as the newest kid in school. The sound effects actor in the Police Academy series teamed with Dean Goss in March of 1989 at Oldies KODJ. The morning drive experiment lasted less than two months.

Michael dropped out of the University of Colorado in his sophomore year to give comedy clubs a try. Michael had a number of difficult years while waiting for his first break. In 1984, the director and producer of Police Academy saw him as the opening act for Count Basie’s Orchestra at a Long Beach Theatre.

He has since appeared in Spaceballs, Cheech and Chong, Gremlins and Back to the Future 3.

 

WINSTON, Cliff: KJLH, 1986-90; KKBT, 1990-93; KJLH, 1993-2006; KKBT/KRBV, 2006-08. Cliff worked mornings at KRBV (V-100) until Radio-One sold the station to Bonneville in April 2008. Cliff died of a massive heart attack on December 19, 2017. He was 63.

Cliff grew up in Southern California, with his first ambition in broadcasting was sportscasting. He attended the University of Washington and started his radio career at KYAC-Seattle doing both drive times. He moved to KMJM-St. Louis, followed by a stint at WBMX-Chicago, then served as pd at WDRQ-Detroit. KRLY-Houston was his last stop before joining KJLH.

Cliff was one of the original morning hosts at “The Beat” (KKBT) while also serving as public affairs director. In late 1993, he rejoined KJLH in morning drive, where he had spent 13 years. In the summer of 1995, Cliff was appointed pd of KJLH. The Urban Network has recognized him as air personality of the year. In 1999 he received another award as Air Personality of the Year by Black Radio Exclusive Magazine.

He was a giant in LARadio and this will give you a perspective on who we lost. Some highlights from an LARadio story in 2006: “Any conversation you have about an enduring Urban Contemporary radio personality in Los Angeles has to include Cliff Winston,” said Kevin Fleming, his colleague at KKBT.

Born and raised in L.A., as a youngster Cliff was fascinated with listening to his transistor radio. “I would be up in the middle of the night listening to the radio and I loved KHJ. When I was a real small kid, they had KRLA and my mom used to listen to KFWB and KGFJ. It’s funny that KFWB uses the same jingle they used when they were a Top 40 station,” said Clliff. “I loved that style of radio with Robert W. Morgan, The Real Don Steele, Sam Riddle and all those legends.”

During school games, Cliff would practice by taking his tape recorder to the very top of the gymnasium and call the action. “When I got to the LA City College tv/radio program I began to feel I could really do this when KDAY signed on with Jim Maddox, JJ Johnson, and Steve Wood, I wanted to be like them.” He transferred to the University of Washington where they had a stronger radio/tv program. From the Northwest he went to St. Louis to work at “Magic 108” for Jim Maddox. The morning man was Brad Edwards. “When I was growing up I would listen to Brad on KGBS. I couldn’t believe I would be working with big Bradley. He came from that generation of hard-drinking guys. He could be hung over, napping under the console, and the record ended, he would get up and do a break flawlessly. When the light went on, bam, he was on. It blew me away watching big Brad. He was still the fastest gun in the West but his hands would shake.”

Following Cliff’s time in St. Louis, he went to WBMX-Chicago, which was owned by Sonderling Broadcasting. “I remember one night when the old man came on the air with me because they had some sort of political turmoil and Jesse Jackson was picketing the station. He was an old German gentleman proclaiming that the station was always 'a black music experience.' A great guy, but what a classic for the owner, Edgemont Sonderling, to be on the overnight shift with me.”

He left Chicago in 1981 and worked for Spanky Lane (ex-KDAY) at Adult Contemporary WDRQ-Detroit. “When Spanky left he made me program director under consultant Al Casey. I learned a lot from Al who said, ‘You know what, junior, let me tell you what wins. Songs win. A great song wins. Always remember, songs win. Not tracks, but songs.” During this time, Cliff learned about call-out research because he had to make the calls and then calculate everything by hand. “It showed me that songs I liked weren’t songs that the audience necessarily liked. Songs I’m tired of, the audience might just be getting used to them. Jerry Clifton (the consultant) was a strict research guy and he was right. The station shot up in the market.” Cliff eventually was offered an opportunity to join KJLH in 1985. “I actually took a pay cut to work middays, but within a year I was pd and working morning drive until 1990 when the BEAT first signed on with Jimmy DeCastro, Liz Kiley and Mike Stradford. The station shot to the top. It was a great success.”  

Winston, Kari Johnson: KBIG, 1978-82 and 1985-95. Kari is president of Bonneville's Washington, DC radio division.
Winston, Robert: Robert is vp/gm at Metro Networks/Shadow Broadcast Services. The former national sales manager at KFI went on to KFWB and eventually he became vp of sales for AM/FM, Inc.
Winter, Pat: KFWB, 1971-75. Pat was a writer, editor and broadcast reporter for KFWB.

WINTERBLE, Brett: KFWB, 2014-15. Brett, a 20 year veteran of radio and television, has worked with Clear Channel, Radio America, CBS News, Brandon D’Amore Productions, Premiere Radio Networks, National Review and Human Events, just to name a few. He speaks with groups on the transformative power of talk radio.

