REELRADIO - Key Persons
Governor Arnie Carlson declared October 1, 1994 as KDWB day in Minnesota, and KDWB-FM invited the original KDWB staff to celebrate the station's 35th anniversary. A few classic jingles and airchecks are included, but the main feature are the priceless stories.
Peter (Huntington, "Hookshot") May also worked at KDWB a couple of times and spent some time in San Diego with Buzz Bennett. This is from a reel I "borrowed" from Pete - recorded right off the console in 1961. How about that music mix? When was the last time you heard Tex Ritter and The Mar-Keys on the same station? Pete and I worked together at WCCO-FM, and then in 1984 he contracted me to provide the music for an oldies start-up in Duluth, MN. Pete bought and brought back to life a dead-stick kilowatt daytimer on 1390, calling it K-BEST (KBXT). The best part was blowing away most demos in the first book! Pete currently publishes a surburban newspaper in the Twin Cities.
This short, 'scoped composite is introduced by contributor Ben Fong-Torres and includes Casey Kasem "before the countdowns".
Job Titles:
- Dean Anthony, WMCA NY 1969, 1970
Bill Drake was born Philip Yarbrough on January 14, 1937 in Waycross, Georgia, and grew up in Donalsonville, in the southwest corner of Georgia, about 8 miles from Florida. Forty years later, he was the best-known hit-music radio programmer in the world, operating a multi-million dollar consultancy and syndication firm from Los Angeles. He died of lung cancer on November 29, 2008, at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley.
Bill Drake in 1977, Drake said that he was always interested in radio, but got into it "more or less by accident." A friend was offered a teen-time disc jockey show on WMGR in Bainbridge, Georgia, but he didn't want to do it, so Phil Yarbrough took it.
After high school, Yarbrough went to Georgia Southern College on a basketball scholarship and worked at a Statesboro radio station at night. He had planned to be a basketball coach, but he hurt his knee at the end of his freshman year. Instead of finishing college, he returned to work in Bainbridge, and then left for the all-night show at WAKE in Atlanta for $85 a week. WAKE was owned by Bartell Broadcasting. They wanted him to use a name that rhymed with the call letters. He suggested "Drake", because it was his mother's family name. He stayed at WAKE for several years, advancing to Program Director, then spent six months in the Army at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. He returned to WAKE with a promise that after one year, Bartell would send him to KYA in San Francisco.
Bill Drake was married and divorced three times. He is survived by his daughter, Kristie Philbin, three grandchildren, and Carole Scott, his domestic partner. He was inducted into The Georgia Radio Hall of Fame in September, 2007.
2007 Is radio programming an art, a science - or some of both? Perhaps, today, it is neither. Bill Drake is remembered as a legendary radio businessman, and he is also remembered for his format. Was it just five double-spaced pages of rules, as some claim, or was there something more?
Those who learned and enforced the mechanics of proven radio programming technique have benefitted from the simple logic of the "Drake Format," but those who can follow the rules and build on that foundation are the greatest beneficiaries of all.
Ricky The K is featured on KOMA in 1991 with PAMS founder Bill Meeks (d. 1999), and veteran air talents Jack Armstrong and Dan Ingram.
SPECIAL ADVISOR TO THE BOARD is Bob Shannon. Shannon's 39-year radio career has taken him from Tehran, Iran to Dallas, TX. The past Vice President/Creative for TM Century, Shannon now runs BobShannonWorks, a company that writes, produces and manages talent. Bob also wrote a weekly column (All Them Big Dogs) for online trade publication AllAccess.com. As Special Advisor and a voting member of the Board of Directors, Bob will consult efforts to develop underwriting for the REELRADIO organization.
This is a fine example of Charlie Van Dyke in his formative years in radio! From what I understand, Van Dyke was only about 18 years old at the time of this clip. He was already doing Noon-3PM and displaying a jovial dry wit as well as a true knack for smoothly turning a phrase.
