Hey 70Radio ... according to the Music of Your Life website the jock between 3 & 6 PDT was the legendary Gary Owens. He doesn't often identify himself, maybe he thinks that's redundant.And you're right, he does sound old. But because he's the legendary GO, most of us cut him a whole lotta slack!
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70radio
Guest
Hey ronrob....cut him slack I shall! Never, unless you had told me, would I have ever guessed that it was/is Gary Owens---one of the greatest voices/air talents/voice over guys/tv personalities ever! In fact, I idolized him. BUT, there comes a time in one's career that it's time to hang it up and not live on past laurels (WCBS FM bringing back the old WABC, WINS, WNEW, et al, jocks comes to mind). I was a highly rated jock (also PD, MD, stn owner) for nearly 30 years and knew the time had come to get off the air when I began to go through the motions...upward inflections with the time, weather, call letters, my name, song titles etc. It was still fun but I wasn't the same guy as I was in my 'prime.' I was/am fortunate in that my voice still hasn't changed and don't sound 'old,' but I knew it was time to get out of radio and into---what else--real estate. 
7
70radio
Guest
P.S., then I'm done with it. Case in point re above post: check out my all time fav jock, Uncle Lar Lujack on Real Oldies 1690 AM, Chicago. Yeah, they stream. He co hosts the morning show. Wowie Kazowie, Lar...you just ain't the same dude I listened to on KJR, WLS and WCFL. Sorry, but it's true. CLUNK!
Gary Owens "Back story"
A little back story on G/O. He was to appear at a "Legends" panel at R&R about 4 years ago. We were supposed to get together for coffee first. No show for coffee. No show for the panel. VERY unlike him. We later learn he had heart issues on way to the Century Plaza Hotel ... and was rushed to the hospital. Care in the hospial was VERY tough --- almost did him in. Unfortunate byproduct of the hospital stay was loss of much of the voice quality. That was heartbreaking. But he still gets a TON of work.... why?? because the talent is in the interpretation not necessarily in sounding like Don LaFontaine 24/7. His mind still sharp as ever ... and that was key behind his airshift attraction. His quips. The person who could do an astounding G/O knock-off (and got a C&D for doing it!!) was Stephen B. Williams. He was found dead this past week off Catalina Island in L.A. So now...no one who still sounds like G/O.
A little back story on G/O. He was to appear at a "Legends" panel at R&R about 4 years ago. We were supposed to get together for coffee first. No show for coffee. No show for the panel. VERY unlike him. We later learn he had heart issues on way to the Century Plaza Hotel ... and was rushed to the hospital. Care in the hospial was VERY tough --- almost did him in. Unfortunate byproduct of the hospital stay was loss of much of the voice quality. That was heartbreaking. But he still gets a TON of work.... why?? because the talent is in the interpretation not necessarily in sounding like Don LaFontaine 24/7. His mind still sharp as ever ... and that was key behind his airshift attraction. His quips. The person who could do an astounding G/O knock-off (and got a C&D for doing it!!) was Stephen B. Williams. He was found dead this past week off Catalina Island in L.A. So now...no one who still sounds like G/O.
