Bay Area Radio Digest

S.F. March Radio Ratings In Review...

2011-04-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

In the latest Arbitron ratings, News KCBS (740 AM and 106.9 FM) keeps its grip on the top spot among all listeners age 6+ for the third straight month. KQED-FM (88.5) holds the second spot, followed by Lite Rock KOIT (96.5 FM)

In AllAccess.com's analysis:

Like geological strata revealed on a dig, the P25-54 rankings for March are layered by format from #1 to #10. At the top is the News layer, revealing #1 KQED-FM and #2 KCBS-AM. Next is the Top 40 stratum, featuring #3 CBS Radio Top 40/Mainstream KMVQ (99.7 NOW), #4 Clear Channel Top 40/Rhythmic KYLD (Wild 94.9), and #5 KMEL. Next is the Latin layer, with #6 Univision Regional Mexican KSOL and #7 Univision Spanish Adult Hits KBRG (Recuerdo 100.3). The final layer of the P25-54 Top 10 format stratification is the AC layer, which shows KOIT, Clear Channel Hot AC KIOI (Star 101.3), and Clear Channel Rhythmic AC KISQ (98.1 Kiss FM) stacked at #8, #9 and #10, respectively.

AllAccess also notes that the Wild 94.9 morning show, starring J.V. and Rico, has jumped from #5 to #2 among listeners 18-34, and from #10 to #5 among listeners 25-54.

Clear Channel/SF Rearranges Deck Chairs

2010-02-22T10:55:00.000-08:00

AllAccess.com reported just moments ago that two of Clear Channel's heaviest hitters in San Francisco, John Scott and Stacy Cunningham, have "exited the cluster."

Scott was program director of Green 960 (KKGN), while Cunningham programmed KMEL (106.1 FM).

CC/SF operations manager Don Scott takes over programming duties at KMEL, with Ricci Filiar now programming 98.1 Kiss FM, Green 960 and KNEW (910 AM). Filiar had been APD and music director at Kiss FM.

For Stockton's KSTN, Sudden Death

2010-02-19T13:40:00.000-08:00

I learned just a few moments ago from a longtime employee at Stockton's KSTN (1420 AM, 107.3 FM) that both stations will go dark tonight.

The AM station will reportedly be dismantled and remain silent. Its future, if it has one, is unclear.

The FM, which has been popular in the Central Valley as La Poderosa, will be off the air over the weekend, then will return on Monday as a "repeater" for Educational Media Foundation's K-Love Christian network.

Both stations are expected to go off-air tonight at or around midnight.

UPDATE (5 PM): I am now informed from personnel inside the radio ranch house at 2171 Ralph Avenue that KSTN/1420 will sign off for good at 6:15 PM this evening.

UPDATE (6:30 PM): Following Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust," KSTN program director John Hampton, who has been with the station for thirty years, and chief engineer Paul Shinn, who has been there for a dozen, said their final farewells and played her out with the KSTN version of the theme from "WKRP In Cincinnati" by Steve Carlisle. Then, sadly, dead air on 1420 kiloHertz.

Click here for an excerpt from the final moments of KSTN/1420.

UPDATE (2/20/2010 12:05 AM): No sentimental send-off for La Poderosa. At midnight, following a quick legal ID, the power was simply shut off on 107.3 FM.

Ken Dito To Join KTRB?

2009-07-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

Unconfirmed -- the I's haven't been crossed and the T's haven't been dotted yet -- but I've heard from a couple of people that Ken Dito will be heading to reconstructed Xtra Sports 860 (KTRB) as sports director and morning show host.

Dito (photo, right) had been reporting sports on the radio at KGO, and is a veteran of KNBR, KSFO and KYA.

No word yet on when the show will start, but Dito's potential presence on KTRB would certainly offer an alternative to KNBR's morning program.

KTRB continues its significant effort in going from third or fourth-tier (and, in some cases, fifth-tier) talk programming to a sports-oriented format, centered around Oakland A's baseball, Sporting News Radio and Ron Barr's Sports Byline USA.

PHOTO: Ken Dito, from the Bay Area Radio Museum Archives, courtesy of Ken Dito.

Dave McQueen Signs Off At KCBS Tonight

2009-06-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

Dave McQueen, one of the best newsmen we'll ever hear, retires after his late-night shift at All News KCBS (740/106.9) tonight. KCBS has been running a tribute piece by Mike Sugerman as their cover story today, and his friends and colleagues will hold a retirement party for him tonight.

McQueen (photo, right) came to the Bay Area forty years ago from Texas as the news anchor at KSAN during its nascent days as "The Jive 95." He had a deep, solid, authoritarian voice -- a "network voice" -- which belied his appearance: Dave McQueen was a full-on long-haired hippie.

He also worked at KFRC, KNEW, KKCY and KKSF. McQueen's last shift tonight (through early Saturday morning) has him on from 9 to 11 PM, then again from 2 to 5 AM, according to the KCBS program schedule.

UPDATE (6/27/2009 5 AM): As I fully expected, Dave McQueen -- who declined to be interviewed for Mike Sugerman's tribute piece -- signed off his final broadcast on KCBS in simple, by-the-book fashion: he mentioned the features that were coming up in the next hour, and then, after the top-of-the-hour time signal, he intoned "five o'clock."

The KCBS audio tribute to McQueen may be streamed at the station's website.

PHOTO SOURCE: Dave McQueen, circa 1973, from Jive95.com.

Karel Show Loses Energy

2009-06-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

As tipped by Rich "Big Vinny" Lieberman in his "City Brights" blog this morning, Karel has announced on his own website that he has been dropped from Energy 92.7's schedule.

Energy 92.7 has decided to not carry the Karel Show any longer. The reasons stated were financial reasons and the fact that it’s a new show and so as ratings tend to do they drop off at first and then rebuild. The building process isn’t happening fast enough for management so the money men (and women) said, stop.

According to Big Vinny's blog, Karel emailed him that the show will continue on Peter Laufer's KRXA (540 AM) in Monterey, and that "we are looking towards another station in [the Bay Area], perhaps Green 960 or such," to pick up the program.

Live 105: The Return Of "Yes/No" Radio

2009-06-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

The Chronicle's SFGate.com reports this morning that Live 105 (KITS 105.3 FM) will turn its 10 PM to midnight block on Sunday nights into "listener's choice" in conjunction with a San Mateo social media startup -- kind of like KLOK's old "Yes/No Radio" mashed up with Russ "The Moose" Syracuse's bombing runs on bad records back in the day on KYA

Jelli's website proclaims this to be "100% User-Controlled Radio. No Suits. No DJs. No Kidding."

(Brilliant! Remote-controlled radio! We've now got an app to replace the music director and the disc jockey -- just what radio needs these days! Wouldn't it be easier to tell your listeners to go out and buy an MP3 player and shut off the transmitters completely? Here's an idea: how about an app that replaces all the listeners that previously flocked to radio?)

The first iteration of "LiveJelli 105" rolls out on Sunday, June 28.

Excerpts from the article on SFGate:

Jelli Inc., which officially launches Wednesday, lets listeners vote up or down on a play list of songs streamed on its Web site, Jelli.net.

Songs chosen as "Rocks" get bumped up the list and will be chosen seconds before it actually streams. Songs marked as "Sucks" can get bombed off the list, even while it's playing.

UPDATE (10:45 AM): FMQB has more about this wonderful innovation that will revolutionize radio as we know it, including this nugget:

"We want to change the entire concept of what ‘traditional radio’ can be, via real-time web services, enabling new experiences, social web integrations and content possibilities," said Jateen Parekh, CTO and co-founder of Jelli. "Jelli helps traditional broadcasters convert active listeners into active web users, drive ratings and revenue, and access reporting about what their audience cares about."

UPDATE (3:30 PM): Man, is this thing getting coverage in the trades. By early afternoon, in addition to SFGate and FMQB, there have been detailed articles in Billboard Business News, CNET, Radio World, Streaming Magazine, Radio Online, Kurt Hanson's RAIN and Media Buyer Planner about this. Google News has updated links to all industry coverage on this topic.

Greg Jarrett To Wake Up In Chicago

2009-06-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

According to Crain's Chicago Business website, former KGO (810 AM) afternoon news anchor Greg Jarrett (photo, right) has landed a plum gig -- morning anchor at the legendary WGN (820 AM) in the Windy City:

WGN-AM has hired a San Francisco radio news veteran to host its morning rush-hour show and will move the program’s current host, John Williams, to the mid-morning slot that until last month was the home of the “Kathy and Judy” talk show.

There's more juicy details on the Chicago Tribune's website, which rates the selection of Jarrett as a "stunner":

Even more of a surprise is the selection of a complete outsider in Jarrett, who brings a newsman's sensibility to his work as host.

In his memo to staff announcing the moves, WGN Program Director Kevin Metheny described Jarrett's new morning show as "an information and services intensive morning broadcast with emphasis on usable news and information, leveraging the substantial resources of Tribune Co. newsgathering assets."

Jazz Format In Trouble At KCSM?

2009-06-11T23:10:00.000-07:00

KTVU (Channel 2) did a story this evening about venerable KCSM (91.1 FM) and its struggles to retain funding to keep its Jazz format on the air. (The video from Rita Williams' report is available on KTVU's website.)

The station will be holding a pair of benefit concerts at Yoshi's on Jack London Square in Oakland to help close the gap from its budget shortfall. The shows will take place at 8 PM and 10 PM on Tuesday, June 30.

In addition to its Jazz programming, KCSM and the College of San Mateo continues -- as it has for decades -- to develop an increasingly rare commodity: well-trained broadcasters.

More info about the benefit on the Yoshi's website.

The KCSM Jazz 91 website is at kcsm.org/jazz91.

Kava: High Level Cuts At KGO

2009-06-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

Just moments ago, Brad Kava blogged about rumored cuts at KGO (810 AM):

Weatherman Leo Ciolino is gone, apparently, as is assistant program director Trish Robbins and news director Paul Hosley. If you have information to confirm or deny, drop me a comment.

UPDATE (6/9/09 2 PM): Subsequent to BK's post, Rich "Big Vinny" Lieberman has blogged on SFGate.com that he spoke with Trish Robbins, who confirmed that she has been terminated. Rich also notes that Paul Hosley's role will be covered by KSFO program director Ken Berry.

KCBS Heads To San Jose For A Day

2009-06-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

This Thursday (June 11), All News KCBS returns to its ancestral roots for one afternoon as it sends morning co-anchor Stan Bunger (photo, right) and midday co-anchor Rebecca Corral to the approximate spot that the station originally broadcast from a century ago.

Bunger and Corral will anchor the KCBS (740 AM and 106.9 FM) noon newscast from Fairmont Plaza in San Jose, once the site of the Garden City Bank Building, where Prof. Charles D. Herrold developed the world's first broadcasting station in the late 1900s.

When the government began licensing stations for commercial broadcasting in 1921, Herrold's pioneering station became KQW. A migration to San Francisco began in 1942 with the opening of studios at the Palace Hotel, along with becoming CBS' key affiliate in the Bay Area.

In April 1949, the station was purchased by CBS, at which time it adopted the KCBS call letters. The station's transmitter remained in the Southbay, near Alviso, until moving to Novato in August 1951.

(For more on the history of KQW and Doc Herrold, check out the Bay Area Radio Museum's website.)

Thursday's live broadcast is open to the public, and will include giveaways of snappy KCBS centennial T-shirts (got one; love it) and passes to view an exhibit of Doc Herrold memorabilia at the nearby Tech Museum of Innovation.

KTRB Files For New Daytime Site

2009-06-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

Pappas Radio's KTRB (860 AM), which has been operating with a directional 50,000-watt signal from the Livermore hills for the past few years, has filed an application with the FCC to move its daytime transmitter to the Hayward shoreline, where it would transmit a non-directional signal.

The move, if approved, should provide KTRB with one of the strongest AM signals in the Bay Area. Only KNBR (680 AM) operates a fulltime 50,000-watt non-directional signal in the Bay Area; KTRB would have a comparably equal signal from local sunrise to sunset.

Other 50,000-watt AM stations in the Bay Area, including KCBS and KGO, operate with directional signals, which limit their coverage in some parts of the region.

KTRB's new location in Hayward would have them sharing the existing KFAX (1100 AM) transmitter site. KTRB's signal would be transmitted through KFAX's current tower #3.

KFAX is owned by Salem Communications, which also operates KDOW (1220 AM), which has been working towards a power increase of its own for several years.

At nighttime, KTRB -- which re-branded itself as "Xtra Sports 860" recently -- would continue to broadcast with a directional 50kw signal from the Livermore site.

The technical exhibit, with all the details, may be reviewed on the FCC website.

San Jose's KLOK Sent To Principle's Office

2009-05-20T17:00:00.000-07:00

Radio-Info.com is reporting that Univision's KLOK (1170 AM) in San Jose has been sold to Principle Broadcasting, a New York-based outfit that specializes in "ethnic and other niche radio plays":

Principle, run by President/CEO Bill Saurer, is paying $7,650,000 for the facility, which has 50-kw days and 5-kw nights. Univision will retain the current "Radio Cadena" news/talk format and move it to the HD-2 signal of its "Recuerdo" KBRG-FM (100.3).

Last November, Your Intrepid Reporter had blahhhhged that KLOK's expected sale was to Salem Communications (owners of KFAX and KDOW here). Wrong? You betcha.

UPDATE (6/5/2009): Here's your coat and hat, what's your hurry? A quick twist of the wrist finds that Principle has already taken over KLOK's programming. At this moment, there is some truly swingin' South Asian music rockin' the 1170 airwaves...

Smooth Jazz Splits KKSF For "The Band"

2009-05-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

'Round about 3 PM today, legacy Smooth Jazz KKSF (103.7 FM) made a quick transition to a Classic Rock-ish format, rebranding the Clear Channel-owned station as "103.7 The Band."

On The Band's new website, a welcoming blurb purports:

103.7 The Band has been designed around the rich heritage of the San Francisco music scene. A time and place where music was filled with passion and reflected the ideals of a generation.

So far, the music -- being run jockless -- is a fairly standard mix of classic rock chestnuts (think 98.5 K-Fox without Greg Kihn) (yet) ... but also without hardly any of the "rich heritage" of actual San Francisco music.

But it's a new station. Let's wait'n'see.

Meanwhile, it's so long to KKSF and its talented troupe of tonsils, including Maria Lopez and Miranda Wilson. KKSF had been one of the earliest adopters of the Smooth Jazz genre, beginning its run in the Summer of 1987.

UPDATE (6/4/2009): The original KKSF website, complete with more than 6,000 irate comments (as of now) from displaced listeners, has been updated to note that the music -- now bird-beamed from the Smooth Jazz Network -- has been moved to 98.1 Kiss FM's HD-2 side channel, and is also streamed online at KKSF.com.

In addition, comments on KKSF.com by program director Michael Erickson note that:

"...beginning this Sunday June 8th, (and every Sunday) from 8am to 10am you can listen to 'Smooth Jazz Weekend' on 98.1 KISS FM. (regular FM radio) This two hour show features the same great Smooth Jazz music you are used to listening to, plus interviews with some of your favorite artists. ... No, this is not supposed to be a replacement for KKSF, just a way to keep Smooth Jazz on the airwaves, and to support the music and artists in the Bay Area."

RIP: Brian James

2009-03-07T16:25:00.000-08:00

You probably don't recognize his name, let alone his face, but Brian James (photo, right) wasn't in the business for his name or face value. Brian James was, simply, one of the most popular voice imaging guys in the industry, heard on hundreds of radio and television stations, and countless commercials.

Word came today that Brian James has passed away at the ripe young age of only 48. The reported cause was a heart attack.

How good was he? In the Bay Area, he was the imaging voice at two major stations, KFRC (106.9 FM) and KNBR (680 AM) -- at the same time. According to his website, James was also the imaging voice at KIIS/Los Angeles, Z100/New York, Capital Radio/London, WSIX/Nashville, WFLA/Tampa and WLW/Cincinnati, among many others.

He was also widely heard on VH-1 and the entertainment gossip show "Extra," as well as numerous commercials and promotional bits.

On KNBR, his voice is currently heard on those ubiquitous imaging liners, such "Don't be a playa-hata ... You're rolling with Gary Radnich on KNBR."

More at Radio & Records...

JV's Back ... Is Karel Next?

2009-02-24T07:30:00.000-08:00

A post on the ba.broadcast Usenet group, picked up by the respected San Francisco Peninsula Press Club, predicts that Karel will be returning to the local airwaves soon -- perhaps as early as next week.

The ba.broadcast post reads:

Well it's official. Karel is going to be a syndicated on Energy 92.7 FM and KRXA 540 AM. The show airs Monday through Thursday from 9PM-12AM. Good to see Karel is back on the air.

Karel was fired by KGO (810 AM), along with his board op, back in November after his expletive-laden comments about a fictional plumber made it onto the airwaves.

Now, Karel has a "countdown clock" on his website, leading to next Monday (March 2).

What is it about KGO and ex-KGOers and dagnabbed countdown clocks?

Dots & Dashes (Nov. 18 Edition)

2008-11-18T22:45:00.000-08:00

A few quick hits...

* All News KCBS (740 AM and on 106.9 FM, as they say) switched to a new, fresher "sounder" package today, obviously intended to brighten up the sound of the presentation on the FM side. The new package is close to the previous set, but with a livelier, more "techno"-ish feel.

The new sounders are heard leading into various news segments (sports, traffic, weather, business, etc.) on KCBS.

* Deposed KGO Newstalk 810 (and FM Don't Get Me Started) weekend performer Karel will be back in San Francisco at the Nikko Hotel's Rrazz Room (222 Mason St.) on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. for a stand-up gig appropriately titled "Karel Stands Up."

Mo' info at Mr. Bouley's utterly fabulous website, www.RadioKRL.com.

* Speaking of KGO, heartiest congratulations to the almighty Ronn Owens, who celebrates his 40th anniversary on the air (including stops in Philadelphia, Miami, Cleveland and Atlanta) this Friday, Nov. 21. Here's a tip of the cap to you, Ronn, for four decades of greatness, and a wish for many more years (if not decades) of outstanding entertainment on the air.

"Skyrocker" Post Disappears Into The Ether...

2008-11-10T22:20:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, an exceedingly interesting post by one of my favorite radio people (writing under the nom de tableau "Skyrocker") appeared on one of my favorite radio boards.

Unfortunately, Skyrocker's comments apparently violated the rules of that board, and it was deleted, along with all links and replies, as if it never existed.

Since I ain't got no such rules, and since I asked Skyrocker politely, what follows is his original post:

My Story Is Your Story.

I have worked in this radio broadcasting swirl for decades -- maybe too long. More than that, I love it. Consequently, I feel more at home in radio as I do in my own skin.

Early on (we all seem to live by decisions made by our teenaged selves) I chose an all-California career path, informed from several years hitch-hiking across the USA, which was my personal Right Of Passage.

I was too late for a ride with Huck & Tom on their raft, so I made use of Route 66 and our nation's hiway system to get a good up-close look at our country's diverse regions. And quite an earful of our differences in audio preferences. Like its listeners, each radio station was different.

Way different.

Fortune was on my side in that I met "guides and spirits all along the way," in the form of weathered jocks, insightful program directors and great characters. Within my chosen state, I made my way up through the various California markets -- from the Monterey Peninsula, through small towns (Pittsburg, Fresno), medium markets (San Diego) and into San Francisco and L.A., learning and improving as I went.

I realized my voice wasn't as deeply textured as many of my contemporaries, so I learned to work it. I studied timing, phrasing, inflections -- not from any licensed schools, but from the masters themselves; in other words, like you, I watched a lot of TV. And, just like you, I learned.

I became intricately connected with the sound image of each station that brought me into play. They all had their own jingles, some their own production packages, or, when there was no budget, great shelves full of movie and instrumental music. I learned to use a razor and splice the music to fit my vision. I discovered images in my mind that mirrored the sound I was working with and brought them into my work.

Once, in the 70s, I wrote a magazine article about radio production ("Imaginative Radio Production," Broadcast Programming & Production, Oct. 1975), featuring cartoons I drew to illustrate my points. Many years later, as computers entered our lives, imagine my amazement when I saw these exact same images on the screens of wave editors. Ooh.

These days, broadcasting is going through a dark period. The bottom line has always been about profit, but NEVER BEFORE at the expense of the product. Once, one simply wouldn't allow themselves any vulnerability in the commercial marketplace. Apparently, not now. There seems to be an unquestioned assumption that the audience will always be there, no matter what.

