Radio Waves Podcast #227

Radio: June 29, 2018

KLOS (95.5 FM) has survived numerous competitors over the years and continues to prove it is still an amazing station and fully worthy of consideration for one of your radio presets.

This week (or last week, depending on when you read this) is a perfect example. Evening DJ Melissa Maxx has been out, so this week they are bringing in guests to handle the 7 p.m. to 12 midnight shift. Included on the guest list is none other than Rita Wilde, formerly heard on The Sound (now KKLQ, 100.3 FM), KEZY (now KGBN, 1190 AM), and of course KLOS. Rita ‘s shift is/was Thursday June 28th.

Jed the Fish of KROQ (106.7 FM) fame was the Monday guest; comedian label owner and Podcast Star Joe Sib Tuesday, and Full Metal Jackie and Munky from the band Korn on Wednesday. As I write this no one was scheduled for Friday but that may change, as this was being put together fairly quickly.

“It feels like completing the circle,” Wilde told me. One her Facebook page, she told went into more detail.

“I can honestly admit that I never thought I would be able to say the phrase " 955 KLOS" on the radio again. I had a wonderful ride at 3321 S. La Cienega and I am grateful for that magical time and my memories.

“Think about it. 955 KLOS has been a consistent presence in Southern California. Musical trends and personalities have changed but KLOS has remained a rock station for most of our lives. It is an iconic brand, a rock in our lives. I am so honored that I was asked by Program Director Keith Cunningham to be a guest DJ.

“I am blessed and grateful.”

The guest slots happen to be set during the station’s annual blood drive, which runs June 27-30 at locations throughout the area. 

All donors will receive a commemorative 37th Annual KLOS Blood Drive T-shirt, a voucher for a free combo meal courtesy of Wahoo’s Fish Taco, a discount ticket offer from the LA Galaxy and a voucher for one ticket to one of numerous concerts including Scorpions and Queensryche; Deep Purple and Judas Priest; Bush, Stone Temple Pilots and The Cult; Kid Rick; and Foreigner with special guests Whitesnake. Tickets are limited, though, so if you’re interested, reserve a spot online at www.955klos.com right away.

Passings

You may not know the name Arnie McClatchey, but if you grew up in 1970s Orange County, you probably heard him ... even if indirectly. He was a personality at KWIZ/Santa Ana (1480 AM) in 1966; in 1967 became programmer at  1190 KEZY/Anaheim and was the man who changed it to a powerhouse top-40 station around 1968. In 1975 he left to program and later purchase KYMS/Santa Ana (now KALI, 106.3 FM), a station he switched to contemporary Christian music -- among the first in the nation -- and was the start of a longtime association with the format.

He purchased KELP/El Paso, Texas in 1984 and moved to the area permanently in 1994. He passed away June 20th at the age of 76.

East Coast transplants know of Dan Ingram. His 50-year career in top-40 and oldies radio was spent on the giants of the East Coast, including WABC and WCBS-FM in New York. His quick wit and biting satire made him among the most popular DJs in the history of New York radio.

He was also known for playing “special” versions of (sometimes annoying” popular songs. Remember Paul Simons’ “Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover?” Ingram’s version was “Fifty Ways to Love Your Leaver.” Paul McCartney’s “My Love Does it Good” became “My Glove Does it Good.” The stuttering on Elton John’s “B-B-B-Benny and the Jets” went on seemingly endlessly. He even re-arranged the letters for the spelling of Saturday in the Bay City Rollers’ “Saturday Night.”

Ingram passed away June 24th at the age of 83.