Production Boy....what a great time I had reading your entries!!...it took me back to those great days of KSFO...I was particularly interested from the mid-60's to the mid 70's, when I left City College for my first job at KROW in Dallas, Oregon ( Solid Gold KROW )...I would fall asleep to John's shows every night, and I believe it was Gene Nelson playing the old-time shows before John...if I remember right, Jim Lange would occasionally throw in some songs that I had no idea how he came to hear them - The Court of the Crimson King by King Crimson & At the Feet of the Master by Blue Aquarius, a band made up of devotees of some Maharajee(?)...they were great songs that got me interested in those groups...I'd miss class at St. Mary's College just to hear Dan Sorkin's show and wait for Wilma Banky (or was it Emily Latella?) to fall off her organ bench!!!...Remember the charity softball games that were played at the Cow Palace each year?..think it was celebrities vs. radio guys..never forget watching Dan "leg out" or jump in a side car of a motorcycle to "leg out" a hit...compared to now, it just seems like radio mattered back then, that talent really was developed and treasured...that a 14 or 15 year old could listen to an "adult" station (KSFO) and be throughly entertained & grow up to wanting to emulate those guys...I always said that once radio became a job, I would get out of it...that was in 1978 in Las Vegas when the push was on to hire women for on-air...I had a run-in with one who didn't want to power down the transmitter when she was supposed to during her shift and expected me to do it an hour later when I started mine...She was obnoxious, had a New Jersey accent and decided one night to leave an hour early from her shift to go on a dinner date at the Sahara...I told the boss I wasn't going to take any more of her crap and to pick either her or me and I lost...the ironic thing was a month later, my boss was fired...radio had become a job and I knew if I was going to work a job, I could make a lot more money..well , ANYWHERE!!...enough griping...the way radio has turned out, I wouldn't want to be 55 and in the industry now...I admire you "oldtimers" who were a part of the good times and still hang in there...we always have our memories....And thank you all for this refreshing line of thoughts and memories, instead of the usual talk of ratings, spanish radio, and cute call monikers for corporate radio.
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Where was 'Radio Waves'?
- Thread starter 1069_KIFR
- Start date
Lkeller said:
Lkeller...Wait did I leave out the part about them paying me? Sorry, I guess my stock portfolio was blocking the key board.
The truth is that I would have done it for free, but I was paid. The good news for me is the stories just keep
on stacking up. I must also acknowledge John Mack Flanagan, we worked at King Broadcastings KSFO/KYA
together. I have had many favorite Air Pesonalities...In the Top40/Oldies Catagory there is only one Name.
The initials are JMF.
Oh and I left out Al Collins too. Also worked with him at King's KSFO.
To Mailman Ron, Yes we oldtimers were part of the GoodTimes, I have been lucky enough to have worked for
people (GM's) like Bill Shaw, Herb Briggen, Ken Dennis, Jim Myers and Mickey Luckoff, just to name a few. They are not the kind of men who run charity operations, so I would like to think I delivered for them, and still do for one. They paid me well, and always acknowleged my contribution to the operation. I have only met 2 Bullies in this business. One I quit, the other I turned down his offer. One of them actually told me he would see to it I would never work in this town again...Interestingly enough they both work for the same company now, and one hired the other.
So, the good news is that I have collected the "Full Set" of SF radio personality Human Trading Cards. We shared some great times, did some great things and had some great laughs. I don't ever recall any of the people I've mentioned getting fined by the FCC or Fired for trashing someones race on the air. They were
class acts that never took themselves to seriously.
So you see, It can be done, and still is in certain places.
Take Care, more story time later.
"You did hear Jean Sheppards essays on Gillilands show, Comedy Hour."
Thanks PB, I thought so. I wasn't sure if Sheppard's essays ran on Gilliland's KSFO show, or on the station that ran Larry King's night-time show in the 70s. King was on the Mutual Radio Network, but it's funny - I can't even remember what local station it was.
For those of you who don't know, Jean Shepherd (correct spelling - I just checked) was a broadcaster, humorist and essayist who is probably now most famous for "A Christmas Story" - the movie made in the 70s about Shepherd's childhood - starring Darren McGavin as his father (more or less). The movie was narrated by Shepherd, and has become a TV holiday staple, along with It's A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th St, etc.