Brett is also a comedy writer who has done Stand Up Comedy in NYC and studied with the Groundlings Improv Group in LA. He spent a year in afternoon drive at the new Sports station, KFWB (The Beast) with partner George Wrighster. They left in August 2015. Brett hosted an afternoon drive at news/talk KFMB-AM, San Diego until early 2020. He's now in afternoon drive at WBT-Charlotte.
 

 

WISDOM, Gabriel: XHIS/XHRS, 1972; KMET; KLSX, 1999-2009. Since 1997, he has hosted or co-hosted Financial Wisdom with Gabriel Wisdom heard nationally on the affiliates of The Business Talk Radio Network. He owns American Money Management. 

Gabriel is a seasoned investment advisor who handles thousands of investment accounts, representing over one billion dollars in assets during the last 30 years. His broadcast career began in 1968 at KPRI-San Diego, followed by KGB-San Diego, and KMET. His persona circa 1973 is portrayed briefly in Cameron Crowe’s movie Almost Famous. Wisdom has been a Forbes.com contributor, and is the author of Wisdom on Value Investing.  longtime proponent of Executive Education, he earned an Undergraduate Advanced Diploma in Data & Systems Analysis from the University of Oxford, a Bachelor of Science in Quality Systems Management from the National Graduate School of Quality Management, Falmouth, MA., and an MBA from California’s first State Approved (1976) distance learning college. He completed the Director Education and Certification Program (Certified Director) at UCLA’s Anderson School of Business. He has three daughters and is married to Diana Weiss-Wisdom Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist.

 

WISER, Marci: KLOS, 2016-23. Marci works middays at the Classic Rock station. In the summer of 2021, Marci was awarded a Gracie from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation.

Marci has done a tour of radio duty that stretches from Los Angeles to Manhattan, from D.C. to Seattle, and a bunch of other points in-between. She grew up in the Midwest with her big personality and loud music and after being discovered on a college radio station, the rest, as they say, is history. Marci is obsessed with Dave Grohl, she’s addicted to Law & Order reruns and Smart Water, and she suffers from misophonia, which means certain sounds and words drive her up the wall and back.

Note of caution: When around Marci, don’t blow your nose, sneeze or utter the words snack, moist or ribbon, You’ve been warned. When she’s not hanging out at The Rock of Southern California, you can find her at clubs, theaters, parks, mountains and the beach. (From the KLOS website)
WISK, Al: KMPC, 1978-79. Since 1983, Al has been a finance lawyer in Dallas at Clark Hill Strasburger. “One month after graduation from the University of Michigan in 1972, I answered an ad in Broadcasting Magazine, ‘Opportunity to Join Dallas Cowboys Broadcast Team.’ KRLD, the flagship station for the Cowboys 175 station network, received responses from 250 candidates and somehow I got the job.”

Ernie Harwell, the Baseball Hall of Fame announcer for the Detroit Tigers, was Al’s mentor. “KRLD hired me without an interview based on a University of Michigan basketball play-by-play tape and Ernie’s recommendation. While in Michigan, Al did news for WQTE and WPAG, and was dj for WTRX and sports for WCBN. He also wrote for the Ann Arbor News. “

In 1972, the Dallas Cowboys had just won their first Super Bowl. "For the next four seasons I shared the announcing duties with Verne Lundquist and mentor Frank Glieber. “I originated a sports talk show on the station at 6 p.m. that was the highest rated program in the market in that time slot. My last football broadcast in Dallas was Super Bowl X.”

When Enberg left to become NBC’s #1 sportscaster in 1978, Al became the Rams play-by-play announcer and in 1979 moved from the #3 Angels announcer up to #2 teamed with #1 Don Drysdale. “The last Angels games I broadcast were the American League Championship Series (ALCS) with the Baltimore Orioles. The final Rams game I announced was the 1980 Super Bowl (XIV). In 1979, KMPC made wholesale on-air personnel changes as the station transitioned to talk. Al decided to go to law school in Dallas at SMU. “To pay the tuition, I announced the Kansas City Royals games on WDAF/TV for three seasons.

Al is humble when he attributes much of his success to providence, but he says his final stroke of broadcasting luck came in 1980. “State Farm was looking for a new national radio voice for its commercials. They were considering a number of Hollywood actors. My former agent was pitching one of them. While State Farm’s head of advertising was searching on the agent’s reel-to-reel demo tape for Actor X in front of the Chairman of the Board Ed Rust, Sr. and the other executives, he accidentally stopped the tape at my voice and State Farm’s chairman said, “That’s it! That’s the voice I want.” That led to 15 years as the national radio voice for State Farm.”

 

WITCHER, Geoff: KGIL, 1969-70; KABC, 1975-83; KMPC, 1992-94; KABC, 1995-97; KIIS/KXTA, 1998-99; KFWB, 2000-02; KLAC, 2001; KNX, 2012-17. Geoff is a longtime radio sports figure and was part of the Angels post-game game show. He was one of the weekend sports anchors at all-News, KNX.

