Sam Riddle

[JohnnyOhJohnny]

I was just wondering if Sam Riddle is working anywhere now? He was one of my fav's on 93 KHJ.

 

[JohnnyOhJohnny]

Also does anyone know what Humble Harve Miller is doing now?

 

[radioman148]

Johnny Williams is in Hawaii last I heard.

 

[michael hagerty]

Sam went into television production (Star Search was his), but his last IMDB credit is from 2005. He's listed as president of Riddle-Weinstock Entertainment.

Harve's last project was HD Diner Radio, but that went under a year or more ago. No indication he's on-air (or satellite) at the moment.

And Johnny Williams is in Hawaii, helping us answer these questions, with a "Where Are They Now" site for radio people at 440.com.

 

[michael hagerty]

The only one of the 1960s era KHJ Boss Jocks still doing radio in Los Angeles is Charlie Tuna. And, if I recall correctly, the only other 1965-70 Boss Jock on the air anywhere else is Gary Mack, who's semi-retired but doing some radio in the South.

 

[LKellerIII]

I heard somewhere (can't remember where) that Sam produces some of those poker TV shows. So I googled "Sam Riddle Poker." There's a small pic on the website with a group of men - one being a short older man named Sam Riddle. I seem to remember from Boss City that Sam was a small guy. It appears that he's in charge of the National Poker League's television division.

There's another Sam Riddle to be found in cyberland - a political consultant who's been in legal trouble. There's also another Gary Mack - curator of the museum at the Texas Book Depository - from which JFK was assasinated. He's called on as a JFK assassination expert from time to time. I reasonably sure it's not the former Boss Jock.

http://www.pokerpages.com/articles/archives/west19.htm

 

[mandella]

Did Sam host the L.A. local dance show 'Ninth Street West'. My older brother danced on the show.

 

[LKellerIII]

Did Sam host the L.A. local dance show 'Ninth Street West'. My older brother danced on the show.

Yes - "Ninth" refering to KHJ-TV Channel 9. I believe it started before Boss Radio, when Sam Riddle was at KFWB.

Once 93/KHJ became the dominant Top 40 station, the title changed to Boss City. About 1970 (maybe when Riddle quit KHJ for KDAY), The Real Don Steele took over hosting duties, and a year or two later, the title changed to The Real Don Steele Show.

Most of the indy stations in LA had a dance show - Shebang! with Casey Kasem on KTLA was another. KCOP had Lloyd Thaxton. KHJ-TV also had Groovy!, first hosted by teen-hunk and aspiring actor Michael Blodgett - then with Robert W. Morgan. Apparently it helped if you had a "!" in your title

 

[canyouhearmenow]

Those who went to boss jock heaven: Morgan, Steele, Tom Maule, Roger Christian, Jerry Butler, Bobby Tripp, Tommy Vance and (I think) Johnny Mitchell.

Isn't Dave Diamond still doing something? Mark Elliot (he came in 70) used to voice Disney commercials and Shadoe (also 70) announces Craig Ferguson. Charlie Van Dyke, who came later, does all kind of voice-overs for TV and radio. What about Frank Terry? I thought Scotty Brink is still in radio, same thing with Jimmy Rabbit. And although he didn't join KHJ until 73 or 74, Bobby Ocean of course is still active in the Bay Area. He was (is) one of the greatest.

News director Lyle Kilgore is dead but his son is on KNX.

Why did Sam Riddle quit KHJ anyway?

 

[LKellerIII]

Those who went to boss jock heaven: Morgan, Steele, Tom Maule, Roger Christian, Jerry Butler, Bobby Tripp, Tommy Vance and (I think) Johnny Mitchell.

Isn't Dave Diamond still doing something? Mark Elliot (he came in 70) used to voice Disney commercials and Shadoe (also 70) announces Craig Ferguson. Charlie Van Dyke, who came later, does all kind of voice-overs for TV and radio. What about Frank Terry? I thought Scotty Brink is still in radio, same thing with Jimmy Rabbit. And although he didn't join KHJ until 73 or 74, Bobby Ocean of course is still active in the Bay Area. He was (is) one of the greatest.

News director Lyle Kilgore is dead but his son is on KNX.

Why did Sam Riddle quit KHJ anyway?

Bobby Ocean continues to do voice over work, and fills in on Lite Rock KOIT.

I'm not sure why Riddle quit KHJ - maybe he was fired. I just remember that he showed up on afternoon drive on KDAY/1580 shortly thereafter, when they were doing an album rock format.