His radio essays were terrific - sometimes fall down laughing funny, other times more serious and thoughtful.
Thanks PB, I thought so. I wasn't sure if Sheppard's essays ran on Gilliland's KSFO show, or on the station that ran Larry King's night-time show in the 70s. King was on the Mutual Radio Network, but it's funny - I can't even remember what local station it was.
For those of you who don't know, Jean Shepherd (correct spelling - I just checked) was a broadcaster, humorist and essayist who is probably now most famous for "A Christmas Story" - the movie made in the 70s about Shepherd's childhood - starring Darren McGavin as his father (more or less). The movie was narrated by Shepherd, and has become a TV holiday staple, along with It's A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th St, etc.
His radio essays were terrific - sometimes fall down laughing funny, other times more serious and thoughtful.
The White Sox Fan comes to mind....
"Everything We Need To Know To Understand
Life, we can find here in these strings!
[My personal String Theory ] <p>
This is a mesmerizing thread! Here we see that
Sherwood's brilliance also cast shadows.
"...his personality would very greatly from day to day.
Upbeat on Monday, morose on Tuesday and so
forth..."[-Carter B on Donnie Babe] <p>
Along our career choice, the people we're thrown togeher
with, stellar or otherwise, are mixed blessing. On the one
hand, you learn things from experiences with them that can
reshape our lives. DO reshape our lives. <p>
Other side of that peak experience can be that the rest of your
career gets compared to it-- juxtaposed against that era's idealized standards
and those individuals during that passing phase-- frozen and replayed. <p>
Even my idol Shwerwood, in his waning days couldn't seem to let go
of that typecast image of himself held in his mind. <p>
<pre>
> ...I thank God every day I still ->||
> get to work for people who still ->||
> think that's important. ->||
> ...So you see, It can be done, and still is in certain places. ->|| </pre><p>
And I thank God you do too, ProdBoy. You're keeping
the vision burning for so many who dearly
miss (or missed) the feeling!
Life, we can find here in these strings!
[My personal String Theory
] <p>This is a mesmerizing thread! Here we see that
Sherwood's brilliance also cast shadows.
"...his personality would very greatly from day to day.
Upbeat on Monday, morose on Tuesday and so
forth..."[-Carter B on Donnie Babe] <p>
Along our career choice, the people we're thrown togeher
with, stellar or otherwise, are mixed blessing. On the one
hand, you learn things from experiences with them that can
reshape our lives. DO reshape our lives. <p>
Other side of that peak experience can be that the rest of your
career gets compared to it-- juxtaposed against that era's idealized standards
and those individuals during that passing phase-- frozen and replayed. <p>
Even my idol Shwerwood, in his waning days couldn't seem to let go
of that typecast image of himself held in his mind. <p>
<pre>
> ...I thank God every day I still ->||
> get to work for people who still ->||
> think that's important. ->||
> ...So you see, It can be done, and still is in certain places. ->|| </pre><p>
And I thank God you do too, ProdBoy. You're keeping
the vision burning for so many who dearly
miss (or missed) the feeling!
skyrocker said:"Everything We Need To Know To Understand
Life, we can find here in these strings!
[My personal String Theory
Well said, skyrocker. That puts a nice capper on this thread.
DJ
I'm not "slamming" Sherwood. He was fine in his day. My mom listened to him religiously. When I was in grade school kids in the schoolyard quoted him. And I have no problem with people listening to his airchecks. I've listened to them myself.
What I'm griping about is BF-T devoting his radio column not to what is going on now, but to what happened before 1/3 to 1/2 the population was born. Sure, it's fine for the occasional nostalgia or historical piece, but every column has stories about these people.
Why doesn't he write about Don Bleu, a DJ with far more experience and far more years as morning man than anybody else in the market? Why doesn't he write about the KGO morning team, the #1 rated broadcast in morning drive? Why doesn't he write about the Street Soldiers program, which has done a phenomenal job of helping troubled teens? Or the local talkshow KMKY runs aimed at kids? Or the incredible blues show jazzman Mark Naftalin does?
There is PLENTY going on in local radio Ben Fong-Torres could write about, but instead he wastes ink on people most readers have never heard of and whose only presence today is via airchecks from 40+ years ago.
