Some Bay Area Radio Legends

[DavidKaye]

Okay, I've just trashed the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame over on another forum.

But among the inductees there are some truly noteworthy pioneers, whom I'd
like to acknowledge in random order as I happen to spot them on the list.
(This is not a complete list of noteworthy folks.)

DON BARKSDALE -- First black NCAA basketball star, who turned his basketball
career fame into a career as a DJ at KSAN and as a nightclub and record
label owner. I believe he was the first black DJ in the Bay Area but I may
be mistaken.

AL JAZZBEAUX COLLINS -- Took a ho-hum DJ show featuring jazz and made jazz
extremely hip. Probably more than any other DJ in the country he turned
jazz into the hippest of the hip. The success of Dave Brubeck, Paul
Desmond, and other 1950s-60s "new jazz" icons is due it large part to Al
Collins.

BELVA DAVIS -- Pioneering black radio reporter and DJ, she took the
"women's" puffery segment of local radio news and turned it on its head,
interviewing important newsmakers long before her male counterparts even
knew who they were.

DR DON ROSE -- Took a silly schtick and made it into must-listen radio,
quoted in the schoolyard and by the water cooler each morning.

DON SHERWOOD -- The laid-back Don Rose of the previous generation.
Everybody talked about what Sherwood said or did, or why he didn't show up
for work that day. Don Sherwood was also the inventor of air traffic
reporting.

SYBIL HERROLD TRUE -- America's first DJ, first female DJ, first sponsored
radio program. Need more be said?

CHARLES HERROLD -- Goes without saying.

PAT HENRY -- Took a dormant Berkeley FM license at a time when you couldn't
even give them away, and built America's first all-jazz radio station, KJAZ.
Kept the station running through thick and thin, even when he had to shut it
down between midnight and 6am to save electricity.

DOUG PLEDGER -- Had a unique idea of playing snippets of classical works on
his MOR KNBR (KNBC) show in order to expose new audiences to the classics.
Had an amazingly long stint as a classical DJ and opera program syndicator,
to say nothing of also owning KOFY and not giving into temptation to turn it
classical.

HAP HARPER -- First air traffic reporter -- see Don Sherwood.

So, you see, there are some really noteworthy people in the BARHOF, but most
of the people on that list are not noteworthy. Save the BARHOF for the
people who have truly advanced Bay Area Radio arts and sciences.

 

[chris319]

Who do you think deserves to be inducted who hasn't already been?

I think Fred Krock belongs on that list.

I am not on board with their pick of Dr. Stuart Hyde. Not at all.

 

[DavidKaye]

Who do you think deserves to be inducted who hasn't already been?
I think Fred Krock belongs on that list.
I am not on board with their pick of Dr. Stuart Hyde. Not at all.

I have Stuart Hyde's book, of course, but otherwise I don't know if he has contributed anything "above and beyond" to warrant being in a hall of fame. I don't know enough about Fred Krock to know, either. I've just known of him as an engineer-about-town, but is there something to distinguish him?

I wish that the Bay Area Radio Museum included Bay Area TV because I'd have a number of folks to recommend there, chief among them, James Day, co-founder of KQED, and an innovator in public TV both at KQED and at WNET as well as with PBS.

As for radio, lemme see...

HAROLD CAMPING. Hal Camping? Family Radio? Yes, exactly. He had been a shopping center builder who along with a couple partners put their money together to buy the license for KEAR and put it back on the air. He is unique in Jesuscasters in that he wasn't a minister, never pretended to be, and didn't ask for money on the air. He built a huge network of radio stations based in SF and later in Oakland, offering an easy-sell kind of Christianity. Now, understand that I'm no longer Christian and have no interest in Christianity, but I think it's important to give the man his due. He was an innovator. I believe Family Radio was the very first Christian broadcasting network.

BILL DRAKE, though he only worked in SF for a little while, created his famous Drake Format while at KYA, testing it later on KSTN in Stockton and KYNO in Fresno. He revolutionized contemporary radio formatics.