Bill Drake, Early '60's KYA, Drake decided to remain with the new owner, Clint Churchill, owner-manager of WKBW in Buffalo, New York. Churchill believed in a tight playlist, having cut the 'KB list to 30 plus a few picks. Drake continued as KYA PD, and then, a "mutual friend" introduced him to Gene Chenault.
Chenault was impressed with KYA. Drake had always wanted to program multiple stations, and Chenault offered him the opportunity to program his station in Fresno and consult another in Stockton, California (KSTN). KYNO in Fresno had always done well, but Colgreen had acquired competitor KMAK and PD Ron Jacobs, Robert W. Morgan, Steve Jay (Jay Stevens) and Frank Terry was "giving them (KYNO) a fit." Drake kept the same staff at KYNO and in ten months, KYNO had more audience than all other 13 stations in the market. And, with the same format, KSTN in Stockton was also #1.
How did KYNO win? Drake said he used jingles differently. KMAK used them out of a record, subconsciously indicating they were going into commercials. He would use jingles only going into music. His jocks talked less, and the stations battled each other directly on the air, with contests and statements, back and forth, and KYNO had a tighter playlist.
Chenault wanted to expand and buy KGB in San Diego, but owner Willet Brown didn't want to sell. Impressed with their success in Fresno and Stockton, he hired Chenault and Drake to program KGB, and subsequently, suggested to his fellow RKO Board members that Drake should program KHJ in Los Angeles. RKO was losing millions of dollars at KHJ and San Francisco's KFRC in 1965, but Drake didn't think he would fit well into a corporate situation. RKO Chairman of the Board Tom O'Neil set up an arrangement in which Drake-Chenault reported directly to Ross Taber in New York.
"People have always thought I was crazy... Initially - which very few people remember - KHJ was called Drake's Folly..." RKO Broadcast Division President Hathaway Watson let it be known that he wiped his hands of the entire affair, what would occur was not his fault, and things would return to normal shortly. After the enormous success of KHJ, they wanted Drake to do KFRC, and Hathaway Watson was terminated. "People have always thought I was crazy," said Drake. "Initially - which very few people remember - KHJ was called Drake's Folly..."
Drake said he had an office at KHJ, but he only used it a dozen times in the years he consulted the station. Drake consulted the RKO stations on a percentage basis - he got a percentage of an agreed amount. He also said that the format he took to Los Angeles and San Francisco was basically the same format he had introduced at KYNO. It wasn't long before Drake-Chenault also had agreements to program WOR-FM in New York, KAKC in Tulsa, WHBQ in Memphis, WRKO in Boston, and CKLW in Windsor, Ontario (Detroit).
It was his attachment to music which first steered Curt Lundgren toward a 30 year career in radio broadcasting. A native of the Twin Cities, his first station (AM daytimer KUXL/Golden Valley) was a unique introduction. KUXL featured back-to-back radio preachers from sign-on till 1:00 pm, and from 1:00 pm till sundown, the station was R&B. Curt has fond memories of working with classic radio gear like Magnecorders & the venerable Ampex 350 and 601, the famous RCA 77DX microphone, and a first-generation rack of (Collins ATC) cart machines.
Curt loves all things automotive, like this 1960 Buick LeSabre
Stints at WMIN/St. Paul and WHEW/FM in Ft. Myers, Florida exposed Curt to Country....KYMN in Northfield, Minnesota (under the Twin Cities umbrella) was a good training ground in small market broadcasting. Curt attended Brown Institute and spent 22 years at WCCO-FM and WCCO where he interviewed hundreds of greats and near-greats, ranging from Sha Na Na to Hillary Rodham Clinton.
One of Curt's most satisfying gigs was consulting for an oldies outlet in Duluth, MN in 1984. Curt currently freelances from his home in suburban Minneapolis, and is available as a music consultant/historian, in addition to doing weekend air work at Adult Standards/KLBB. He was most recently a content developer for "Rockin' Rhythm 50" and "PreFab 60s" at Netradio Vintage Rock. We are fortunate to have Curt's contributions and ongoing participation. Thank you, Curt!