What I'm griping about is BF-T devoting his radio column not to what is going on now, but to what happened before 1/3 to 1/2 the population was born. Sure, it's fine for the occasional nostalgia or historical piece, but every column has stories about these people.
Why doesn't he write about Don Bleu, a DJ with far more experience and far more years as morning man than anybody else in the market? Why doesn't he write about the KGO morning team, the #1 rated broadcast in morning drive? Why doesn't he write about the Street Soldiers program, which has done a phenomenal job of helping troubled teens? Or the local talkshow KMKY runs aimed at kids? Or the incredible blues show jazzman Mark Naftalin does?
There is PLENTY going on in local radio Ben Fong-Torres could write about, but instead he wastes ink on people most readers have never heard of and whose only presence today is via airchecks from 40+ years ago.
Gee, David, when you frame it that way, your point
kinda gets lost in your display, Kay?
We're in the broadcast biz where it's ALL about
perspective, David. Sherwood not only WAS good in his day,
he was so good he hasn't been topped. That's why people
keep bringing him up. He remains a standard.
Ben's smart. He knows what people want to hear about
and writes about it.
You probably don't take it very seriously. I wouldn't.
My point of view invalidated yours by claiming my
problem was "legit," and I laid a selfish image on
you, lumping you with an unpleasant group of people,
so. by the time you got to my gripe, IF you ever got
to it, why should you care? ["The hell with him and
his stupid little production whatever..."]
Perspective is what I'm onto here. What if I
opened with, "Say, I've got a problem," or "Maybe you can
tell me what your take on this is..." Might change the
attitude going in, enough so that, if there is somethintg
that can be corrected, it can first be seen.
What if we paid attention to Ben and used OUR smarts?
Instead of investing energy in exercises like finding fault, someone took
the initiative, (to issue a press release, with individual
photos for each individual outlet. of course)
communicating to our media press about WHAT Don Blue, the
T-man Chacon or Laurie Sanders is doing?
Instead of wondering WHY this or that, Quick! --name a
half dozen columnists where you want to read something
about Cha Cha, Peter Finch or Fernando and Greg In The
Morning? OK, name three, then.
This is YOUR "in his day," DavidKaye. What will your kids
say their dad listened to? Or did about it? When the
context within which you find yourself contains too few
references to people from your generation, do what they
did. Change it.
Or we'll still be recalling what we admire from 80+ years
ago.
kinda gets lost in your display, Kay?
We're in the broadcast biz where it's ALL about
perspective, David. Sherwood not only WAS good in his day,
he was so good he hasn't been topped. That's why people
keep bringing him up. He remains a standard.
Ben's smart. He knows what people want to hear about
and writes about it.
Code:
Now, HERE'S a legit objection maybe I can get you to
recognize: Ya know, godammit, I remain unacknowledged for
my production contributions by the self immersed people in your
demographic!! What do you think about that?My point of view invalidated yours by claiming my
problem was "legit," and I laid a selfish image on
you, lumping you with an unpleasant group of people,
so. by the time you got to my gripe, IF you ever got
to it, why should you care? ["The hell with him and
his stupid little production whatever..."]
Perspective is what I'm onto here. What if I
opened with, "Say, I've got a problem," or "Maybe you can
tell me what your take on this is..." Might change the
attitude going in, enough so that, if there is somethintg
that can be corrected, it can first be seen.
What if we paid attention to Ben and used OUR smarts?
Instead of investing energy in exercises like finding fault, someone took
the initiative, (to issue a press release, with individual
photos for each individual outlet. of course)
communicating to our media press about WHAT Don Blue, the
T-man Chacon or Laurie Sanders is doing?
Instead of wondering WHY this or that, Quick! --name a
half dozen columnists where you want to read something
about Cha Cha, Peter Finch or Fernando and Greg In The
Morning? OK, name three, then.
This is YOUR "in his day," DavidKaye. What will your kids
say their dad listened to? Or did about it? When the
context within which you find yourself contains too few
references to people from your generation, do what they
did. Change it.
Or we'll still be recalling what we admire from 80+ years
ago.
"What I'm griping about is BF-T devoting his radio column not to what is going on now, but to what happened before 1/3 to 1/2 the population was born. Sure, it's fine for the occasional nostalgia or historical piece, but every column has stories about these people.