Echoing and expanding on earlier comments, radio eats its young. And its veterans, too. If you love what you do, it wipes out your world when someone calls a meeting and lets you and the rest of the staff know after it's done. There's always the fear that someone will go ballistic if they find out beforehand, but professionals who value their audience at least deserve the chance to say goodbye, if nothing else.A few years back in another city, I found out from a recently hired saleswoman that the satellite was coming, and the vacation date, which I'd given my bosses way in advance as a courtesy, was going to be my termination date.Fortunately, I confirmed it with the manager a few days before my last scheduled day because it was eating at me that I didn't know for sure. But I did know -- not specifically that I was being fired, but that it was likely. How? For three weeks, they left the open shipping box containing the satellite receiver on a desk in the lobby.They weren't a 24-hour station, and I had a key. I really wanted to come in after hours and smash the contents of that box into a thousand pieces. But I didn't. And, probably because I didn't, and kept my cool on the air, I at least got to bid the audience goodbye and walk away sad, but proud.Depressed as hell, but at least I got to make a somewhat graceful exit.The KIXI staff deserved that much, and frankly a lot more. They were doing extremely good radio, and it's a sin to let excellent talent go. But typical of the industry.I love the entertaining part of the work, but I haven't done it since. I miss it. But I don't miss putting my heart and soul into it without as much as a thank-you on the way out.I'm not as familiar with the staff as other people here are, because I'm not a resident. But I've heard the station over the years when I've been here and in other parts of the Northwest, and it was a class act.When radio execs wonder why listeners are going away, they should look in the mirror for the answer.They began blowing off young listeners years ago because they weren't in the key ad demographic.Now they're blowing off their most loyal listeners for the same reason, and those replacement listeners aren't there, because they've already been taught that they don't matter.What's killing radio isn't the iPod, the Internet, mp3s, XM or Sirius. It's the lack of passion and interesting content. Whether old or young, the people who care the most about the audience often come back from lunch and get their walking papers, often after someone has cleaned out their desk and put their possessions in a sack.Enough of that, and the passion just dries up. You'd expect that if you were a criminal, but that shouldn't be the fate of folks who give it their all, day after day.
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70radio
Guest
ELOQUENT, Multiplex, ELOQUENT!Thank you for sharing.70Radio
Reminds me of at the end of KVI's life as oldies station. I went to an NAB ... stopped by the Satellite Music Network hospitality suite to see what was going on. Sales person spots the "KVI" on my badge and comes over with enthusiastic handshake about "great to have you guys as our newest oldies affiliate...". I was only there as a weekender -- but still quite an interesting way to find out.Rest of your comments are dead-on too!!multiplex said:
We've gone from lamenting the loss of formats and the loss of local programming to the recent KIXI posts lamenting the loss of "local voice-tracking". It just shows how we have allowed our expectations and standards to go in the toilet. What's next, national awards for the best voice-tracks? Or the NAB Award of Excellence for the voice-tracked station sounding the most like a live one?Many of the stations we know and love regularly use voice-tracking when we're not looking. There's a good reason why air studios are no longer visible to the public.
So much for GM Marc Kaye's commitment to keep weekend specialty programming intact.No sign today of "KIXI's Big Band Brunch"... Bob Liddle's last labor of love, from 11-1 Sundays.And Jim Kampmann was doing a great job the last few months.)Of course it only attracted geezers like me, so why expend any extra effort to produce it....(I hear the satellite bouncing in & out.. bad enough to make EVERYBODY turn KIXI off. Liddle's revenge?)
MPX you are so dead-on. Radio is just eating itself up. The boys at XM & Sirius must have a party everytime they read of some terrestrial broadcaster like Sandusky destroying another great personality station. Seems like Sandusky's got it in for real jocks with something to communicate. First KLSY, now KIXI. Look at Warm & KWJZ...just FM music boxes and KWJZ is starting to slip...and no wonder. Their technically hip audience is eroded by Sat radio, iPods, etc. There's nothing beyond the music to keep you tuned in. Same with Warm. It's just that their 35-40 female audience is slower to make the switch to sat radio and other digital competition. Give them a couple of years and they'll be in the same boat as KWJZ. The Sandusky cash cow will have dried up. Sandusky and all the rest of the local radio broadcasters better figure this out now...Local radio needs personality and PD's who know how to get it out of their talent. KIXI was a great example of a station that knew how to let each jock play up his strengths. PD Brooks was great at getting each jock to be unique. No liner card readers. We used to call it "stationality" KIXI sounded like Seattle. It was "in touch" with their listener. The jocks always knew about cool stuff going on for the weekend. Jim & Jim weren't shy about offering up their frank and often funny views on our local political scene. Kampmann was a brilliant news writer. He knew how to make it flow. Bonnie Brown was refreshing. Not just a chick "laugh box". She was the perfect female point of view to Jim & Jim's guy talk bits. It was great chemistry. The whole station never took itself too seriously.Someone else in town should put these pieces back together and put them on an FM channel (how about that new 104.5 signal coming to town?) or maybe an FM HD2 channel and in a few years, after HD breaks out...Kick Sandusky's ass with their own format!70radio said:
