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Bwana Johnny

R

RadioBill

Another great talent is gone:

http://www.radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2005_10_28/noted1970s.asp

Noted 1970s Air Personality Bwana Johnny Dies

Bwana Johnny, whose name was familiar to listeners of former Top 40 WWDJ (97 DJ)/New York during the early 1970s, died today at a Mercer Island, WA extended-care facility of congestive heart failure and diabetes. He was 56.

Bwana Johnny, whose legal name was Rick Johnson, worked at 97 DJ from 1971-73, having moved to the Hackensack, NJ-based station after terms at WSAI and WUBE in Cincinnati, KGB/San Diego, KYA/San Francisco and KJR/Seattle. After his stint in New York, Bwana Johnny took a gig at WFUN/Miami. Following that, he moved to KISN/Portland, OR, taking an airshift as "Crazy Dick Simms."

In the 1990s Bwana Johnny worked at stations including KODZ/Eugene, OR and KKBR/Billings, MT. Funeral arrangements are pending.
 
> Another great talent is gone:
>
http:> //www.radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2005_10_28/noted1970s.asp
>
>
> Noted 1970s Air Personality Bwana Johnny Dies
>
> Bwana Johnny, whose name was familiar to listeners of former
> Top 40 WWDJ (97 DJ)/New York during the early 1970s, died
> today at a Mercer Island, WA extended-care facility of
> congestive heart failure and diabetes. He was 56.
>
> Bwana Johnny, whose legal name was Rick Johnson, worked at
> 97 DJ from 1971-73, having moved to the Hackensack, NJ-based
> station after terms at WSAI and WUBE in Cincinnati, KGB/San
> Diego, KYA/San Francisco and KJR/Seattle. After his stint in
> New York, Bwana Johnny took a gig at WFUN/Miami. Following
> that, he moved to KISN/Portland, OR, taking an airshift as
> "Crazy Dick Simms."
>
> In the 1990s Bwana Johnny worked at stations including
> KODZ/Eugene, OR and KKBR/Billings, MT. Funeral arrangements
> are pending.

I don't recall Bwana working at WSAI, but I do remember him doing early evenings on "123-WUBE" during their relatively successful "All American" format. When WUBE went Drake their jocks had to conform to a highly regimented format. As part of that regimentation Bwana was stripped of his personality and his on-air name was changed to Johnny Johnson under the Drake format. It was so frustrating listening to Bwana with a lid on his talent. Eventually the Bwana Johnny name returned but not until after the damage was done. The Johnny Johnson fiasco is a good example of why the Drake format failed in Cincinnati, not to mention 1230's inferior signal.
 
> > Another great talent is gone:
> >
> http:>
> //www.radioandrecords.com/Newsroom/2005_10_28/noted1970s.asp
>
> >
> >
> > Noted 1970s Air Personality Bwana Johnny Dies
> >
> > Bwana Johnny, whose name was familiar to listeners of
> former
> > Top 40 WWDJ (97 DJ)/New York during the early 1970s, died
> > today at a Mercer Island, WA extended-care facility of
> > congestive heart failure and diabetes. He was 56.
> >
> > Bwana Johnny, whose legal name was Rick Johnson, worked at
>
> > 97 DJ from 1971-73, having moved to the Hackensack,
> NJ-based
> > station after terms at WSAI and WUBE in Cincinnati,
> KGB/San
> > Diego, KYA/San Francisco and KJR/Seattle. After his stint
> in
> > New York, Bwana Johnny took a gig at WFUN/Miami. Following
>
> > that, he moved to KISN/Portland, OR, taking an airshift as
>
> > "Crazy Dick Simms."
> >
> > In the 1990s Bwana Johnny worked at stations including
> > KODZ/Eugene, OR and KKBR/Billings, MT. Funeral
> arrangements
> > are pending.
>
> I don't recall Bwana working at WSAI, but I do remember him
> doing early evenings on "123-WUBE" during their relatively
> successful "All American" format. When WUBE went Drake their
> jocks had to conform to a highly regimented format. As part
> of that regimentation Bwana was stripped of his personality
> and his on-air name was changed to Johnny Johnson under the
> Drake format. It was so frustrating listening to Bwana with
> a lid on his talent. Eventually the Bwana Johnny name
> returned but not until after the damage was done. The Johnny
> Johnson fiasco is a good example of why the Drake format
> failed in Cincinnati, not to mention 1230's inferior signal.
>
He never worked full-time or even part-time at WSAI; however, he did a few weekend fill-ins at WSAI in 1970 when Nick Anthony was program director, towards the end of summer 1970
 
> He never worked full-time or even part-time at WSAI;
> however, he did a few weekend fill-ins at WSAI in 1970 when
> Nick Anthony was program director, towards the end of summer
> 1970


Here's a link to an aircheck on reelradio.com of Bwana Johnny on WSAI. It was his last airshift in Cincy:

http://www.reelradio.com/gifts/bjwsai0969.html#bjwsai0969

And for the previous poster, he did use the name Bwana Johnny on WUBE at least some of the time they were in the Drake format. I have an old WUBE music survey from the Drake period with his picture on the front and the name Bwana Johnny.