No matter that their listeners are finding other outlets in which to listen, investing in MP3 Players, whereas the radio just came free with the car. Pay no attention to listeners who all now have computers that play music from either online or a collection on their hard drive. No matter that former radio hot-shot programmers are now designing channel after channel of mostly commercial-free music on satellite radio. No matter that, any day now, shareholders are going to be demanding to know where the listeners are and who's responsible.

Bad news.

And good news: This means that I can out program practically any radio station in the USA. I've worked with the best, radio geniuses that are simply no longer available. I have understood not only their visions but that which the listeners could percieve as such while being entertained. Compellingly.

Now, I, with a small cadre of pro friends, are willing to take on a very few projects. We don't need the money -- by now we've proved everything we needed to prove - to ourselves (hell, I don't even put anything on my web site other than an email and telephone number anymore: www.bobbyocean.net) -- we just love this stuff and we do it well. There's a lot of satisfaction in that.

And we play it to win. We think that'll impress the shareholders, too. Interested, call and learn more. It's not the budget buster you may fear, but it won't be inexpensive. Winning never is.
Just a couple stations, though.

Then - door closed.

More Osh things:

* The Bobby Ocean Sunday Radio Cartoon

* Bobby Ocean In The 93/KHJ Boss Blog

Image: Bobby Ocean by Bobby Ocean (2008), by courtesy of Bobby Ocean.

Rumor: Salem Buying KLOK/1170?

2008-11-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

The rumor being bandied about last night in the high-altitude press box at HP Pavilion in San Jose was that KLOK/1170 has been/is on the verge of/might be sold to Salem Communications by Univision.

From there, the scenarios started being thrown about: perhaps Salem would either (a) move the KDOW/1220 programming to 1170 and put the KLOK programming on 1220; or (b) abandon the plan to build a new transmitter plant for 1220 in Hayward and diplex both KLOK and KDOW off the same 1170 towers on South King Road in San Jose, which seems like a more NIMBY-proof way of doing things.

All of this is, of course, rumor and speculation, as far as I can figure at this point.

The San Jose Fighting Sharks, by the way, defeated the Dallas Stars on a last-minute slam dunk by Patrick Marleau, and are easily the best, most talented and most exciting sports team in the Bay Area in many years — the perfect tonic for those of us disenchanted by the moribund Raiders and 49ers.

Comments? Click here...

Hello, Eye! Calling All Idiots...

2008-11-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

Great news this afternoon from the great M. Dung, who announced (by way of Radio-Info.com) that he's returning to the airwaves with his popular Sunday Night Idiot Show, after a brief hiatus.

...Okay, it's actually been sixteen looooong years.

The return of The Idiot Show comes in two weeks, on November 16 from 6 to 8 p.m., on K-You Radio (KYCY 1550 AM), a station which Dungboy incorrectly notes "no one listens to!"

(Not true, M! To quote the legendary Bob Falfa, "I ain't nobody, dork.")

The show will also be streamed online on the K-You Radio website.

According to Dung, The Idiot Show -- once a staple of KFOG's lineup -- was last heard on reg'lar radio in these parts back in 1992, when it was broadcast by the old Double 99 FM (98.9 KDBK).

An Hour Of Fear & War Of The Worlds...

2008-10-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

From the great Norman Davis (www.radiothrills.com), formerly of KYA, KSFO, KSAN, KMPX, et al., comes word of a programming note:

Norman Davis' special tongue-in-cheek program for Halloween, "The Hour of Fear," will air tonight (Oct. 31) at 9 p.m. on KYOU Radio 1550, San Francisco. Also available as a download after airtime at www.kyou.com.

Sidebar: Largely unnoticed went the 70th anniversary yesterday of the infamous "War of the Worlds" Halloween broadcast by Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre On The Air, which took place on Oct. 30, 1938.

If you haven't experienced James Gabbert's 1964 Bay Area-ized version of "War of the Worlds," I invite you to turn down the lights tonight and enjoy:

http://www.sfradiomuseum.com/audio/kpen/

(Scroll down to "1964" to launch the audio.)

"Countdown Clock" On New KGOFM.com

2008-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

This morning, a linked line of text reading "Countdown Clock by Zoodu.com" has appeared on the brand-new KGOFM.com website ... but nothing happens.

As the website loads, it shows that it is trying to pull a file from http://mailhost.citcomm-sf.com/pics ... but nothing happens.

The corporate parent website for KGO (radio 810 AM, not TV Channel 7) shows something unusual, though.

...But wait a second!

Because the KGOFM.com page is trying to drag some Flash code from the Zoodu.com website, and since it isn't connecting, the KGOFM.com front page isn't loading correctly (at least for me).

But if you pop open the source code for KGOFM.com's front page, you find this in the HTML:

It begins

[ZOODU COUNTDOWN CLOCK CODE]

Tune into AM 810 to learn about the future

Three-and-a-half hours and counting...

UPDATE (9 a.m.): Br'er Rabbit, we've been had...

No FM simulcast. No new 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. host.

MEDIA ADVISORY

MADAM SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI THROWS SWITCH:
KGO NEWSTALK AM 810 GOES SOLAR
LIVE FROM THE RONN OWENS SHOW

WHAT: KGO Newstalk AM 810 will be the first commercial major broadcast media outlet in California to reach its listeners by harnessing the power of the sun and reducing its use of the power grid. In partnership with PG&E and SolFocus, KGO will unveil its new state-of- the-art solar power system during the Ronn Owens Show with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi this Thursday, October 30. The system will generate clean, renewable energy, marking the first of many new green initiatives by KGO Radio.

WHY: KGO takes leadership in making eco-friendly business practices “the norm” through promoting public awareness about the benefits of renewable energy and sustainable practices. KGO Radio’s website [kgoradio.com] is featuring photos and blog updates that will allow the public to learn more about solar power. In addition, the station will be conducting a Bay Area-wide search for a student reporter who in 2009 will report on green initiatives in his/her school through KGO Radio’s “Making the Grade Green Program.”

UPDATED UPDATE: Although it may change down the line, here's what the KGOFM.com website looked like post-announcement...

Thanks for playing, indeed.

KGO Hints At Big Announcement

2008-10-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

Newstalk behemoth KGO (810 AM) is promoing that they'll have an "illuminating" announcement coming up on 10/30 (this Thursday) at 10:30...

Speculation in the ba.broadcast Usenet group (in threads here and here) has run to the naming of a new 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. host on the station, such as Alex Bennett (doubtful) (I think).

Christine Craft, posting in ba.broadcast, noted "Engineers (were) building a new studio where the old Dean Edell studio used to be ... All seemed hush/hush when I worked all last week."

Could the "103" in 10:30 and 10/30 refer to an FM dial position ... 103.7? 102.9? Is there a chance that Citadel could buy or LMA either KKSF (from Clear Channel) or KBLX (from Inner City)? Perhaps another FM signal can be lassoed, such as KNGY (92.7), KCNL (104.9), KRTY (95.3) or Stockton's KSTN-FM (107.3, which actually covers a lot of the Bay Area).

A WHOIS search shows that Citadel/KGO has registered KGOFM.com, just a few days ago:

Domain Name: KGOFM.COM
Created on: 24-OCT-08
Expires on: 24-OCT-09
Last Updated on: 25-OCT-08

Administrative Contact:
webmaster, FM engineering@abc-sf.com
Citadel Communications
900 Front Street
San Francisco, Ca 94111
US
415-954-8100
415 398-5995

Technical Contact:
Berry, Ken engineering@abc-sf.com
ABC Radio
900 Front Street
San Francisco, Ca 94111
US
415 954-8100

Comments? Go here...

It's 7:40 AM. Do You Know Where Your News Is?

2008-10-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

Rather anticlimactic, the crossover this morning to the KCBS simulcast on AM 'n' FM...

Journey ("Don't Stop Believing," rather than "Lights," which I thought would be more of a nod to the old KFRC), some stunt-ish stuff (news timeline audio clips, reminding me of the stunting used before 106.9 became Free FM), then Stan Bunger spake "Well, welcome to FM 106-9, and let's get back to doing what we do here at KCBS."

A time check (7:41), over to Susan Leigh-Taylor and, just like that, we now have a KCBS news simulcast at 740 AM and 106.9 FM.

The top of hour ID?

"What's happening, and why. KCBS AM and HD, KFRC-FM and HD-1, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose."

KFRC "Farewell Show"? Not...

2008-10-22T08:34:00.000-07:00

The Classic Hits KFRC "Farewell Show" that was hinted at in the SFPPC blog the other day ain't going to happen.

I just heard from the lovely and talented Celeste Perry, who said (among other things):

Just read a post on the blog about Dave, Sue and I doing a farewell show at KFRC. Not true. We recorded little goodbye promos after we were unceremoniously laid off on Monday morning.

"Farewell Show" For KFRC's Sholin, Perry?

2008-10-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

The terrific S.F. Peninsula Press Club blog reports that the Classic Hits KFRC crew will return to wrap things up this week:

KFRC's Dave Sholin, Celeste Perry and Sue Hall have been let go, but they will return this week (we don't know when) to do a farewell show.

There's also an interesting snippet of conversation from the company meeting that is reprinted in the SFPPC blog.

CBS is also in the process of putting in a booster in Pleasanton to increase 106.9's coverage in the Tri-Valley area. Right now, when driving, the station's signal begins to decay as you head east on 580 past Hopyard and Hacienda.

Of course, KCBS' signal is loud, strong and clear all the way out into the Valley on 740 AM, so I'm not certain why this is an issue now.

Hello, Goodbye: KFRC Dies Again

2008-10-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

Not much more to say beyond what Ben Fong-Torres broke in this email blast to a few friends this afternoon:

"We expect this music to live forever..."

Just heard that liner on KFRC ... it's 1:47, and -- I'm sure you've heard -- KFRC is just about gone.

If you haven't heard: CBS Radio just announced that KFRC is being replaced with the programming on KCBS; at a meeting this morning, KFRC staffers were told the station is over as of today. Since then, it's been just music, liners & commercials. Dave Sholin, Celeste Perry, Sue Hall, Jay Coffey, Dean Goss (fill-in/weekender)-- all gone.

CBS is saying they'll keep the KFRC call letters on FM and run KFRC music online and on the HD-2 channel linked to 106.9. Up to now, it'd been the opposite. KFRC was on HD-1, KCBS on HD-2.

I'm sure you both know who to call for details. I'm running just a tiny item in my next col. (still nearly 2 weeks away), bec. of coverage of the radio hall of fame inductions...

Oh -- needless to say, my show, Backstage, is out the rear door. 52 shows, 100 or so hours (there were some repeats); absolute fun.

That's what radio is: fun and heartaches.

cheers,
ben

Damn. I had just commented to Ben about what a great show "Backstage" is (was). This past weekend's program was phenomenal. How can you beat Leo Sayer doing karaoke to his own "When I Need You" in your living room?

It's funny how much I listened to KFRC this past weekend, digging my old buddy John Mack Flanagan doing the Beatles shows, and Big Tom Parker playing back-to-back hits.

Oh, well. If you need a good 1960s Oldies fix, give a listen to the radio museum's Classic KYA. Since old-fashioned radio is being killed off by its caretakers, you might as well invest in a WiFi set and join the future.

Radio is dead. Long live radio.

Comments? Get on board at Radio-Info.com.

Dave Morey Bidding KFOG Adieu

2008-10-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

So I'm off listening to KNBR's Gary Radnich this morning (still smarting from a sassy email gone wrong yesterday) when The Great Radu mentions in passing that the great Dave Morey is retiring from Cumulus sister-station KFOG (104.5 FM).

Hustling over to KFOG, we learn that Morey's retirement isn't immediate -- he'll hold down the morning shift until December 19, then head off to Michigan. (Strange ... most Michiganders do just the opposite, it seems, as you'll witness at any Sharks, Warriors or A's game.)

On KFOG's website, the terribly underrated Morey blogged:

To: All
From: Me
Re: The Master Plan.

It is time to announce my retirement … EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT THAT OLD.

My decision.

Last show for KFOG will be Friday, December 19th.

Here’s the deal:I’ve been thinking about this for a couple years. Thanks to excellent planning and despite global collapse of the financial industry, I will be able to realize a dream I’ve had for a long time.

I’m leaving the Bay Area – returning to Michigan. It’s hard to explain to someone who’s not from there so I won’t even try. I think y’all know how I feel about the Midwest.

Dave Morey has spent 26 years on the air in the Bay Area, beginning at KSFX before crossing over to KFOG. He will continue to host the popular "10 at 10" daily feature by long distance following his retirement.

More details in Dave's blog at http://tinyurl.com/morey-kfog

UPDATE: Ben Fong-Torres' "Radio Waves" column in Sunday's Datebook is awash in Morey minutia. Somebody got the advance scoop!

KKDV Tower Temporarily Toppled

2008-10-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

The great John Higdon notes in the ba.broadcast Usenet group that the KKDV (92.1 FM) transmitter tower -- essentially an old-timey wooden telephone pole -- was deliberately chopped down by the station's engineering staff, and soon will be replaced by a new tower of more metallic origin.

The untreated wooden "tower," which was estimated to be more than thirty years old, had been braced with a second, shorter wooden pole; both were victims of extensive rot.

The KKDV transmitting site is situated on the hillside near the junction of Highways 680 and 24, west of 680 on the north side of 24. The antenna, for those of you who are wondering (and you know who you are), was a Jampro three-bay antenna.

In his ba.broadcast post, entitled "The End of a Pole," Mr. Higdon noted:

Within a week, a large hole will be drilled at the [exact] location of the pole, a caisson will be poured and a genuine steel self-supporting tower will be erected in its place. We expect the new tower and its modern antennas will provide a noticeable improvement to KKDV's signal in the Diablo Valley area.

The station is transmitting with a "makeshift temporary antenna" in the interim.

Photos of the tower toppling, courtesy of Mr. Higdon, are on display at:

http://homepage.mac.com/johnhigdon/timber

Capacity Crowd Cheers BARHOF Class Of 2008

2008-10-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

An overflow crowd of fans, friends and colleagues was on hand to welcome the latest group of inductees into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame on October 1 at the Doubletree Inn on the Berkeley Marina.

Sixteen of the seventeen members of BARHOF's Class of 2008 were represented at the gala luncheon, including Broadcast Legends Red Blanchard and Don Klein.

New inductees Rosie Allen, Alex Bennett, Renel Brooks-Moon, Bob Fouts, Mickey Luckoff, Terry McGovern and Dave Sholin were all present for the ceremony.

(That's me between Messrs. McGovern and Bennett après the ceremony.)

Roy Storey, who could not be present, was represented by his sister Marcia Johnson, while Bill Gavin, Hap Harper, Mikel Hunter Herrington, Russ Hodges, Dude Martin, Doug Pledger and Russ "The Moose" Syracuse, inducted posthumously, were represented by friends or family members.

Presented under the auspices of the Broadcast Legends, the BARHOF 2008 program was emceed by David Jackson, executive director of the Bay Area Radio Museum. Joe Starkey, radio voice of 49ers and Cal football, inducted the four legendary local sportscasters -- Hodges, Storey, Klein and Fouts -- into the Hall of Fame.

NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts, a successful sportscaster in his own right, presented his father, Bob Fouts, with a funny and heart-warming speech. "We've all worked for a variety of stations with a variety of call letters -- KFRC, KCBS, KPIX," Dan Fouts commented. "But this is one set of call letters that's for life -- BARHOF."

The senior Fouts, early voice of the 49ers on radio and television as well as a longtime sportscaster on KSFO and KCBS, regaled the audience with tales of his the Niners ... and pro wrestling!

Other presenters included Bill Faust (for his step-father, Doug Pledger), Bob Matheson (for Red Blanchard), Ed Baxter (for Rosie Allen), Ronn Owens (for Mickey Luckoff), Dana Jang (for Mikel Hunter), Mike Preston (for Dave Sholin), Ted "Hezzie" Johnson (for Dude Martin) and Al Newman (for Terry McGovern).

Ben Fong-Torres and Tommy Saunders presented their memories and an audio montage of their friend, Russ Syracuse. New Hall of Famer Dave Sholin presented his former boss, Bill Gavin, for induction.

More than 6,000 votes were cast in the BARHOF 2008 balloting. Renel Brooks-Moon, host of 98.1 Kiss FM's morning show and voice of the Giants at AT&T Park, was named on more than 25% of all ballots -- most of any nominee -- and, along with KGO's Rosie Allen, was one of only two women to be inducted this year.

Other notable guests in the capacity crowd included sportscaster Barry Tompkins, KGO production superstar Mike Amatori, popular KYA disc jockey Chris Edwards (now an account exec with KFRC), legendary R&B disc jockey John "Bouncin' Bill" Doubleday, longtime radio personality Ward Glenn and voice artist Gary Mora (now hosting Classic KYA Radio).

But it was Celeste Perry, Dave Sholin's partner on KFRC's morning show, who got off the line of the day. During his acceptance speech, Sholin introduced Perry, noting that she, too, will someday be inducted into BARHOF.

Perry quickly replied "I'm not old enough!" and was met with raucous laughter and applause from the multitude.

Photograph by courtesy of Robert Mohr.

All Access: Cat Collins New WiLD 94.9 PD

2008-09-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

This just in from www.AllAccess.com:

LINCOLN FINANCIAL Top 40/Rhythmic KQKS (KS 107-5)/DENVER PD CAT COLLINS has been named PD at CLEAR CHANNEL Top 40/Rhythmic KYLD (WiLD 94.9)/SAN FRANCISCO.

Collins is a Bay Area native. An interesting article about him -- albeit eight years old -- from the Denver perspective at KS107-5, where he was quite successful:

http://www.westword.com/2000-08-24/news/urban-renewal/

BARM Launches Classic KYA Online

2008-09-10T10:45:00.000-07:00

If you were a teenager (or younger) growing up in the Bay Area back in the 1960s, you had a smorgasbord of choices -- KFRC (The Big 610), 1260/KYA, KEWB (Channel 91) and 1590/KLIV -- to suit your taste in Top 40 music, along with the great personalities that each station featured.

Out of that quartet, only KFRC remains forty years later, playing classic hits from the 1970s and vicinity at 106.9 FM.

As a vehicle of sheer nostalgic bliss, the Bay Area Radio Museum has launched Classic KYA Radio online, playing the great Top 40 hits of the 1960s (and vicinity), along with the 1260 KYA jingles that decorated the station so delightfully during that era.

The host of Classic KYA is Gary Mora (pictured here), who was a disc jockey at the original 1260 KYA during its latter period, and at the merged 560/KSFO and 93.3 KYA-FM. Gary also hosted the popular "KYA Oldies Road Show" live events for nearly twenty years, and is currently one of the best-known voice artists in the business.

Gary was born and raised on the Peninsula, and is a product of the College of San Mateo's vaunted broadcasting school, where he trained under the great Dan Odum, alongside classmates Dean Goss (currently weekending on KFRC) and Jon Miller (play-by-play voice of your San Francisco Giants).

In addition to the music and jingles, the flashbacks to the original KYA will continue with snippets of broadcast recordings from legendary KYA disc jockeys, including Johnny Holliday, Emperor Gene Nelson, Russ "The Moose" Syracuse, Tom Campbell, Bwana Johnny, Chris Edwards, Tommy Saunders and "Big Daddy" Tom Donahue. Classic commercials from the 1960s and 1970s are also featured, with Tom Campbell's well-remembered Mathew's TV & Stereo spots (complete with the famous "top of the hill, Daly City!" tagline) in heavy rotation.

The Bay Area Radio Museum controls the registered trademark to "KYA Radio" and has owned the rights to the kyaradio.com domain name since 2004. The newly-launched Classic KYA programming replaces the archival airchecks from the original "Boss of the Bay" that had been streaming previously on the kyaradio.com website. The revamped kyaradio.com features a continuous live feed of the Golden Gate Great Oldies, along with historic tidbits from the station's storied past.

The launch of Classic KYA Radio comes on the heels of the tremendous popularity of the Radio Museum's Classic KABL Music, which blends popular Adult Standards, Easy Listening and Beautiful Music, hosted by Radio Hall of Famer Bill Moen.

S.F. Radio Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2008

2008-07-16T12:05:00.000-07:00

The Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame's Class of 2008 was announced at noon today. The full list and details can be viewed on the BARHOF website.

Just the names:

Rosie Allen
Alex Bennett
Red Blanchard
Renel Brooks-Moon
Bob Fouts
Bill Gavin
Hap Harper
Mikel Hunter Herrington
Russ Hodges
Don Klein
Mickey Luckoff
Dude Martin
Terry McGovern
Doug Pledger
Dave Sholin
Roy Storey
Russ "The Moose" Syracuse.