Why doesn't he write about Don Bleu, a DJ with far more experience and far more years as morning man than anybody else in the market? Why doesn't he write about the KGO morning team, the #1 rated broadcast in morning drive? Why doesn't he write about the Street Soldiers program, which has done a phenomenal job of helping troubled teens? Or the local talkshow KMKY runs aimed at kids? Or the incredible blues show jazzman Mark Naftalin does?"
Actually, Ben has printed 2 items about Don Bleu in the past 6 months. A full on feature story:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic.../29/PK10R70AV2.DTL&hw=Don+Bleu&sn=001&sc=1000
And an item about Bleu's short tenure as a game show host, as part of a column about Merv Griffin:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
f=/c/a/2007/08/26/PK92RJUR6.DTL&hw=Don+Bleu&sn=004&sc=686
Ben has also written stories about Dave Morey, and other current local DJs and formats. But your point is well taken. BFT aside, we do spend a lot of time on this website reminiscing, and often forget about some of the current talented veteran djs and talk hosts...perhaps because they've been around so long (like Morey and Bleu), and have become kind of ubiquitous. Hopefully, we don't take them for granted.
Why doesn't he write about Don Bleu, a DJ with far more experience and far more years as morning man than anybody else in the market? Why doesn't he write about the KGO morning team, the #1 rated broadcast in morning drive? Why doesn't he write about the Street Soldiers program, which has done a phenomenal job of helping troubled teens? Or the local talkshow KMKY runs aimed at kids? Or the incredible blues show jazzman Mark Naftalin does?"
Actually, Ben has printed 2 items about Don Bleu in the past 6 months. A full on feature story:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic.../29/PK10R70AV2.DTL&hw=Don+Bleu&sn=001&sc=1000
And an item about Bleu's short tenure as a game show host, as part of a column about Merv Griffin:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
f=/c/a/2007/08/26/PK92RJUR6.DTL&hw=Don+Bleu&sn=004&sc=686
Ben has also written stories about Dave Morey, and other current local DJs and formats. But your point is well taken. BFT aside, we do spend a lot of time on this website reminiscing, and often forget about some of the current talented veteran djs and talk hosts...perhaps because they've been around so long (like Morey and Bleu), and have become kind of ubiquitous. Hopefully, we don't take them for granted.
"We're in the broadcast biz where it's ALL about
perspective, David. Sherwood not only WAS good in his day,
he was so good he hasn't been topped. That's why people
keep bringing him up. He remains a standard."
People keep bringing up Don Sherwood because they're old enough to remember him, and childhood memories are always (or nearly always) sweeter than those of today. Two generations of people have grown up not knowing Don Sherwood. I'd wager that you could play his airchecks and younger people would go, "Huh? This guy was popular?"
I, myself, have fond memories of Sherwood. But listening to his airchecks I don't hear a morning show at all. I hear a midnight show. I hear a slow, plodding show filled with some cliches and mugging. I can almost see Sherwood gloating, "See how funny I am!" Frankly, listening to his airchecks left me with a queasy feeling. It was hard to believe that my memory of those days was so different from the reality of the airchecks.
But again, while there currently are no local DJs standing out -- the last was probably Don Rose -- still there are clever, satisfying DJs today.
It seems that the top talen has gone national now. I happen to be a fan of Mancow. I think he's the cat's pajamas.
perspective, David. Sherwood not only WAS good in his day,
he was so good he hasn't been topped. That's why people
keep bringing him up. He remains a standard."
People keep bringing up Don Sherwood because they're old enough to remember him, and childhood memories are always (or nearly always) sweeter than those of today. Two generations of people have grown up not knowing Don Sherwood. I'd wager that you could play his airchecks and younger people would go, "Huh? This guy was popular?"
I, myself, have fond memories of Sherwood. But listening to his airchecks I don't hear a morning show at all. I hear a midnight show. I hear a slow, plodding show filled with some cliches and mugging. I can almost see Sherwood gloating, "See how funny I am!" Frankly, listening to his airchecks left me with a queasy feeling. It was hard to believe that my memory of those days was so different from the reality of the airchecks.
But again, while there currently are no local DJs standing out -- the last was probably Don Rose -- still there are clever, satisfying DJs today.
