Greetings From Southern California

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

Hello!

I've been a broadcasting junky since my childhood.

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and after a year in college relocated to the Sacramento Area. From there, I started working in radio starting at KROY-FM in 1986. I also worked at KSAC 1240, KGNR 1320 and KAER 92.5 and dabbled into television working as a master control operator at Channel 6, KVIE- PBS.

In 1996, I was promoted at KGBY from part-time airstaff to Programming Coordinator, later to Music Director and then APD/MD. In 2000, I returned to the Bay Area as APD/MD of KIOI and I later helped usher in the 80s Fomat. In 2001, I went full time at RadioCentral, Inc under Steve Rivers, Steve Wyrostok and Sean Demery as music scheduling specialist. I did the linear playlists in Selector for 7 radio formats. After RadioCentral folded, I went to work for Steve River's consultancy as his Music Director.

In 2004, I commuted back to Sacramento to program KSAC 1240 as the new Air America Format. In 2005, I joined Steve Rivers in Los Angeles as Music Director for Pyramid Radio, Inc- A store-caster going after Muzak but with better programming. That lasted until, 2008.

I’ve been blessed working with some great programming mentors, including Bob Laurence, Bob Lawrence, Steve Kelly, Richard Irwin, Bob West, Mike Berlak, Rick Austin, Guy Zapoleon, Steve Davis, Steve Wyrostok and Steve Rivers.

Now I am currently the Music Director and overnight host of That70sChannel.com. My current paid professional job is Sr. Workforce Analyst for Beachbody, LLC.

 

[DTEM1954]

Hi Michael… I just joined and I read your info. You and I must have worked together in Sacramento. I was chief engineer at KROY twice! Under Jonsson Communications and later with Commonwealth. Richard Irwin was my neighbor and I engineered July 4th pyro spectaculars at Cal Expo and the state capital with Richard and Don Early over the years. Also was a neighbor of Bob West. Martin Ashley and I built the Bercut Drive studios. I also worked at KGNR/KCTC. Hope to hear from you and trade some stories! Standing by…. Dan the Electric Man

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

Hi Michael… I just joined and I read your info. You and I must have worked together in Sacramento. I was chief engineer at KROY twice! Under Jonsson Communications and later with Commonwealth. Richard Irwin was my neighbor and I engineered July 4th pyro spectaculars at Cal Expo and the state capital with Richard and Don Early over the years. Also was a neighbor of Bob West. Martin Ashley and I built the Bercut Drive studios. I also worked at KGNR/KCTC. Hope to hear from you and trade some stories! Standing by…. Dan the Electric Man

I remember you well. That’ll be $22.50! I went to work there a year after the Jonsson’s sold it. I also ended up working for their remaining AM for a bit. I remember your story about painting a safe for $900. I ran the research dept at KROY for a short while.

 

[RadioFlakes]

Welcome! I DX the Sacramento area regularly.

 

[DTEM1954]

I remember you well. That’ll be $22.50! I went to work there a year after the Jonsson’s sold it. I also ended up working for their remaining AM for a bit. I remember your story about painting a safe for $900. I ran the research dept at KROY for a short while.

Thanks for your reply! Yes, I used to charge $22.50 for answers to questions or making a setting on something. I still charge but now it’s $122.50! I also give people the rest of the day off. So you were at KROY when Commonwealth owned the station under Ted Atkins and PD Bob West. That was just before I went full time in my own engineering business and left KROY and radio station employment for the final time. That was a fun time and I loved the new 97 KROY but I wanted to work for myself, so made and Exit Stage Right! Best thing I could have done but I do miss radio as it used to be. I think I remember you… did I make a fake burglar alarm flashing LED box for you to put in your car so it looked like you had an alarm? Also… I have a number of KROY photos from the time if you would like to have them. Standing by…. Dan the Electric Man…. That will be $122.50

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Long-time poster to here, first-time reader.

DXer from age 11 or 12, all AM dial, raised and schooled near JFK Airport in Queens NYC. Of the four DXing pals, I was the worst and least sophisticated. Three of us -- who attended the same high school in Brooklyn but at different times -- are still active. One is plying his hobby from Boston; one from that hellhole called Hawaii, and me here now in NE Pennsylvania. The fourth one lives in a high-rise in Manhattan and so has been geographically and socially shunned from any DX tfn. And we are all in touch, still.
One of the gang joined the National Radio Club, the citadel of which QTH'ed at the time in Kittanning PA. Then we all did. DX among us was a real rivalry -- a contact sport like bowling was. There'd be 3 or so of us in every one of the various dens at the same time, with frequently colliding loop antennae, unethiclly interfering with each other by tuning 910 (?) or 455 (?) below someone to cause whistles and interference, pulling plugs out of sockets, etc..
Good training for future AM reception conditions, it appears.
Somehow -- even largely deaf-in-one-ear Steve Green -- we each managed to hear 46 of the 50 states. Each of us four was missing one of the 50 that the others heard.
As the most pitied of the four Queens buddies who often was betrothed hands-me-down radios from the others (Emersons, clock radios, some with missing tubes), I still managed to log like 1600 different stations. Most were domestic stations while the other guys were chasing hets and TAs. *
Here in PA the count is maybe 400 logged, and 34 states.

Dunno HOW I was made aware of this great forum. But it was maybe 20 years ago, after I'd moved ti here.

* That's 'TA's as it Trans-Atlantic, not the other TAs which have gotten pursued by many others.
73s !

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

Thanks for your reply! Yes, I used to charge $22.50 for answers to questions or making a setting on something. I still charge but now it’s $122.50! I also give people the rest of the day off. So you were at KROY when Commonwealth owned the station under Ted Atkins and PD Bob West. That was just before I went full time in my own engineering business and left KROY and radio station employment for the final time. That was a fun time and I loved the new 97 KROY but I wanted to work for myself, so made and Exit Stage Right! Best thing I could have done but I do miss radio as it used to be. I think I remember you… did I make a fake burglar alarm flashing LED box for you to put in your car so it looked like you had an alarm? Also… I have a number of KROY photos from the time if you would like to have them. Standing by…. Dan the Electric Man…. That will be $122.50]

I don't know who you made that alarm for. I was the curly haired kid that sat in the Hayworth cubicle outside of your engineering shop, it was next to the hallway heading to the studios. I was new to radio back then, this would be in 1986/87.

I'd love to see those pictures.

I left the station during the Bob West/Tom Chase transition which was before you left, I believe. I remember Richard Irwin telling me about you wanting to go full time for your engineering business.