The luncheon celebration for the new inductees will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Berkeley. Last year's event was not only sold out, but attracted an overflow crowd, so I urge you to make your reservation as soon as possible at www.BroadcastLegends.com.

RIP: Les Crane

2008-07-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

Norman Davis has sent along word that Les Crane (born Leslie G. Stein) passed away on Sunday (July 13) from pneumonia. Crane was 74 years old and had resided in Belvedere (Marin County).

Crane was PD at 1260/KYA in the early 1960s, where he worked as "Johnny Raven" and built one of the most talented radio teams in local history.

He then moved to KGO/81 (as Les Crane), where he became very successful as the host of a nightly talk show from the hungry i night club. ABC later moved him to KGO-TV, then the entire ABC television network, with a short-lived late-night program called "Night Line ... With Les Crane." The program was later renamed "The Les Crane Show." It became another in the long list of challengers to Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" that fell by the wayside.

Among the more interesting accomplishments in his life: his fourth wife (out of five) was Tina Louise, who played "Ginger" on "Gilligan's Island"; he started Software Toolworks, whose most notable release was "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing"; and in 1971 he won a Grammy for "Desiderata," the year's best spoken-word recording.

You can hear Les Crane (as Leslie G. Stein) on the "Sounds of San Francisco from the KGO Music Tower" recording on the radio museum website by clicking here.

The New York Times included a detailed obituary of Les Crane in today's online edition. (Registration required.)

"Radio Day By The Bay" Set For July 5

2008-06-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

The California Historical Radio Society (CHRS) will open the doors to its museum on Saturday, July 5, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. for its annual "Live! At KRE" celebration.

The event will take place at the historic KRE radio building in Berkeley, under the giant radio tower on Ashby Avenue near Highway 80.

CHRS has been refurbishing the KRE building into a world-class broadcasting museum, filled with classic radios and equipment, working studios and an authentic ham radio "shack," as well as the home of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame.

The July 5 celebration is the perfect event for families seeking a day of entertainment close to home. "Live! At KRE" will feature a variety of entertainment -- including music and an old-time radio performance by the Broadcast Legends -- and a flea market and auction of great old radios, ham radio equipment, phonographs and test equipment.

Carter B. Smith, a member of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame (Class of 2007), will serve as master of ceremonies for the event. Carter worked at KRE early in his radio career, before moving on to great success at KSFO, KNBR, Magic 61 and KABL.

Another special guest will be popular Oldies disc jockey Herbie Hancock (http://qmproductions.com), one of the most renowned Wolfman Jack impersonators in the industry. Herbie will spin 45s in the KRE studio -- the same studio used in the radio station scenes featuring Wolfman Jack in "American Graffiti."

Admission to the event is $5 for adults. Children are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult.

For more information, please visit www.BayRadioDay.com.

"Night Of Radio Stars" On June 10

2008-05-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

Five of the Bay Area's greatest broadcasters -- Frank Dill, Al Hart, Jim Lange, Mike Cleary and Carter B. Smith (all members of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame) -- will be on stage together on Tuesday, June 10, for a special evening of memories, sponsored by the San Francisco Museum & Historical Society.

The program is part of SFMHS's current series of lectures on the "Golden Age of Entertainment" in the Bay Area.

The June 10 program "will cover the radio years from the 1960s to 1990s and will feature radio stars who dominated the air waves in the intervening years, people who became daily companions, especially to commuters bogged down in traffic."

The SFMHS "Early Radio" event this past Tuesday was a near sell-out in the nearly 500-seat Kanbar Hall at the magnificent Jewish Community Center in San Francisco, and was a roaring success.

Admission is only $5 (free for members of SFMHS). There will be a "pre-show" reception at 7 p.m. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m.

Kanbar Hall at JCC/SF is located at 3200 California Street. (For detailed directions, please click here or view the Google Map of the location.)

For more information, please visit:
http://www.sfhistory.org/index.php?pageid=118

Gavin Newsom No-Show For KKGN Debut

2008-05-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

To the great disappointment of several, Gavin Newsom was a no-show for his much-ballyhooed debut on KKGN/960 last Saturday. In Mondays' Chronicle, Matier & Ross had the inside poop:

{snip}
Hair America: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was a no-show for his debut on Air America. ...late last week, the mayor's office put the whole thing on hold, saying Newsom's schedule was just too jammed with his trip to Israel and New York.

The mayor was slated to start his half-hour gabfest on KNEW-AM Saturday.

So the station had to pull back on its ads promoting the show and instead run a bunch of "Whoops, we're sorry" spots.

"I guess it just wasn't the best time for him to start," said KNEW's John Scott. "Hopefully, we'll regroup in a couple of weeks."
{/snip}

Note the errors in the M&R piece: readers should replace references to KNEW with KKGN. Also, the program wasn't scheduled to be carried on Air America; it is a Green 960 local production and presentation.

The Green 960 website, above a smiling photo of the San Francisco mayor, simply says "The Gavin Newsom Show: Postponed Due to Scheduling Conflicts."

Dude Martin Documentary On KTEH, KQED

2008-03-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

David S. Washburn's documentary on Berkeley's own "Broadcast Cowboy," Dude Martin, will air this Monday, March 17, on KTEH (Channel 54) at 11 p.m.

It will be rebroadcast on KQED Digital Channel 9.2 (Comcast Channel 189) on Saturday, March 22, at 11 p.m.

Dude, whose real name was Steve McSwain, was a hugely popular Western bandleader and radio show host from the 1930s through the 1950s on KLX, KGO, KYA and other local stations. He was part of the Bay Area's thriving Western Music scene during that era that included Black Jack Wayne, Cottonseed Clark, Cactus Jack, Longhorn Joe and Red Murrell, who appeared in nightclubs and on the air on a regular basis.

Oddball fact: late in his career, Dude moved to L.A. and hosted programs on KTTV (Channel 11) in the late 1950s as "Steve Martin."

More information on the documentary at BroadcastCowboy.com.

Jim Goggin has also written an interesting book, "The Dude Martin Band Story," which is available from Trafford Publishing.

Eshoo Bill Calls For Licensing In "Public Interest"

2008-03-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

From today's Radio Business Report:

H.R. 4882, the "Broadcast Licensing in the Public Interest Act," is in the hopper, introduced by Anna Eshoo (D-CA), with four co-sponsors. If enacted into law, the eight-year broadcast licensing term would be reduced to three, and civic affairs, news, and locally produced programming would become a blanket requirement.

Eshoo represents California's 14th District, covering the Peninsula down through Santa Cruz. The bill focuses on television, but includes specific provisions for:

a dedication to the civic affairs of its community;
a dedication to local news gathering;
local production of programming;
a commitment to providing the viewing public a presentation of the issues, candidates, and ballot items that are before voters during a local, statewide or national election, including coverage of candidate debates and forums, political conventions, and ongoing news coverage; and
presentation of quality educational programming for children.

How about going one step more: require radio stations to generate a minimum of eight hours of live, locally-originated programming?

I can just see the huge ownership conglomerates instantly wetting their slacks over that, and the NAB screaming bloody murder ... and getting out the checkbooks to buy off enough legislators to kill the bill. Why? Because radio isn't about programming in the public interest any more; it's about "economies of scale" and getting the most return for the least effort.

Pappas Adds Savage, Flips Modesto AM To "Patriot" Talk

2008-03-07T17:20:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, it looks like Pappas Radio's attempt at a hybrid Adult Standards and Infomercials format on KMPH/840 in Modesto has ended. It was fun while it lasted — the music more so than the long-form ads for colon cleansers — but the sound was incongruous in Modesto, which is still very much a farm town (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Of course, I still think that they should have (1) kept the transplanted KTRB/860 call letters in Modesto, where they mean something, and (2) at least tried the Adult Standards on 860 in San Francisco, rather than fifth-rate talk. I reserve the right to repeat this line over and over again, if only because I believe I'm right.

I'm still hearing that Oakland A's baseball will be moving to 50,000-watt KTRB in 2009 after one more season on KFRC/106.9 and KYCY/1550.

KMPH is being repositioned with conservative talk as "The Patriot," starting this Monday (March 10). Here's the press release from Pappas, issued this afternoon:

New Talk Radio Station To Debut In Modesto
Michael Savage Returns To The Airwaves!

March 7, 2008—(Modesto, California) KMPH-AM 840, which went on the air on July 24, 2006 as the successor station to Modesto’s first radio station, KTRB-AM 860 (now in San Francisco) changes format to bring The Michael Savage Show and other great talk programs to the Modesto, Merced, and Stockton area starting on March 10, 2008.

Among its shows, the station will feature the fiery Laura Ingraham every weekday morning, nononsense personal advice from Dr. Laura, the passionate intellect of Michael Savage, and a unique mix of commentary with satire and comedy on The Phil Hendrie Show. Plus, AM 840 KMPH The Patriot features Modesto’s only talk show that focuses exclusively on local issues, The Morning Mayor with former Modesto Mayor Carmen Sabatino, traffic updates during the morning commute, and local news with Modesto’s most experienced radio news man, Tim St. Martin.

The Michael Savage Show is now the third largest radio talk show, according to TALKERS Magazine, and airs on well over 300 stations nationwide. Michael Savage is the author of four best selling books: The Savage Nation, The Enemy Within, and Liberalism is a Mental Disorder.

His most recent book is the irreverent Political Zoo. He attacks big government and liberal media bias, but champions the environment and animal rights. Trained as a scientist, he holds Master's degrees in medical botany and medical anthropology and earned his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in Epidemiology and Nutrition Science.

Jim P. Pappas, General Manager of AM 840 KMPH The Patriot said, “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to give Modesto area listeners a real choice with a Talk Radio station that is anchored by popular hosts like Michael Savage, Dr. Laura, Laura Ingraham, Jerry Doyle, Phil Hendrie, and successful weekend talkers like Bob Brinker, Clark Howard, Leo Laporte, and Bill Handel, not to mention great sports programming with Fox Sports Radio.”

AM 840 KMPH The Patriot is owned and operated by Pappas Radio of Modesto, LLC, and represents a Modesto broadcast tradition dating back to 1953.

Citadel Cuts Catch KSFO's Melanie Morgan

2008-03-03T22:33:00.000-08:00

The addition by subtraction mandated by Farid Suleman at Citadel Broadcasting ("How can we afford to pay me $17-million a year? Fire the talent!") has netted a major casualty at 560/KSFO.

Melanie Morgan, conservative firebrand and a genius at pushing all the right buttons, will not have her contract renewed and made her final KSFO broadcast on Monday morning.

Morgan had been the high-profile co-host to Lee Rodgers on the station's morning show, having worked her way up from sidekick/underling to being the co-star of the program. In many ways, she actually upstaged Rodgers, who performs his part of the show via remote hookup. (A television set in the KSFO studio helped keep Morgan and Officer Vic "face-to-face" with Rodgers.)

Morgan published the following press release on her personal website on Monday:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 3, 2008
Conservative Melanie Morgan Cut from KSFO Radio
* Vows to Continue Her Role as Conservative Activist *

(SAN FRANCISCO) – Renowned radio personality and national conservative leader, Melanie Morgan, delivered her final broadcast on talk radio powerhouse KSFO 560 AM today – Monday, March 3, 2008.

The owner of KSFO radio, Citadel Broadcasting, decided not to renew Morgan’s contract as part of the company’s announced across-the-board financial cost cutting.
Melanie Morgan has been a fixture on KSFO for the past 14 years, enjoying a run from 1994-2008 that far exceeded industry standards for longevity. During that time, Morgan emerged as one of the nation’s most dynamic conservative activists, using the radio airwaves to motivate listeners who shared her passion to take action and fight for causes important to them.

Morgan’s on-air activism included an effort that removed the carcinogen MTBE from gasoline in California, launching of the historic Recall Gray Davis campaign that led to the election of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Governor of California, and co-founding the nation’s largest pro-troop organization, Move America Forward.

“It has truly been an honor for me to work at KSFO for the past 14 years. What I loved most about my time at KSFO was that it allowed me to connect with listeners and take action to make real changes in the world,” said Melanie Morgan.

“We never had a one-way dialogue with our listeners, and we never believed that we had to resolve ourselves to accept the status quo. We got out of our chairs, left our homes and offices, and circulated petitions, rallied for our troops and met with government leaders. “We did all this to make sure that we left an even better world for our children than the one we had inherited from generations before us,” Morgan said.

As part of her ongoing conservative activism, Morgan has traveled to the Middle East twice to interview U.S. Troops stationed in Iraq and Kuwait. Her broadcast efforts from Iraq resulted in her winning the Associated Press’s Mark Twain Journalism Award, and The Peninsula Press Club’s award for Best Interview or Talk Show.

“Meeting our troops who are on the frontlines of the war against terrorism stands as the most powerful experience in my broadcast career,” said Morgan.

Morgan’s career with ABC began in 1981 when she was a television reporter for KGO TV. In 1984, she became an on-air personality for KGO radio where she worked for six years before switching over to ABC-San Francisco sister-station, KSFO 560 AM, co-hosting the Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan show.

In 2006, Citadel Broadcasting acquired the ABC Radio group. She has reported on the scene from the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, Lebanon; the Mexico City earthquake; and the Tiananmen Square massacre in China.

Melanie Morgan says her focus in the days ahead remains unchanged: She will remain a conservative activist leader. “My commitment and dedication to serve as a leader in the movement to support our military men and women continues to grow, and I am very proud to serve as Chairman of the pro-troop non-profit group, Move America Forward,” Morgan said. Melanie Morgan is not compensated for her work with Move America Forward, a fact since the group was first launched in 2004.

Morgan will also continue her weekly column for the news website WorldNetDaily.com and will continue to serve as a television analyst on news programs on cable and broadcast television stations and networks. “My passion and commitment to the troops who are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world are foremost in my heart.

"While I will miss my good friends Lee Rodgers and Officer Vic, and our great producer Sheri Yee, I am excited to stay close to the conservative grassroots. And I'll always lead with my chin out," Morgan concluded.

Mindless Meanderings...

2008-02-25T10:55:00.000-08:00

Things that probably won't come true, but that are worth repeating fourth-hand...

If KGO Newstalk 810 is looking for a first-rate talent with local connections, they needn't look any farther than Alex Bennett. If Karel, Len Tillem and Dr. Dean Edell can do it by long-distance telephonic hookup, so can Alex. Of course, if Citadel has the money to pay Farid, but not enough to pay the talent, scratch that idea...
Dean Goss is back weekending on Classic Hits KFRC (106.9 FM). Dean is the prototypical morning man. A legendary voice of KFRC. Wonderfully, brilliantly talented guy. But KFRC already has a morning guy who fits all these qualifications, don't they?
Along the same lines, Clear Channel recently blew out my friend Charlie Tuna at KBIG/LA, and he landed a weekend gig at Oldies monster K-Earth 101. Charlie Tuna is not a weekend guy; he's a morning guy. One of the greatest in the history of broadcasting. But K-Earth already has a morning guy...
I hope that Clear Channel doesn't pull the same act on the great Don Bleu at Star 101.3 FM. (As Dr. Phil says, "The best indicator of future behavior is past behavior." Right Paul Robins?) But if they do, there would be no more perfect fit than "Bleu In The Morning" at KFRC. But KFRC already has a morning guy...
Michael Zwerling has had his family-owned KSCO/1080 and KOMY/1340 on the market for several months. Both have significant transmitter repair issues that must be addressed. Simple solution: KLIV's Bob Kieve does an LMA-to-buy of KSCO, diplexes it through 1590's towers in San Jose...
Oh, stop laughing, would ya.

Bummer: Tony Bruno Off KNBR/1050

2008-01-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

Sporting News Radio has parted ways with Tony Bruno (photo, right), which means that Bay Area radio has lost one of its better morning shows -- albeit one that was heard locally via syndication on a second-tier sports station.

Bruno's show was heard on KNBR/1050 (and Sirius Sports 123) and was simply a fun, entertaining, smart show, whether you're into sports or not. I'm one of many who believe that Bruno's daily 10 AM segment with Gary Radnich on mothership KNBR/680 was the best half-hour on radio, day in and day out, bar none.

Sporting News Radio and Bruno had been involved in negotiations for a contract extension, but could not reach an agreement. Bruno will remain with company -- "working with management on other initiatives," according to AllAccess.com -- while under contract for two more months.

Read the Sporting News' press release on the Bruno situation.

Quick aside to Tony Salvadore and Lee Hammer: how tough would it be to set Bruno up with an ISDN line from his home studio in Venice Beach, and pay him (and ace sidekick Mark Willard, a Bay Area product) to do the KNBR/680 morning show by wire? Heck, you can even handle his national syndication, and it would pay for the investment. Not to mention that it would be a significant upgrade over the seat warmers you're currently paying.

Bruno was always smart enough to include enough Bay Area references to keep his show's feeling "local," and he has a sizeable, dedicated and loyal audience here.

Lee Hammer should say yes.

UPDATE (1/29): John Ryan blogs in today's Morning Buzz that KNBR is working on getting the Bruno-Radnich segment back on the air.

UPDATED UPDATE (2/4): From deep inside Tony Bruno World Headquarters comes this news via Mark Willard:

Tony Bruno returns tomorrow Tues Feb. 5 for his daily segment with Gary Radnich on KNBR, "The Sports Leader", from 10 to 10:30 PST. Catch up with Bruno and give him a call. We are all very excited to hear what's up in the near future and find out when Tony will be returning to a morning show near you. If you're calling the Radnich Show from outside the Bay Area use the following number (415) 808-KNBR and listen online at http://www.knbr.com/listenNow.html

Peter Laufer Fired By KPFA

2007-11-17T22:55:00.000-08:00

Snipped from the Jive 95 newsgroup:

On Nov 16, 2007, at 12:44 PM, Peter Laufer wrote:

Welcome to mob rule at KPFA, and the wild and weird world of radio.

KPFA just fired me as host of their Sunday morning current affairs program (example shows can be heard at www.peterlaufer.com).

Reason?

"Intangible," says (interim, as she is always identified) program director Sasha Lilley, adding, "it's just not right for Sunday." She cited "overwhelming negative audience feedback."

There has been an active campaign against me by a group of KPFA activists who were miffed from the day I was hired because I am not a "person of color" and because of my "mainstream" credentials.

"I really like what you do on the air," she told me when she fired me via telephone. "You are certainly a team player and I have really admired that during your tenure here, as I have admired what you have brought to the airwaves."

The firing came two days after I moderated a benefit for KPFA in Berkeley that raised thousands of dollars, where the hundreds in the audience broke into hoots and hollers of applause when I introduced myself from the stage as the anchor of the KPFA Sunday show.

Incredibly, Lilley offered to tell the public that I was leaving "to go on to bigger and better things." I told her she better tell the public she fired me, because that was what I was telling the public.

"Free speech radio," the KPFA bumper sticker says. I guess that means the freedom to lie to the audience about why a staff employee is no longer on the air. And that's the way it is. What's the frequency Kenneth? Onward.

UPDATE: Laufer was profiled by Ben Fong-Torres in "Radio Waves" this past weekend in the Chronicle's Sunday Datebook. Ben is occasionally victimized by the early deadline (a week-and-a-half before the paper lands on your doorstep)...

KOIT Goes All Christmas, All The Time

2007-11-16T14:59:00.000-08:00

The snow is on the ground, the presents are under the tree ... well, they aren't, but that ain't going to stop 96.5 KOIT from breaking out the Christmas music and going all festive on us.

...You have done all your shopping, haven't you?

Here's the announcement from the station:

We're pleased to announce that KOIT will begin All Christmas programming at 3pm this afternoon, Friday, November 16. You'll hear us play continuous Christmas favorites until 11:59pm on Christmas Day, Tuesday, December 25, so you can set 96.5 KOIT on your radio at home, in your car, or at work and enjoy all your Christmas favorites.
This will be our 6th year of special Christmas programming, and based on the calls and emails we have already received, this may be the best year ever! We appreciate you as a listener and a supporter of KOIT Christmas programming in the past, and we hope to be a part of your holiday celebrations again this year.
We have some special contests just for the holidays, such as Celine Dion tickets, family ticket 4-packs to Raggs Holiday Jam, the Brian Boitano Skating Spectacular, and some HoneyBaked Ham certificates. And, kick off your holiday today with the Embarcadero Building Lighting Ceremony and Winter Carnival.
All of us at 96.5 KOIT wanted to be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We hope you celebrate the season with us.
All the best.
Jack, Sherry, Larry, Laurie, Julie, Mark, and Linda
Your friends at KOIT

Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame Names Class of 2007

2007-11-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

The Bay Area Radio Museum has announced the sixteen newest members of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame.

