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Obit: Ron Lyons

D

djj

I was saddened to hear on KCBS about the passing of Ron Lyons (68 or 69), who
died at a Medford, Oregon hospital...
As of 2:00 pm 8/4, there was nothing about his passing at his KGBR website,
where he had been after leaving KCBS in 2004 and had won an Oregon
Broadcasting award for his oldies show. Some info about Ron is still on the
KGBR website:
< www.kgbr.com >...
And if you'd like an aural treat, download some of Ron's airchecks on his website:
< http://www.ronlyonsradio.com >...
--jay
 
Sad to hear the news. I know he had been ill for a while now, but bless him for all the good times he brought to Bay Area radio which, besides KCBS , included KNEW and KNBR. I don't have his call letters from his even earlier Sacramento days, but he was a real pro and very much a team player. He was light on ego and that made him a joy to work with.


Did ya know he had a bit part in Robert Mitchum's "Thunder Road." He was the kid at the filling station who asks Mitchum something like "Fill 'er up?"

Break a leg, Roy Jean.


Ron Fell
 
I was told Ron worked at KCRA 1320 (now KCTC/ESPN 1320) and KFBK 1530, and I
remember him well as the voice of KTXL TV-40's "Night Comfort Theatre," sponsored
by LaBrie's Waterbeds with good ol' Tom LaBrie...
--jay
 
Some info and audio on KCBS' website. A great guy with bags of talent and a wicked sense of humor. I laughed until I thought they'd have to call 911 over lunch with him at Kasper's once. Condolances to his son Steve and family, and his wife.
 
I'm saddened to hear of Ron's passing he was a consummate professional in the radio business. He also had a voice that commanded your attention in any radio spot he ever voiced. I alway enjoyed the pressence he brought to the radio airwaves whether here in Sacramento or the bay area! You will be missed Ron! Peace be with you!

On another note Barry Bonds just hit the homer the tied Hank Aaron's record of 755 homers!
 
"I was told Ron worked at KCRA 1320 (now KCTC/ESPN 1320) and KFBK 1530, and I
remember him well as the voice of KTXL TV-40's "Night Comfort Theatre," sponsored
by LaBrie's Waterbeds with good ol' Tom LaBrie..."

That's right. As a semi-insomniac in the 70s, I frequently watched the all night movies on KNTV (Jay Brown at Spartan Dodge) and the Night Comfort Theatre. on KTXL. When I first heard Ron do traffic on KCBS, I instantly remembered his voice from TV40,

RIP Ron.
 
djj said:
I was told Ron worked at KCRA 1320 (now KCTC/ESPN 1320) and KFBK 1530, and I
remember him well as the voice of KTXL TV-40's "Night Comfort Theatre," sponsored
by LaBrie's Waterbeds with good ol' Tom LaBrie...
--jay
Click to expand...

There must be some bad blood between Channel 40 and Tom LaBrie, because there was no mention of Ron's death on their website (there was mention on their site when Pete Wilson died- Pete was the main anchor at KTXL before he was in SF), nor is there any mention of Night Comfort Theatre on their history page.
Even KTXL's Wikipedia entry omits any mention of Night Comfort, and anyone can add to Wikipedia.
 
Anyone catch Stan Bunger's bungled tribute to Ron Lyons on KCBS? Where he said that Ron was someone you "wouldn't want to spend TOO much time with"? What an insensitive statement in the wake of someone's death.

Most people who knew Ron greatly enjoyed his company...HE knew how to be witty.

Noticed KCBS pulled down Stan's podcast from the site...That was a good move on their part.
 
djj said:
I was told Ron worked at KCRA 1320 (now KCTC/ESPN 1320) and KFBK 1530, and I remember him well as the voice of KTXL TV-40's "Night Comfort Theatre," sponsored by LaBrie's Waterbeds with good ol' Tom LaBrie...
--jay
Click to expand...

Ron came from KROY in Sacramento to KEWB/Oakland in 1962, while he was stationed at the Presidio. He was fired by KEWB (replaced by Pete Bunny), worked vacation relief briefly at KYA, then returned to KROY as PD in October 1964. He was hired by KNBR in January 1965.

My source: lengthy correspondence over the years with Ron Tomberlin (a/k/a Ron Lyons).

He never mentioned having worked at KFBK or KCRA at any time.