Job Titles:
- Last PM Drive Show, WABC New York May 7, 1982
Don Phillips followed me at 7PM. Don was later hired by Gene Taylor at WLS. Years later, when I arrived on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange to become a market maker in IBM options, I encountered Don on the floor. He was trading General Motors and Eastman Kodak. Don was building a yacht from concrete at the time. I had never heard of a boat built of cement, but I'm told he completed his project, and a few years ago, I heard he was retired and at sea.
Record Hops were tremendously popular during this period in Milwaukee. I had CYO hops just about every Friday night and, being ecumenical, I often did a Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah on Saturday night.
Aside from being the wild-eyed pitchman for the Crazy Eddie electronics chain, Dr. Jerry Carroll on WPIX-FM 102 was hysterical as a disc jockey.
WFUN Program Director Frank Ward is featured commenting on a station promotion: DJ Bruce Bartley is to enter a "radiation shelter" at a local shopping center, and live for a week under "emergency survival conditions", so that "WFUN and civil defense can prove it's fun to stay alive."
Frankie Crocker was WMCA's last great evening talent, and a black radio pioneer (WBLS, KUTE.)
Frankie Crocker told Ben Fong-Torres that because he was "into the clubs", he was playing disco music on WBLS years before it became a full-time format on WKTU. Crocker passed away from pancreatic cancer on October 21, 2000. He was 63.
Fred Klein, John Dickmeyer, Russ Oasis, Glen Martin, Michael Buckley, Web Works 100, Robert Shepherd, Fred Millsaps, John Bidstrup, David Fairweather, Man From Mars Productions, D.R. Web, Brian Daddino, Jack Gale, Shannon & Company, Michael Fontes, Brent Alberts, Skip Spence, Fifth Expedition Gallery, Mike Moore, Don Spuhler, Danny R. Hesse, Anita Stratton, Jay Marks, Don Jennett, Dan Wright, Dan Cline, Robb Chastain, Kevin Gershan, Michael Scholl.
Job Titles:
- Captain Secret, KRIZ Phoenix, 1971
Hairl Hensley and Sam Hale backstage at The Grand Ole Opry. Hairl is dean of WSM and Opry announcers. Hairl is heard on the WKDA snippets with Terrell Metheny ("Wheel For A Day") and doing the Amoco spots in the news.
Aside from me, the voice that is heard most often on this tape is Hairl Hensley. He was doing the all night show at the time. He later switched to country and has become the dean of announcers at WSM and The Grand Ole Opry - still going strong. The two-voice promotion is Hairl and Terrell L. Metheny, Jr. At the time his air name was Ronn Terrell. He later used the name Mitch Michael and recently retired after programming and, then, managing radio stations for several years. His son Kevin has also developed an outstanding career in broadcasting.
At the end of a jock's air shift, the jock would be responsible for the newscast preceding the next jock's record show. In this case, I'm completing my shift by doing the news preceding Ronn's show. Ronn had been responsible for the newscast during my show. We worked back then!
Somebody at WABC thought this would make a great publicity photo. This is the only remaining copy of said photo after Hoffman confiscated them in 1980.
Jack Stapp was the hands-on general manager and everyone who passed through there learned enormously from him. As a young man he went from Atlanta to CBS in NYC. But WSM soon recruited him to come to Nashville. There he produced and directed numerous feeds to the NBC network, including, of course, The Grand Ole Opry. He "discovered" many great talents, including Dinah Shore, Kitty Kallen and Snooky Lanson, as well as many of the famous names of country music. Younger people might never know that WSM was a power house in big band music but hundreds of hours of programming with the likes of The Owen Bradley Orchestra originated there. As a young farm boy I listened studiously to the great announcers, David Cobb, Ott Devine and Jud Collins. Leaning to pronounce the vowels and no confusing the short "E" and "I", I overcame my "southern accent".
