Since we understand that it's the people as much as the music and the call letters that make KFRC....well, KFRC...and since this rumored revival will exclude 60s music, here's a list of the 610 men (and women) that I can remember from 1970-1986 and where they are now:
Charlie Van dyke: Doing voiceovers for the world from Phoenix.
Frank Terry: Retired.
Marc Elliott: Doing voiceovers (including the Disney movie trailers) in L.A.
Chuck Browning: Dead.
Dave Diamond: Teaching college in South Dakota.
Jim Carson: Middays at KRTH, Los Angeles (also owned by CBS).
Bob Foster: Retired for more than 30 years.
Steve Lundy: Dead.
Jack Friday: Weekends at a country station in Philadelphia.
Bobby Ocean: Doing voiceovers and XMs 70s channel from Marin.
Eric Chase: Doing afternoon drive at an oldies station in Houston under the name Paul Christy.
Mike Novak: VP/Programming: K-LOVE Christian Radio Network.
Ed O'Brien: Doing voiceovers in Denver.
Dr. Don Rose: Dead.
John Mack Flanagan: Working security in the Bay Area.
Kevin McCarthy: Self-employed in Dallas.
J.J. Johnson: Afternoons on Life-FM internet radio.
Chuck Buell: Doing voiceovers in San Diego.
Marvelous Mark McKay: Afternoons on an oldies station in Kansas City.
Shana: A free-lance entertainment consultant in L.A.
Don Sainte-Johnn: Afternoons on V101.1 in Sacramento.
Rick Shaw: Dead.
Big Tom Parker: Overnight talk host on KPAM, Portland.
Sally Adams: Marketing for a computer company.
Mucho Morales: On Westwood One's Oldies Channel.
Beverly Fox: National Sales Manager for WMAL, Washington, D.C.
Big Bob Anthony: Afternoons on Air 1 Christian Radio.
Robin Bailey: Unknown.
Bill Lee: XM Radio 80s Channel.
Candi Chamberlain: Working in financial services.
Shannon: Working in real estate in the Bay Area.
Harry Nelson: PD and afternoons at a country station in Portland, Maine.
Dave Sholin: Executive VP, MusicBiz.com, San Francisco.
Jackson Armstrong: In North Carolina. Currently not working in radio after being a format change victim twice.
Sue Hall: Traffic and news on The Wolf, San Francisco.
The Slim One: Doing traffic reports and news in Salt Lake City.
I'm sure I missed a few, especially from the 1984-1986 period, which was a revolving door as Mike Phillips took over from Gerry Cagle, as Walt Sabo launched the Game Zone and as Dave Sholin tried desperately to put the toothpaste back in the tube before it all ended in August of '86.
Still, that's 36 names up there. It's probably fair to assume that those who have retired or chosen other ways to make money wouldn't want to give that up for the lack of job security involved in being a DJ in new milennium radio, but 15 of them are still on the radio in one way or another:
Jim Carson
Jack Friday
Bobby Ocean
Eric Chase
Mike Novak
J.J. Johnson
Marvelous Mark McKay
Don Sainte-Johnn
Big Tom Parker
Mucho Morales
Big Bob Anthony
Bill Lee
Harry Nelson
Sue Hall
The Slim One
And there are two who should be:
John Mack Flanagan
Jackson Armstrong
So that's 17. Certainly enough live, still-working veteran KFRC talent to fill five airshifts and a couple of weekend/utility gigs (a better ratio than KHJ, where only nine of the 1965-1980 Boss Jocks are still in the biz).
The issue, as always, will be money. KFRC had and lost Bobby Ocean. He got them back to the Top 5...and then they told him they couldn't afford him. It's been straight downhill from there. If they want Osh back, it will probably cost them. And anyone from out of town will have to be paid enough to be able to live in San Francisco.
My dream team?
5-9 AM: Big Tom Parker or Jim Carson. Both deserve better gigs than the ones they have now.
9AM-1PM: John Mack Flanagan.
1PM-4PM: The Slim One.
4PM-7PM: Bobby Ocean.
7PM-11PM: Bill Lee.
11PM-5AM: Sue Hall or J.J. Johnson.
I'd want to approach the weekend/utility gig the way RKO used to...a fulltime/parttime position...comes with fulltime pay and benefits, but the jock knows the call can come at anytime and might be one shift or a two-week vacation fill-in. If I could get CBS to agree to that position, I'd call Jackson Armstrong. If he said no, Harry Nelson. After that, Jack Friday.
---Michael Hagerty