More than 6,000 votes were cast during the public voting, and a stellar group of legendary broadcasters has been chosen for induction as the Class of 2007:

Don Barksdale (KROW, KWBR, KDIA)
Don Bleu (KYUU, KIOI)
Mike Cleary (KYA, KNBR)
Frank Cope (KJBS)
Belva Davis (KSAN, KWBR, KDIA)
Jerry Dean (KJAZ)
Jim Eason (KNEW, KGO, KSFO)
Aaron Edwards (KSFO)
Bud Foster (KLX, Oakland Oaks, San Francisco 49ers)
Bob Kieve (owner of KLIV, KARA, KRTY)
Ron Lyons (KEWB, KNEW, KNBR, KCBS)
Franklin Mieuli (KHIP, Warriors, Giants and 49ers)
Don Mozley (KCBS)
Ronn Owens (KGO)
Carter B. Smith (KRE, KSFO, KNBR, Magic 61, KABL)
Ernie Smith (pioneer sportscaster, KYA, KFRC)

This year's honorees join the 37 members of the Hall that were inducted last year.

The Class of 2007 will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during a special ceremony that will take place on Wednesday, December 12, at the Doubletree Inn on the Berkeley Marina in conjunction with Broadcast Legends. The event is open to the public, but advance reservations are required.

Please click here to make your reservation.

KTRB Puts Lieberman "On The Beat"

2007-11-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

This press release is just in from the friendly confines of KTRB at 1700 Montgomery Street in the City By The Bay:

RADIO STATION GOES BIG - “BIG VINNY,” THAT IS!
Rich “Big Vinny” Lieberman to Become AM 860 KTRB’s “Man On The Beat”

San Francisco (November 14, 2007) -- Starting this week, “KTRB’s Man On The Beat, Rich ‘Big Vinny’ Lieberman,” is going to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public via a series of weekly updated radio features that take a satirical and irreverent look at Bay Area life.

Rich Lieberman is a veteran of the Bay Area media scene, having worked at K-101 Radio in the 1980s as Sports Director, covering local sports and events including 3 Super Bowls, 2 World Series, and the 1984 Democratic National Convention. He then worked as a San Francisco correspondent for ABC radio, and spent 3 years doing work for the “Larry King Show” on Mutual Radio. Rich also achieved notoriety by playing the “Big Vinny” character in a prominent series of TV commercials from 2001 - 2003.

“Big Vinny” haunts the cool clubs within the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas scenes, and has the inside on Larry King's favorite breakfast hangout, “Nate and Al” in Beverly Hills. His little black book reads like a Who’s Who of Bay Area entertainers, athletes, media people, and politicians.

Rich “Big Vinny” Lieberman will be KTRB’s local “Man On The Beat” and will report all of the good local gossip when it comes to the hot clubs, the singles scene, and the latest Pam Dawber sightings, not to mention deliver a healthy dose of politically incorrect opinions!

Rich “Big Vinny” Lieberman said, “I believe that in order to make your case, you have to be passionate about what you believe in. I have some strong opinions and ideas that won't always be popular, but most definitely will strike a chord in your consciousness.”

KTRB Program Director Kevin Barrett said, “Rich is a throwback. He appreciates the greats like Herb Caen and Mike Royko. San Francisco is his beat, and we’re excited to have him on KTRB.”

Jim P. Pappas, KTRB Vice President and General Manager said, “Rich bleeds creative energy. He is a Bay Area native with a definite feel for what’s hot and what’s not. His feature will add to the entertainment value and diversity of our program line-up.”

RIP: Former KYA Jocks Stagg and Hawthorne

2007-11-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

All Access reports today that Jim Stagg and Jim Hawthorne, both of whom were popular personalities on 1260/KYA in the late 1950s and early 1960s but went on to greater success elsewhere, have passed away.

Stagg, 72, who was also credited simply as "Stag" at KYA — his real name was Jimmy P. Staggs — went on to become a huge star at Chicago's WCFL. A popular morning personality at KYA, he was also part of a local novelty hit that parodied the 1960 presidential campaign. More about Stagg on the Radio-Info.com Chicago board.

Hawthorne reached the heights in L.A., where he sandwiched his work at KYA around stops at KXLA, KECA, KNX, KDAY, KIEV and KFWB. According to his website (www.JimHawthorne.com), "I went up there [KYA] for a year or so and re-formatted the station, created a gimmick called ‘voice your choice,’ and returned to So-Cal to KFWB (Color Radio) when it went on the air."

RIP: George Carl

2007-10-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Jay Arnold sends along word that George Carl, considered by many to be the voice of Napa Valley radio, has passed away from leukemia.

Mr. Carl had worked at KVON/1440 and KVYN/99.3 from 1968 to 1996, serving for many years as morning show host, before being moved aside by new ownership. He was also the longtime outdoors columnist for the Napa Valley Register.

Barry Martin, who worked with Mr. Carl at KVON and KVYN, posted this tribute on the Register's website: "I worked with George for many years at the radio stations and as many would attest, we didn't always see eye to eye on how to do things. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun (one his favorite words) and I learned so much from George about caring about people and caring about the community, being involved and engaged. His passion for the things he loved to do was always inspiring. George always tried to make Napa a better place."

Born and raised in Chicago, Mr. Carl began his radio career while in the Army, and later worked at stations in Chicago and Kalamazoo before arriving in Napa.

A complete obituary appears in the Napa Valley Register.

RIP: Frank Knight

2007-10-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

Longtime KCBS/740 news anchor Frank Knight passed away on October 15, following a brave battle with cancer. He was 72 years old.

Born Frank Dale Leber in 1935, he served for 29 years as a newsman at KCBS Newsradio 740, and was an original member of the anchor team when the station switched to all-news in 1968. He had also worked at the pioneering Southern California all-news station, XETRA ("Extra News") in the early 1960s.

According to his son, Lance Leber, he took the air name "Frank Knight" because "it just sounded cool."

An avid collector of radio memorabilia, Frank was widely considered to be a leading expert on classic radio programs, as well as a devoted motion picture enthusiast.

A member of the Broadcast Legends' executive board, Frank spearheaded the Legends' production of "Sam Spade: The One-Hour Caper," which was the centerpiece of the group's Summer luncheon. Frank had previously presented retrospectives on "Gunsmoke," "The Lone Ranger," "Pat Novak For Hire," "I Love A Mystery" and "Calling All Cars" for Broadcast Legends gatherings.

Frank is survived by his wife, Rosemarie Leber, his son, Lance, and step son, Mike, as well as five grandchildren.

A public memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 3, at the First Congregational Church, 1912 Central Ave., in Alameda.

KFRC Gets "Backstage" With Ben Fong-Torres

2007-10-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Bulking up its weekend bill of fare, Classic Hits KFRC (106.9) is debuting "Backstage," a new two-hour program starring everybody's favorite "Radio Waves" columnist, Ben Fong-Torres.

Ben tells me "I'll recount past interviews and adventures, play some excloo sound bites from my chats with the likes of Marvin Gaye, Paul McCartney and Jim Morrison, come up with themes and sub-themes for each show, toss in some short subjects, and shout 'K-F-R-C!' at every opportunity. Gonna be fun."

"Backstage" runs each Sunday morning from 7 to 9 a.m., and again from 7 to 9 p.m.

"If we do it right, it'll sound pretty much like a KFRC show, only with more music info between records," Ben says. "I'm kicking off with ‘Light My Fire,’ but, before that, I have Ray Manzarek explaining how the intro came into his head — from his classical music lessons as a kid — and with music not usually heard on the station, like ‘Joltin' Joe DiMaggio’ by Les Brown and his orchestra, or ‘Memo from Turner’ by Mick Jagger."

And yes, rest assured that "Radio Waves" will continue under B-FT's able stewardship.

Zwerling Puts KSCO, KOMY On The Market

2007-09-22T12:05:00.000-07:00

Michael Zwerling mentioned during his "Saturday Special" on KSCO/1080 this morning that he is putting both KSCO and KOMY/1340 up for sale. He says that he hopes the new owners will keep KSCO programming Talk, but he understands that radio has been heading more towards ethnic listeners (and particularly Hispanic and Asian listeners).

No announcement on the KSCO.com website, but there was this on the station's news update page:

KSCO/KOMY UP FOR SALE - S.S.

Friday, September 21, 2007 5:45 AM --- 2 OUT OF 3 OF SANTA CRUZ COUNTY'S COMMERCIAL RADIO STATIONS WILL SOON BE UP FOR SALE. MICHAEL ZWERLING, THE CEO OF ZWERLING BROADCASTING SYSTEMS, SAYS HE'S READY TO RETIRE FROM THE BROADCASTING BUSINESS.

HE AND HIS FAMILY HAVE OWNED KSCO AM-1080 FOR 17 YEARS, AND KOMY AM-1340 FOR 10 YEARS. UNDER THIS OWNERSHIP KSCO HAS CONTINUOUSLY BEEN A NEWSTALK STATION, WHILE KOMY WAS A NEWSTALK STATION UNTIL THIS PAST WINTER, WHEN IT WAS CHANGED TO AN OLDIES MUSIC FORMAT.

ZWERLING WENT ON TO SAY THAT IT IS HIS SINCERE HOPE THAT THE WHOMEVER BUYS THIS STATION WILL DO SO WITH THE INTENT TO SERVE THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.

UPDATE: I spoke with MZ on November 19 and — despite rumors that he was seeking $15-million for KSCO and KOMY — he told me that his price for both stations is $6-million as a package deal, not including the land KSCO's classic studio building stands on. (KOMY is essentially a "virtual" radio station, with programming fed in via satellite and out through one of KSCO's transmitter towers.)

Radio Dots & Dashes (July 23 Edition)

2007-07-23T11:20:00.000-07:00

Included in today's Daily Digest, but showing as approved on July 16, is the FCC's granting of the "Voluntary Assignment of License" for KOIT/1260 from Bonneville International to IHR Educational Broadcasting.

As of a few moments ago, 1260 is still simulcasting the KOIT programming from 96.5 FM.

No word on when Immaculate Heart will take over operation of 1260, and no assignment of new call letters has been published by the FCC...

KTRB/860 has added Bob Gowa as news anchor, via Metro Networks. Bob had been a KGO airborne traffic reporter, also via Metro Networks, from 1990 to 1997, and has worked at several local stations — including KSAN and KMEL — since 1980.

KTRB major domo Jim Pappas also recently hired Chris Edwards to head up the station's marketing effort. Yes, that's the same Chris Edwards who was a popular KYA and K-101 personality. He was most recently in charge of sales for Clear Channel's KKSF, KNEW and KQKE...

(...And, just moments after posting this nugget, I'm being beat down by people telling me that Chris is no longer at KTRB, but was introduced at the end of last week as a new salesman at the new Classic Hits KFRC/106.9. That makes the KTRB business card that he handed me a few weeks ago at the Broadcast Legends lunch a collector's item. I'll have it on Ebay shortly...)

Speaking of Broadcast Legends (watch this smooth segue...), they'll be celebrating the life and times of James Gabbert at their next luncheon on Thursday, September 20, at the DoubleTree Inn on the Berkeley Marina.

It promises to be a rollicking afternoon of memories, recounting Gabbert's fifty years in radio and TV, from humble beginnings at KPEN through K-101, KOFY (AM, FM and TV) and KDIA, on through his present work as a fill-in host at KGO/810.

The event is open to the public, but reservations are required. You can find out more and save a seat for yourself by clicking here...

In the past few weeks, KNBR's Gary Radnich has mentioned the presence of Cumulus Media executives wandering the halls of the station's headquarters on Hawthorne Street in the City. This morning, the word is out that Cumulus chief Lew Dickey has secured a partner — no less than Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity — to secure a buyout of his company, taking it private in a deal reportedly valued at $1.3-billion.

Cumulus acquired the former Susquehanna Radio group of 33 stations, including San Francisco-based KNBR, KFOG and KSAN, as part of a $1.2-billion deal in October 2005...

Radio & Records reports today that Ron Engelman is battling inoperable lung cancer. Engelman was John London's longtime companion on the air here at KMEL, as well as at Power 106 in Los Angeles and elsewhere across the radio map. Positive thoughts may be sent to Ron by way of his family via email...

KGO's Pete Wilson Dies

2007-07-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

Into what was otherwise a very festive morning at the KRE open house came the news that KGO-TV (Channel 7) and KGO/810 afternoon talk show host Pete Wilson had died. Considering the large contingent of KGO people there — including Steve Kushman (KGO news editor and CHRS president), Peter Cleaveland, John Catchings, Alan Bowker, former anchors Fred Lacosse and Terry Lowry, plus Noel Cisneros and a news crew from Channel 7 covering the event — there was an awful lot of sadness tempering the joy.

No announcement was made during the event; reportedly, Pete Wilson's mother was flying in from Wisconsin to help out during his recuperation, and had not been advised of his death yet. It was my understanding that the KGO people were asked not to say anything until the family was prepared to allow the news to be made public.

Confusion over a rumor that former California governor Pete Wilson had died apparently caused a sensation among several news organizations, including CNN, on Friday evening, but KGO employees were uniform in making certain that silence was maintained regarding the actual situation.

Rather than expending more electronic ink here covering the highlights of his career, you will find more coverage of Pete Wilson's life and career through these sources:

KGO Radio 810

San Francisco Chronicle

San Jose Mercury News

KGO has also set up a page on Blogspot for listener comments about Pete Wilson.

KFRC: Flanagan To Begin Again

2007-07-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

The jubilant cheers heard from the second floor of 865 Battery Street in the city today were prompted by the presence of one John Mack Flanagan, who will be jumping back into radio with both feet -- although only ankle-deep (for now) -- in the cozy confines of the station that made him a local legend, KFRC (106.9).

Already having added Dave Sholin (mornings) and Celeste Perry (middays) to their roster, KFRC major domos Tim Jordan and Mike Preston invited longtime Big 610 star Flanagan back, and he accepted. This afternoon's not-for-broadcast test drive was a chance for John Mack to get back behind the mike in advance of his re-debut as host of KFRC's Sunday morning "Beatles Brunch" show, and the reviews were glowing.

Due to other commitments, Flanagan's Fab Four foray back into the broadcast booth at KFRC will begin with the one-hour Sunday program, but the door has been left open by station management to an expanded role in the future.

John Mack was a vital cog in KFRC's success in the 1970s as part of the all-star lineup that included Dr. Don Rose, Marvelous Mark McKay, Don Sainte-Johnn, Bobby Ocean, Chuck Buell and Rick Shaw.

"Beatles Brunch" debuts this Sunday (July 15) at 9 a.m.

Got something to say? Post your comments here...

CHRS "Radio Day By The Bay" Coming July 21

2007-07-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

We're only two weeks away from "Live! At KRE," the big annual open house and celebration of local radio thrown by the great people of the California Historical Radio Society.

You may have driven past KRE thousands of times over the years, but never had the opportunity to stop by for a visit — so here's your chance. I'll be hanging out at the radio museum table all day, so if you go, stop by and say hello.

Here's the details:

WHERE: The Historic KRE Radio Station Building, 601 Ashby Ave., Berkeley
WHEN: Saturday, July 21, 2007, from 10 AM - 2 PM. (Gates open at 9:30 AM)
ADMISSION: $5 (Children under 12: free)

The California Historical Radio Society is proud to present its annual open house with a celebration of local radio history on the grounds of the famous KRE Radio Station Building, located under the huge radio tower on Ashby Avenue near Highway 80 in Berkeley.

The KRE building, which stood as an abandoned eyesore for many years, has been lovingly restored by the volunteer members of CHRS and converted into a world-class museum of radio and television, including vintage broadcast and production studios, displays of classic radios and television sets, a research library, a working ham radio shack (W6CF), electronic theory school and repair shop, plus a museum store and archival audio transfer and restoration service.

The open house will include tours of the facility, live music, and performances by the Bay Area’s own Broadcast Legends, as well as an auction of rare and unusual radios to help raise funds for CHRS’ continuing effort to preserve the rich history of broadcasting in the region.

Popular Bay Area radio personality Carter B. Smith will once again be on hand to host the festivities.

The historic KRE radio station building is one of the first structures built specifically for broadcasting in the Bay Area, and has been transmitting for seventy years from this location; it currently houses the transmitters for stations KVTO/1400 and KEAR/610 (formerly KFRC).

In the early 1970s, George Lucas used this location to film the Wolfman Jack and Richard Dreyfuss scenes in his film, “American Graffiti.” CHRS is believed to be one of the only vintage radio societies to have an historical AM radio station building as its headquarters.

The building will also serve as home to the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame, with a “wall of honor” to celebrate the great men and women that have entertained local listeners on our airwaves for nearly a century.

Additional information, directions and photos of some of the items up for auction are online at http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/photos72.html

KSFO Sends 4th Of July Greetings...

2007-07-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

Members of the KSFO Listeners Club received personal greetings from Melanie Morgan via email this morning, excerpted here:

Dear {FIRST NAME}

There's nothing I love better than the Fourth of July - the fireworks, the backyard barbecues, the time I spend with my liberal, dysfunctional family members and of course, Marin County's parade, where I get to heckle Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey for her anti-war, anti-troop positions in the swampland that passes for our nation's capitol.

I'm also very enamored of catcalls, hoots of derision and other un-becoming behavior in which I engage towards to the International A.N.S.W.E.R. and Code Pink crowd who show up to try and wreck our patriotic parade with our excited Little Leaguers and their fabulous floats every year.

My husband and son - not so much.

But seriously, I really do get pumped up when I see the American flags flying in the most unlikely of places, Marin County. It reminds me that despite the many differences I have with my neighbors over politics, at least once a year, the Grand Old Flag comes out and we can celebrate together what makes this nation great. ...

I am also thankful that KSFO Radio gives me the opportunity to exercise my Constitutional right of free speech that our forefathers brilliantly included in their efforts to make us a land of opportunity and inclusion.

Don't forget to fly your flag. And take a moment between the festivities, parades, and family re-unions to remember that we are 'One nation, UNDER GOD, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'

Melanie Morgan

Comments? Post them right here...

Sholin's KFRC Debut Moved Back

2007-06-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

Contrary to previous reports, the debut date for Dave Sholin and the rest of the new KFRC-FM (106.9) air team has been moved to Monday, July 9.

The original press release from KFRC, excerpted elsewhere here in ye Digest, announced the start date for Sholin as this coming Monday, July 2.

The new midday personality at KFRC will be scintillating Celeste Perry (ex-KSFO/KYA, KYCY), who won't join in the fun until later in the week of July 9; she's reportedly vacationing in Hawaii.

No confirmation from KFRC World Headquarters, but I'm supposing that having the Fourth of July holiday falling in the middle of Sholin's original debut week made moving the start date back a smart move.

McArdle Out At KKIQ; Goss, Friday In?

2007-06-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

I heard this week that among those possibly lined up to replace Carolyn McArdle (quit? fired?) at Hometown Station KKIQ/101.7 over in Pleasanton are Dean Goss and Jack Friday, along with current KKIQ midday funny girl Faith Alpher.

Other names were mentioned as potential candidates, but these three are reportedly the strongest candidates.

...Which means I just guaranteed that somebody else will get the job.

Jim Hampton, who was KKIQ's morning man forever and ever, is filling in on the A.M. shift until a permanent morning host is brought on board.

Post your thoughts and comments by clicking here...

RIP: Frank Terry

2007-06-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of details are currently available, but Frank Terry has died. The pioneering Boss Jock had been battling cancer for many years, and passed away on Wednesday (June 20) at his home in Sonora. He was 68.

Born Terrence Francis Crilly in Rapid City, S.D., on July 5, 1938, he moved with his family to Southern California when he was four years old, where his father became a sales manager at KFXM in San Bernardino.

In an unpublished interview for the book "KHJ: Inside Boss Radio," Terry said he got into radio because "I thought it might be a wonderful way to meet good-looking women, girls. And when I was in high school I actually got my first job."

That job, at KCSB in San Bernardino, began humbly — emptying waste baskets and mowing the station's front lawn — but led to an on-air gig as the teenaged host of a Saturday night show in which he played nothing but Elvis Presley records.

Following a three-year hitch in the Navy (as a telegrapher), he bided his time working for the Santa Fe Railroad (also as a telegrapher — although the railroad no longer employed Morse Code to communicate with trains) while waiting to enter college.