Jack also got involved with music publishing along the way. Music publishing became such an important part of his life that WSM gave him an ultimatum to divest those interests or leave. He befriended many performers and out of gratitude one gave him "The Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy", a song that became one of the all time classics of country music. If you see a copy, you will see it was written by Jack Stapp. Now you know! Jack left WSM and took the helm of WKDA and turned it into a phenomenal success. He also expanded his publishing interests and hired Buddy Killen, a staff bull-fiddle player on the Opry to manage his catalog . With the hits of Roger Miller, and scores of others, Tree Publishing became the publisher of the year, time after time, after time. Tree Publishing, became Sony-Tree, when Buddy, long after Jack's death, sold it to Sony. Jack was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame by Chet Atkins.
John Kluge (yes, THE John Kluge - Metromedia) bought WKDA while I was there and called a staff meeting. While I was impressed with him and his extremely likeable manner, I had no idea I was sitting at the feet of a man who would become one of the richest in the world.
James Wilkinson, San Diego Media Network, Albert Gordon, Michael Buckley, David Fairweather, Joe Perge, A.G. Snyder, R.J. Heim, John Bidstrup, Thomas ORourke, Don Spuhler, Glen Martin, Donald J. Galeziewski, Clyde Allen, John Friedmann, Thomas Chiarello, Michael Landry, Jay Rudko, Mark Mehring, Stuart Glazebrook, James Stephenson, Fred Millsaps, Derek Pancutt, Kathleen Kahyaoglu, Lee Simms, Chris Abercrombie, Vincent Turley, Kent Dorsey, Patrick Glass, Mark Norris, Kenneth Turner, Charles Massie Jr., David Holland, Greg Eckler, John Sampson, Vinny Lopez, Alan Kline, Bill Curtis, Andrew Butters, D. R. Web, Stephen Corfidi, Dan Wright.
The late Jay Cook is featured in this sample of RKO General Boss Radio - Memphis-style, early 1966. Sizzling with PAMS Series 30 and simmering in thick reverberation, this WHBQ brand of "Boss" bore virtually no resemblance to its Los Angeles counterpart.
Jay Cook spent nearly 14 years at WFIL, ten of those as Program Director. Cook moved to Philadelphia from RKO General's WHBQ in 1966.
Cook lost his life to cancer on April 2, 1999. He put legendary Top 40 KIIS-FM and Rick Dees on the air in Los Angeles. Before retiring in 1994, Cook was President of Gannett Radio.
There are some very impressive stations on Jay's resume: WJDX, Jackson, MS; KTSA, San Antonio, TX.; KULF, Houston, TX.; Y-100, Miami, FL., and WMAQ, Chicago.
Jay has been doing full-time voice-over (for clients that include Lipton, Miller High Life, Sears, Kellogg's, 7-11 Stores and Chevrolet) since 1978.
Mr. Marks has offered some airchecks from his collection that qualify as genuine, undisputed, 100% Classics.
Jay started contributing to REELRADIO in 1996 - he is a CHARTER CONTRIBUTOR.
The Repository was astounded and continues to be very, very grateful to Jay for sharing these incredibly rare and wonderful recordings. Thank you, Jay!
I taped this the same day as the KDWB Bobby Wayne aircheck. They were, in fact, up against each other. I never saw an Arbitron (or Pulse, for that matter), but I know Jim Dandy won that battle. His numbers were always good.
Check the length of the ad-lib "learn to fly" spot. If memory serves, Jim was taking flying lessons from them at the time! Note that KOMA in Oklahoma City also had a Jim Dandy at the time; no relation. And not in the same talent league, either.
I later came to know Dandy (Jim Everts) during his second term at 'DGY. In fact, I slept on the floor of his Bloomington apartment at more than one party aftermath. Dandy used to have a case of vodka delivered to the station every Friday evening.
I particularly remember him deciding on the spur of the moment to drive to Northfield, MN (fifty miles south) to scout some St. Olaf College girls who'd been tantalizing him over the phone. Fine. Except for the raging snowstorm at the time. Off we went in his Coupe De Ville. He was a party guy, but could always get it up for the show.