DJ
 
The San Francisco Chronicle's obituary for Ron Lyons appeared in Sunday's edition:

http://tinyurl.com/37fnwm

It mentions that he worked for KFBK, but not KROY, which is incorrect.

DJ
 
"There must be some bad blood between Channel 40 and Tom LaBrie, because there was no mention of Ron's death on their website (there was mention on their site when Pete Wilson died- Pete was the main anchor at KTXL before he was in SF), nor is there any mention of Night Comfort Theatre on their history page."

I wouldn't know what the reason is in this case, but it's been my experience that TV station websites are very selective with the "history" they choose to portray on their website. For example, the website for KTLA 5 in Los Angeles is rich with their history, and has pages devoted to 3 of its longtime news anchors. But they never mention anchorman George Putnam, who was a HUGE presence there in the 50s and 60s. I assume the reason in this case is that Putnam was (and still is at age 93) a right-wing nut who currently rails against immigrants on LA talk radio. I imagine the station no longer wants to be associated with him.

Obviously, there would be no such problem with a tribute to Mr. Lyons.

I have an odd question for people in Sacramento - is Tom LaBrie still in business, and selling waterbeds? Call me an old hippie, but I still sleep on one - and can only get mattresses, supplies, etc. online. All the retail stores have closed.
 
George Putnam....HAHAHAHAHAHA

I don't know if Tom still owns it, but his waterbed showroom on El Camino in Sacramento is still in business. It's the last one left. There used to be several of them, there was even one in Contra Costa County.
 
Ron Lyons did work at KFBK in the 70s. It was a music station like KNBR and I remember listening back in 1975. Later in the 70s KFBK decided to become Sacramento's first (or second) all news station. (KCRA changed to KGNR and also went all news but I don't remember who went first) Ron stayed for a while and he later told me he hated all news but really like their previous format.

I also remember Ron talking about communting to KNBR from Loomis (near Roseville). Even back in the 70s Bay Area houses were expensive compared to Sacramento.

Traffic reporting is a specialized skill and many reporters today come from other backgrounds in broadcasting like Ron. I especially enjoyed Ron Lyons back in his disc jockey days at KFBK and KNBR.

Newsperson
 
newsperson said:
Ron Lyons did work at KFBK in the 70s. It was a music station like KNBR and I remember listening back in 1975. Later in the 70s KFBK decided to become Sacramento's first (or second) all news station. (KCRA changed to KGNR and also went all news but I don't remember who went first) Ron stayed for a while and he later told me he hated all news but really like their previous format.
Click to expand...

Sorry ... I had my blinders on. I was stuck on thinking that the talk was that Ron had worked at KFBK and KCRA *before* going to KEWB in 1962. Please to disregard my previous comment, please.

DJ
 
I was so saddened by this announcement. When I bought KDUN about a year ago I was glad to hear Ron's voice during my exploring trips down the coast. I could say I was actually a "fan" of his traffic reports all those years at KCBS. We even ran an obit for him on KDUN on Monday. KDUNBILL
 
This information from Sean Lyons:

We have finalized the arrangements for Ron’s memorial service. It will be held on Saturday, August 18 at 2:00 pm at the Calvary Chapel, 94135 Moore St. in Gold Beach, Oregon.

For those of you who are interested in attending the service, here’s some more information:

Closest Airports:

Del Norte (Crescent City, CA - Airport Code is CEC); approx. 1 hour drive to Gold Beach
North Bend (North Bend, OR - Airport Code is OTH); approx. 1.5 hour drive to Gold Beach
Medford (Medford, OR - Airport Code is MFR); approx. 3 hour drive to Gold Beach

Driving distance from Portland or the Bay Area is about the same – 7 hours, give or take an hour.

Motel Rooms (we’re too small and rural to have HOTELS):

Sand Dollar Inn (Town Side) - $75 - $79/night, 541-247-6611; www.sandollar-inn.com
Azalea Lodge (Town Side) - $85 - $95/night, 541-247-6635; www.azalealodge.biz
Sand-and-Sea (Ocean Side) - $85 - $119/night (Ron Lyons family/friend discount rate), 541-247-6635; www.sandnseamotel.com
Gold Beach Resort (Ocean Side) - $149/night, 541-247-7066; www.gbresort.com
Inn of the Beachcomber (Ocean Side) - $154/night, 541-247-6691; www.beachcomber-inn.com

If you can make it, we’ll see you there; if not, we know you’ll be with us in spirit.

Sean & Terri
 
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