Born on July 1, 1947, Geoff dreamed of becoming a sportscaster since he was 10. "I remember sitting at Dodger Stadium with my best friend and pointing to the broadcast booth declaring that I would be there one day." Geoff started at KGIL as a newswriter and then, from 1969 to 1973, he worked the Dodgers radio/tv wire. In 1975 he joined KABC and hosted "DodgerTalk," "Dodger Confidential," "LakerTalk," "Laker Confidential," "TrojanTalk," "NFL Sunday Preview" and "SportsTalk." ON-TV was his next assignment and for seven years beginning in 1977 he did play-by-play for the Dodgers, Angels, USC basketball and the L.A. Lakers. In 1992, he joined KMPC and co-hosted "Baseball '92" and filled in for California Angels play-by-play when Bob Starr did Rams games. Geoff also did play-by-play for USC and UCLA games on Prime Ticket (later Prime Sports and now Fox Sports West) from 1985 to 1990. Geoff also called boxing for the USA Network, pro basketball for ESPN and USC football for the Lorimar Sports Network. Geoff grew up in the Southland and was Cal State Northridge's sports director for the school's radio station, KCSN. 

 Witherspoon, Jimmy: KMET. The blues singer died of natural causes on September 18, 1997. He was 74.
Wittenberg, Dave: KLYY, 1999. Dave worked evenings at "Y107" with Harrison until late 1999 when the station changed to Spanish.

WOLF, Janine: KHJ, 1980-84; KHTZ, 1985; KNX/fm, 1988-89; KODJ, 1989-90; KBIG, 1993-97; KZLA, 1998-99; KBIG, 2000-01. Janine worked  middays at K103-Portland for over a decade before retiring from radio at the end of 2021.

Janine began her radio career in 1977 at KYTE-Portland. "I went on to work as the first female announcer ever on #1 KGW and KWJJ-Portland."

In 1980 she joined KHJ and from 1984 to 1988 worked at Transtar Radio Networks. In 1985 she was holding down a weekend shift at "K-Hits" in addition to her satellite service duties. From 1983 to 1987 she co-hosted syndicated "Country Music's Top Ten" with Charlie Cook.

"In the winter of 1990 I went to do mornings at Unistar Radio Networks [later WW1] and continued to work afternoons on their Soft AC format." In the early 1990s, she hosted a weekly show on KCAL/Channel 9 called Our Planet and was nominated for two Emmys for host and producer. Beginning in 1993 Janine was the live announcer for KCAL's Live in L.A. morning show. She left KBIG in the summer of 2001 to open a landscape design business. Janine has been featured on HGTV’s Landscaper’s Challenge.

WOLF, John: KABC, 2013-19. John Wolf (LaVine) is a traffic reporter in Los Angeles. At KABC, he worked the midday news/traffic shift. Not only does he report on the busy traffic but in 2002, while in the air over Dallas reporting for KRLD, his helicopter crash landed.

John got started on his radio journey doing promotions at KNX in the 1980s. He went on to KGOE-Thousand Oaks, where he did play-by-play, sales and production. Before the 1980s were over, John worked at KCAQ-Oxnard-Ventura-Santa Barbara, KBLU-Yuma, Arizona (which he called the Ashtray of the Southwest), Bryan-College Station, Sarasota, and Tampa Bay.

By 1994, John was morning drive co-host and news director at KKRW-Houston, followed by sports talk host at Prime Sports Radio. For a decade he was a news and traffic reporter at KRLD.

Click John’s photo for tv coverage of the crash. https://vimeo.com/6437618

Wolfe, Gerald: KLSX, 1998-99. Gerald was part of the weekend "Ken and Jerry's Countdown Deli" show.
Wolfson, George: KXEZ, 1995. The former general manager at KXEZ. George passed away in 1998.

WOLT, Ken: KTNQ/KLVE, 1985-92. Ken was born November 5, 1938, in North Dakota. Ken started as a dj in 1960 in Tijuana at XEAU ("Lucky Knight"), and later at KCBQ, KDEO, and KSON in San Diego, while at San Diego State studying electronic engineering. He was also known on the air as "Coffee Jim Dandy" at KENO-Las Vegas; "Big OL Fat OL Deano" (WPGC, Washington, DC); and "The Amazing Dan Clayton" (WRC-Washington, DC), KBTR-Denver, WPOP-Hartford, WLW-Cincinnati before becoming "Ken Wolt" again, and becoming manager of WBBF/WFBQ in Rochester for Lin Broadcasting in 1974. He managed WFBQ/WNDE-Indianapolis and WLLT-Washington, DC for Gulf Broadcasting, and WZPL-Indianapolis for Heftel, whom he joined in 1982.

Ken became president of Heftel Broadcasting in January of 1984. He purchased WLTT from Heftel in 1984, but stayed with the company. He moved to L.A. to manage Spanish language KTNQ/KLVE in 1985. Ken left Heftel in 1992, helping to form El Dorado Communications. He sold his share of El Dorado in 1999.  A member of SAG/AFTRA since 1995, as an actor, he has appeared in over 100 sitcoms and movies as character actor. He continues his voiceover career as the voice of Disney’s Listen and Learn programs. He is also president of Radio/TV Travel, an incentive travel company specializing in sales incentive plans for the broadcast industry, and is headquartered in Las Vegas.