It seems that the top talen has gone national now. I happen to be a fan of Mancow. I think he's the cat's pajamas.
Geeessshhhhh. Don't put the rude Mancow in the same discussion as Sherwood. That's like comparing Superbad with Othello.
And Dr. Don Rose, a warm and wonderful a man in real life, was not much more than a streaming joke service. I still say Sherwood was a David Letterman for his time. But in fairness, the Sherwood who came out of retirement to try and prop-up a 70s version of "The World's Greatest Radio Station" was beyond his prime and never found his groove.
And Dr. Don Rose, a warm and wonderful a man in real life, was not much more than a streaming joke service. I still say Sherwood was a David Letterman for his time. But in fairness, the Sherwood who came out of retirement to try and prop-up a 70s version of "The World's Greatest Radio Station" was beyond his prime and never found his groove.
It's also really hard to judge an aircheck...I have about 20 of my own and most are uneventful...It seemed whenever you would get everything set up to roll one, you'd either try too hard or be so casual it just sounds kinda ho-hum. It's the body of work that needs to be judged and that is rarely captured in anyone's one aircheck...Those are just 1 day out of a 1,000, and I think if most guys had 100 days out of a 1,000 that they thought were memorable, they'd take it. You're right that the old days always seem better....But I just wonder if you still have an oldies station in 20 years, how many songs from the 1990-2007 years would really qualify or will "lounge acts" still be doing then? When the top concert act is +70 yrs old (Stones), you just have to laugh and shake your head..I'm sure they do.
I too enjoyed listening to John Gilliland in the 1970s and first heard many great comedians on his show. FYI, there is now a Wikipedia page on him at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gilliland. Since this is a wkipedia page, anyone can edit it, so if any of you know anything that should be mentioned there, please add it.
In particular, does anyone here know who the 2 unidentified people are in the "Pop Chronicles" photo at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_Chronicles? (If you do, you could edit in the names there if you like.)
I too remember hearing an edited version of George Carlin's "7 words" but sure don't recall hearing "M--F*&#@." I guess someone must have cleaned up the tape again after they caught that one. Anyway, that's a great story Production Boy. Do you know who the people in the photo are?
In particular, does anyone here know who the 2 unidentified people are in the "Pop Chronicles" photo at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_Chronicles? (If you do, you could edit in the names there if you like.)
Production Boy said:
I too remember hearing an edited version of George Carlin's "7 words" but sure don't recall hearing "M--F*&#@." I guess someone must have cleaned up the tape again after they caught that one. Anyway, that's a great story Production Boy. Do you know who the people in the photo are?
Production Boy: I'm writing an article on Gilliland for the KUCI Website,for which I'd love to get a copy of that article. Do you remember which paper, what date (or even year), what page (or even section)? I ought to be able to get a copy from microfilm, and anything you remember might help me find it.Production Boy said:
tripton99 said:
This is like saying that the Tonight Show monologues are the same.
Dr. Don was unique in his voice, timing, inflection and the ability to make silly jokes funny and part of the flow of the station.
Were he just a joke reader, then anyone with a few bucks could get all the services and be #1 in Market #4.
Sherwood was good, but hardly exceptional. Dr. Don was one of a kind.
DavidEduardo said:
It's interesting that you would pull up this year old thread, David. I have learned a lot from your posts - but given your general obsession with ratings and demographics, and debunking the it' s nice to see that you can engage in some nostalgia.
Dr. Don is a big nostalgia subject for me - because I had just moved to the SF Bay Area in 1973, just a month or two before he joined KFRC. As now, I mostly listened to radio in the car - I commuted from Marin to the East Bay every day in those days in my 67 Plymouth Sport Fury convertible (a land yacht that got about 11 mpg) with an AM only radio. I loved KFRC, but I couldn't believe that they had suddenly replaced the hip and amusing Beau Weaver in morning drive with a guy named Dr. Don Rose. "Doctor?" Who was this incredibly corny mid-American white-bread guy brought in to spout un-hip but rapid fire non-controversial Borscht-belt style jokes in the HIPPEST CITY in the UNIVERSE? What was the Big 610 thinking when they hired this guy?
But within a day or two, I found myself totally engaged in "The Doctor's" schtick, and almost driving off the road from laughing hysterically.