John Bisci, Scott Rayer, San Diego Media Network, Mike Greif, Alexander Smith, Gerald House, Shawn Rode, Paul Bentz, Gerald Gondek, Kevin Gershan, James Wilkinson, Brian C. Veys, Douglas A. Pierce, John Stephens, John Friedmann, Richard Sands, Jay Marks, George Strausser, Anita Bonita & Famous Amos, Fred Milsaps, Mike Stroud, Jay Rudko, Jeffrey McKnight, Charles Thurmond, James Saicheck, Steve Green, Mark Ogden, Bruce Portzer, Elizabeth Donaway, Alan Kline, Anonymous, Mike Bondarenko, Thomas O'Rourke, William Smith, Richard Wagoner, Steve Keller, Davan Mani, D.R. Webb, Mike Moore, Andy Bologovsky, John Aslanides, Don Spuhler, Joshua Cohen, Terese Sorenson, Don Jennett, Wayne Alexander, Matthew Digati, Fredric Einstein, Ronald Uitz, Joe Evelius, Kristopher Wahlers, Kevin Bevan, Dino Rovito, Robb Chastain, Pete Battistini, Roderick Veelo, In Memory of Danny Dark, William Tarnosky.
Mark Heleniak of Ear-Mark Productions, Albert Kovalick of Santa Clara, CA, Alan S. Gordon of Los Angeles, Norman Gilbert of Poway, CA
Martin Zeldis, Thomas Leath, Gary Allyn, James Wilkinson, Jay Rudko, DJ Connection, Tulsa, Shaune Steele, Robert Shepherd, San Diego Media Network, Sean Martin, Rob Calhoun, Gary Bell, David Truett, Frank Berry, Don Sullivan, John Craddock, Bill Tanner, Fred Millsaps, Darryl Andrews, Derek Pancutt, Albert Gordon, John Bidstrup, Joe Nerney, Gerald House, John Friedmann, James Shearer, Richard Gord, Dwight Thompson, Don Spuhler, Carl Wilkes, Michael Scholl, Greg Roberson, Richard Rudin, Robb Chastain.
Michael Buckley, James Wilkinson, Don Spuhler, Fred Millsaps, San Diego Media Network, John Friedmann, Kristopher Wahlers, Mike Moore, Robert B. Whitham, Dan Eddington, Jay Rudko, John Bidstrup, Charles Lee Fleisleber, Robert Campbell, Brian Veys, D.R. Web, Brian Goodrich, Jeff Smith, David Andrews, Ton Mateman, Joy Binder, Gregory Glass, Bill Cooper, Curt Lundgren, Skip Spence, Mike Stroud, Robert Simpson, Ed Branstetter, Michael Weisgerber, Richard Sands, Mark Okano, rave at connect.com, David Evjen.
Michael Buckley, Fred Millsaps, Michael Zuber, Charles Phelps, Roger Abbott, Gary A. Hempstead, Kenneth Daniloff, Frank Franowsky, Shaune Steele, Bradley M. Bittan, Jeff Smith, Tom Kent, Sam Hale, Robert Joyce, Douglas A. Pierce, Marty Johnson, Stephen Battaglio, 'Skip' Spence, Eric Kawakami, Shaun Casey, Stuart Glazebrook, Bill Cooper, Robb Chastain, Retromedia.tv, Kristopher Wahlers, Kirk Varner, Michael Hemeon, Steve Green, John Rook, Donald Jennett.
THE SECRETARY, TREASURER and CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER is Michael Burgess, better known as Mike Scott to his radio and TV audience. Mike was a DJ at WSAR (Fall River, MA) and WJAR (Providence) before joining WFEC, Harrisburg, PA. and KAFY Bakersfield, CA. as news director - where he left radio for television. He reported news at CBS afilliate TV-47 in Fresno, California for almost thirty years. EXTRA: You may enjoy this Real Video Clip of Mike's live report from Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain near Los Angeles. (February 11, 2000)
Michael Hagerty is a first-year contributor to the Repository. His Collection debuted on June 2, 1996.
