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Former Kicks PD Dene Hallam ill

R

rho01

Moby just told me that his radio network PD and former Kicks boss Dene Hallam has fallen ill and is in intensive care. He didn't know the details of Hallam's medical conditions but he said it's not encouraging. Dene is in his mid-50s, Moby said. I liked Hallam. He was a very well-respected country music PD in his day. He was fired from Kicks soon after Moby was let go in 2002 and part of it may have had to do with his comments to me about test groups thinking Moby sounded too hick for the suburbanites. That created an uproar among country fans and generated an Atlanta magazine cover story. Dene would never talk to me again, although there was never any dispute over the veracity of his statement. Bottom line: he was just being too honest. That's the reason the typical answer I get when people get fired is either the generic "we decided to go in a different direction" or "no comment."
 
In the 1980's, Dene Hallam was one of the most renown and respected programmers in country radio. He became PD of New York's 50,000 country station, WHN-AM, at the age of 28. Then he crossed the street to New York's first country FM, WKHK, and beat his former station.

Dene is one of only two program directors to win the Major Market PD of the Year award in two formats (country and top 40). The only other person to accomplish that is Scott Shannon.
 
Although I know Dene mostly by reputation, I did contact him a few times more than five years ago and appreciated some of his qualities. After he had surgery while still working at Kicks, I sent him a card, and he sent me a "Thank you" card back, which surprised me. I also contacted him about a position when he worked at WDAF in Kansas City. Unlike most of the other PD's in that building, he wasn't afraid to answer the phone, and he'd waste little time in calling you back if you got his voicemail.
 
Dene was a class act, a very gifted programming mind and a good guy. His daughters got to spend a little time with him in the hospital last night before he died, and I hope they know how much he loved them. His smile lit up the room when he talked about his girls. With his passing, it feels like a great radio chapter has ended.

Sandy Weaver Carman
 
I was with a country group in the '90's called Smokin' Armadillos out of Bakersfield, CA. Dene started playing one of our songs at KKBQ in Houston when we could barely get airplay in California still. Over the years, we got to be friends with Dene, and we have some great stories and some very fond memories of him. He didn't play every thing we released, which is what I respected so much about him. He was a revolutionary PD who usually determined what he played simply by the fact that he thought it was a great song. . . what a novel concept! This is indeed a very sad day.
 
I'm just a radio guy who spent 36 years talking to people, never in Atlanta, but I knew Dene Hallam by his reputation, and when I saw a blip about his being ill, I immediately wanted to know what the story was- let's face it, if you're an old-timer in radio like I was when I left it in 2005, you knew who Dene Hallam was, and knew him to be one of the very best.

My sympathy to his family, and to those of you who were in his family of friends or the radio family. I didn't have to meet him to know we've lost one of the very best.

David
 
I remember enjoying reading any trade article that featured Dene Hallam. He was very outspoken, He believed requests and listener feedback on songs was very important. He stayed away from what was called "turntable records"...the passive songs that climbed the charts despite no passion from the listeners. In Houston in particular I remember him playing songs few other stations were on and not playing songs just about every other country station played. In one article he criticized the "herd mentality" of country radio, how every station played the same exact songs in every market. In 2009 the herd mentality is as common as ever, there are no Dene Hallam's out there. I'm sorry to hear of his passing.
 
Jay F said:
I remember enjoying reading any trade article that featured Dene Hallam. He was very outspoken, He believed requests and listener feedback on songs was very important. He stayed away from what was called "turntable records"...the passive songs that climbed the charts despite no passion from the listeners. In Houston in particular I remember him playing songs few other stations were on and not playing songs just about every other country station played. In one article he criticized the "herd mentality" of country radio, how every station played the same exact songs in every market. In 2009 the herd mentality is as common as ever, there are no Dene Hallam's out there. I'm sorry to hear of his passing.
Click to expand...

You know, Dene always reminded me a lot of John Sebastian, or Sebastian always reminded me of Dene. People either loved him or hated him with very little middle ground. Each side had the exact same reason to justify that position, which was that he always had a well-reasoned opinion on pretty much every issue and didn't mince words when expressing it, nor was he shy about expressing it. I always heard Dene wasn't the easiest guy to work for, but he'd really help you grow your talent. I remember the conversation I had with him after I sent him a package for a position at WDAF. He told me he thought I had tremendous potential, but a drive time slot in top-30 market wasn't the place for me to grow that potential. While that wasn't what I wanted to hear, I have to admit he was probably right. Also, he was willing to respond honestly and talk to me, which no other PD did during that job search. I have always appreciated that he took those few minutes to extend a common courtesy that is so lacking in this business today.
 
I met Dene more than 25 years ago after I was contacted by a station looking for a PD. The GM said Dene had recommended me. I called Dene to thank hmi because I didn't think I knew him.
He told me that he remembered when I was the overnight jock and he was a go-fer at 99X in New York in the 70s. He remembered helping me out and every moving my car form one side of the street to another during the winetr snow rules. He had followed my career after that.
Thus began one of the longest running jokes I have ever perpetrated. I never worked there although I was friends with the PD. I figured at the time that if THE Dene Hallum thought enough of me to get me job offers, why rock the boat. I got to know him well over the years and even recommended him for jobs.
After a few years, I just couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth, that I had been BS-ing him.
Well he knows now and I bet he is having a good hearty laugh.
So long, Dene, I will miss you.
 
I read on Country Air Check is that Moby and his wife Mary Beth have set up an education trust fund for Dene's three daughters at Fedilty Bank in Roswell,just send a check made out to Hallam Daughters Education Trust Moby Enterprises 1160-D Grimes Bridge Road Roswell,GA 30075.
 
The memorial mass for Dene Hallam will be at St Peter Chanel Church in Roswell, GA this Saturday morning at 10:00, and is open to the public. RhubarbFan, you're right...in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to an educational trust for Dene's daughters at Fidelity Bank. Contact Michele Owenby at 404-553-2175 to wire funds. To send a check, make it out to The Hallam Daughters Educational Trust and send it to Moby Enterprises, 1160-D Grimes Bridge Road, Roswell, GA 30075.
 
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