He was one of the best radio personalities ever, in my opinion. On the surface, he was a totally non San Francisco personality. But obviously , he got major ratings for KFRC. I'm curious how Dr. Don fits into your view of radio as a business/
Love Production Boy's recollections on broadcasters we have all
grown up to or heard of. Many of my personal heroes, thanks.
San Francisco has had several "Golden Eras" of Radio, it seems. A
visit to any Broadcast Legends Luncheon
(I don't get to as many of them as I'd like)
reveals many magical eras for listeners --from our own West Coast
Big Band networks, the shows and comedies through the decades
leading up to Top 40, through the amazingly entertaining early days
of KGO, KSFO from mid-50s through mid-60s, the evolutions of rock
on KEWB, KYA, KFRC, the niche formats exposion, and on and on...
I was fortunate enough to work at RKO's stations when they had
nothing but money. We always had new eqiupment and the very best
technicians. The talent line-ups were uncommonly diverse and
professional, both in San Francisco and it's sister stations in
San Diego and L.A. What a fabulous group of stations and people!
What jocks: Sebastion Stone (Ed Phillips), Royce Johnson, Mike
Philllips, Jim Carson, Bob Foster, Joe Conrad, Bobby Dale, Charlie
Van Dyke, Howard Clark, Ed Mitchell, Glen Adams, Eric Chase, Sally
Adams, K.O. Baily, Chuck Browning, Jane Dornacker, Shana, The Slim
One, Jack Armstrong, Mark McKay, Dave Sholin, Sue Hall, and all
the others I just haven't space nor you the patience to continue.
One snapshot, though, this thread inspired; one of the many faces:
I, too, remember Dr Don Rose well.
I was at KFRC when they brought him through the door. Like
LKeller, I was skeptical at first but quickly won over.
He had a face that could only have been shaped by years and years
of being wrapped around a head crammed full of funny thoughts.
Seeing him mulling around the station after a shift on some task,
was to notice he was almost always in motion, limping forward on
that cane, always doing something. His expression was constantly
quizzical; there was never a dead spot in his eyes. One could
almost see the contents of his skull whirring with activity,
interest, one-liners, fun. Talk about a bigger than life guy. You
couldnt help but have a bigger than like affinity for him.
Unseen, but just as much his strength as as his happy heart, was
his wife, Kay. She was a total pro, even in there on contract
negotiations, I believe. DJs and their mates seldom match as
bountifully and complimentary as Don and Kay.
. .
Sure, I'm listening forward to even better radio in the Bay Area as
the Great Wheel continues to spin, corporate greed proves unfruitful, and
real broadcasters get back in the game...
What fun it has been, --Bobby Ocean
grown up to or heard of. Many of my personal heroes, thanks.
San Francisco has had several "Golden Eras" of Radio, it seems. A
visit to any Broadcast Legends Luncheon
(I don't get to as many of them as I'd like)
reveals many magical eras for listeners --from our own West Coast
Big Band networks, the shows and comedies through the decades
leading up to Top 40, through the amazingly entertaining early days
of KGO, KSFO from mid-50s through mid-60s, the evolutions of rock
on KEWB, KYA, KFRC, the niche formats exposion, and on and on...
I was fortunate enough to work at RKO's stations when they had
nothing but money. We always had new eqiupment and the very best
technicians. The talent line-ups were uncommonly diverse and
professional, both in San Francisco and it's sister stations in
San Diego and L.A. What a fabulous group of stations and people!
What jocks: Sebastion Stone (Ed Phillips), Royce Johnson, Mike
Philllips, Jim Carson, Bob Foster, Joe Conrad, Bobby Dale, Charlie
Van Dyke, Howard Clark, Ed Mitchell, Glen Adams, Eric Chase, Sally
Adams, K.O. Baily, Chuck Browning, Jane Dornacker, Shana, The Slim
One, Jack Armstrong, Mark McKay, Dave Sholin, Sue Hall, and all
the others I just haven't space nor you the patience to continue.
One snapshot, though, this thread inspired; one of the many faces:
I, too, remember Dr Don Rose well.
I was at KFRC when they brought him through the door. Like
LKeller, I was skeptical at first but quickly won over.
He had a face that could only have been shaped by years and years
of being wrapped around a head crammed full of funny thoughts.