I was born in Los Angeles, a city with only one radio station. At least, as far as my parents were concerned. In the house, in the car, it was always KMPC. I liked the Angel baseball games and I idolized Captain Max Schumacher, their number one helicopter traffic guy. All that took a backseat one day in 1964 when I tuned in on my $2.99 transistor radio, found the Angel game was rained out, and heard Gary Owens, who'd recently replaced Johnny Grant in afternoons. At age 8, I wanted to be that funny guy with the deep voice on the radio.
When my dad died a year later, we moved 270 miles north to Bishop, California, a town with only one radio station. KIBS wasn't KMPC. Country music in the morning, a women's show called "Coffee With Virginia" for an hour at 9, Radio Bingo for an hour at 10, MOR the rest of the day and Top 40 at night. Signoff was at 10PM.
Soon I discovered that, in the wintertime, half an hour before sunset (and the pattern change), I could pick up Gary Owens on KMPC. I started dialing around... between dusk and dawn, there were all these amazing radio stations that my little "pocket radio" could pull in... I could hear Lohman and Barkley on KFI before school part of the year... and KFRC, San Francisco; KHJ, KRLA and KDAY, Los Angeles; KCBQ, San Diego... and at night... when I was supposed to be asleep... the transistor tucked inside the pillowcase, directly under my ear... I "mainlined" the corrupting influence of Wolfman Jack on XERB.
Job Titles:
- Publisher of Talkers Magazine and the First AOR Editor of Radio & Records, Writes
Job Titles:
- Founder of the "Reel Top 40 Radio Repository
Richard Irwin ("Uncle Ricky")is the founder of the "Reel Top 40 Radio Repository". In 1965 at the age of 14, Richard started his radio career in Concord, N.C. He worked in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and California as an air talent, Program Director, Operations Manager and Chief Engineer. He was one of the first "Web Designers" for several government clients beginning in 1995, and lived in Sacramento, California. Richard passed away in June, 2018.
Rob Frankel discovered radio in late 1965 when a friend turned him onto the sound of the WMCA Good Guys. Listening to WMCA (and later WABC, WWRL, WNEW-FM, and others) provided him not only with great entertainment, but also a direction in life.
After being bitten by the radio bug, Rob briefly aspired to be an air talent, but soon realized that his real talents lie in production and programming. Opting to go the network / syndication route (therefore bypassing the nomadic existence of the local radio jock or PD), he worked as a producer/engineer for the Progressive Radio Network's "NewsBlimp", and as Head Producer for Drake-Chenault's 48 hour fantasy concert, "SatCon 1". Rob's connections at Drake led him back home to New York, and he spent the next eight and a half years working as a producer / engineer for the legendary RKO Radio Networks (which evolved into United Stations, Unistar, and ultimately ended up as a part of Westwood One).
In 1989, Rob left the network, and moved into his present job when he joined Radio Today Entertainment as one of the producers of "Flashback!" (on air since 1987) and "The Live Show" (for which he won a gold medal at the 1993 International Radio Festival).
In 1998, Radio Today was bought by, and ultimately absorbed into the ABC Radio Networks. Parent company Disney spun off the radio division to Citadel Broadcasting in 2007, and the radio networks became known as Cumulus Media Networks in 2011. Rob was the Senior Producer for Cumulus Media Networks' New York production team. From 2000 through 2009, Rob was also Co-Producer and Tape Restorian for WABC Radio's annual "WABC Rewound" special, a look back at the station's history as a Top 40 icon, told entirely through vintage airchecks. Since 2012, Rob has been Co-Producer of "Time Warp with Bill St. James", a 4-hour weekly classic rock series distributed by United Stations Radio Networks. He also freelances as a Master Control engineer for New York Public Radio, and is available for other audio projects as well.
After all these years, Rob still loves working in the medium, and is still a fan of classic rock 'n' roll radio. He has been recording, collecting, and restoring classic radio airchecks since the 1960's, and is proud to share some of his best here on REELRADIO.