Fate stepped in, however, as a law requiring employers to hold jobs for returning veterans meant that his old position at KCSB had been vacant, awaiting his return.

In the early 1960s, Terry became Boss Radio architect Ron Jacobs' early partner in crime in the development of the format in San Bernardino (KMEN), Fresno (KMAK) and L.A. (KHJ), before moving to the Bay Area as a first-generation Big 610 Man (famously appearing in the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" documentary about the infamous Altamont concert) and a Country jock here at KNEW and KSAN, and at Froggy 92.9 (KFGY) in Santa Rosa.

You may post your thoughts about Frank Terry by clicking here.

Dave Sholin: KFRC Morning Man

2007-06-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

The bubbling rumors that Dave Sholin would become the new program director at rebuilding Classic Hits KFRC/106.9 were proved false earlier this week when Tim Jordan got the job.

So, instead, Sholin -- that's right, "Your Duke" -- will become KFRC's morning man beginning Monday, July 2.

Sholin graduated from San Francisco State University and jumped straight over to San Jose's popular Top 40 outlet, KLIV/1590. Proving his skills as KLIV's music director (in addition to holding down an on-air shift), he began building his reputation for having two of the best ears in the business.

He moved to KARA/105.7 in Santa Clara as program director before getting called up to the big leagues at 610/KFRC for the first time, rising to national music director from then-station owner RKO General. He later became Top 40 editor for The Gavin Report, the industry tipsheet that he eventually co-owned and ran as executive director.

On the afternoon of December 8, 1980, Sholin conducted a lengthy, in-depth interview with John Lennon and Yoko One at their Manhattan home in the Dakota. It would be Lennon's last interview; arriving back in San Francisco, Sholin was informed that the former Beatle had been murdered.

More recently, Sholin served as vice president and columnist for MusicBiz.com and as director of adult formats promotion for EMI's Caroline Distribution and Astralwerks Records.

In a prepared statement, KFRC GM Steve DiNardo said "Dave's past experience at KFRC came at a time when the station was in the forefront of popular culture in the Bay Area. He has retained that sense of relevance throughout his career, and we're excited to unleash it on the new 106.9, KFRC."

Radio Dots & Dashes (June 12 Edition)

2007-06-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

Speculation that Tim Jordan would be named program director at the relaunched Classic Hits iteration of KFRC/106.9 has ended ... with Tim Jordan being named program director at the station.

Jordan had been operations manager for MOViN 99.7 (KMVQ) -- which had previously been the home for the last version of KFRC -- and program director for podcast/brokered time/A's baseball and whatever else they could stick on it KYCY/1550 (a/k/a KYOU Radio).

Next task for Jordan: hiring up an air staff. The wistful nostalgist in me clings to hope that at least a few ex-Big 610 Men are rounded up for airshifts, i.e., John Mack Flanagan, Don Sainte-Johnn, Big Tom Parker, Marvelous Mark McKay.

(I know. I won't hold my breath...)

Midnight, early this morning, marked the changing of the guard at powerhouse talker KGO/810, as more than fifty years of ownership by ABC (or derivatives thereof) came to an end. The new owners, Citadel Broadcasting, took control of the former ABC Radio station group that includes KGO and jewels such as KABC/Los Angeles and WABC/New York, along with ABC programming staples Paul Harvey and Sean Hannity.

The $2-billion-plus deal was essentially a stock swap that moved the ABC Radio group from control by Disney into the hands of Citadel.

Virtually everyone connected with the KGO end of the operation says that no changes are imminent ... but new owners have a tendency to have different ideas as to budgets and philosophies. Sure, KGO has been successful, and the same stellar crew will continue to be in charge in San Francisco, but those bean-counters always have to have their say...

KNBR Among Leaders In Sportstalk Revenue

2007-05-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

The Houston Chronicle ran an article Sunday morning which mentions that The Sports Leader, KNBR/680, is #3 overall nationally among sports/talk stations in attracting advertiser dollars.

Quoting here:

"Arbitron ratings are nice, but bucks are the bottom line. By that measurement, to no one's surprise, the nation's top sports radio station in 2006, based on revenues, was WFAN in New York City at $50.6 million, according to BIA Financial Network.

WEEI in Boston was No. 2 at $36.5 million, followed by KNBR in San Francisco at $29.7 million and KTCK in Dallas-Fort Worth at $24.7 million. Stations in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Miami, Chicago and Philadelphia rounded out the top 10."

"San Francisco Soundz" Back On KTRB/860

2007-05-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

Pappas Radio's KTRB (860 AM), which moved into the Bay Area from Modesto earlier this year, is bringing back its "San Francisco Soundz" program, playing music by local bands from the mid-1960s into the ealy 1970s, just in time for the fortieth anniversary of the so-called "Summer of Love."

The program will air Saturday and Sunday nights from 7 p.m. to midnight beginning tomorrow night (May 26).

I know that Lee Baby Simms was discussed as a possible host of the show, but the press release (copy below, with corrected misspellings) from the station doesn't mention who'll be playing the phonograph records...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“SAN FRANCISCO SOUNDZ” RETURNS TO KTRB AM
860 WEEKEND NIGHTS

San Francisco, California (May 25, 2007) -- KTRB AM 860 today announced the return of its popular “San Francisco Soundz” program on Saturday, May 26th. “San Francisco Soundz” features the music of home-grown Bay Area bands from the mid-sixties, including such artists as Janis Joplin, Sons of Champlin, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Santana, Creedence Clearwater, and Jefferson Airplane.

The concept for “San Francisco Soundz” was originated earlier this year by KTRB’s Program Director, Kevin Barrett, as a tribute to classic San Francisco music in honor of KTRB’s debut in its new Bay Area home.

The response from listeners was so overwhelming that Barrett and KTRB’s General Manager, Jim Pappas, decided to revive the program in order to better serve the station’s audience. “San Francisco Soundz” will air every Saturday and Sunday evening from 7:00 p.m. to Midnight.

Listeners may e-mail suggestions and comments to listen@ktrb860.com.

Bonneville Sells KOIT/1260 To Immaculate Heart

2007-05-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

Bonneville International's final remaining Bay Area broadcast property, KOIT/1260, has reportedly been sold to IHR Educational Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Immaculate Heart Radio, which describes itself as a "non-profit umbrella organization that operates a 24-hour Catholic Radio Network on the West Coast."

The reported sale price for the station is $14-million.

The station presently simulcasts KOIT/96.5's Lite Rock programming via the 1260 AM 5000-watt daytime, 1000-watt nighttime signal that was once the beloved KYA.

IHR also operates Catholic-programmed stations elsewhere in California, Nevada and New Mexico, including KWG/1230 in Stockton and KSMH/1620 in Sacramento. IHR may take over operation of the station in the next few weeks with an LMA in advance of final FCC approval of the sale.

Free FM Folds; KFRC Resuscitated

2007-05-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

The buzz began building before noon today with a news tip that CBS Radio was reviving the venerable KFRC call letters and a Classic Hits format on 106.9 FM later this afternoon, ending a year and a half of moribund "Free FM" programming on the frequency.

With confirmation in the form of an official press release from deep within CBS Radio's San Francisco headquarters, the wait was on, goosed along by regular mentions by Ken Korach during the Oakland A's broadcast that an exciting announcement was coming following the game at about 4 p.m.

The change came abruptly, however, when Robert Buan — ostensibly hosting the team-produced "Extra Innings" postgame show — decided to read from the CBS press release, apparently trumping the company's hoped-for dramatic debut. Buan's show on 106.9 FM was quickly cut off, and the KFRC Classic Hits "Magical Mystery Tour" stunting began.

Following a recorded "Winds Of Change" announcement by former 610/KFRC personality Beau Weaver, the music began with Free's "Alright Now," kicking off an A-Z jukeboxing of classic hits, heavily weighted toward Seventies tunes, with a smattering of Sixties and Eighties.

Meanwhile, according to comments I've heard from a CBS/SF insider, plans are in the works to hire an air staff that features several well-known voices, although the announcement may be weeks away. One name to scratch off the list: Bobby Ocean, who was reportedly courted for an on-air shift and to do the station's imaging, but respectfully declined. He'll stay with Entercom's Lite Rock KOIT/96.5 and continue doing afternoons on XM Radio's 70s on 7 channel.

Several Free FM talk programs will be switched over to co-owned KYCY/1550 (KYOU), including the Adam Carolla and Danny Bonaduce morning show and the Tom Leykis afternoon show. With additional brokered programming on KYCY, it may mean that the vaunted podcasting format pioneered by the station may be pushed even farther into the background.

95.7 The Wolf Announces Lineup

2007-04-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

The official press release:

THE NEW 95.7 THE WOLF TO LAUNCH "Y'ALL-TURNATIVE MORNING SHOW" ON MONDAY, APRIL 16, WEEKDAYS FROM 5 A.M. TO 10 A.M.

Bay Area's Fresh Country station announces new program line-up

SAN FRANCISCO, April 16, 2007 -- When the new 95.7 The Wolf launches the "Y'all-turnative Morning Show" on Monday, April 16 at 5:00 a.m., it will reflect the country station's vow to remain "predictably unpredictable."

The announcement was made by Scott Mahalick, KBWF Prime Minister of Twang.

Hosting the five-hour program will be radio veteran Gill Alexander and ultimate renaissance woman LeBaron "LB" Meyers. Alexander is well-known to Bay Area radio listeners for his on-air roles with KMEL in the evening and, most recently, morning drive at KISS FM. Meyers brings an interesting and varied background to the on-air team, between an investment career, a passion for both basketball and yoga, as the author of the children¹s book "Happening of Girroo," and a communications degree.

Marcus Osborne will be executive producer of the new morning show, and he will also have an on-air role. Osborne was a key part of the Alice morning show, particularly his movie reviews, before moving to KMEL where he contributed to the morning show with Chuy Gomez. Most recently, Osborne has been an on-air personality and producer of the "Renel in the Morning Show" on KISS.

Market veteran Sue Hall will deliver news, traffic and information, along with "Information Officer" Eddie King.

New line-up, award-winning hosts

Midday Personality and Music Director Nikki Landry takes the mic from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nikki comes to The Wolf from WBEE in Rochester, New York. She was nominated by the Radio Music Awards as one of America's "Best On-Air Country Music Personalities."

Legendary Show Host JoJo Kincaid takes on The Wolf's afternoon drive from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. JoJo has been an air personality in eight of the top 10 markets in America and has been nominated for both Gavin and Billboard "Air Personality of the Year" awards.

Rounding up The Wolf's on-air lineup is Tic Tak, 7 p.m. to midnight, hosting the craziest, most exciting, phone-intensive nightly broadcasts in the Bay Area. Tic Tak's mission, "to put 1,000 people on the radio each night!"

The new 95.7 The Wolf went on the air on March 1, featuring country hit-makers such as Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood and Toby Keith, as well as cross-over artists Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crow, Bon Jovi, John Mellencamp and more.

"We've been working with Nashville on new and unique ways to connect artists with the Bay Area music fans, like never before," said Mahalick. "The Wolf will embrace what is great about today's fresh new country," he added, "and will reflect the unique taste of the Bay Area audience with a presentation that is high energy, fun and entertaining."

About Entercom Communications Corp.

Entercom entered the San Francisco market in January 2007 with the acquisition of former Bonneville stations MAX (now The Wolf, KBWF), KDFC and KOIT. Entercom is one of the nation¹s largest radio broadcasters, with operations in San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Denver, Sacramento, Portland, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Austin, Norfolk, Buffalo, New Orleans, Providence, Memphis, Greensboro, Rochester, Greenville/Spartanburg, Madison, Wichita, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Springfield and Gainesville/Ocala.

Bernie On KNBR; Cammy On The Sidelines

2007-03-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

KNBR's Gary Radnich mentioned this morning that the caller that identified himself as "Mr. K-Go" on yesterday's show was, in fact, Bernie Ward. Bernie must have found the bill of fare at KNBR more palatable than listening to Ronn.

Bernie had given Uncle Gary several clues as to his identity, but Gary never quite caught on.

The podcast is downloadable (at least as I write this) on the Radnich page at KNBR.com.

(It's the Wednesday March 21 offering, about nine minutes into the recording.)

Meanwhile, Leah Garchik notes in today's Chron that "Cammy Blackstone, bumped from KFRC radio when the station went to its Movin' format, has landed a job as sideline reporter for Fox Sports Net."

More about Cammy from Leah at SFgate.com.

Max Evolves Into Wolf, Moves To Country

2007-03-01T13:20:00.000-08:00

Well, you can't say that Entercom moves slowly.

This morning, Entercom officially took control of the soon-to-be former Bonneville stations in San Francisco -- Classical KDFC/102.1, Soft Hits KOIT/96.5 and "Whatever" KMAX/95.7 -- as part of a local marketing agreement (LMA) that allows them to operate the stations in advance of receiving FCC approval for full ownership of the cluster.

First move: killing off "we play whatever the heck we want" KMAX during the seven o'clock hour this morning, and bringing back Country music to the metro San Francisco market by repositioning the station as 95.7 The Wolf. The station is currently playing 10,000 songs, commercial-free, in anticipation of hiring air personalities.

Under Bonneville, the 95.7 FM frequency was the home of Country music as "The Bear," as well as the short-lived attempt at Top 40 as Z95.7, before Max-ing out.

Now, speculation centers on what else -- if anything -- Entercom may do with its new trio of stations, although KOIT has long been a ratings and billing magnet for Bonneville over the past three decades. KDFC's Classical format might be ripe for a change, however, should new group GM Dwight Walker decide to exercise his authority and bring in Top 40, Oldies or another format that is not currently active in the market.

KTRB ANNOUNCES MARCH 15 DEBUT -- Seeking a solid Bay Area connection, it'll be Mancow in the morning and John London in the afternoon for the newly-arrived KTRB/860 beginning on March 15.

Mancow has local roots, having made stops at KDON/Monterey and Wild 107.7 (KSOL in its pre-KYLD 94.9 incarnation), while London worked at KMEL and KNBR before his ill-fated stint at fledgling Free FM 106.9 (KIFR) last year.

The weekday schedule at KTRB will have Mancow from 4 to 9 a.m., Glenn Beck from 9 a.m. to noon, Neal Boortz from noon to 3 p.m., and John London’s Inferno from 3 to 7 p.m.

KTRB had been running "The San Francisco Sound" -- music with roots in the Bay Area -- during this transitional transmitter tuning period, and has decided to continue it as a feature program on Saturday and Sunday evenings. "We planned to air the music during the test phase only, but the response was so overwhelming and so positive, we have decided to make it a permanent part of our schedule," according to station GM Jim Pappas.

Meanwhile, in the run-up to the March 15 talk format launch, KTRB is airing a 'round-the-clock tribute to San Francisco radio history, featuring broadcast recordings from the archives of the Bay Area Radio Museum, of which your intrepid reporter serves as director.

MORE CHANGES IN THE AIR -- Since change is the order of the day, Clear Channel -- not wanting to be left out -- has brought back Alternative Rocker Channel 104.9 (KCNL) in the Southbay after a little more than a year of Spanish-language Adult Contemporary and Pop music.

The change was made yesterday afternoon (February 28) at five o'clock.

It's one of those rarities you hardly ever see: a format and identity returning to a station at the same dial position. How long will it last? We'll see. There's a rumor that Clear Channel is planning to sell off its local holdings, and KCNL could be among those to go.

RIP: KABL's Adult Standards On The Internet

2007-02-14T22:26:00.000-08:00

It's been gone for a month and a half, and I hadn't noticed it until today: Clear Channel has slinked away from the rotting corpse of the once proud KABL, disconnecting the life support from the Adult Standards audio stream.

Clear Channel has even cast aside the fabled KABL call letters, which they had exiled to Salinas; that station has since become KION. KABL joins KOME on the callsign scrap heap; I guess Clear Channel subscribes to the thinking that call letters really don't mean anything any more.

From KABLradio.com:

Goodbye...

Dear Friends of KABL,

Due to circumstances beyond our contol, it is our sad duty to announce that, as of January 1, 2007, Kablradio.com will be ceasing operation. On behalf of myself, our Webmaster Sean, and the KABL Gang...Jim Lange, Dino Donikian, Carter B. Smith, and Mario in Production, a heartfelt thanks for your loyal support. Perhaps at some point off into the future, a kabl 2.0 will appear. Meanwhile, please visit our friends at {LINK REMOVED}. There you will find great music and wonderful people who love this music and this era as much as we all do.

You should know that everybody is doing fine. Jim and Nancy are travelling a lot and enjoying retirement. Carter B. is plotting to corner the ENTIRE stock market. Dino is still the unofficial Mayor of San Leandro. Sean, Mario, and yours truly are busy with several radion stations in our company.

Again, our sincere thanks and best wishes for a great 2007.

Clark Reid
Program Director
kablradio.com

DOTS & DASHES -- Brad Kava reported in his blog this evening that veteran Bay Area broadcaster Leo Laporte will begin doing a computers and technology show on KGO/810, replacing Michael Finney's consumer news and views show in the 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. slot on Sundays. Finney will continue to be KGO-TV's consumer reporter ... The Marin Independent-Journal notes that KCBS/740 reporter and weekend anchor Janice Wright (Mrs. Mike Sugerman) "has joined Zanides Public Relations in San Rafael to specialize in managing bad publicity." Wright has been on the KCBS airwaves this week, however, doing that reporting thing she does...

Kevin Barrett is the guy to blame if you don't like the programming that will be emitted by Pappas Radio's new KTRB/860 in San Francisco beginning March 1. He's been named as program director for the transplanted AM station, a job he's already been filling at sister station KMPH/840 in magnificent Modesto ... Ron Stevens (ex-KOCN, KYAA) is Michael Zwerling's choice as new president of ZBS Radio's KSCO/1080 and KOMY/1340, both housed on the briny banks of Corcoran Lagoon in Santa Cruz. 10,000-watt KSCO is a news/talker anchored by Rush Limbaugh, while 1000-watt KOMY recently flipped to Oldies; those roles could potentially be reversed this Summer if a few things fall into place...

KTRB/860 Makes Bay Area Bow

2007-02-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

The transplanted heart of KTRB/860, formerly of Modesto, began beating as a San Francisco station at the stroke of midnight this morning with the first two lines of the Grateful Dead's "The Music Never Stopped":

There's mosquitoes on the river
Fish are rising up like birds.

It was a curious, if not fitting, start for the Pappas Radio station which signed off from its longtime home in the Central Valley and, after clearing several engineering and bureaucratic hurdles, began life anew early Thursday from studios at 1700 Montgomery Street in San Francisco — previously home to KNBR and KYUU several years ago — and a transmitter site in the rural hills above Livermore.

According to a KTRB press release issued on Wednesday (a full copy of which follows this posting), the station would fire up its transmitter and sign on at midnight, then would segue into a continuous format of music reprising "The San Francisco Sound" beginning at 6 a.m.

The music programming, featuring bands with a local heritage, including the Beau Brummels, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Journey — along with other special "stunting" planned in the next week or two — with will continue until KTRB's permanent format commences on March 1. Not by coincidence, 2007 marks the fortieth anniversary of the "Summer of Love," during which San Francisco's musical and cultural influences received worldwide attention.

(The first song played at 6 a.m. was "Piece Of My Heart" by Janis Joplin. The station also has begun identifying itself as "The Heavy 860," at least for the time being.)

"KTRB will bring a fresh sound to the Bay Area to add diversity to the choices available to the public," KTRB vice president and general manager Jim P. Pappas said in the press release. "KTRB will entertain and inform with fresh, lively content, the likes of which the public does not now have available."

The complete press release:

San Francisco’s Newest Radio Station, KTRB-AM 860, Hits the Airwaves with 50,000 Watts of Power

- 73-Year-Old Heritage Radio Station Moves from Modesto to San Francisco -

- Station Begins Final Phase of Testing at Alameda County Transmitter Site Thursday, February 1, 2007 -

- On-Air Testing Features a Tribute to“The San Francisco Sound” -

San Francisco, California (January 31, 2007) — Something old is new again, as one of Northern California’s pioneer radio stations, KTRB-AM 860, makes its historic Bay Area debut by bringing “The San Francisco Sound” back to the nation’s fourth-largest radio market beginning this Thursday, February 1, 2007.

KTRB-AM 860 will sign-on at midnight on February 1, and beginning at 6:00 a.m. that day, the station will play continuous music reprising the late 60s and early 70s heyday of “The San Francisco Sound.”