Seeing him mulling around the station after a shift on some task,
was to notice he was almost always in motion, limping forward on
that cane, always doing something. His expression was constantly
quizzical; there was never a dead spot in his eyes. One could
almost see the contents of his skull whirring with activity,
interest, one-liners, fun. Talk about a bigger than life guy. You
couldnt help but have a bigger than like affinity for him.
Unseen, but just as much his strength as as his happy heart, was
his wife, Kay. She was a total pro, even in there on contract
negotiations, I believe. DJs and their mates seldom match as
bountifully and complimentary as Don and Kay.
. .
Sure, I'm listening forward to even better radio in the Bay Area as
the Great Wheel continues to spin, corporate greed proves unfruitful, and
real broadcasters get back in the game...
What fun it has been, --Bobby Ocean
DavidEduardo said:
I agree. Listening to old Sherwood airchecks I was stunned to find that he wasn't nearly the clever DJ I remembered him being. In fact, he seemed to do a late night show in the mornings, very quiet, and sometimes rambling. Don Rose on the other hand, was always upbeat, and had an uncanny ability to take corny jokes and make people feel good, probably because of his sincerity. You just knew he was a good guy.
Part of the magic of Uncle Don Sherwood had to be that --in those
days of his initial few years-- no one had heard that before.
Radio was much more a respected medium, thought to act in the
public's interest. Aside from comedy shows, the San Francisco
radio audience hadn't before heard any one personality act that
ireverantly on the public airwaves. And, patting themselves on the back
for being so open minded, listeners not only let Sherwood get away
with it, they made him the City's darling.
We had our very own W. C. Fields, even dubbing him "Peck's Bad Boy"
after the fictional newspaper character of some 60 yers hence.
He lived it, and died playing the part. Hard act to follow...
days of his initial few years-- no one had heard that before.
Radio was much more a respected medium, thought to act in the
public's interest. Aside from comedy shows, the San Francisco
radio audience hadn't before heard any one personality act that
ireverantly on the public airwaves. And, patting themselves on the back
for being so open minded, listeners not only let Sherwood get away
with it, they made him the City's darling.
We had our very own W. C. Fields, even dubbing him "Peck's Bad Boy"
after the fictional newspaper character of some 60 yers hence.
He lived it, and died playing the part. Hard act to follow...
J
JEREMIAH
Guest
MY GOOD FRIEND, PRODUCTION BOY, DID A GREAT JOB RELIVING THE GENE AUTRY ..GOLDEN WEST BROADCASTERS ERA AT KSFO...I WANT TO PICK UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF.....
I REPLACED JOHN GILLILAND IN '78 WHEN HE LEFT. I'M ALSO A JG...PEOPLE DID NOTICE THAT. JOHN BABY SAT ME ON MY FIRST NIGHT, JUG OF WINE, INCLUDED.
HE TOLD ME THAT WHEN HE WOKE UP THE MORNING AFTER HE RESIGNED HE SAID "OH MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE" BUT HE STUCK TO IT.
I DID THAT SHOW WITH MINOR CHANGES FOR SIX YEARS AND WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO KEEP IT A STRONG NUMBER THREE IN THE MARKET IN THAT TIME SLOT. AUTRY SOLD IT IN LATE '83 AND WE WERE GONE. DURING THE TIME I WAS THERE THE INEPT MANAGEMENT SCREWED UP THE STATION TO THE POINT THAT MIDDAYS HAD A 1.2 SHARE. MY NIGHT NUMBERS WERE WHAT GAVE THE STATION TOTAL OVERALL DECENT NUMBERS. THE SALES MANAGER WAS QUOTED AS SAYING "WE OUGHT TO KISS JERRY GORDON'S ASS". THEY NEVER DID.
WHEN I GOT THERE, JIM LANGE WAS THE MORNING MAN PULLING A SIX SHARE. NOT BAD. WELL THE STUPID GM'S SON LIKED GENE NELSON, WHO WAS DOING PM DRIVE...SO THEY TOOK LANGE OFF AND GAVE NELSON MORNINGS. OF COURSE NELSON WAS LOBBYING FOR THE JOB. SOME FOLKS SAID HE KNIFED LANGE IN THE BACK. LANGE WAS A SWEETHEART OF A GUY BTW. HE WAS ALSO DOING "DATING GAME" DURING THIS TIME.