CASEY KASEM developed the basis of "American Top 40" while at KEWB Oakland. He had been doing character voices and his boss told him to knock it off. Reaching into the trash he found some copies of Billboard and began doing music trivia between the songs instead.

KDIA 1310, as Legendary Station. During the 1960s, KDIA was a must-listen for anybody wanting to know what was going on in Oakland, black or white. Interviews with the Black Panthers, the regular "Truth in Soul" newscasts, and the nightly music dedications (Willie Popcorn, where are you?) were a staple of this station. It was modeled after WDIA in Memphis, but from what people have told me, went far above and beyond WDIA's reach into the community. As I said, KDIA was a must-listen in its heyday.

JACK WEBB. Known mostly for Dragnet on radio and TV, he was a local KGO announcer and program producer who put together a stunning network detective drama, "Pat Novak For Hire" at KGO for the ABC Radio network. As the description says, it's fomulaic, but a work of art. Here's a link to episodes of the program. https://www.facebook.com/events/259551257465581/

As I said, someone who just did their job probably shouldn't be in a hall of fame, but people who shined with extraordinary achievements, yes I think they belong there.

 

[michael hagerty]

BILL DRAKE, though he only worked in SF for a little while, created his famous Drake Format while at KYA, testing it later on KSTN in Stockton and KYNO in Fresno. He revolutionized contemporary radio formatics.

And had he not consulted KFRC for seven years, it's doubtful that station would have become the legend it did.

 

[DavidKaye]

And had he not consulted KFRC for seven years, it's doubtful that station would have become the legend it did.

That's true. It slipped my mind that he was actually hands-on at KFRC during its development.

I also totally forgot two people should should be at the head of the list of any Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame:

Lorenzo Milam and Jeremy Lansman. DUH -- I just naturally thought they were already on the list. But no, nobody thought to nominate them either. There wouldn't be a community radio movement without them.

 

[Natheodan]

While legendary for completely different reasons, Rick Chase from KMEL in the late 80s is deserving of a nod. He was one of the reasons I tuned him in from the valley. That and Stockton-Modesto radio stunk during that era.

As for Don Rose, my first memory of him was doing comedic voice overs for channel 44's afternoon cartoon block. I later heard him on the radio on 101.3 in the late 80s-early 90s. Truly a Bay Area radio legend.

 

[DavidKaye]

While legendary for completely different reasons, Rick Chase from KMEL in the late 80s is deserving of a nod. He was one of the reasons I tuned him in from the valley. That and Stockton-Modesto radio stunk during that era.

But aside from doing his job as a good DJ should, what was Rick Chase's special contribution to Bay Area radio? What makes him stand out as unique? I can think of dozens and dozens of DJs I listened to as a kid, but who were simply doing their jobs. I'd nominate none of them for any hall of fame because they were simply doing their jobs:

Don McKinnon, Ken Knox, Chris Borden, Buck Herring, Jerry Leeds, Jim Lauder, Chuck Williams, Dave Diamond, Dale Dorman, Bill Enis, Tony Tremayne, Bob Postel, Dusty Street, Sue Scott, Melissa McConnell, Wayne Jordan, Steve Jordan, Bill Keffury, Bill Holley, and KFRC's Eric Chase (not to be confused with Rick Chase). I can hear the voices of each and every one of these folks in my head as I write their names, especially Bill Keffury, Tony Tremayne, Dave Diamond, and Jerry Leeds -- BUT really now, they were really just doing their jobs. They did them well, but they were just doing what they were hired to do.

I'm thinking more about the Oscars of Bay Area broadcasting...

 

[michael hagerty]

And had he not consulted KFRC for seven years, it's doubtful that station would have become the legend it did.

That's true. It slipped my mind that he was actually hands-on at KFRC during its development.

Right, and even after he left RKO, there was an enormous influence at KFRC...Bobby Ocean, Eric Chase, Michael Spears, Les Garland...all worked for Drake before coming to KFRC.