Robert L. Cohen, Pete Salant, Robert Grayson, Art Roberts, William Mouzis, Bill Dillane, Dino Rovito, Kevin Wasser, Christopher Downing, Paul Duca of Whitman MA Robert B. Witham of Everett WA, John Holliday Bobbitt (ABC Sports) of Kensington MD, John Sampson of Leominster MA, Charles Elswick; Barry Nielson; Marilyn McDonald, Steve Taylor & Associates, Vincent Lopez, Steve Alexsy, Robert Frankel, Daniel Berner, Patrick Moran, Donald E. Jennett, Gerald Jay Lewine, Dan Haber, Jeffrey D. Wooding, Robert H. Schultz, Jr., William A. Peach, III, Art Breyfogle, Howard Hoffman, John C. Long, J. Thomas Gehman, William V. Gelazin, Howard Gershan, J.D., Robb Chastain
Roger Barkley, best remembered for his partnership in Los Angeles with Al Lohman, was Program Director of KIMN in Denver, a Top 40 pioneer.
This rare peek at the past from September, 1960, complete with a spot for "atomic age homes" that include fallout shelters, demonstrates that Barkley was no stranger to the rigid formatics of early Top 40. With filter, reverb and time effects, it's a long way from the mature, low-key comedy of his later years at KFI.
Lohman and Barkley stopped working together in 1986. Most recently, Roger Barkley was teamed with Ken Minyard at KABC in Los Angeles. Barkley was taken by cancer on December 21, 1997, at the age of 61.
Job Titles:
- Presents the KHJ Sales Demo, 1965 - KHJ / Los Angeles General Manager Ken De Vaney Narrates This Demonstration Tape Produced in 1965.
Jacobs joined KPOA in 1958 and earned the distinction of being Hawaii's youngest program director. It was there he began his friendship with Bill Gavin and consultant Mike Joseph. In 1959, Jacobs joined another new station, KPOI, Hawaii's first Top 40 outlet, as PD and morning drive jock. KPOI and the "POI boys" reached the top of the ratings in less than a year. In 1962, Jacobs left for the Mainland, promoted by the Colgreene Corporation to Vice President of Programming. Fine-tuning his formatting concepts, he applied them to KMEN in San Bernadino and KMAK in Fresno, California. Within months, both stations were rated Number One.
For the past few years, Ron Jacobs has been back home, in Hawaii. He started "brah-casting" again on July 7, 2007, and streamed contemporary & vintage hawaiian music at WHODAGUYHAWAII.COM through February 28, 2009.
Ron Jacobs was a veteran contributor to HAWAII Magazine and published OBAMALAND: Who Is Barack Obama? in December, 2008. He was working on the book long before it seemed certain that Obama would be nominated. It's the only book about 44th President of The United States (besides his own) written by someone born in Hawaii.
Ron Jacobs passed away, unexpectedly, in Hawaii on March 8, 2016. He was 78.
Ron Jacobs Presents CRUISIN' - The ORIGINAL Series, from Vinyl. This feature was updated monthly beginning May 25, 2008 through June 28, 2009. This exhibit now includes all 14 original albums.
The Game Plan to Beat Miami, introduced by Reni Santoni is the story of Ron Jacobs' seasonal salute to the 1972 Miami Dolphins - the only NFL team to go undefeated for an entire season. Actor Reni Santoni appears as The Monday Morning Quarterback with the Grossmont High School Pep Band. Classic fun!
Ron Jacobs on KPOI, Honolulu 1964 features an upbeat RJ morning show. Previously, Jacobs had left morning drive at KMAK (Fresno) in the capable hands of Bob (Robert W.) Morgan. 14 months later, Jacobs was named Program Director at the original Boss Radio 93 KHJ in Los Angeles. (Thanks to Jay Marks for this aircheck).
President Ronald Reagan and VP George Bush shown with a full-size cardboard cut-out of Michael Hagerty
with AFRTS 1957-1958, KANU-ASMARA. Sam has the distinction of having done the first regularly scheduled live newscast from an U.S. Army operated TV station.