“The San Francisco Sound” refers to rock music performed live and recorded by San Francisco-based artists and groups from the mid-1960s to the early 1970s. KTRB-AM 860 will showcase seminal Bay Area bands such as The Beau Brummels, The Syndicate of Sound, The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Big Brother & The Holding Company, as well as Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Journey.

KTRB-AM 860 Vice President & General Manager Jim P. Pappas said, “Our sign-on in the Bay Area is the culmination of three decades of dreaming, planning, and hard work by the best and brightest from inside and outside our company. KTRB-AM 860 represents the genesis of our company’s more than 50-year California-based broadcast tradition. It was KTRB that inspired the three Pappas Brothers to become broadcasters. We are thrilled to own and operate a 50,000 Watt blowtorch that will serve the millions of residents in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and the entire Bay Area, just as KTRB-AM 860 has served generations of Californians since its founding in 1933.”

KTRB-AM 860’s permanent format will commence March 1, 2007. While plans have not been disclosed, Pappas said, “KTRB will bring a fresh sound to the Bay Area to add diversity to the choices available to the public. KTRB will entertain and inform with fresh, lively content, the likes of which the public does not now have available.”

About KTRB

KTRB-AM 860 is one of the oldest radio stations on the West Coast, having served the San Joaquin Valley and surrounding areas since the early days of the medium. Until recently, the station was licensed to Modesto, California. In 2003, the Federal Communications Commission authorized the relocation of KTRB's transmitter site to the Bay Area. On February 1, the station will return to the air licensed to San Francisco and serving the entire San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose radio market. Broadcasting on a Canadian Clear Channel frequency with 50,000 Watts of power day and night - the highest power allowed in the United States - KTRB has been engineered to cover a huge geographic area. San Francisco is the fourth-ranked radio market in the United States and the number-one AM radio market in the nation.

KTRB’s storied history began in 1933, when original owners T.R. McTammany and Bill Bates (the “TR” and “B” in KTRB) established the station as the first commercial broadcast outlet in Modesto. Through the years, KTRB has served as the launch pad for the careers of Country music notables such as The Maddox Brothers and Rose, and Chester Smith, and the station was the dominant radio voice in the San Joaquin Valley for decades. In 1973, brothers Pete, Mike, and Harry Pappas led a group of investors in purchasing KTRB from the Bates estate, and the station has remained under Pappas family ownership ever since.

KTRB’s studios are located at 1700 Montgomery Street in San Francisco, overlooking The Embarcadero. KTRB is owned by Pappas Radio of California, an affiliated company of Pappas Telecasting Companies, the largest privately-held, commercial television broadcaster in the United States.

Bonneville Trades S.F. Stations To Entercom

2007-01-18T10:33:00.000-08:00

According to a breaking bulletin in Radio & Records, Bonneville International and Entercom have executed a multi-city, multi-station swap that will move KOIT-FM (96.5), KDFC (102.1) and KMAX (95.7) into Entercom's stable.

Bonneville will gain KIRO, KBSG and KTTH in Seattle and WKRQ, WSWD, WUBE and WYGY from Entercom in exchange for the San Francisco cluster, the report claims. R&R also notes that both ownership groups will be seeking a time brokerage pact (LMA) to operate their new stations by the end of this quarter, and are hoping to close on the deal by the end of 2007.

"We are very pleased to announce the acquisition of this terrific group of stations in San Francisco, one of America's greatest markets," Entercom president and CEO David J. Field said in a press release quoted by R&R. "[T]he opportunity to enter the fourth largest market with a station group led by KOIT, one of America's strongest radio brands, was incredibly compelling."

The press release also notes "KOIT is an award-winning Adult Contemporary station, a perennial market ratings leader and one of the nation's most respected radio brands. KDFC is one of the nation's leading Classical stations while KMAX is a newly formatted station that debuted an Eclectic Hits format in 2006."

ADDENDA: In the original bulletin from Radio & Records, no mention was made of Bonneville's KOIT/1260. The report was updated to include the following: "The company [Bonneville] will be keeping its KOIT-AM (1260), which is a simulcast of KOIT-FM. Not word yet on what will become of KOIT-AM's format."

RIP: KEWB's Mark Foster

2007-01-11T08:15:00.000-08:00

All Access reported this morning that former KEWB/Channel 91 afternoon drive star Mark Foster has passed away from cancer in Kansas City. He was 80.

Mr. Foster had also worked on the air in Dallas, Boston, Atlanta and Kansas City, where he later founded Madison Group Audio-Visual Productions.

His family has requested memorial contributions in Mr. Foster's name to either St. Luke's Hospice, 3100 Broadway, Kansas City, MO 64111 or the Kansas City Cancer Society, 4320 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64111.

You may sign his memorial guestbook online at Legacy.com.

ERECTUS-FEST '07 -- The benefit concert to help raise funds to pay the medical bills of KOME's legendary Dennis Erectus will take place Friday night (January 12) at the Avalon nightclub, 777 Lawrence Expressway in Santa Clara.

The concert begins at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7 p.m.), and will feature the historic Southbay bands Syndicate of Sound ("Little Girl") and The Count Five ("Psychotic Reaction"), plus the AC/DC tribute band Long Time Bon and other local musicians. A silent auction, including wines and rock memorabilia, will be held concurrently with the concert.

Greg Kihn and Chris Jackson of 98.5/KFOX will emcee the event. Tickets are priced at $40, with every last penny going straight to assist the mighty Erectus.

If you can't attend, make out a check to Dennis Erectus for a few bucks and send it off to KBAY Radio, Attn: Jona Denz-Hamilton, 190 Park Center Plaza #200, San Jose, CA 95113.

More information is available at www.KOME.us.

Radio Legend Ron Lyons Ailing

2007-01-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

Len Shapiro let me know this morning that Ron Lyons (KEWB, KNEW, KNBR, KCBS, etc.) is recovering from surgery after being diagnosed recently with cancer.

From the KCBS website:

Several weeks ago, long-time KCBS traffic anchor Ron Lyons was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent emergency surgery last week and is recovering well. The family says he is antsy to get out of his hospital room and return home.

Cards and letters to:

Ron Lyons
P.O. Box 296
Gold Beach, OR 97444

Ron's website is at RonLyonsRadio.com.

Photo: Ron Lyons at KNBR, 1965. (Courtesy of Ron Lyons.)

KNTS Towers On Shaky Landfill?

2007-01-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

Matt O'Brien reports in this morning's gaggle of local ANG Newspapers (Hayward Daily Review, Fremont Argus, et al.) that a group of concerned citizens are raising a stink about Salem Communications' plan to plant four 200-foot transmitter towers on the site of the former Russell City trash dump in Hayward.

The dump, which was used from the 1930s through 1974 according to the article, is the planned site of a new transmitter plant for Salem's KNTS/1220, which has received the FCC's go-ahead to boost its power from 5,000 to 50,000 watts at the new location.

KNTS currently transmits its schedule of right-wing talk programs from a single tower in East Palo Alto, in the swamps near the Dumbarton Bridge. The present KNTS site dates back to the late 1940s, where it began life as the ancestral home of Millard Kibbe's KIBE.

The main concern with the new Hayward location is that the towers would stand on the old dump, which was capped with clay, and the construction of the towers could expose some of the long-buried waste material.

"I am really disturbed about it because it's on a landfill," Janice Delfino, a member of the citizens advisory committee to the Hayward Area Shoreline Planning Agency, told O'Brien. "I don't know how the city could even think of allowing this kind of operation."

Considering how many new homes have been built on landfill around the Bay over the last few years, and keeping in mind how much engineering goes into the construction of a radio antenna farm, I'm thinking that there are numerous more significant issues that the good people of Hayward should be concentrating their energies on instead of this.

Bob Ray: The Night James Brown Was At The Front Door

2006-12-28T08:53:00.000-08:00

The great Bob Ray (photo, right), once a staple on the beloved 1590/KLIV during its illustrious era as the Southbay's leading Top 40 station (he can be heard in action on the Bay Area Radio Museum's KLIV tribute page), freely admits that he was deeply impacted by the passing of Soul Brother #1, James Brown, on Christmas Day at the age of 73.

Now the guiding light of Bob Ray Creative Services, a Saratoga-based advertising and marketing agency, he was moved to share his personal story about a chance meeting with the Godfather of Soul almost thirty years ago:

Rock ‘n’ roll radio in the ’70s began with an “A” and ended with an “F” as listeners’ tastes drifted from established bands to brand new ones in more ways than one.

But for most of that decade dating back to the late ’60s, San Jose’s rock ‘n’ roll music icon was an AM radio station located at 1590 on the dial and on Story Road on San Jose’s east side, “next to an abandoned gas station and a thriving fruit stand.”

True, it didn’t look like a rock ‘n’ roll icon, this single-story brown stucco building with its well-faded, brown wood paneling and swinging glass door entrance that might have easily fronted a 7-11.

But it sounded like one: the pied piper of on-the-air rock ‘n’ roll music for San Jose and, this night in the late ’70s, I was in the station preparing my show for the next day. I did mornings on KLIV then, the pinnacle in my career at that time: Bob Ray In The Morning.

The broadcast or “air studio” had a large glass window that provided an oblique view of the building’s glass-door entrance. There was a push-to-talk button for after-hours’ visitors at the front door to talk with the DJ on-the-air. While you could hear each other, because of the in between glass reflections and refractions, you couldn’t see each other.

However the station owner and general manager – now a mentor and a good friend – Bob Kieve, made it clear that admitting any non-employee through that door after-hours would be the end of one’s employment at the station. It was the golden rule at KLIV.

Around 7 p.m. this night, there was a pounding on the front door. Ralf Koal, our afternoon DJ, couldn’t see who was there, couldn’t hear them on the push-to-talk, and intercommed me in production studio to go check it out.

I walked through the front office’s rows of empty desks as it was now well after working hours, and made out three men at the door, one of them wearing a red – wait, what is that, velvet? – a red velvet full length coat? It wasn’t just bright red. It glowed red. I mean it was on fire!

It was dark, the men were black and the stoop light was directly above them, not illuminating their faces clearly. As I asked, “Can I help you?” the man in velvet took a step back and the overhead light revealed his face.

I literally caught my breath and said out loud, “Oh my God, you’re James Brown!” He replied, “Yes, I am. May we come in?”

At this point, I had to ask Ralf Koal - as granting entry to a non-employee would put us both on the street in a snap - if he was OK with my opening the front door. He was incredulous: “You left James Brown waiting at the front door? Jesus, Bob, let him in!”

As Mr. Brown walked through the door, the unbuttoned red velvet coat draped around him like a cape, his hand reached out to shake mine. In a simultaneous motion, the two men behind him lifted the velvet coat from his shoulders, revealing the man, the myth, the legend – dressed in tight black leather, festooned with silver sequins – James Brown.

I said, “Mr. Brown …” when he interrupted me, grasped my hand with both of his, squinted his coal-black eyes into mine and said, “Call me James.”

After introducing James Brown to Ralf Koal who was still on-the-air, I had one of the more lucid moments in my broadcasting career and asked if our group could move into the production studio to record an interview.

For the next hour, I sat side-by-side with James Brown and he talked about his life, his deep love of music, his difficulty in getting his music played in the day’s radio world of strict formats and tight music lists and the impossible road he traveled from poverty to success, this man with an eighth-grade education.

James Brown was articulate, intelligent, passionate and – above all of those qualities – a joy to talk with … one of the best interviews I have ever done.

Nearing the end of our talk, I admitted to him, “I must tell you, I can’t believe I’m sitting here talking with the hardest working man in show business, James Brown.” His reply, “Ain’t I good lookin’, too!”

When James left the room for a moment, the two men who accompanied him – two life-long friends, not bodyguards - told me a story about this man with an eighth grade education. James carried nothing in his pockets: no keys, no wallet, no cash. At the beginning of each day, each man was given a considerable wad of cash – in a roll – to pay for meals, hotels, everything. Any remaining cash was given back to James at the end of each day.

After a very long 14-hour day of promotional appearances in Los Angeles recently, this man gave James Brown the remaining roll of bills and loose change. James counted the sum and, as the man began to leave his room, suddenly asked, “Are you sure you don’t have about $39 in another pocket?”

Incredibly, there was a cab ride that morning from LAX which this man began to pay with two twenty dollar bills but his counterpart did instead. The two twenties were replaced in haste, inside the man’s coat pocket instead of his pants, where they still were.

James kept track of each day’s expenses in his head. He recalled names and details of people he met just once, knew myriad details of those he worked with intimately and demonstrated business acumen far beyond many with a college degree.

Granted, James Brown knew how to promote James Brown. He was in San Jose for a one-night show and ticket sales, no doubt, needed a little help.

So he ended up on KLIV’s doorstep to work his magic: to again open doors closed to everyone else but not to James Brown.

James Brown was truly a legend who influenced all music – Elvis to Mick to Bowie, R&B to rock to rap – as well as this twenty-something radio DJ who had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend time with the man behind the legend.

To this day, almost thirty years later, I remember that sign by the front door of the old KLIV studios must have read, “No admittance for any non-employee after-hours except for James Brown.”

Bill King, Hall of Fame Finalist. Again.

2006-12-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

Bill King has been selected as a finalist for the Ford C. Frick Award by the Baseball Hall of Fame.

It's the second year in a row that he has been selected as a finalist. That he wasn't selected for the honor last year and had to have his name tossed back in the hopper is an even greater travesty considering the talentless hack that was chosen instead.

(Sorry, Jerry Coleman. I'm in a crummy mood. You're a great guy, but I've sat through enough of your inane Padre broadcasts to know that as a play-by-play man, you were a pretty good shortstop.)

(And don't get me started on the impossibly bad Harry Kalas, who made it into baseball's Hall of Fame based on his work ... reading scripts for NFL Films.)

But I digress.

Sure, Bill did lots of work as a football broadcaster. He also did a lot of work as a basketball play-by-play man. Perhaps that pales his work with the A's and Giants. You can't punish him because he was "local" — the Hall of Fame is littered with local hacks that made it in — and you sure can't punish him for being good at what he did.

Read the press release at BaseballHallofFame.org. (And thanks for reminding me to add the link, Mike.)

A's Baseball Moving To Free FM

2006-10-31T07:39:00.000-08:00

This morning's Contra Costa Times reports that the American League Western Division champion Oakland Athletics will drop KNTS/1220 for the 2007 season, moving to 80,000-watt Free FM 106.9 (KIFR) as their flagship station, with additional local coverage on KYCY/1550.

KYCY and KNTS had shared local flagship status on the team's broadcasts this past season.

In the Times article, Jonathan Okanes noted that the A's had tried to get CBS/SF to carry the games on 106.9 last season, "but CBS Radio was hesitant because the station had just launched a new format."

Guess that ain't a problem no more...

RIP: Mike Phillips

2006-10-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

Jay Arnold sent along word last night that former 610/KFRC morning man and program director Mike Phillips died yesterday following a two and a half year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64.

Mike was the original afternoon guy at KFRC when the station moved to Top 40 in February 1966, then switched to mornings later in the year. He ended his career as program director at L.A.'s legendary K-Earth 101 from 1990 to 2001, helping to elevate the famed Oldies powerhouse from middle-of-the-pack status to consistent ratings in the top five.

He spent the early portion of his career in the Pacific Northwest, including stops at KAYO and KJR in Seattle, before becoming one of the KISN Good Guys at the Portland Top 40 outlet. From KISN it was on to his first stop in the Bay Area, working at KNBR/68 under program director Al Hart.

Fired by KNBR, he landed on his feet as an original member of the 610 Men at KFRC when the station switched to Top 40 early in 1966. Initially installed as the Big 610's afternoon guy, he moved to mornings later in the year.

After a return to KJR in 1968, he made subsequent stops at WXLO/New York (1973) and KGW/Portland (1975) before coming back to the Bay Area as program director at NBC-owned KYUU/99.7 in 1980. He moved over to program KIOI in 1982, then returned to KFRC as program director in 1984. He then helped create KOIT's signature "Lite Rock" sound beginning in 1986.

Mike Phillips had moved from Santa Clarita in Southern California to Portland earlier this summer to be nearer to his family.

Ron Lyons on Mike Phillips...

The one thing left off his stations slate was KNBR from February of 1965 until sometime in the Fall. Mike Phillips was a star, I believe, at KJR when he was 19, and he and I both were hired by Mike Joseph which could account for the high suicide rate in the '60s.

[Joseph] was a real con artist and had sold NBC a story on market research. We were playing "Satisfaction" and then going into Arlene Francis on "Emphasis." We were giving the time in various Bay Area locations and he had the very old NBC announcers doing (or trying) Top 40 News up to the network join and it was horrific. The whole thing was horrific.

I have an actual memo from Joseph saying "Congratulations on the birth of your daughter. You only gave the call letters 23 times; it should have been 35." NBC was run by the News Division so we had to carry everything including think pieces and press conferences. NOBODY knew what the hell we were.

Mike and I were very good friends then, and I will explain in a bit why I think we didn't stay that way. Anyway, he kept telling management, which was Al Hart, how screwed up it was and doing one liners about it on the air. We were great drinking buddies and he spent a lot of time at the house. He was a little lonely and really angry with how bad we sounded. I kept telling him that no matter how bad it was, it was theirs and he was liable to be fired ... which is what happened ... which is rather funny.

Al Hart was a great guy (still is) and gave Mike the word and said it was his choice if he wanted to work out his two week notice. (We all had great contracts then!) Mike elected to stay on the air and he was on 6 to 9PM. So he goes on the air that night and one of the commercials was for the Columbia School of Broadcasting. I remember listening to him and, really, the only thing he said, VERY tongue in cheek, was that "the security in broadcasting is fantastic." So he was gone.

Like many things in life, it was the best thing. Drake was changing KFRC and it was just the break Mike needed. I remember he was a little dubious but he ended up doing mornings and KFRC is really one of the legends. Mike was also in love with a gal named Carol and they eventually got married.

We drifted apart then. The last thing I remembered was their apartment in Marin and Elvis had just recorded "From Vegas To Memphis" and we listened to the live version of "Suspicious Minds." He and I both had just returned to the market around 1969.

Mike was a great guy who managed to conquer booze. Many don't know it but it was an awful thing for him. We reconnected in 1977, I think, when he and John Hayes were running KYUU. I was still drinking then and didn't quit until 1986. I was working weekends at KNBR and we ended up staying at the same motel. There he told me of some really horrible things he had gone through. He had become quite religious although he never hit you over the head with it. I think it was uncomfortable for him to be around me because I was still hitting it pretty good. I always admired his success as a programming guy knowing what games had to be played and how he maintained his sobriety.

Mike Phillips, as I remember him, was a gentle soul with a tremendous sense of humor.

Sometime during the KNBR/KYUU days, we were walking over to the garage together and I asked him if he missed being on the air?

"Nah," he said, "I've got nothing left to say."

RIP: Hap Harper

2006-10-07T10:55:00.000-07:00

Carter B. Smith emailed over last night that Hap Harper passed away this past Wednesday (October 4).

Hap, who parlayed being Don Sherwood's neighbor into a paying gig as the world's first airborne traffic reporter on the World's Greatest Radio Station, was 81. He retired from radio in 1991 after 34 years on the air in the air, during which time he estimated that he had "logged over two million miles over the Bay Area and never been out of sight of the San Carlos Airport."

Born Howard Harper in New Orleans, he grew up in Flint, Mich., obtaining his pilot's license while still a teenager, and attended Oberlin College in Ohio, earning tuition money by giving flying lessons. He was a Marine Corps lieutenant and pilot during World War II, then settled in the Bay Area after leaving the service. As a friend and neighbor of Sherwood, he'd fly the KSFO disc jockey to various weekend getaways, and eventually was persuaded to go on the air with weather reports from on high.

One day in 1957 while giving his weather observations, he spotted a traffic accident down below and mentioned it on the air, thus launching a new phase in his flying career as well as creating an entire cottage industry.

In addition to being one of Sherwood's longstanding comrades-in-arms, Hap also sold real estate in the Sierra foothills for four decades, ferrying prospective clients in his private plane. During his radio career, he also worked with Van Amburg at KFRC, Gene Nelson at KSFO/KYA-FM and Frank Dill and Mike Cleary at KNBR, in addition to occasionally filling in at KSFO in the studio during Sherwood's frequent absences.

He retired from broadcasting in 1991, moving fulltime to Amador County to operate his HH Realty enterprise.