 

[chris319]

If you make the criteria too narrow you'll run out of people to induct after a few years. Someone who does their job extraordinarily well and for a long time would be fair game, I would think. Dr. Don fits into that category. Not everyone can be a pioneer.

If I'm not mistaken, KQED-FM was acquired on James Day's watch, so you might be able to shoehorn him into the radio category that way.

In my experience the S.F. State broadcasting department has been and is thoroughly mediocre. It has big TV studios and lots of equipment but the faculty seems to be brain dead. It never had an on-air station, either.

 

[suburbandj]

The late Dennis Erectus deserves to be in the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame. He was a breakthrough radio air personality pioneering "shock radio" leading to Howard Stern, Perry Stone and a host of others.

 

[RadioStarOne]

Bob Foster, Frank Terry, Joe Conrad, Shanna, Johnny Holiday, Bwanna Johnny lots of others out there too.

 

[HCochet]

Carlos Coronel (sp?) from KAZA 1290. Late 1970s and early 80s

 

[norcalvet]

I don't think that a nominee has to have changed radio to be worthy...being a highly rated and/or clever air talent is noteworthy enough. Also, some people may have contributed in ways that they never received public credit for. So, sometimes the list may have some head scrathers, but who are we as individuals to judge?

 

[Iconoclast1240]

I'm going to put my vote in for some south bay radio people. In the owner/manager category, I'd nominate Bob Kieve of KLIV, Bill Weaver of KLOK, and George Snell of KEEN. On the dj side, let's not forget to include Cottenseed Clark and Red Murrell of KEEN. I think Sean O'Callahan of KLOK deserves a mention as does John McLeod of KLIV. Dennis Erectus of KOME is deserving as was Kelly & Kline on KWSS. For station category, I'd definately add KFAT and an honorable mention for KBAY at 100.3 -

The south bay stations have always been at the disadvantage of being at the southern end of the market and not having the signals to compete thru-out the entire 9-county metro. However, KLOK, KBAY and to some extent KOME all proved to be very popular outside of the Santa Clara Valley. When AM was king, KLOK would score at the top of the SJ ratings and would always perform very well in the SF book. They were also the first south bay station with a $100.00 rate card (mid-70's) - that was a real eye-opener. - At that time most SJ stations were selling spots for $25-$35 (KEEN, KLIV, KXRX) and $50 - $75 dollars (KBAY, KARA, KEZR, KOME, KSJO). One additional kudo for KLOK - they had one of the finest broadcast facilities anywhere. It was equal if not superior to anything in SF and it rivaled what one would find in the biggest markets across the country. It was a real show place and it was the envy of a number of other local broadcasters. What a contrast between KLOK and KLIV's old dump on Story and Lucretia.

 

[DavidKaye]

I'm going to put my vote in for some south bay radio people. In the owner/manager category, I'd nominate Bob Kieve of KLIV, Bill Weaver of KLOK, and George Snell of KEEN. On the dj side, let's not forget to include Cottenseed Clark and Red Murrell of KEEN. I think Sean O'Callahan of KLOK deserves a mention as does John McLeod of KLIV. Dennis Erectus of KOME is deserving as was Kelly & Kline on KWSS. For station category, I'd definately add KFAT and an honorable mention for KBAY at 100.3 -

Bob Kieve and John McLeod have certainly hung in there through all kinds of changes of the radioscape.

Cottonseed Clark was one of those unique guys in that besides being a DJ he also hosted TV shows in LA and SF, and promoted live shows at various clubs. I'd definitely see him as a hall o' famer because he took radio beyond the regular DJ thing and actively cross-promoted, building a community that radio played an important part in developing.

Bill Weaver, well he definitely built KLOK from a foreign language time broker into the top of its field as a full service station with hot DJs. That was tough to do even in those days. He also networked KLOK, KWIZ Santa Ana, and KUUU Portland together for morning drive in what was probably the first networked morning DJ show put together by a non-network. The "Buddy & Fran" show.