Wong, Al: KYPA, 1996. The former general manager of KYPA. Unknown.

WOOD, Jim: KBLA, 1965; KGFJ, 1966-67; KRLA, 1967-68; KGFJ, 1970-72; KROQ, 1972; KGFJ, 1978-79; XPRS, 1982-83. Tyler, Texas-born "Big Jim Wood" spent time on black-formatted stations and was referred to as a blue-eyed soul personality on KGFJ. At KRLA he was known as "The Vanilla Gorilla." The latter off-air reference was dubbed during his KGFJ days when Jim was one of two white jocks on the r&b station.

He was given the Billboard Leading Soul Music Air Personality award at the first annual ceremony in 1970 and for the next three years. He worked at KILT-Houston and WIBG-Philadelphia. Jim died at the age of 58 in 1990.

At the time of his death he was a security guard and was suffering from emphysema. One of his friends remembered, "Jim was in the hospital and got a cough drop stuck in his throat and he choked to death."

Wood, Jim: KPOL/KZLA, 1979-80. In 1995, Jim created Fan Club Management Services, a company that manages the fan clubs of recording artists and other "fan sensitive" groups.

WOODRUFF, Norman: KRCK, KRLA, KRNO, KLOA-Sacramento, KCBS-San Francisco. Norman Eugene Woodruff is considered to be among the foremost pioneers in the advent of talk radio. He was considered by many to be the “Lou Grant of radio” -- gruff but loveable and with news in his blood. Under his stewardship in the 1970s, KCBS-San Francisco reached No. 1 in the ratings and stayed there for several years.

It was while Norm consulted KMBZ-Kansas City in the early ’80s that he encountered Rush Limbaugh, who had recently been a public relations exec for the Kansas City Royals. Rush’s opinionated radio commentaries often made KMBZ’s conservative Mormon owners nervous. Norm counseled Rush and helped to focus his talents - and even advised him on his wardrobe and other trappings of the potential stardom Norm envisioned. In 1984, Norm recommended Rush to Group W’s Sacramento station as a replacement for the recently-fired Morton Downey, Jr.

Four years later, EFM Media and WABC-New York combined to bring Limbaugh east and, soon, to the nation. Norm was involved with Satellite radio decades before the arrival of Sirius and XM. In 1979, his consulting firm initiated a pioneering nationwide project to find acceptable sites for hundreds of satellite receiving dishes for affiliates of the Mutual Broadcasting System. Mutual was the first network to phase out expensive telephone lines and opt for delivering programming to stations via satellite, beginning in the early ’80s.

 When you hear Rush refer to “adult beverages,” that’s a “Woodruff-ism” that Rush picked up. Rush even says it in the same theatrical way Norm said it. It’s not known if Norm ever referred to Jesse Jackson the way Rush does (“The….REVerand….JACKson”), but that’s the way Norm would have done it.

Norman Woodruff passed away December 2, 1987 at the age of 48. (bio provided by Huntington Park High School)

 

WOODS, Bo: KRTH, 2002-06. Bo worked swing at Oldies "K-Earth" and left in early 2006. In late 2014, Bo joined KORA in Bryan-College Station, Texas as program director and morning personality. 

The USC graduate worked briefly at Comedy KBSZ (Funny 1260 AM) in Phoenix. He now co-hosts the Ronnie & Bo podcast.

Woods, David: KPOL, 1965-70. Unknown.
Woods, George: KJOI, 1973. George is no longer in radio.
Woods, J. Thomas: KWIZ, 1971. Tom ran for the California Assembly and won two terms (1994-98). He is now a retired Assemblyman living in Upland. 

WOODS, Steve: KDAY, 1974-85, pd; KJLH, 1985-89, pd; KACE, 1989-90, pd; KBIG, 1993-96. Steve did of a heart attack on December 9, 2002. He was 51.

At KDAY Steve was color man for the high school games of the week. Steve hosted the “KOOL Jazz Festival.” A 1989 LA Times story quoted Steve: "The identity of black radio is based on playing music by black djs." 

At his memorial, KJLH's Cliff Winston remembered “Steve Woods never got the kudos. Colleague Antoinette Russell added, “Steve introduced Parliament and Earth, Wind and Fire to the Southland. And he should be remembered for raising the pay scale for black jocks.” 

Over 100 family friends and radio colleagues joined together at the Christ The Good Shepard Episcopal Church in Los Angeles to remember a friend. Jim Maddox, who hired Steve at KDAY in the 1970s, said that Steve “stood out. He was so personable, but serious. Steve was a star on AM radio.”  

Born Clarence Steven Woods in Los Angeles on February 1, 1951, he explored his showmanship at Hollywood High School, as well as his athleticism. He was an outstanding member of the track team and varsity football program. After graduating from Hollywood High, he worked in the mailroom at KHJ in the early 1970s. He went on to jock in Lubbock and Dallas before joining KDAY in 1974. Later, he was named pd, a position he also held at KJLH and KACE.    

Antoinette guessed that if Steve had not pursued radio, he would have been chief of police. He did serve as a reserve Los Angeles police officer and paramedic during the 1980s. The versatile performer also owned a pistachio farm near Las Vegas.  