"He was a remarkably cheerful, outgoing and positive man, an excellent flier and fun to work with," Carter B. told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Hap is survived by his wife, Jan, his daughter, Kellie, and his son, Jeffrey. No funeral service will be held in accordance with Hap's wishes, but I'd bet there'll be a memorial gathering for his friends at some point in the near future.

More Hap:

Sherwood and Harper's "Raid On Stockton" from Laurie Harper's "Don Sherwood: The Life and Times of the World's Greatest Disc Jockey."

You may leave a remembrance or condolence message for Hap Harper by clicking here.

(Photo: Hap Harper and Don Sherwood aboard Hap's plane, 1958.)

Radio Dots & Dashes (October 3 Edition)

2006-10-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm late... if you missed the big 20th anniversary celebration for Live 105 (KITS) on Sunday, you missed hearing a countdown of the top ten modern rock hits from each year during the station's two decades on the air.

Although I missed hearing any of them, I understand that Steve Masters, Roland West and several other former Live 105 voices made cameo appearances. Being busy on Sunday, I rolled tape for several hours and got nothing but music. I was kind of hoping that Carson Daly would show up, too, but no...

Speaking of which ... it was reported here a few weeks ago that Live 105 program director Sean Demery had left the station after five years so that he could spend more time with his family in upstate New York.

Apparently, he was referring to a different family, as he has turned up this past Monday in Atlanta at legacy modern rocker 99X (WNNX) as part of the station's new morning team, according to FMQB.

Demery was one of the original 99X staffers when the station signed on in 1992.

"There's a poet out there who says 'you can never go home' ... that guy's an idiot!" Demery told FMQB. "It's great to be back with family and much hugs to Leslie (Fram, 99X PD) and Cumulus for the means, the ways and the ability to put this together so quickly and getting us on the air as a show the first Monday in October ... amazing."

Yeah. Amazing.

Ron Fairly, who spent six so-so years here as one of the radio voices of the San Francisco Giants, retired from the Seattle Mariners' broadcast booth after spending the last fourteen years with the club.

Fairly, 68, played in the majors for 21 years, the bulk of it with the Dodgers. He moved up to the broadcast booth with the Angels from 1982 to 1986 before being hired as a Giants announcer. What a joy it was for us Giants fans to hear him recount his experiences while playing with the Dodgers, and the great Dodger teammates he played alongside, and the great Dodger teams he played on, and the great traditions the Dodgers had! Enjoy your retirement, Ron...

Only because I'm one of those dopes that reads the births, deaths and wedding announcements every day (nope, nothing better to do), I spotted smiling Richard Branton, production director for 101.7/KKIQ and Coast Radio in Pleasanton, and his beaming bride-to-be, Lori-Anne Williams, in the local fishwrap the other day. They'll be heading to the altar next June. Good luck, you kids...

Former San Jose Sharks captain and fan favorite Jeff Odgers has been named as color analyst on Atlanta Thrashers radiocasts, the NHL club has announced. Odgers, 37, who retired following the 2002-03 campaign after spending the final three years of his career with the Thrashers, was an original Shark, spending five seasons in a teal sweater for the Southbay's popular hockey organisation...

Quake Shakes Out Will, Willie

2006-09-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Radio Ink reports this morning that "Keeping It Real With Will & Willie," the KQKE/960 morning show starring Will Durst and Willie Brown, will be replaced by the syndicated Stephanie Miller program beginning next Monday (October 2) at 6 a.m.

Miller's call-in show will be beamed in from KTLK/Los Angeles to Clear Channel's foundering Bay Area "progressive talk" station, thereby furthering the cause of live and local programming.

...Or not.

Quoted in Radio Ink, KQKE program director Bob Agnew said, "We are very excited about adding Stephanie Miller to the mornings. From the minute the mike goes on, she is ON! Her energy level is so high it is infectious."

According to her website, "Steph" is the daughter of former U.S. Representative William Miller, who was losing GOP candidate Barry Goldwater's running mate in the 1964 Presidential election. If absolutely necessary, you may view pictures of her dogs by clicking here.

99.7 KFRC Gets Movin'

2006-09-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Shock and awe: 99.7 KFRC has abruptly switched from a bland mish-mash of Oldies-ish music to upbeat R&B-leaning Rhythmic Pop Contemporary as MOViN 99.7 (bizarre mixed caps theirs). The switch occurred at 10 a.m. this morning and is being streamed from the station's website at http://www.kfrc.com.

The switch follows the recent Movin' format segue at KZLA/Los Angeles, in which Smogville's legacy Country station was flipped, adding Rick Dees as its morning anchor.

CBS Radio/SF Market Manager Doug Harvill, quoted in Radio Online, said, "The MOViN format has exploded in popularity in markets such as Los Angeles, and has become an instant favorite in Seattle, achieving top-rated status among women 18-44 in only six weeks on the air. There is great demand among the Bay Area's diverse population for the MOViN blend of music and we look forward to making the most of this rare opportunity to launch an entirely new and different musical presentation."

No word on staff changes at the Bay Area version of Movin' ... but I'm guessing we'll see them soon.

UPDATE(S): As you may have noticed, CBS has eliminated the air staff from the station, at least temporarily, but expect wholesale changes. One rumor that is gaining momentum is that former 610/KFRC and KMEL voice Broadway Bill Lee, recently released from his obligations at WKTU/New York, might be heading in our direction.

Meanwhile, in the many years that I've been doing this, I have never received as many messages as I have regarding a single subject ... and (with maybe one or two exceptions) they have all been negative, blasting CBS for killing off KFRC.

If you haven't already, go to the KFRC/Movin99.7 website and let them know how you feel, positive or negative.

Personally, I've added 99.7 back to my presets on my car radio, and I had the station on almost the entire weekend, in the car and in my office. And, surprisingly, my wife — a/k/a Their Target Demographic — caught on and says she likes the station, too.

Go figure...

(And feel free to click on the "Comments" link just below to add your thoughts.)

Radio Dots & Dashes (September 7 Edition)

2006-09-07T12:58:00.000-07:00

Sean Demery, who helped craft the sound and style at Live 105 (KITS) for the past four-plus years, has resigned as the station's program director, citing personal reasons.

As reported by FMQB on Thursday (September 7), Demery said "I love Live 105 and I love the people I work with. It's a good, good crew all around. GM Steve Dinardo makes it a fun place to work. What more could you ask for? But it's still time to go."

According to a follow-up report in AllAccess, Live 105's assistant program director/music director Aaron Axelson has been tapped to serve as the station's PD on an interim basis...

It was a pleasant surprise a few weeks ago to spot Monty Stickles looking hale and hearty in a TV ad for Walnut Creek's Varsity Painting. It was just a cameo appearance — maybe three seconds worth — but it was one of those "Hey! I wondered whatever happened to that guy" moments.

This past Sunday (September 2), the former 49er tight end and KGO/810 sports director passed away from heart failure following a brief illness. Monty Stickles was 68 years old.

Having earned the well-deserved reputation as the filthiest player in pro football, Stickles spent 1960 through 1967 with the Niners before playing one final season with the expansion New Orleans Saints in 1968. After hanging up his cleats, he was hired by Les Malloy to be sports director at KEST/1450, where he hosted a daily call-in show and handled the play-by-play for University of San Francisco Dons basketball.

In 1973, he moved up to KGO as sports reporter and color analyst on Raiders and Cal Bears football broadcasts, and also anchored weekend sports segments on KGO-TV (Channel 7). He worked alongside Bill King during his tenure at KGO and was in the radio booth for the legendary call of the "Holy Roller" play in 1978...

First came the rumor that Fay Carmona, sidekick on the Wild 94.9 (KYLD) "Strawberry In The Morning" show, had been fired last Friday. Then talk turned to Strawberry himself getting the old heave-ho, followed by speculation that The T-Man Show from KUBE-FM/Seattle would be satellited in as the replacement.

And that's why I love the rumor mill: sometimes it works. Fay was bounced from Wild, Strawberry will be moving back to his previous evening slot on the station and, starting in two weeks (September 18), T-Man gets the Wild morning gig...

At Energy 92.7 (KNGY), which is audible in San Francisco and the Eastbay when the wind is just right, Forrest Bueller has been imported from Bakersfield's Kelly 95.3 (KLLY) to work the night shift and serve as Energy's assistant program director. He was known simply as "Bueller" in Bako, although he answered to "Party Boy," too...

KNTS/1220 has worked out its scheduling conflicts and will no longer wait until 6 p.m. on weeknights to broadcast Oakland A's baseballcasts. Will that help you hear the games any better on the radio? Probably not, so hope that Len Shapiro's impassioned pleas to A's broadcast chief Ken Pries to add Free FM 106.9 (KIFR) to the team's network bring positive results. You can help by calling the A's offices yourself at (510) 563-2269 and letting them know...

And, while you're at it, call the San Jose Sharks and let them know that those of us in the Diablo Valley and up in the Northbay can't hear Team Teal on the radio at all. If they believe otherwise, quickly disabuse them of the notion because it ain't true...

I got a funny feeling seeing that the Oakland Raiders will be carried on KABL radio this year. Yeah, KABL/960 is dead and gone and obviously ain't coming back, and the call letters are rotting away down in Salinas on 1460 AM. Apparently the jackasses at Clear Channel don't realize what those letters mean around here. Meanwhile, for that swell Adult Standards sound, "Music Of Your Life"-style, I tune to The Vine (KVIN) on 920 AM from Modesto, owned by my old pals Jim Bryan and Doug Wulff. Jim and Doug once operated the late and lamented KCRK School of Broadcasting, of which I am a proud dropout...

The leading proponent of Pachuco Soul in Southern California, Dick Hugg, has died. Huggy Boy, as he was known forever on L.A.'s airwaves, was 78 and had been playing the greatest hits of the Fifties and Sixties for the homeboys and homegirls of the Southland for six decades. Along with Art Laboe, Huggy Boy was the living embodiment of the cruisin' era in SoCal radio.

Rick Barry Latest To Depart Sports Leader

2006-08-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Contra Costa Times reported late Monday evening that afternoon co-host Rick Barry is the latest — and, to date, the biggest name — to be jettisoned by Sports Leader KNBR/680.

"It was a lot of different things. He had other things that he was looking at," KNBR VP/GM Tony Salvadore told Times reporter Joe Stiglich. "Rick has plenty of other things going on. He has a lot of irons in the fire."

"It was really a mutual-type of thing," Barry (photo, right) told Stiglich. "I was always concerned that when you get new ownership, you never know what's going to happen. I was told they were thinking of doing something with my contract. I was looking for some other things to do. We said it was time to say goodbye."

Barry, referred to lovingly as "The Hall Of Famer" by KNBR morning star Gary Radnich, had co-hosted the afternoon show on The Sports Leader for the past five years with Rod Brooks. A possible replacement for Barry, former Giants voice Ted Robinson, did fill-in work on the station's "Razor & Mr. T" show last week, sitting in for the vacationing Tom Tolbert alongside Ralph Barbieri.

Speaking of Robinson, he'll continue as lead radio play-by-play voice of the Stanford Cardinal football broadcasts on KNBR/1050 (KTCT) this Fall, working once again with the evergreen Bob Murphy. The university expects to announce a new station for its men's basketball radiocasts shortly...

And since this is turning into an All Sports edition, I'll mention that the wonderful (outstanding, great, beloved) Sharks TV color commentator Drew Remenda has departed, albeit reluctantly, from the Bay Area to return home to Saskatoon, but not before taking Tom Tolbert's spot on KNBR during week of July 31 through August 4 on the Razor & Mr. T show. Drew, who has endeared himself to local hockey fans over the past few years, may be in line for a spot on the CBC's "Hockey Night In Canada," and can still be heard weekday afternoons doing his excellent show on CKOM/650, Saskatoon via the Internet. Stay classy, Saskatoon...

More sports? Hmmm, let's see ... Well, one year after skewering the lackluster San Francisco Giants — and getting bounced from KNBR for doing what they paid him to do — Larry Krueger has hit it big in Sacramento, according to the Sacramento Bee. "The Krueg and Townie Show" on Sacramento's KHTK/1140 (Saturdays, 1-5 p.m.), which Krueger co-hosts with fellow KNBR alum Chris Townsend "is as good a program as you'll find, with hosts who enlighten listeners without boring them to the point of road rage with too much sports drama. The only problem is a good one. There isn't enough of the show," according to the Bee...

Okay, have we run out of KNBR-related items yet? No such luck — Bruce MacGowan, another Sports Leader refugee, is contributing an occasional history column to the Marin I-J in addition to spot work on Oakland A's pregames, while Rod Brooks, the still-employed half of the former "Rick & Rod Show" on KNBR, will be the sideline reporter on 49ers gamecasts on KNBR/680/1050/107.7, etc., and the Niners Radio Network this season (and no, he won't be working the sidelines on Raiders' broadcasts as I erroneously reported earlier to endless howls of laughter and derision. You people actually read this thing?)...

This year's inductees into the national Radio Hall of Fame have been announced, and as predicted here previously, Bill King failed to attract wide support and was not among those selected for enshrinement. Newsmen Douglas Edwards and Christopher Glenn of CBS, ABC Radio president John Hare, and jocks William B. Williams and Scott Shannon made this year's list of honorees...

Please note that the following item is entirely unrelated to sports, with my apologies: Free FM 106.9 (KIFR) has rearranged the deck chairs once more, pushing Scott and Casey (Scott Hasick and Casey Bartholomew) overboard to make room for Tom Leykis in the afternoon slot. Leykis had been tape-delayed previously. What the heck ever happened to "live and local," guys? At the very least you could bring in former locals JV and Elvis ("The Doghouse"), who've now hit it big in the Big Apple on the NYC version of Free FM. Just a thought, and it wouldn't hurt to give it a try...

AllAccess reported last Friday (August 11) that Peter Thiele will be the new operations manager at Salem Communications' KFAX/1100 and KNTS/1220 duo here in the Bay Area. Thiele had been program director at conservative talker WORD/Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., and was PD and an on-air host at conservative talker KVNN/Huntsville, Ala.

Radio Dots & Dashes (August 1 Edition)

2006-08-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

In the wake of the ill-conceived rollout of the Free FM format on 106.9 in San Francisco, CBS Radio continues to rework its patchwork programming schedule by importing the syndicated Opie & Anthony show for weekdays in the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. slot.

Having already replaced the failed David Lee Roth experiment in several eastern markets, Opie & Anthony have helped CBS begin to rebuild its ratings, which crashed following Howard Stern's departure at the end of last year.

The entry of Opie & Anthony into the Bay Area gives the show clearance on seven of the top ten markets in the nation. On Free FM 106.9, the show displaces Radio Chick Leslie Gold, who bounces to the 1 to 3 p.m. position...

Last week, the KYCY/KYOUradio website began displaying this message:

"CHANGE

It's in the air...
Remember, nothing stays the same forever. Change is inevitable. Stay tuned.

And as always, thanks for stopping by and taking the time to check us out.

Stephen Page
Station Manager
KYOURADIO®
...OPEN SOURCE RADIO®"

I immediately joined the speculation that a change to the station's all-podcasting format on 1550 AM could be imminent — okay, I've been speculating that for a year — but it turned out that the only change was the launch of a new website design...

Or was it?

At the same time that the new KYOUradio.com site was unveiled, CBS/SF also fired up a new, separate baseball-themed website for the station at 1550KYCY.com. Is it unusual for a station to have two websites? Yeah, maybe. On the other hand, is it unusual for a station to no longer mention its dial position on its website? Maybe it's just an oversight, but try to find "1550" anywhere on KYOUradio.com...

If you haven't had a chance to pick up "Becoming Almost Famous," the latest collection of articles and profiles by Ben Fong-Torres, please do so now. You'll love it for many reasons, but if you're "just a radio fan," you'll particularly enjoy "The Night Rock'n'Roll Woke Nobody" and "My Hour In The Top 40 Hot Seat." Go buy it. Now. I'll wait here until you get back...

Upcoming this weekend: Raiders coach-turned-broadcaster John Madden gets inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Today, voting closes for another nominee, Bill King, who is up for induction into the Radio Hall of Fame. Because of the Chicago-centric tendencies of the "national" Radio HOF, my gut feeling is that his chances of getting in this year are extremely slim, despite overwhelming local sentiment. Case in point: Chicago-based Paul Harvey is in the Radio Hall of Fame. That makes sense. But why are his wife and son also in there when there are a hundred more deserving radio legends who should be enshrined.

(Want a few? Don't get me started: Dr. Don Rose, The Real Don Steele, Ira Blue, Don Sherwood, Al "Jazzbeaux" Collins ... I could go on for days and days and days.)

...The next phase in Citadel's takeover of ABC radio's stations (including KGO and KSFO here) is on the horizon as the Radio Disney network and group of stations are being shuffled into the Disney/ABC Television Group ... KLIV/1590 news anchor/news director George Sampson is featured in a Los Gatos Observer profile ... The legendary astrologer Darrell Martinie, 63, died of cancer on July 26 in Massachusetts. As The Cosmic Muffin, he was heard on radio stations across the country, including KSAN during its Jive 95 era, and earned the title of official astrologer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1993. He closed his broadcasts with the notable tagline: "It is a wise person who rules the stars, a fool who is ruled by them. Over and out."

Clear Channel Making "Whoopi" At KKSF

2006-07-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

Billboard Radio Monitor reports today that Clear Channel's Smooth Jazz KKSF/103.7 will become the Bay Area affiliate for "Wake Up with Whoopi." The program, which will air from 5 to 9 a.m. on weekdays beginning August 14, is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, also a Clear Channel subsidiary, and features Academy Award-winning actress/comedienne Whoopi Goldberg.

"Wake Up" begins airing on July 31 on WKTU/New York, giving it a two-week head start before branching out to WLIT/Chicago and KKSF. New York radio stalwart Paul "Cubby" Bryant will serve as Goldberg's co-host.

According to a press release on Premiere's website, "Wake Up With Whoopi" will be "a fresh morning show blending daily topics, comedy, listener call-ins, guests, and locally programmed music." The emphasis is apparently on "welcoming women back to morning drive," a slogan used twice in the release.

"Women have been waking up to morning television for the past 15 years because radio hasn't always given them a reason to tune in," according to John Hogan, president and CEO of Clear Channel Radio. "This is a new chapter. 'Wake Up with Whoopi' will go down as the first program in the next generation of entertaining morning radio because of the extraordinary talents of Whoopi Goldberg."

"Radio is an area I have always wanted to play in," Goldberg said in the press release. "There aren't many women helming their own show. I'm thrilled to add my name to that small list because I believe that we have something to add to the morning groove."

The show displaces KKSF's current morning show "helmer" Kim Dooley, a woman whose future role at the station has not been defined.

KMPH Up and Running: The continuing tale of Modesto's KMPH/840 reaches its next phase, as the station has begun regular programming with a combination of brokered talk, Adult Standards and foreign-language fare. KMPH is the Pappas company's 5,000-watt replacement station for 50,000-watt KTRB/860, which will move into the Bay Area, reportedly by the end of the year.

KGO Still Sitting Pretty In "Beauty Pageant"

2006-07-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

Seemingly etched permanently atop the local ratings, news/talk grand champion KGO/810 remains at #1 in the Spring Arbitron numbers for all listeners (age 12+) in the San Francisco market.

Despite slipping from a 6.3 in Winter, KGO still posted a very respectable 5.6, giving the venerable station a healthy cushion between itself and #2 KOIT/96.5 (4.5). KMEL/106.1 (3.9) grabbed third, while KSOL/98.9 & 99.1 (3.8) leapfrogged from way down the list into the fourth position, up from a 2.6 Winter book.

KCBS/740 and KDFC/102.1, both of whom posted identical 3.9 marks in Winter, tied for fifth overall with matching 3.6 books. The seventh spot is occupied by KSFO/560 (3.2), with KBLX/102.9 and Wild 94.9 (KYLD) tied for eighth with 3.1 apiece.

Rounding out the top ten was KKSF/103.7 (2.9).

The rest of the list includes KFOG, 98.1 Kiss and the KNBR 680/1050 tandem (2.8 each), Star 101.3 and 107.7 The Bone (2.6 each), KFRC and KRZZ (2.5 each), Alice@97.3 (2.3), KBRG, Live 105, KSJO and KVVZ/KVVF (1.6 each), KRTY (1.4), KNEW (1.3), 98.5 K-Fox (1.2) and KMAX (1.1).

If your favorite station wasn't listed here, it means you weren't listening hard enough. Better luck next time.

Want to talk about it? Click on the "Post a comment" link down below and get to discussin' thangs. And the first person to post that the 12+ numbers don't mean nothing gets banished permanently from my grumpy little fiefdom.

