R
RussAllen
Guest
Ealier today I got word that Zilla died.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
D
DoubleC
Guest
OMG! May God Bless his soul. When I first worked at WWST Zilla showed me the ropes, he was truly a unique Talent. God Bless
M
Mid West Clubber
Guest
Is this the same Toddzilla formerly at WKSF Asheville when it was CHR, and then later came to K-Town and worked at Star.............. OMG Im gonna cry.... My thoughts and condelences are with him, his family and friends...Rest in Peace.... Brotha.....
To all those who lost a friend, my condolences.
Now, help educate the rest of us. I firmly believe someone should write something about us all when we pass so that others can know something about the person and their life...especially the good ones.
So...someone tell us about Toddzilla, please.
Now, help educate the rest of us. I firmly believe someone should write something about us all when we pass so that others can know something about the person and their life...especially the good ones.
So...someone tell us about Toddzilla, please.
Never worked with him, but we tried like hell to hire him at WKZQ Myrtle beach back in the late 80s...utterly one of the freshest air personalities that I'd heard back then. We kept up with each other for a few years after that and then we lost touch. A true talent's flame extinguished far too early.
G
GRH
Guest
Here is Toddzilla's obituary, which is posted today at KnoxNews.com:
http://www.legacy.com/knoxnews/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=123327823
[EDIT]
His family at Journal have missed him and will miss him a lot, though we are thankful he is no longer in any pain. There is a guestbook at KnoxNews.com where you can leave comments about Zilla.
[EDIT-post truncated because original material is copyrighted. Link added as a courtesy by Radio-Info.]
http://www.legacy.com/knoxnews/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=123327823
[EDIT]
His family at Journal have missed him and will miss him a lot, though we are thankful he is no longer in any pain. There is a guestbook at KnoxNews.com where you can leave comments about Zilla.
[EDIT-post truncated because original material is copyrighted. Link added as a courtesy by Radio-Info.]
What an incredible talent. WKSF boomed into Jefferson County, where I grew up. I listened to Todd pretty much every night. When most of the staff was blown out in 1994, when they flipped to country, I felt like I lost a friend.
I read in the Knoxville paper several weeks later that Toddzilla would be coming to Knoxville as the new morning guy on Star 93.1. Toddzilla doing mornings?!? I think after a month or so, he was ready to get back to nights. It was great to have him back in listening range… even if it was through the static on 93.1.
I tried my best to emulate him when I moved to Georgia to do nights on a country station. But, there is only on Toddzilla. His life was cut way too short. I just hope that plenty of up and coming talents had a chance to listen to him and learn how it is done.
I read in the Knoxville paper several weeks later that Toddzilla would be coming to Knoxville as the new morning guy on Star 93.1. Toddzilla doing mornings?!? I think after a month or so, he was ready to get back to nights. It was great to have him back in listening range… even if it was through the static on 93.1.
I tried my best to emulate him when I moved to Georgia to do nights on a country station. But, there is only on Toddzilla. His life was cut way too short. I just hope that plenty of up and coming talents had a chance to listen to him and learn how it is done.
R
Radiodjmansm
Guest
A great Radio Icon is gone
I remember the day I met Toddzilla. I was working middays and he was doing nights at WKZL in Winston Salem in 1987. He was different from other jocks. He really knew how to work the phones. His phonebits set him apart from all the other jocks. He was a perfectionist when he was on the air. I learned alot from him. Bill Catcher PD at Star in Myrtle Beach,SC, me and Zilla were best friends. I continued to work with Zilla at 3 other radio stations including K92 in Roanoke, Power 93 in Greenville,SC where he and I did mornings together. That was a trip just working with him every morning. We thought alike and played off each other well. (Scary thought huh?). We also worked at 99.9 KISS-FM in Asheville,NC with Bill Catcher PD. Even until the end, all 3 of us stayed in touch. The last time the 3 of us were together was Labor Day weekend 2008. He was doing much better back then. His last show on Star in Knoxville was Jan 30 2008. I had just talked to Zilla Tuesday January the 20th 2009 and he was very very weak. His liver was in bad shape and he had Alpha 1 and COPD. Then by Friday the 23rd, he had passed away just like that. You can check out his website at toddzillas.com and even do a search on youtube.com and hear some of his airchecks. Toddzilla will be missed by everyone. He was a great talent and a great friend.