Woods, Tom: KPOL, 1965-69; KFWB, 1969-86. Tom was at California State University, Los Angeles from 1989-2005 where he was editor of Business Forum, a refered business journal produced by the campus' College of Business and Economics. He is retired and lives in Lucerne Valley. “We were the last. All the others shut down some time ago,” said Tom, Sacramento Bureau Chief for KFWB. In 1985, four years after the last regular television reporter (KNBC’s Doug Kriegel) left the state capital, radio news is also paring its capital presence down to occasional reporting. Woods was told that his 16-year run as KFWB’s Sacramento bureau would end. 

WOODMAN, Steve: KFWB, 1965; KDAY, 1968. Steve, a veteran radio and television personality described as "a living performance," died in his sleep March 13, 1990. He was 62.

Steve never got into the starting line-up at "Channel 98" and always worked weekends. At KDAY he did morning drive as Woody Stevens.  Woodman was known across Canada as Dr. Bundolo on the popular CBC radio comedy program of the same name. In Vancouver, he was well known as the afternoon host on radio station CKWX.  

Gene Kern, a longtime friend and colleague of Woodman in the 1970s, said his original satires and voice impressions were outstanding. "He was the most memorable and talented performer I ever worked with," Kern recalled. "The guy was a living performance, and was 10 or 15 years ahead of his time."

In the early days of his career in the 1960's, comedian Rich Little contacted Woodman at a Montreal radio station to get advice on doing impressions, said Kern. Among Woodman's funniest routines, he said, was a continuing character he voiced on his radio program named Miss Juggs, the station coffee girl.   "Sometimes he would scold her and she would burst into tears, lighting up the telephone switchboard with calls from listeners asking him to leave her alone.” The comedy program, taped before live audiences and broadcast across Canada, ran from 1972 to 1981. Woodman was involved with the show until 1974.

Woodman had also previously worked in Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto, New York and Los Angeles. He also managed rock and roll bands and played host to various children's tv shows. Woodman's career ended when he suffered a major head injury - causing him to lose his speech -- in a 1974 car accident while he was driving home after a telethon. A colleague said Woodman never recovered. "He was in a coma for a long time. His car just rolled down the bank. But a cassette tape of his friends was played again and again in the hospital and one day he woke up.  After a couple of major operations, Woodman was able to resume some activities such as golf.  

Steve started at CKUA in Edmonton and actually taught Robert Goulet how to be a disc jockey. Steve became #1 in Montreal at CFCF, did a morning show in Toronto CKEY with Keith Rich.   Woodman and Rich subsequently did the after noon radio show on WNBC-New York ... starting the same day Johnny Carson did.    Then went to Los Angeles, where he did a couple of movies, some radio and tv and was the first Ronald MacDonald in Los Angeles, opening toy stores and MacDonald restaurants. (Artwork courtesy of Bill Earl)

Woodruf, Fred: KLON, 1975-78. Unknown.

WOODSIDE, Larry: KPPC; KMAX; KROQ, 1979-81 and 1984-87; KLOS; KMPC. Larry lives in Atascadero.

Larry had four tours of duty at KROQ. He remembered the early days at the "free-form underground" station when the jocks used an advertising trade-out so they could be assured of one square meal a day, because their pay was infrequent at best.

He worked mornings during early 1980 with partner Mike Evans. In 1991 he moved to the Central Coast of California where he worked at KLZZ, KSTT and KOTR as well as producing tv shows.

Woodson, Valerie: KRLA, 1975-76; KTNQ, 1977-79. Valerie was with KRLA during the Soft Rock era until the staff was fired and the station went Rock-automated. She was working in the promotion department during "Ten-Q's" heyday.
Woody Show: KYSR, 2014-23. Described as a “recess/happy hour on the radio,” the Woody Show is the brainchild of Jeff “Woody” Fife. The show was perfected at St. Louis alternative “105.7 the Point” KPNT. Before that he and folks from the current “Woody Show” teamed at CBS-owned alternative “Live 105” KITS San Francisco – one of the Howard Stern replacement shows that clicked. 
Woolery, Chuck: KLSX, 1996. Chuck hosted tv's Love Connection for 11 years. He is a spokesperson for a number of products on tv. 

WORDEN, Lisa: KYSR, 2018-23. Lisa was made program director at Alt 98.7 (KYSR) in January 2018. In 2019, she was awarded “MUSEXPO International Music Person of the Year," as she celebrated her 25 years in radio.

In her current role, Worden leads iHeartMedia’s Alternative Rock Brand Management Team, which connects key advertisers with the company’s Alternative Rock music audience and provides strategic guidance to over 25 Alternative Rock music station brands. Prior to joining iHeart, Worden had spent over 12 years as apd and md for the “World Famous KROQ.”

Having initially joined KROQ in 1995 as MD, where she served until 2003, she made her way for a short tenure with another iconic rock station at WHFS-Washington, D.C., before rejoining KROQ in August of 2005. Her early career began in the record label at SBK Records in 1990, joining the Radio Promotions department as an assistant before transitioning to the college and specialty promotion team. In 1993 she joined RCA Records as the West Coast Director for their Alternative Rock Promotion team.

