"Skyrocker" Post Disappears Into The Ether...

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.

Free FM Folds; KFRC Resuscitated

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.