NELSON EVENTUALLY LEFT TO GO WITH KING B'CASTING DOWN ON BROADWAY.
NEW BAD MANAGEMENT MADE THINGS EVEN WORSE THAN THE OLD BAD MANAGEMENT. THEY WERE SMART ENOUGH NOT TO **** WITH ME AT NIGHT, EVEN THOUGH THE NEW GM DIDN'T LIKE ME PERSONALLY. I NEVER KISSED ASS.
PRODUCTION BOY WAS MY ENGINEER MANY NIGHTS...WE HAD A BALL WORKING TOGETHER....HIS SENSE OF HUMOR IS KILLER. YEAH, WE HAD ENGINEERS, IT WAS A HEAVY UNION SCENE. HE IS STILL USING HIS GREAT TALENT AND WIT, DOING GREAT STUFF. I WON'T SAY WHERE, MANY OF YOU KNOW ALREADY. BUT IF HE WANTED IT PRINTED HERE HE WOULD HAVE DONE IT HIMSELF.
JUST THOUGHT I'D FILL IN A FEW HOLES IN THE KSFO STORY.
JERRY GORDON KNUU LAS VEGAS [email protected]
I REPLACED JOHN GILLILAND IN '78 WHEN HE LEFT. I'M ALSO A JG...PEOPLE DID NOTICE THAT. JOHN BABY SAT ME ON MY FIRST NIGHT, JUG OF WINE, INCLUDED.
HE TOLD ME THAT WHEN HE WOKE UP THE MORNING AFTER HE RESIGNED HE SAID "OH MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE" BUT HE STUCK TO IT.
I DID THAT SHOW WITH MINOR CHANGES FOR SIX YEARS AND WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO KEEP IT A STRONG NUMBER THREE IN THE MARKET IN THAT TIME SLOT. AUTRY SOLD IT IN LATE '83 AND WE WERE GONE. DURING THE TIME I WAS THERE THE INEPT MANAGEMENT SCREWED UP THE STATION TO THE POINT THAT MIDDAYS HAD A 1.2 SHARE. MY NIGHT NUMBERS WERE WHAT GAVE THE STATION TOTAL OVERALL DECENT NUMBERS. THE SALES MANAGER WAS QUOTED AS SAYING "WE OUGHT TO KISS JERRY GORDON'S ASS". THEY NEVER DID.
WHEN I GOT THERE, JIM LANGE WAS THE MORNING MAN PULLING A SIX SHARE. NOT BAD. WELL THE STUPID GM'S SON LIKED GENE NELSON, WHO WAS DOING PM DRIVE...SO THEY TOOK LANGE OFF AND GAVE NELSON MORNINGS. OF COURSE NELSON WAS LOBBYING FOR THE JOB. SOME FOLKS SAID HE KNIFED LANGE IN THE BACK. LANGE WAS A SWEETHEART OF A GUY BTW. HE WAS ALSO DOING "DATING GAME" DURING THIS TIME.
NELSON EVENTUALLY LEFT TO GO WITH KING B'CASTING DOWN ON BROADWAY.
NEW BAD MANAGEMENT MADE THINGS EVEN WORSE THAN THE OLD BAD MANAGEMENT. THEY WERE SMART ENOUGH NOT TO **** WITH ME AT NIGHT, EVEN THOUGH THE NEW GM DIDN'T LIKE ME PERSONALLY. I NEVER KISSED ASS.
PRODUCTION BOY WAS MY ENGINEER MANY NIGHTS...WE HAD A BALL WORKING TOGETHER....HIS SENSE OF HUMOR IS KILLER. YEAH, WE HAD ENGINEERS, IT WAS A HEAVY UNION SCENE. HE IS STILL USING HIS GREAT TALENT AND WIT, DOING GREAT STUFF. I WON'T SAY WHERE, MANY OF YOU KNOW ALREADY. BUT IF HE WANTED IT PRINTED HERE HE WOULD HAVE DONE IT HIMSELF.
JUST THOUGHT I'D FILL IN A FEW HOLES IN THE KSFO STORY.
JERRY GORDON KNUU LAS VEGAS [email protected]
- Status