Very well put. After 25 years in this business I've seen more and more MBA's and less and less radio GM's and PD's come to radio stations within the last decade. While of course this doesn't apply to every exec in Seattle, it's gotten patently worse most recently. I'm seeing less seasoned veterans who had slugged it out in the trenches and rose to the top because they earned it also knew what it took to entertain an audience. They understood the concept of not falling for "knee jerk reactions" to every book, understood that longevity and cultivating your talent and product was what garnered listener loyalty and success. They also paid their dues in smaller markets for years learning the art of radio before being called to the big leagues. Most corporate tools today are just plug and play elements jostled from city to city with little experience, summoned to execute some accountants will from across the country. Yep, I've seen more bean counters than broadcasters occupy offices lately. Like you said, "look in the mirror". There they will find the answer. Sad really.multiplex said:
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airwaver
Guest
KIXI
I just heard on KIXI after "Stranger on the Shore" by Ackerbilt, the tune byGloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine - "C'mon baby, shake your body, do the conga"...What's next on the MOYL playlist? - "Shake your Booty"/K.C. and The Sunshine Band??...adjusted older KIXI listeners better chug down their Geritols - and QUICK!Gee, if it weren't for those 'pregnant pauses" between songs now, many hearts would have sudden attacks! - - and what's with the KIXI website?what, a plain white background just showing the KIXI logo and a 'listen live' link?Where's all the MOYL info?? I don't understand it!
I just heard on KIXI after "Stranger on the Shore" by Ackerbilt, the tune byGloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine - "C'mon baby, shake your body, do the conga"...What's next on the MOYL playlist? - "Shake your Booty"/K.C. and The Sunshine Band??...adjusted older KIXI listeners better chug down their Geritols - and QUICK!Gee, if it weren't for those 'pregnant pauses" between songs now, many hearts would have sudden attacks! - - and what's with the KIXI website?what, a plain white background just showing the KIXI logo and a 'listen live' link?Where's all the MOYL info?? I don't understand it!
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airwaver
Guest
KIXI
Now KIXI airs Roy Clark's "Yesterday When I Was Young" - almost EVERY NIGHT!!They gotta get that MOYL format RIGHT people...
Now KIXI airs Roy Clark's "Yesterday When I Was Young" - almost EVERY NIGHT!!They gotta get that MOYL format RIGHT people...
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airwaver
Guest
Can't speak for the others here...but when the change went down I wasn't ever expecting an "undo". It was sad to watch but think we all understsood why they made the changes ... and accepted the transition. Same thing's about to happen in Chicago with "Real Oldies" (Larry Lujack, Tom Murphy among the former Seattle folks on there). Doesn't draw (at 1690 kinda not surprised) and so they're planning to pull the plug on that one too and replace with brokered programming. Just like KIXI ... hate to see it happen ... understand why they are doing it ... and don't REALLY believe the community is "better served" by the changes in either case; but that just doesn't count any more. (speaking of which, I see FCC is going to take another run at the ownership changes now that we've all "forgotten" about how well that went over three years ago....)DeltaDon said:
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70radio
Guest
LBB...could it be that Lujack, Murphy and the rest of the gang at Real Oldies 1690 are simply 'fried?' I mentioned that station in an earlier post and the fact that it's time for Lujack to hang it up and not live on past laurels as great as he was. Lar's voice is shot, his acerbic humor is forced...ie., Hey I'm Lar Lujack so I gotta sound like I did in the 60's and 70's, but at 63 years old or 64 or whatever, he just can't pull it off anymore. It is a shame as he remains my all time fav air personality. Haven't heard Murphy, but could be in same situation. 1690 is not a good freq, but that's not the problem. And, this does NOT imply that KIXI staffers were burned out..quite the opposite...they sounded hip and in touch. The reasons for the demise of the local KIXI and 1690 AM Chicago are not related. Real Oldies was truly living in the past and I'm not talking music...and it didn't work.
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