 

WORKMAN, Martin: KUSC; KFAC, 1976-87. Martin hosted "Luncheon at the Music Center." He died May 10, 1990, at the age of 71, after gall bladder surgery.

Martin described his Classical program as an effort "to give the listeners an insight into the skills of these various artists," according to a story in the LA Times. He spent six hours each day preparing for the one-hour broadcast "because I want to make sure that I know everything there is to know about my guest and that I've selected music that complements them."

He performed as a professional violinist, a singer of light opera and oratorio and as an actor. Martin holds degrees in economics, sociology and a doctorate in abnormal psychology. In 1979 he suffered a heart attack but was back on the air after two months of rest.

Martin was born in San Francisco and raised in Pacific Grove. He graduated with a degree in economics and sociology from the University of the Pacific and earned a doctorate degree in psychology from UC Berkeley. Before joining KFAC he worked at Channels 9 and 13 and hosted an opera program for radio station KUSC.

 

WORLDS, Jamie: KOST, 1990; KACE, 1990-91; KKBT, 1992-93; KTWV, 1994-2003. Jamie was a weekender at "the Wave" until early summer 2003. She's working on multiple tv and film projects.

In 2005, Jamie was asked about holiday memories: "I believe we were piss poor when my father, mother and I returned to California after 2 years away. I was about 7 or 8, a fat, only kid who lived in books and never really had a lot of toys but I fell in love with an old beat up transistor radio my father kept in his glove compartment. Music was so new and the variety and the access to have it when I wanted was also new. Technology just wasn’t what it is today where babies come out with their own laptops and have their own IP port numbers before Social Security numbers (lol). We came into town on or day before Christmas and he ended up giving me this little tore up radio with the broken antenna…..and it was like gold to my eyes. Looking back…it's priceless."

 

WORTHINGTON, Cal: KXLA, 1950-59. They don’t make them like Calvin Coolidge (Cal) Worthington anymore. For decades he broke through the clutter of commercials to become a personality, an icon who sold cars to the masses and would make the deal no matter what it took. We saw him stand on his head, trot out live animals of various sizes and shapes, and then like lemmings, we would go see Cal.

Cal died September 8, 2013, at the age of 92. An era passed with the passing of Cal.  The ultimate showman, some might call huckster, had an uncanny knack for being welcomed into our homes. He seemed like the ‘aw shucks’ kind of uncle that we loved to have around. When he said he could get anyone into one of his cars, we believed him.

He had a life before the car business. He was a Country music deejay for most of the 1950s at 1110/KXLA. “I remember listening to Tennessee Ernie Ford, Cliffie Stone, Jim Hawthorne and Squeekin' Deacon while growing up in Southern California as a kid, but wasn't aware of Cal being on KXLA until I helped produce the thirty year anniversary weekend at KRLA in 1989,” remembered Gary Marshall, former production whiz at KRLA and K-EARTH. “Cal participated in our re-creation as the last voice heard on the old Country format (KXLA) before the switch to KRLA and rock jock Jimmy O'Neill.”

Cal used to sign off his Country show with: "Well, until we see you at Worthington Dodge today or get back with you on KXLA, we're gonna have to pick a wildwood flower bouquet."  

WORTHINGTON, Diane: KABC, 1989-95. Long considered an expert on California and contemporary American cuisine, Diane Rossen Worthington is the author of 20 cookbooks, an award-winning radio show host, food and travel writer, nationally syndicated columnist for Tribune Media Services, food and travel correspondent on the syndicated Blue Lifestyle radio show and former Editor-in-Chief of Epicurus.com. and food consultant. She has appeared frequently as a media food expert on television and radio shows, including The Today Show, Fox and Friends, The Television Food Network, CNN, and NPR. She twice won the prestigious International James Beard Award for "California Foods with Diane Worthington," the talk show she hosted which aired every Saturday morning on KABC. Diane Rossen Worthington lives in Los Angeles.

Worthington, Rod: KDAY. In the early 1970s Rod broadcast traffic conditions from a Cesna 150. His plane was dubbed "The KDAY Sky Potato."
Wrighster, George: KFWB, 2014-15. George Frederick Wrighster, III, played pro football for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL draft. He played college football at Oregon. His NFL career ended in 2009. He joined Brett Winterble for afternoon drive for the launch of the new sports station, KFWB, The Beast. The show failed to attract any traction. They left a year later in August 2015.

WRIGHT, Bill: KPFK, 1976-78; KWIZ, 1978-89; KYMS, 1990-91; KBIG, 1992-96; KWVE, 1998-99. In 2019, after 43 + years in the business of radio, Bill (Reitler) retired from full time work. Bill was part of the successful "Bill and Sylvia Show" mornings on KBIG. 

Bill was born in Santa Monica and became involved with radio in high school and then in college at the University of California San Diego, where he received his B.A. degree in communications. He was a frequent guest lecturer at radio schools.

Prior to his time at KBIG, Bill started at KPFK in 1976, followed by KWIZ, KYMS, KBIG, and KWVE.  “I’ll keep a presence in voice-over, but look forward to the next chapter in life, which will include our first grandchild in March,” Bill posted on Facebook.

