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Jay Thomas - WKDA Good Guy from 1969

O

olebud

Jay will be on David Letterman tonight (Tuesday Dec 23) for his annual Christmas visit to tell a joke or two, and throw footballs at meatballs on the Christmas Tree. Okay, you gotta see it to understand. If you miss it, you can probably find in on line after tonight.
 
Hey Buddy...
do you think Jay will tell the famous "Lone Ranger" story?
BTW, I worked for the GM that fired Jay at WBSR in Pensacola (and the PD that fired Dees in Memphis).
 
romer979fm said:
Hey Buddy...
do you think Jay will tell the famous "Lone Ranger" story?
BTW, I worked for the GM that fired Jay at WBSR in Pensacola (and the PD that fired Dees in Memphis).
Click to expand...

"They'll believe ME, citizen!"
 
do you think Jay will tell the famous "Lone Ranger" story?
BTW, I worked for the GM that fired Jay at WBSR in Pensacola (and the PD that fired Dees in Memphis).
Click to expand...

Yep...he told it...and there are always subtle changes each year when he does it. Either time or herbs are changing the story ---just line mine. still funny to me each time I hear it. took him a little longer last night to het the pizza/meatball on top of the tree.

One GM who fired those two. Bet that made everyone nervous. What did they do? Good thing you caught the GM coming out of the Motel Six with the sales chick. That's job security 8)

"They'll believe ME, citizen" One of the great lines to a story.
 
olebud said:
One GM who fired those two. Bet that made everyone nervous. What did they do?
Click to expand...

two different GMs...Bill Seaver fired Jay at WBSR (didn't think he "had what it takes")
as for Dees, in Memphis, Plough forced Michael St John to fire Dees over "Dicso Duck" plays...
or that's the story I've always heard
 
Hi Romer
About the Dees firing and any connection to Michael St. John, the story is not like that for sure. I was the newly appointed VP Programing for Plough during those days and Michael St John was hired quite a while after Dees was fired. And Dees wasn't fired by any PD, but in fact by the GM at the time, John Rhea. Just wanted to offer some input from the past.....
Craig Scott
 
cscott said:
Hi Romer
About the Dees firing and any connection to Michael St. John, the story is not like that for sure. I was the newly appointed VP Programing for Plough during those days and Michael St John was hired quite a while after Dees was fired. And Dees wasn't fired by any PD, but in fact by the GM at the time, John Rhea. Just wanted to offer some input from the past.....
Craig Scott

When I heard th story about the Dees firing (about 88 or 89; The GM had threatened to fire him if he played Disco Duck again and he played it again. From what I had heard that GM was out of radio and working on a loading dock. Michael St. John was still in radio then.

I heard Jay Thomas telling the story of him being let go on WAPE's 40th annaversary. He didn't mention WKDA but I thought that was the station because of what he said. He said that he walked in and they had changed to country. He saw some in the chair at the control board waairing a cowboy hat and headphones. I thought that was strange.
Click to expand...
 
From Paulo
I heard Jay Thomas telling the story of him being let go on WAPE's 40th annaversary. He didn't mention WKDA but I thought that was the station because of what he said. He said that he walked in and they had changed to country. He saw some in the chair at the control board waairing a cowboy hat and headphones. I thought that was strange.
Click to expand...

No, that wasn't WKDA Nashville. We got the word on going country several weeks before the change took place. all the guys....Jay, Bob Cole and the rest of the jocs knew and had time to seek other work. Not many stations give you that opportunity now. I vividly recall Jay coming in every evening, 'tuning' the sound to where he liked it and putting together an air check like no other I heard before or since (and that was nearly 38 years ago). He took what he got over a few weeks, spliced them together and started sending it out. Jacksonville was his next stop, and WAPE followed that.
In those days, there were no 'big' stars. They were all people we worked with, partied with and hung with. A couple of years ago, Jay and I touched base again when he was coming to town and we got together at a club where he was appearing. It was as if it were a couple of weeks instead of several decades. No 'hey look what I've done' or how big a star did you get to be...just talk of kids and stuff. A fun time.
 
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