I associate him with WUBE more than WSAI obviously, and also with WWDJ. But didn't realize he had jumped around so many stations across the country.
 
> > He never worked full-time or even part-time at WSAI;
> > however, he did a few weekend fill-ins at WSAI in 1970
> when
> > Nick Anthony was program director, towards the end of
> summer
> > 1970
>
>
> Here's a link to an aircheck on reelradio.com of Bwana
> Johnny on WSAI. It was his last airshift in Cincy:
>
> http://www.reelradio.com/gifts/bjwsai0969.html#bjwsai0969
>
> And for the previous poster, he did use the name Bwana
> Johnny on WUBE at least some of the time they were in the
> Drake format. I have an old WUBE music survey from the Drake
> period with his picture on the front and the name Bwana
> Johnny.
>
> I associate him with WUBE more than WSAI obviously, and also
> with WWDJ. But didn't realize he had jumped around so many
> stations across the country.
>
I believe there was a Bwana Johnny at WTUE in Dayton when it was Top 40 in the early 70s. I would imagine it's the same person, but I don't know for sure.
 
> I believe there was a Bwana Johnny at WTUE in Dayton when it
> was Top 40 in the early 70s. I would imagine it's the same
> person, but I don't know for sure.


You're right. I remember that. I'm pretty sure it was someone different using the same name. That was a catchy name that was copied by jocks at numerous smaller market stations. Kind of like Shad O'Shea. Remember how many different Shad O'Sheas there were for a while?
 
> > I believe there was a Bwana Johnny at WTUE in Dayton when
> it
> > was Top 40 in the early 70s. I would imagine it's the same
>
> > person, but I don't know for sure.
>
>
> You're right. I remember that. I'm pretty sure it was
> someone different using the same name. That was a catchy
> name that was copied by jocks at numerous smaller market
> stations. Kind of like Shad O'Shea. Remember how many
> different Shad O'Sheas there were for a while?
>
The "Bwana Johnny" on WTUE...was a man named Don Everhart. (Not the
same on WUBE/WSAI.) He later got out of radio and went to work for
PAMS and later TM Century in Dallas.
 
> Kind of like Shad O'Shea. Remember how many
> different Shad O'Sheas there were for a while?

There was only ONE "star of stage, screen, and greyhound bus",
broadcasting from high atop Broadcasting Bump!
 
>
> I don't recall Bwana working at WSAI, but I do remember him
> doing early evenings on "123-WUBE" during their relatively
> successful "All American" format. When WUBE went Drake their
> jocks had to conform to a highly regimented format. As part
> of that regimentation Bwana was stripped of his personality
> and his on-air name was changed to Johnny Johnson under the
> Drake format. It was so frustrating listening to Bwana with
> a lid on his talent. Eventually the Bwana Johnny name
> returned but not until after the damage was done. The Johnny
> Johnson fiasco is a good example of why the Drake format
> failed in Cincinnati, not to mention 1230's inferior signal.
>

when was that? My dad worked with him when he did late nights on WUBE.
 
> >
> > I don't recall Bwana working at WSAI, but I do remember
> him
> > doing early evenings on "123-WUBE" during their relatively
>
> > successful "All American" format. When WUBE went Drake
> their
> > jocks had to conform to a highly regimented format. As
> part
> > of that regimentation Bwana was stripped of his
> personality
> > and his on-air name was changed to Johnny Johnson under
> the
> > Drake format. It was so frustrating listening to Bwana
> with
> > a lid on his talent. Eventually the Bwana Johnny name
> > returned but not until after the damage was done. The
> Johnny
> > Johnson fiasco is a good example of why the Drake format
> > failed in Cincinnati, not to mention 1230's inferior
> signal.
> >
>
> when was that? My dad worked with him when he did late
> nights on WUBE.
>

I don't recall the exact year but it was sometime around 1970.
 
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