CBS/SF Cuts Kohl, Nine Others

2006-07-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Count ten members of the CBS Radio team in the Bay Area among those caught in the wave that washed out 115 staffers in a nationwide cost-cutting move orchestrated by company chief Joel Hollander. It's a great corporate philosophy: when in doubt, don't improve your product. Instead, slash and burn.

According to reports carried in today's Radio & Records and other electronic trade papers, the biggest name headed out the door is Ken Kohl, hired less than a year ago to oversee the launch of Free FM 106.9 (KIFR).

In an internal memo to local employees quoted by R&R, Doug Harvill, market manager for CBS Radio/SF, said "Our stations have implemented exciting plans that are delivering ratings and results. There is plenty of work for all of us to do, and I look forward to hearing how you may want to expand your role and contributions to our stations."

Others reportedly departing CBS include Vicky Biggs (national sales manager, KCBS/KIFR), Herb Anderson (controller, KFRC/KCBS), Angelina Fong (promotions assistant, KCBS), Kent Yeglin (chief engineer, KITS), Mark Silverstein (sales manager, KYCY/Oakland A's), Kari Fulton (NTR director), Cari Levine (NTR manager), and Jason Lee and Jay Vong, who worked in the business department for the group of CBS stations here.

Steve Dinardo, currently VP/GM of Live 105 (KITS), will take on the same duties at Free FM 106.9. Alice@97.3 (KLLC) VP/GM Greg Nemitz adds KYCY/1550 to his list of responsibilities.

DOTS & DASHES — The old original 1260/KYA has been dead and gone for nearly 25 years, but there are old original fans of the station (including me) who still pine for the days of Tom Campbell, Johnny Holliday, The Mighty Mitchell, Russ "The Moose" Syracuse, "Big Daddy" Tom Donahue and Emperor Gene Nelson.

Well, now we can relive those days, albeit vicariously and virtually, through KyaRadio1.com, which is streaming online through the efforts of Chris Edwards White. The KYA revival includes classic jingles and an extensive collection of oldies spanning the 1950s through the 1980s...

Speaking of which, Johnny Holliday sends along word that Ed Hider, a popular KYA jock back in the 1960s, is a real estate millionaire in Southern California these days, having invested his radio earnings in apartment buildings and other properties. See, I told you that going into radio would pay off eventually!

Radio Dots & Dashes (June 15 Edition)

2006-06-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

In this week's edition of SF Weekly, you'll find a piece headlined "Beheadings and Dead Microphones: KNBR's new owners try to adjust to big-market radio" that includes the following fragment:

"...(T)he company's cuts to business staff, though perhaps a strategy that previously worked in smaller markets, has left some of its big-city stations scrambling, including KNBR...
"Several sources familiar with the station's inner workings describe a 'Whoops!' scenario that parallels what has played out in other markets: Cumulus officials, belatedly realizing they may have been too quick to lay people off, have consulted fired employees to discuss how to stabilize the office. As one source says of Cumulus, 'They've been given a Maserati and they don't know how to drive a stick.'"

Father's Day = Holliday: Former 1260/KYA Baron of the Bay (and every teen queen's dream) Johnny Holliday was honored by the Washington, D.C., Father's Day Council as one of the Capitol District's Fathers of the Year.

Johnny (shown in a 1966 photo from KYA, right), a Tiburon resident during his tenure here, has been a fixture in D.C. for four decades as the voice of Maryland Terrapins basketball and football, ABC Radio Network sports, and as the co-host of Catholic Radio Weekly. He received the honor along with the Washington Post's Ben Bradlee and David Vise, MSNBC host Chris Matthews, and George Washington University's Skip Williams...

Career Change: Liza Batallones (photo, right), who went from San Francisco State to reporting traffic on the radio with Shadow Broadcast Services (she was heard on several stations, including KCBS, K101 and KPIX-FM), is profiled this week in a Philippine News feature. Liza left her most recent traffic gig at KPIX-TV (Channel 5) to join Alain Pinel Realty in San Mateo as a Realtor...

Radio Dots & Dashes (June 2 Edition)

2006-06-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

The latest departure from Sports Leader KNBR/680? According to Kevin Lynch in this morning's Chronicle, it's the stalwart John Shrader, who had been doing news updates, the occasional hosting stint, pre- and post-game shows and sideline reports during his fifteen years at the station. "We had a difference of opinion on my value to the company," Shrader told the Chron.

KNBR became the property of Cumulus Media last month.

Shrader (photo, right), who had been a weekend sports anchor on KNTV/Channel 11 and later became sports director at KICU/Channel 36 back in the 1980s, had also been the broadcast voice of the MLS San Jose Earthquakes from 1996 until the team's departure for Houston this year. He is currently working as a journalism instructor at San Jose City College.

He told Contra Costa Times sportswriter Jonathan Okanes, "Things have changed since the company was sold, that's for sure. I was there for fifteen years and it was a great fifteen years. It was time for a change. I know it will be good for me. Whether it's good for them is their business."

Okanes quoted KNBR program director Lee Hammer as saying he "was a little surprised (Shrader) resigned"...

(CORRECTION: In the original version of this post, based on information borrowed from the rarely-if-ever-wrong Wikipedia — please stop laughing — I noted that John Shrader was the play-by-play voice of the San Jose Sabercats. Mr. Shrader, who should know, has politely pointed out to me that this was an error, although he was the voice of San Jose State University football for nearly a decade, a fact which was omitted from the article.)

Joe Salvatore and Jay Arnold forward news that Steven B. Williams, 59, a veteran of both K-101 and KRQR (The Rocker) here and a well-known voiceover star, was found dead in the water off Santa Catalina Island, reportedly having been shot in the chest. His death is being investigated as a homicide, according to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department.

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that rumors regarding Williams' murder had circulated around Hawaii for several weeks since the body — thought to be Williams — was found on May 18. His identity was confirmed by dental records on Wednesday.

Williams had been a fixture in Hawaii radio during the 1970s, before moving on to his greatest success in Denver. He joined KRQR in 1987, and worked at KIOI beginning in 1993.

In Steven B.'s bio on 440:Satisfaction, he mentioned that he had been working at V. Sattui Winery in the Napa Valley in 2001. He left the company after two years to care for his sick father, who had subsequently died, according to newspaper reports.

"I am now living and working in what can only be described as a dead ringer for the Bordeaux region of France where I continue to provide voice imaging to my radio and TV clients. If my newspapers have started piling up call 911; it just may mean that I've died and gone to Heaven," Williams wrote, referring to his work at V. Sattui in his 440:Satisfaction listing.

"He was a great guy; I mean, who can dislike Steven B.?" V. Sattui owner Darryl Sattui told the Associated Press on Thursday. "It's strange because I was actually going to call him today to try to get him to move back up and work for me again"...

With the end of May on Wednesday, Howard Clark — a veteran of more than fifty years in radio — retired from the business. Howard had been a popular Boss Jock at 610/KFRC back in the late 1960s, and most recently had been operations manager at Access.1's cluster of stations in Shreveport, La. He had begun his radio career at a station in Springhill, La., back in July 1954, and went on to success at Top 40 powerhouses WTIX/New Orleans and WWDJ/New York as well as KFRC. "Not bad for an old Louisiana dirt farmer," he told Radio & Records.

· This article was updated 6/3/2006. Photo courtesy of JohnShraderMedia.com

KFRC Adds Jocks, Gets Cookin'

2006-05-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

AllAccess reports this morning that '70s/'80s Gold KFRC/99.7 has hired a quartet of new voices, the biggest of which is the legendary JoJo Cookin Kincaid, most recently of L.A. Oldies powerhouse K-Earth 101.

JoJo Cookin (photo, right) will handle KFRC's afternoon shift, while Katie Mason moves over from CBS sister station KLLC/97.3 (Alice) for the night shift.

Another Alice voice, Gretchen Lancour, and former KEZR/San Jose jock Tom Gomez join KFRC for weekends and utility work.

S.F. Pirate Planning Splashy Debut

2006-05-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

David Kaye noted in ba.broadcast that "Radio X," a pirate station planning to operate on 91.3 FM, expects to make its debut with a kickoff party in San Francisco on June 29.

The station, using the slogan "Radio That Swallows," claims on its website that it will operate with 100 watts, and "is committed to providing a voice for the Underground Artists and Arts, Freaks, Misfits and Outcasts in our community."

A programming schedule on the "Radio X" website shows only a handful of shows planned currently at varying times during the week, with "Radioland" hosted by Denny Crane and "Dante's Hot Tub" on Mondays, "JH" on Tuesdays, "SuLt" and "Lab Kat" on Thursdays, and "PH" on Fridays. Only the latter program is listed as a morning show.

However, following the recent shutdown of a San Jose bootlegger operating on 104.1 FM through the work of a group of local radio engineers (photos here), I'm going to guess that "Radio X" will have some Official Government Visitors at their door within minutes of firing up their transmitter.

DOTS'N'DASHES — After having rid itself of Bruce MacGowan in a cost-cutting move (talk about firing the wrong guy for the wrong reason), Sports Leader KNBR/680 did some time-shifting by moving its Brian Murphy and Paul McCaffrey-hosted morning show up a half-hour to a 5 a.m. start beginning today. Gary Radnich's mid-morning funfest moves up a half-hour as well, and will now run from 9 a.m. to noon. More Radnich? More better ... Harry O's "Green Hour," the environmentally-friendly longtime staple of Live 105, lives on via MP3 and podcasts at TheGreenHour.org...

Radio Dots & Dashes (May 5 Edition)

2006-05-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

The first casualty in the takeover of KNBR/680 and the other former Susquehanna stations in the Bay Area is Bruce MacGowan, the most prominent name — and the only on-air employee — turned loose by GM Tony Salvadore on Wednesday (May 3) in advance of today's changing of the guard at the cluster.

"That's what happens when one company buys another," Salvadore told the San Francisco Chronicle. "One of the things they do is make adjustments in spending levels."

Along with MacGowan, a 17-year veteran of KNBR, the Chronicle article noted that Valerie Blackburn, director of business operations for Susquehanna/SF, and Bob Sargent, sports sales manager for KNBR, were among "several others" let go by Salvadore as part of "a cost-cutting move dictated by (the) new owners."

Additional changes at KNBR and the other stations in the local Cumulus group — KTCT, KFOG/KFFG and KSAN — are probable.

RADIO CHICK GOES FREE — The latest rearrangement of the deck chairs at FreeFM 106.9 (KIFR) brings Leslie Gold, a/k/a "The Radio Chick," to the noon to 3 p.m. segment, with Turi Ryder "officially" fitting into the slightly tighter 10 a.m. to noon slot.

Ryder had been temporarily holding the midday job, but announced today that her job at the station — and her inclusion on its website — had been made official.

Penn Jillette's daily one-hour show has been moved to 11 p.m. on weeknights under the new schedule.

GENE BURNS INJURED — During a break in his show on KGO/810 on Monday evening (May 1), Gene Burns reportedly fell accidentally and sustained an injury that landed him in the hospital and kept him off the air the remainder of the week.

Pinch-hitting for Burns in his absence were John Rothmann and James Gabbert.

London Takes Firing From Free FM To Fox Forum

2006-04-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how much time they'll be able to fill with this, but John London is scheduled to appear on the Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" program on Thursday evening (April 13) at 6 p.m. (Pacific). The topic will be London's firing over remarks he made on the air about fellow Free FMer Penn Jillette.

Ah, the drama...

London Latest To Leave Free FM; MAX Goes Jockless

2006-04-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

I've been out of communication for the past few days and I haven't been paying too close attention to things, so I missed what happened until the emails came in last night asking about why John London was no longer at fledgling talker FreeFM 106.9 (KIFR).

As of this morning, London's picture is off the FreeFM website (link). The station's weekday lineup now shows "Free FM Programming" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Darian O'Toole's former slot) and from 3 to 7 p.m. (London's former slot). In addition, London's blog — hosted on Blogspot.com — has suddenly gone missing; it had not been updated since March 30.

According to one helpful reader of this column, London had opened his show last Thursday (April 6) by offering a $5000 reward to anyone who would kill fellow FreeFMer Penn Jillette, with an increase to $7000 if the death was a painful one. Friday's scheduled broadcast was replaced by a "Best Of" show.

Filling in on Monday (April 10) was KTLK/Los Angeles weekender and LA Weekly columnist Johnny Wendell, a/k/a "Johnny Angel." Wendell, who previously worked the mike as a weekender at KFI in L.A., made certain to throw in plenty of Bay Area place names during his first show to let listeners know he was well-versed geographically.

London's "Inferno" sidekicks, Dennis Cruz and Chris Townsend, are also out, according to initial reports. The trio had previously teamed up on KNBR's ill-fated "Not Just Sports" show, which ran from 2001 until 2004. Townsend recently began a weekend gig with another KNBR refugee, Larry Krueger, at Sacramento's KHTK/1140.

London's career in San Francisco radio has so far taken him from CHR KMEL/106.1 (1985-1991) to Sports KNBR/680 (2001-2004) to, most recently, Talk KIFR/106.9, where he had toiled since the station launched last October.

MAX TAKES OFF ITS JOCKS — Bonneville's 95.7 MAX FM (KZBR) let go of its air team, reportedly deciding that listeners prefer to hear their music without being bothered by human voices.

Web Fingers (mornings), Dawson (middays) and Teri King (afternoons) have been taken off the air starting today. King, who is also Max's music director, has not decided whether she will stay with the station, according to a report in All Access.

Bill Lueth, who oversees Bonneville's group of stations in the Bay Area, also told All Access that the station may have new KMAX-FM call letters in place as early as next week.

Hosley Named News Director At KGO

2006-04-05T23:45:00.000-07:00

Newstalk KGO/810 has named Paul Hosley as its news director, replacing Greg Tantum, who departed for WTWP/Washington, D.C., in February.

The press release announcing Hosley's appointment makes it clear that KGO has high hopes for him.

"We welcome this highly respected, well accomplished, award-winning newsman to the highest rated news station in Northern California," KGO president and general manager Mickey Luckoff said in a prepared statement. "We look forward to achieving new heights with Paul's leadership."

Hosley, who will take over the job at KGO on April 19, was previously associate news director at KCBS/740 and news director at Sacramento's KFBK/1530. Married with three sons, Hosley is a past winner of Edward R. Murrow awards and the George Foster Peabody Award.

FCC Approves KIQI, KATD Changes

2006-03-28T08:05:00.000-08:00

According to this morning's Daily Digest, the FCC has approved construction permits for San Francisco's KIQI/1010 and Pittsburg's KATD/990. Both stations are owned by Arthur Liu's Multicultural Broadcasting and simulcast Spanish-language programming. (KATD is owned by the Multicultural subsidiary Way Broadcasting.)

The KIQI permit allows an increase in the station's daytime power from 10,000 to 35,000 watts. Nighttime power will remain at 500 watts.

The KATD CP allows the station to move its transmitter from Collinsville to a site near Sacramento. KATD's signal, which is being moved ostensibly due to complaints of interference with KIQI — which hadn't been a problem for nearly fifty years — means that Pittsburg, the station's city of license, will be at the far edge of its coverage footprint.

Both construction permits, which were approved on March 23, require that the facility changes must be made within the next 36 months.

Krueger "More Than Pleased" With KNBR Settlement

2006-03-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

In the wake of Sports Leader KNBR's knee-jerk firing of show host Larry Krueger, producer Tony Rhein and program director Bob Agnew last August comes news today that the station has settled a lawsuit filed by Krueger, according to the Associated Press.

"I'm more than pleased with the way it was settled," said Krueger, who landed on his feet by scoring a weekday gig at top-rated KGO/810 in San Francisco plus weekend work at Sacramento sports powerhouse KHTK/1140.

"I'm very happy about it. It's officially in the rear view," Krueger added in a phone interview with AP.

Using the royal "we," KNBR general manager Tony Salvadore, whose station recently changed hands from Susquehanna to Cumulus (the new owners are merely waiting for the right moment to pick up the keys), told AP, "We don't comment on that."

Krueger, who made comments last August 3 that were blown entirely out of logical proportion when he referred to the malaise that the San Francisco Giants were in, was in turn made a sacrificial lamb — along with Rhein and Agnew — by Salvadore, who may have been concerned about costing KNBR's owners money in the potential sale of the Susquehanna station group. Compounding things was KNBR's minority ownership stake in the Giants.

Krueger had also alleged that Giants executive vice president and chief operating officer Larry Baer — also a part-owner of the club — was responsible for bringing Krueger's comments to the attention of team manager Felipe Alou, which ignited the situation into a full-fledged conflagration. Krueger's allegation was never proved and becomes mute with the settlement, which included a confidentiality agreement that keeps him from disclosing its terms.

Parallel with Krueger's lawsuit, a separate suit filed by Rhein charged Susquehanna Radio, KNBR and Salvadore with — among other things — wrongful termination and defamation. Rhein's suit is still pending, according to the AP.

Radio Dots & Dashes (March 22 Edition)

2006-03-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

Mike Preston, currently VP of Contemporary Hits programming for CBS Radio in Seattle, has been named VP of programming for All News KCBS/740 and '70s/'80s Hits KFRC/99.7 in San Francisco, according to reports in both All Access and Billboard Radio Monitor.

Preston's role as head of CHR programming for CBS/Seattle gave him the dual title of program director of the company's KISS 106.1 (KBKS), a Top 40 station. Both KCBS and KFRC are also owned by CBS Radio.

Preston had previously worked in the area as Mark Preston at KDON/Salinas and KOKQ/Monterey, as well as KSFM/Sacramento. He moved on to KSDO/San Diego in 1983, and returned to program KWSS/San Jose in 1986. From there, he landed at the legendary WPLJ/New York, then at KBKS in 1997.

While the overwhelming majority of his experience has been in CHR/Top 40, he has also served as station imaging voice for Eighties-formatted stations in Seattle, Philadelphia, Houston, Louisville, Dayton, Jacksonville, Honolulu and Birmingham, according to his bio on "440: Satisfaction." It may be quite interesting to see what he has planned for KCBS and KFRC...

Last December, the FCC deleted the license of Concord's KWUN, which had operated at 1480 kHz. since the early 1960s, due to inactivity. The station's last owners of record were Chester Coleman of American Radio Brokers and Joe Buerry, who had also managed Contra Costa's KKIS a few years back.

On Monday (March 20) came word that Mr. Coleman, who was 62, passed away in his office in San Francisco. He had reportedly been suffering from cancer. A former station engineer, he had owned a variety of stations over the years across the country. He had donated many of his radio-related recordings to the Library of Broadcasting in 1997, mostly relating to programming formats...

World-famous Mike Amatori has produced a CD for KGO's 26th Annual Leukemia Cure-A-Thon — taking place this Friday and Saturday — featuring highlights of Ronn Owens' thirty years on the station.

The CD is available for an $85 pledge, but please be sure to mention on the memo line of your check that you are requesting the CD. Checks should be made made payable to "KGO Cure-A-Thon" and should be mailed to:

Ronn CD
c/o KGO Radio Cure-A-Thon
900 Front Street
San Francisco, Ca 94111

John Roszak, who had been an announcer at Classical KDFC/102.1 before moving to KQED/88.5 in 1974, died on February 13 in San Francisco. He was 57.

Shortly after joining KQED, he was shifted to Channel 9 — the station's television side — as a reporter and producer, working on local shows as well as contributing to PBS programs, including "The McNeil-Lehrer NewsHour." A Milwaukee native and graduate of the University of Chicago, he was most recently in charge of KQED's "This Week In California" news discussion series...

From Our Full Circle File: Nearly a hundred years ago, Charles David "Doc" Herrold founded a little experimental radio station and school of engineering in the Garden City Bank Building in downtown San Jose. That rudimentary station, which became licensed as KQW in the 1920s, was later purchased by CBS, moved to San Francisco, and renamed KCBS back in the 1940s. Now comes word that KCBS will move its Southbay news bureau to the Knight-Ridder Building at 50 West San Fernando Street in San Jose. Full circle? The K-R Building occupies the site were the Garden City Bank Building once stood. Staffers chancing upon the ghost of Doc Herrold in the halls and back rooms are advised to pay due respect...

With Darian O'Toole out and Turi Ryder in for what is being publicly referred to as a mere seat-filling role (we'll see) at FreeFM 106.9 (KIFR), Jimmy Baron of Atlanta's Alternative Rocker 99X (WNNX) has been brought in for a series of auditions — three so far, according to details published in the 99Xwatch.org blog.