Frank Terry moved to the Bay Area, and was a county DJ for years on Metromedia's KNEW 910 AM, and FM sister station KSAN. He retired, then succumbed to cancer in 2007. Here's Ken Levine's ("Beaver Cleaver") tribute to Terry from his blog:

http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2007/06/frank-terry-1938-2007.html

 

[canyouhearmenow]

Does anyone remember what important rock movie Frank Terry was in? He played himself as a SF DJ. In fact he wasn't playing anything, the cameras just showed him at work.

Give up?

It was Gimme Shelter. He was talking about the Rolling Stones show at Altamont.

 

[michael hagerty]

Those who went to boss jock heaven: Morgan, Steele, Tom Maule, Roger Christian, Jerry Butler, Bobby Tripp, Tommy Vance and (I think) Johnny Mitchell.

Isn't Dave Diamond still doing something? Mark Elliot (he came in 70) used to voice Disney commercials and Shadoe (also 70) announces Craig Ferguson. Charlie Van Dyke, who came later, does all kind of voice-overs for TV and radio. What about Frank Terry? I thought Scotty Brink is still in radio, same thing with Jimmy Rabbit. And although he didn't join KHJ until 73 or 74, Bobby Ocean of course is still active in the Bay Area. He was (is) one of the greatest.

News director Lyle Kilgore is dead but his son is on KNX.

Why did Sam Riddle quit KHJ anyway?

Also no longer with us: Chuck Browning, Dick Sainte and Brother Tom Dooley...newsguys J. Paul Huddleston, Marv Howard, Art Kevin, Bill Brown and B.R. Bradbury.

Dave Diamond was a college professor in Iowa, may still be, but he's recovering from a stroke. Mark Elliott has retired from voice-overs, as has Dr. John Leader. Scotty Brink was on an AM oldies station in Chicago with Larry Lujack, but I think that ended a year or two back.

Jimmy Rabbitt is (I think) still doing radio in a small town in Colorado. And Bobby Ocean (who arrived at KHJ in 1975) is, as Llew Keller noted, doing voice work (and some very creative social media stuff) and fill-ins on KOIT.

As for why Sam quit, I don't know. He went to KDAY during their Top 40 period. The station's GM was former KHJ sales manager Art Astor, who also brought Tom Maule on board. After that, Sam went to KROQ-AM, which, outside of morning and afternoon drive, had an album-rock lean to its Top 40 format.

 

[michael hagerty]

I found a post I made to another thread on this board five or six years ago, detailing the "Whatever Happened To" of KHJ Jocks from 1965-1977 (hired before John Sebastian became PD). I've updated it this morning:


Robert W. Morgan: Dead.
Roger Christian: Dead.
Gary Mack: Semi-retired in Florida, but doing some radio on a small station.
The Real Don Steele: Dead.
Dave Diamond: Teaching college in South Dakota, recovering from a stroke.
Sam Riddle: Producing TV shows.
Johnny Williams: Semi-retired in Hawaii, running the 440.com website.
Donn Tyler: Semi-retired in Hawaii and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Johnny Mitchell: Dead.
Frank Terry: Dead.
Scotty Brink: Living in Oklahoma, fed a daily show to WRLL, Chicago until 2006.
Tommy Vance: Dead.
Steve Clark: Whereabouts unknown.
Bobby Tripp: Dead.
Humble Harve: On Westwood One's Oldies Channel (at least according to their website).
Tom Maule: Dead.
Charlie Tuna: Doing weekends at KRTH.
Bill Wade: Teaching at a business college in Arizona.
Chuck Browning: Dead.
Shadoe Stevens: Appearing on CBS' Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
Mark Elliott: Retired.
Jerry Butler: Dead.
Pete McNeal: Retired from radio 30 years ago.
Dick Sainte: Dead.
Walt Baby Love: Hosts three syndicated radio programs.
Charlie Van Dyke: Voiceover for a jillion radio & TV stations from Phoenix.
Jimmy Rabbitt: Semi-retired in Colorado, doing some radio on a small station.
Cat Simon: Dead.
Captain John: Consulting in Spokane.
Barry Kaye: Voiceovers from Houston.
Jim Carson: Currently at KRTH.
Bill Gable: Afternoon drive at CHWO, Toronto.
Danny Martinez: Last heard at KCBS-FM before "Jack" arrived.
Bobby Rich: Mornings/PD at Mix 94.9 in Tucson.
Larry McKay: On Westwood One's Oldies Channel.
Tom Dooley: Dead.
Machine Gun Kelly: Doing syndicated weekend programs.
Billy Pearl: An attorney in Long Beach.
Tony Mann: Whereabouts unknown.
Bobby Ocean: Voiceovers, social media and fill-ins on KOIT-FM.
Paul Freeman: Afternoons on country KKGO-FM, Los Angeles.
Beau Weaver: Voiceovers. Lots of them.
Dr. John Leader: Retired from voiceover work.
Dave Sebastian: Voiceover coach.
Shana: Freelance entertainment consultant in Los Angeles.
Sally Adams: Working for a computer firm in Texas.
Mason Dixon: Working at an oldies station in Florida.
Mucho Morales: On Westwood One's Oldies Channel.