Scott McCarthy
I remember the day I met Toddzilla. I was working middays and he was doing nights at WKZL in Winston Salem in 1987. He was different from other jocks. He really knew how to work the phones. His phonebits set him apart from all the other jocks. He was a perfectionist when he was on the air. I learned alot from him. Bill Catcher PD at Star in Myrtle Beach,SC, me and Zilla were best friends. I continued to work with Zilla at 3 other radio stations including K92 in Roanoke, Power 93 in Greenville,SC where he and I did mornings together. That was a trip just working with him every morning. We thought alike and played off each other well. (Scary thought huh?). We also worked at 99.9 KISS-FM in Asheville,NC with Bill Catcher PD. Even until the end, all 3 of us stayed in touch. The last time the 3 of us were together was Labor Day weekend 2008. He was doing much better back then. His last show on Star in Knoxville was Jan 30 2008. I had just talked to Zilla Tuesday January the 20th 2009 and he was very very weak. His liver was in bad shape and he had Alpha 1 and COPD. Then by Friday the 23rd, he had passed away just like that. You can check out his website at toddzillas.com and even do a search on youtube.com and hear some of his airchecks. Toddzilla will be missed by everyone. He was a great talent and a great friend.
Scott McCarthy
I never really had the chance to listen to him, but he definately had talent:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqnm6dYHzBY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqnm6dYHzBY
H
haskell
Guest
So sad.
Todd worked for me at K92. No one has made me laugh like that. He was a MESS! I believe Scott was with us when we got kicked out of the Roanoke comedy club for heckling. I've never seen anybody work the phones like him. To this day "and you're welcome" is still a staple of my vocabulary. I remember he was such a perfectionist that he wrote intro times... to the tenth of a second... on yellow dots and put them on top of the carts. I mean, who could be as tight as him in WHOLE seconds?? There is a mile of intro between a 19 second intro and 19.6! He was never apologetic for who he was. He rolled into 20 share K92 and said he wouldn't take the job unless we bought an Otari MTR-10 for him. He couldn't do his bits without it. And we bought one! Then we had to make the engineer (Dr. Dale) put a bypass button on the Telos because you couldn't hear the CLUNK between phone calls! How would people know he had hung up on them??
And he was worth it all. Loved that guy.
Eddie Haskell
Todd worked for me at K92. No one has made me laugh like that. He was a MESS! I believe Scott was with us when we got kicked out of the Roanoke comedy club for heckling. I've never seen anybody work the phones like him. To this day "and you're welcome" is still a staple of my vocabulary. I remember he was such a perfectionist that he wrote intro times... to the tenth of a second... on yellow dots and put them on top of the carts. I mean, who could be as tight as him in WHOLE seconds?? There is a mile of intro between a 19 second intro and 19.6! He was never apologetic for who he was. He rolled into 20 share K92 and said he wouldn't take the job unless we bought an Otari MTR-10 for him. He couldn't do his bits without it. And we bought one! Then we had to make the engineer (Dr. Dale) put a bypass button on the Telos because you couldn't hear the CLUNK between phone calls! How would people know he had hung up on them??
And he was worth it all. Loved that guy.
Eddie Haskell
First heard Toddzilla on WKSF. Got to actually meet him around 92' when he was on a remote at ETSU believe it or not. Kiss was still great then before it went country. Couldnt really here Star 93.1 in Greene County. WNPC in Newport wiped it out. Did hear 'zilla on 102.1 a few times. Knoxville radio has lost another a great voice. (Claude Tomlinson, Phyllis West, Toddzilla R.I.P.)
- Status