“I spent the last 20 years as Senior Producer for Ambassador Advertising Agency, and they were fantastic and challenging. I did a little of everything from writing to production to voicing to account management. BreakPoint, Life Issues, Precepts with Kay Arthur, and Grace to You were just a few of the clients it was my privilege to serve.

Bill taught at Fullerton College and the Academy of Radio Broadcasting in Huntington Beach. And there were some great voice-over years sprinkled in there, as well. “I had the opportunity to enjoy a great variety of different jobs along the way, having served as Production Director, Program Director, Morning Co-Host, News Engineer, and Ops Manager, and of course, dj. All in Southern California, which is kind of miraculous in this business. God is good!”
“I did fine financially, nothing too outrageous. But if you define wealth as I do, as a wealth of friends, colleagues, family, and fellow believers, I’m one of the richest guys around. Not to paint a picture without challenges and a few problems; we all have those. But we seem to soldier on throughout it all. Let’s keep doing that.” Bill ended his retirement announcement with “And it’s off to go fishing!”

Wright, Bradley: KYSR, 2003-06. Bradley worked afternoons at "Star 98.7fm." He exited the station in the spring of 2006. He has an active voiceover career.

WRIGHT, Charleye: KLAC, 1969-70; KIIS, 1970-75; KPOL, 1975-76; KIIS, 1981-90; KKBT, 1990-93; KNX, 1995-98. Charleye reported sports as "The Coach" alongside Rick Dees on KIIS for much of the eighties.

Born in Inglewood in 1937, Charleye graduated from Lynwood High and Compton College. He graduated with an M.A. from Baylor University with plans to enter the ministry. He got into broadcasting while in college.

Charleye taught high school English for two years and worked in Waco and Dallas radio, then moved to Dick Clark's KPRO-Riverside before arriving at KLAC. He was Les Crane's newsman in afternoon drive. At KIIS, he worked under programmer Chuck Blore, who was attempting features such as mini-dramas and a series of mind-sputtering aphorisms called "Kissettes." Chuck encouraged his newsmen to converse with the audience instead of reading to them. "The time with Blore was a great benefit to me. He encouraged the personality approach. He taught me to look for the human aspect of the news."

In 1982, Charleye won a third Golden Mike award. He had undergone dialysis three times per week for five years when the treatments began to fail. He was gradually deteriorating, to the point he became incoherent, could not speak plain English and couldn't remember the names of his wife and children. A successful transplant left him with one perfect kidney and two old ones that function less than ten percent of normal. His father died of the same ailment. "My father got it too young to take advantage of kidney transplants.” In the summer of 1990, he left Dees for the successful “House Party” morning drive show with John London at KKBT, where he continued to perform as "The Coach."

Charleye died October 27, 1998, at the age of 61. 

WRIGHT, Jo Jo: KEZY, 1988; KIIS, 1997-2023. After decades working evenings at KIIS/fm, in early 2021 moved to afternoons.

The Houston native got his start in radio at a very young age. By the time he graduated from high school, he’d already landed three radio gigs! After a few stop s around the country, JoJo arrived joined KIIS/fm on the overnight shift and was quickly promoted to evenings. He's been featured in multiple TV shows and movies, and dominating evening radio in Southern California for years.

His nightly show on KIIS/fm, is nationally syndicated in over 60 markets. From the KIIS/fm website, a few fun facts about JoJo: He brushes his teeth before every show. He’s a part-time ghost hunter. He has a Peter Pan tattoo. He asked Barack Obama for Area 51 access. He “goes” to dentist regularly but has never actually seen the dentist. He’s studying to be a wine sommelier. He’s convinced his paranormal obsession is because his mother took him to graveyards for picnics.

 

WRIGHT, Van Earl: KFWB, 1997; KXTA, 2004-05. Van Earl worked morning drive at XTRA Sports 1150. In early 2008, he was the voice of the new American Gladiators on NBC.

Currently, Wright is a sports reporter at WSB/TV and for Turner Sports in Atlanta and host/moderator for M3 Linked for New York city and the Tri-States.

Since taking over as producer of "Bulldogs Game Week," a weekly show that covers all athletics at the University of Georgia, the show has won it's time slot every single week. Also while at WSB, Van Earl works as play by play announcer for football and baseball. He's also worked as a sports reporter and anchor.

Turner Sports has provided opportunities for Van Earl's voice work with NBA.com, NCAA.com & PGA.com. With more than 30 years of media experience on multiple platforms, Van's Earl has consistently proven to be an excellent broadcaster, communicator and spokesperson with a strong record of increasing ratings as well as enhancing both the brand & image of the product. (from Wright's website)

 

WRIGHSTER, George: KFWB, 2014-15; KLAC 2015. George was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft out of the University of Oregon. He played six seasons with the team before being released on April 3, 2009. He often showed flashes of greatness, but missed 30 games due to injury. Wrighster was signed by the NY Giants on May 9, 2009 after attending the team's minicamp. He was waived on June 24, 2009.