So the jocks still doing radio on a regular basis are Gary Mack, Humble Harve, Charlie Tuna, Walt "Baby" Love, Jimmy Rabbitt, Jim Carson, Bill Gable, Bobby Rich, Larry McKay, M.G. Kelly, Bobby Ocean, Paul Freeman, Mason Dixon and Mucho Morales.

 

[jonbruce]

While Jimmy Rabbit still lives in colorado he is not doing radio there but is heard Saturdays 3-6pm on Newport Beach LPFM KOCI 101.5.

 

[canyouhearmenow]

When Shadoe Stevens went to KRLA in I think 71, he took the station progressive eitherthat year or 72. . What was first? KDAY or KRLA?...and where did KROQ come in? Of course there was KLOS and KMET. And also the Orange County FM station and KWST.

 

[LKellerIII]

When Shadoe Stevens went to KRLA in I think 71, he took the station progressive eitherthat year or 72. . What was first? KDAY or KRLA?...and where did KROQ come in? Of course there was KLOS and KMET. And also the Orange County FM station and KWST.

Michael Hagerty may be right that Sam Riddle joined KDAY when they were straight Top 40, but I remember hearing him when KDAY was leaning toward album rock. As I remember it, they were first for album rock on AM, beating KRLA by a year or so - but I may be wrong. I was living in West LA/Santa Monica at the time, so KDAY came in clear as a bell, and was a favorite on the UCLA campus (which I attended) for rock music in the car (most of us couldn't afford FM car tuners).

 

[michael hagerty]

When Shadoe Stevens went to KRLA in I think 71, he took the station progressive eitherthat year or 72. . What was first? KDAY or KRLA?...and where did KROQ come in? Of course there was KLOS and KMET. And also the Orange County FM station and KWST.

Shadoe left KHJ for KRLA in fall of 1970, but only as a jock. He didn't become PD until late '71 or early '72. KDAY started leaning AOR in '71. KROQ signed on Labor Day weekend 1972.

 

[recto101]

Mark Elliot I remember him as the VO at KRON 4 news in San Francisco before it became independent from 1995-2001. I had no idea the Disney VO and KRON 1995 VO also did KHJ.

 

[LKellerIII]

Mark Elliot I remember him as the VO at KRON 4 news in San Francisco before it became independent from 1995-2001. I had no idea the Disney VO and KRON 1995 VO also did KHJ.

As I remember, the great Paul Frees (a Bay Area resident) did the NewsCenter 4 voice overs for quite a few years - though I just checked - Frees passed away in '86, so perhaps you're right. Frees' voice overs were often very close in phrasing and intonation to Orson Welles, who also made a good living doing commercials and voice overs in those days. Frees' work was also heard in the LA market frequently. It often occurred to me that Welles must have been good-natured about it, or he would have had his lawyers call Frees with a cease-and-desist demand.

I traveled to Jamaica during Christmas vacation of 74, and I remember clearly that Mark Elliot counted down the Top 100 hits of the year for whatever airline I was flying (Delta? can't remember). I heard his countdown both coming and going on the headset the airline provided for free (in those days). I had left LA before Elliot came to KHJ, so I wasn't familiar with him up to that time.

 

[calguy]

Mark Elliot also worked at CKLW as Ed Mitchell and at KFRC before coming to KHJ. As I recall he also did a weekly countdown show for either Drake or RKO I can't remember which as that was at least 30 plus years ago. He was a smooth, solid talent on the air and as Disney's primary trailer voice for many years. He even appeared in a video with Don LaFontaine and other top VO talent that was pretty funny with Don in a limo picking them up one at a time as they head for some kind of event if I recall correctly. I've heard that he's retired now.