Sam was a recent guest of Priscilla Presley and Graceland for an anniversary program. Photo (C) Sam Hale, 2004.
Like so many others whose air checks and comments reside here in the REELRADIO archives, Sam Hale was fascinated with radio from his earliest years. His winning various public speaking contests, and the publicity of having been elected Governor of the TN 4-H Club Congress, led to his first paying gig, "Letters to Santa". He recalls taping this show on the Magnecord recorder with the speed slowed by adding electrical tape to one of its capstans to deepen the sound of his young voice. This led to his getting to cover for the entire air-staff on Christmas day; the only person in the station December 25, 1954 - 5:00 AM 'til signoff at midnight! The station, WMMT, McMinnville, TN, was a Mutual affiliate and the only station in town at the time. However, he recalls its having had several excellent announcers, including Chris Lane (Country DJ Hall of Fame), who, thanks to Eddie Arnold, began his long and very successful commercial career in this small town. Without intervening contact for 15 years Sam would later work with Chris when he returned to Bartell in Milwaukee, before Chris went to KYA. He and the terrific Terrell Metheny (Mitch Michael) were also reunited at WOKY. They had first worked together at WKDA.
A second station (WBMC) went on the air May 1, 1955 and "Sammy" became a member of the original announcing staff. He managed a full time radio shift while not allowing his grades to suffer and graduated Valedictorian of his class. During this year he shared an apartment with a fellow announcer, Ed Philllips, who later would be known as Mel Kent (WYDE), Johnny Holiday (KCBQ), Johnny Mitchell (KHJ) and Sebastian Stone (KFRC and WOR-FM). Years later, Ed would phone Sam (WKDA) when Bartell was transferring him from WYDE to KCBQ and suggest he take the spot he was leaving in Birmingham. That was Sam's introduction to Bartell. It also resulted in his meeting his wife of 53 years! At WYDE he was privileged to work with Jay Cook (WFIL, Gannett President) and Jim Staggs (WCFL, WMAQ) and others. His, and Birmingham's favorite, Joe Carl, died of lung cancer in this brief window of time. Joe was only 21!
Following discharge from the Army, where he served as a Broadcast Specialist, Sam resumed his radio career at WYDE, WADO, WJJD, WDGY, WOKY and WQXI. Air shifts were generally only three to four hours a day; then an hour, or so of production work. This permitted him to pursue his newly developed interest in the study of the stock market. He left broadcasting for those greater financial prospects in 1966.
After a successful career as a Chartered Market Technician and affiliate of the New York Society of Security Analysts, Sam retired in 2003. In the intervening years he has continued to do limited voice over and commercial work. Now he is having thoughts of doing radio again - just for the fun of it! He says, "I've nurtured friendships with many in the music industry through all these years and would enjoy doing a show with those records I helped make hits - 1954-1966". You'd likely say - "Dream on! Do you know what's happened to radio?"
Sam Hale joined the REELRADIO Board of Directors on August 22, 2005, but resigned on June 1, 2006, due to health issues.
Sam was also Co-Founder and former Vice President of the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame and a 2010 Career Achievement inductee.
My regular slot for my (almost) four years at WQXI was 9 AM -12 Noon and I don't recall why I was doing mornings. If I were just substituting for someone out on vacation or ill I would not have called it "The Sam Hale Show". I suppose we were between morning jocks.
William K. Maxwell, Peter Glazer, Michael Buckley, Fred Millsaps, Bob Howell, Walter Deemer, David Andrews, Sam Hale, Kristopher Wahlers, Lee Hower, Rob Calhoun, Thomas O'Rourke, Steven Kitzman, David Billeci, William P. Thompson, Jeff Demko, Skip Spence, Thomas Klecka, Daniel Davies, DJ Connection/Tulsa, Jay Marks-In Memory of Steve Farrington, Dave Saviet, Paul Poteet, Doug Howland, Bob Shannon Works, LLC., Richard A. Winge, Richard King, Sterrenburg Media, Joe Evelius.