After his professional football career ended, Wrighster entered the field of sports broadcasting. Beginning in September 2014, George hosted a Los Angeles-based daily afternoon radio show called "The Drive" on The Beast 980 KFWB. In August 2015, Wrighster debuted on Fox Sports 1 as a sports analyst and opinionist on such shows as Fox Sports Live Countdown and Kickoff To Countdown. He has also been the game analyst for multiple games on ESPN3 and FS1.  

In late 2020, George joined SiriusXM to host the evening Night Cap program on the Mad Dog Sports Radio channel.


WYATT, Jeff: KPWR, 1986-91, pd; KIIS, 1991-94, pd; KACD, 1996-97, gm; KCMG, 1998. Jeff arrived in the Southland after being pd at WUSL-Philadelphia and assistant pd at WXKS (“KISS 108”)-Boston in the late 1970s. He has a degree in political-science from Miami of Ohio. He moved to Boston to play guitar in local clubs - "a cool/jazz kind of thing."

In 1986, Jeff powered KPWR and the arrival of morning man Jay Thomas. With an initial buzz in the ratings, Jeff said, "They do a great job over at KIIS, but I think Rick Dees is beginning to go south." Wyatt freely admitted that he was more of an assimilator than an innovator. "We're trying to reflect our listeners' tastes, not necessarily educate them." In 1987, Jeff was named Program Director of the Year (black format) by Billboard. From 1987 to 1991, he was host of Westwood One's "American Dance Trax." A year later Billboard placed "Power 106" in the Top 40 category and Jeff won the 1988 Program Director of the Year. He was recognized by KPWR’s parent company, Emmis Broadcasting, in 1988 when he was made regional vp of programming. Wyatt feels that promotion "is an essential component of success. There's nothing scientific about rotating songs. But how you package it, how you create the sizzle around it, will make the difference."

Even though KIIS was his primary competition while programming KPWR, Jeff left "Power 106" to go on-air in afternoon drive at KIIS. He became pd of KIIS in 1992 and left in the summer of 1994. In early 1996 he started Fair Air Communications.

Jeff was born in South Bend, Indiana and is "a HUGE Notre Dame fan!" In the summer of 1996 he was appointed gm of KACD during its "Groove Radio" format and left in early 1997. Later that year he was appointed gm of Celestial Mechanix, Inc. In the spring of 1998, Jeff joined mornings at “Mega 100” and left in late summer. In early 1999 he went to Washington, DC to program WMZQ and WITH. In late 2017, he left iHeart's cluster in Baltimore.

WYATT, Marques: KKBT, 1994-95. Marques was a club dj at the Deep at 1650 in Hollywood. Sonic love travels in many dimensions – through visceral pathways of the senses, as a uniting force on dance floors everywhere, in movements spanning entire eras to unify – whether souls, states or nations. And as sonic love relates to house music, Marques is a seminal pioneer.

In the mid ‘90s, at a time when the shape shifting of house music was rarely heard outside Chicago and New York, Marques introduced the East coast sound to his native Los Angeles via legendary house parties like BBC, MAC’s Garage and Does Your Mama Know, to name a few. In the ensuing years, his prowess as a talented DJ, promoter, and producer earned him recognition as one of the most sought-after artists in the genre, domestically and internationally. Always true to his inner visionary, Marques continued his ventures into unchartered territory by introducing Los Angeles to acid jazz” through Brass, his unforgettable weekly which debuted live performances of high profile acts such as Jamiroquai and the Brand New Heavies way back when.

At the same time, Marques continued playing his own brand of uncompromising, soulfully organic house alongside talents such as Frankie Knuckles, Louie Vega, David Morales, Danny Teneglia, King Britt, Mark Farina, and Miguel Migs. Marques’ keen sixth sense for creating epic parties culminated in his weekly house institution, Deep, now going strong. Marques has also channeled his gifts in the studio, releasing tracks and remixes on revered labels such as Om, Strictly Rhythm, King Street, Nervous, and Yoshitoshi. Marques continues to spread the gospel of house music by globe-trotting everywhere from Los Angeles to New York, Shanghai to Barcelona and Tel Aviv to Dubai with the mission to bring musical unity, light and love to all souls in his pathway. (from Wyatt's website)

 

WYNTER, Doc: KHHT, 2015-16. Doc's now evp/Urban/Hip-Hop Programming Strategy for iHeartMedia.

Wynter joined iHeartMedia in 1999. He has overseen the launch of “Real 92.3,” “Power 105.1” WWPR-New York, “V101.5” WSOL-Jacksonville and “The Beat” KQBT-Houston, WMIB-Miami, WBTP-Tampa and WUBT-Nashville. He has also worked closely with nationally syndicated air-talent such as “The Breakfast Club,” Big Boy, Steve Harvey and Keith Sweat.

“Urban radio has been my passion for as long as I can remember,” Wynter said.


A\B\C\D\E\F\G\H\I\J\K\L\M\N\O\P\Q\R\S\T-Z

Return to Main Page: www.LARadio.com


Send mail to: Donald Barrett, AvilaBeachdb@gmail.com with questions or comments about this website
Copyright © 1997-2023 - Los Angeles Radio People
Last modified: April 25, 2023