Radio Waves Podcast #296

This week's episode of the show features an interview with KFI's Mo Kelly.

Radio: April 30

            It was all supposed to happen May 5, 1965.

            One of LA’s oldest radio stations — dating back to 1922 — KHJ (930 AM) had a long history of great programming. But the decade prior to 1965 was not kind. It had gotten so bad that most employees inside the building at 5515 Melrose in Hollywood didn’t think the new team would last any longer than the previous few programming teams. Especially when it was about to enter the tough top-40 competition dominated until then by KFWB (980 AM) and the original KRLA (now KRDC, 1110 AM). 

            Primary figures included station manager Ken DeVaney, programmer Ron Jacobs, and consultants Bill Drake and Gene Chenault; Jacobs Drake and Chenault had battled it out at previous stations in smaller cities, honing their craft. New DJs included morning man Robert W. Morgan and afternoon legend “The Real” Don Steele, who I am told once captured a full 40% of the afternoon listening audience.

            But about a week before the planned launch, new morning man Robert W. Morgan happened to tune into KFWB and heard things he should not have been hearing … like the term “Boss Radio,” a slogan invented by and for KHJ, along with other stolen KHJ ideas. It seems one of the newsmen thought he was going to be fired from KHJ and went to KFWB with the inside information in order to land a job there.

            There is much more to the story, which you can find by searching “KHJ Sneak Preview” on socalradiowaves.com, as well as numerous other places. The short version: the staff decided to launch a week early with a “sneak preview” on what is my best guess, April 27, 1965. The rest is radio history.

            For its brief life as a top-40 station, KHJ was huge. It started big in 1965 — copied at stations from coast to coast — and ended big — the last true top-40 programmer, Chuck Martin, brought back much of the station’s glory, and ratings, right before RKO made a horrendous decision to take the station Country in November, 1980. Between those times, some the world’s best DJs worked behind the microphone, and some of the best programming ever produced came from the little 5000-watt transmitter at Fairfax and Venice Boulevards.

            Last week I asked for your memories of the station. In no particular order, here are a few:

            “ If 56 years ago was 1965 I would be a sophomore in high school and listening to KRLA.  KHJ came on STRONG with the line:  KHJ PLAYS MORE MUSIC.  And I think they did.  At least fewer commercials than we were accustomed to.  And of course…’Tina Delgado is alive, ALIVE’.  Loved the Real Don Steele, he was my favorite. — Mark Edwards, Huntington Beach

            “I have many fond memories of 93/KHJ Boss Radio … They were my go-to radio station to hear all the latest hits.  They had the best music mix — on one radio station you could hear music from artists like Dean Martin and the Rolling Stones played back-to-back; the wide variety of popular music they featured was the greatest.  My sister’s favorite personality was the Real Don Steele, mine was Sam Riddle.  I especially enjoyed tuning in every Wednesday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. to hear him do the Boss 30 countdown, years before Casey Kasem started doing American Top 40.  My sister was once the correct caller to win the Tiny Tim album they were giving away on the Real Don Steele's show!” — Russell Cinque, Jr., Glendale  

            “TINA DELGADO IS ALIVE! ALIVE!” — Pete Whelan

            “Drafted in 1967 and spent almost all of 1968 in Vietnam. I can't tell you how surprised I was to hear the Real Don Steele while stationed there. After spending a little over a month in the Chu Lai hospital I returned to my company where the first sergeant must have felt sorry for me and put me in charge of the enlisted mens club an old tent set up so when beer did arrive I was to find some ice, put the beer in what ever we had, pack them with ice and wait for the guys to return from the days assignments. Not a steady gig but kept me out of the field on occasion.     “Anyway getting back to the subject. Someone brought in a reel to reel player which I hooked up to the generator for the lights, this player came with a few reels. I had everything ready and the men started coming in, I turned on the player and to my surprise I hear 93/KHJ and the Real Don Steele from the station I listened to back home! It did wonders for our morale and would listen to it every chance we had … even those who weren't from L.A. enjoyed it. It even had the commercials, weather and time reports. Nothing like a bit of home to bring smiles to a soldiers face.” — Henry (Teeberry) Barkman (almost everyone had a nickname in Nam)

            “I was only 12 when Boss radio started and was listening to KMEN & KFXM in ‘Berdo.’ KHJ didn't come in very well in San Bernardino. I would have to say Don Steele was my favorite Boss Jock.” — Gary Chenault

            “Memories of KHJ radio for me: CHARLIE TUNA!!  DJs don’t get any better than him! And I was lucky enough to get to meet him at an event, and hang out and be on the radio with him, a few years before his passing … the contests they had! …  you could call in and request your favorite song; they always played it, and sometimes even mentioned your name! … When they played the songs they would sometimes tell something about it or about the group that sang it.” — Michele Cruz, Cypress

            “ I was 9-10 years old when I got my first transistor radio. I would love riding my skateboard on the sidewalks in Newport Beach holding on to the radio, the ONLY station I listened to was Boss Radio. It was a continuous loop of the same hit songs, every hour. The DJ's made the difference, my favorites were Robert W Morgan, Real Don Steele and Charlie Tuna.” — John Keys, La Mirada

            “My dad work for Phillip Yarbrough, (aka Bill Drake) and Gene Chenault for many years. We always had DJ's calling the house, with their deep voices, and Dad loved giving advice. Martoni's was a second home for mom and dad.” — Kelly Torres Hill

            (Martoni’s was a local restaurant where many of the local deejays and other stars would be found)

            “It's hard to pick a favorite but KHJ was always at the top. Top 40 formats can go to blazes, I want Dick Dale, The Stones, The Astronauts, and Tina Delgato! Of course older people always yearn for those memories of their youth, but there is always my turntable and large collection of vinyl! — Chris Coon, Arcadia

            “With my cream-colored Realtone transistor radio, growing up in L.A., I listened to all the Boss jocks on my radio home – KHJ, almost incessantly!  And I have been listening to airchecks recently. The benefit of hindsight makes me appreciate these guys even more than ever, for their intense energy - something you don’t get in today’s radio.  

            “Ridiculed by other jocks as merely “time and temperature jocks,” the Boss jocks successfully “threaded the needle” with short, tight, and witty talk-ups to songs.  To some degree, they had to check their egos at the door - being willing to get out of the way and let us enjoy the music, compared to those other jocks who would ‘pontificate’ about some song or artist. 

            “KHJ: ever in our hearts.” — Gina Tedesco

            “93/KHJ Boss Radio’s ‘Sneak Preview' just happened to debut right on my 15th birthday, April 27th in 1965. It could not have been a better gift to me and all of Boss Angeles! I was immediately impressed with how ‘tight’ it was, from the jingles and the fast pace. It kept sounding better as the years passed. 

            “Of course, the Real Don Steele caught everyone’s ear right from the start, he was one of a kind, but it wasn’t until November of 1967 that I truly found my favorite Boss Jock. When Charlie Tuna joined the Big 93 from WMEX in Boston, he brought another slant and creativity to the format that no one else had done. Humble Harve’s arrival in February of 1967 was spectacular. Although, I was already familiar with his sound from Burbank’s 1500/KBLA, he blended in superbly to the Drake format. 

            “The contests, created by Jacobs, were on a whole different level than anything I had ever heard on KRLA and KFWB. Between those, and mind blowing concerts, I quickly became addicted to it. KHJ, all in all, gave me a feeling that I was always missing something amazing when I wasn’t listening to the station. Their through the roof ratings were well deserved. 

            “Thank goodness for the airchecks because we can still listen to those fun days any time we want! KHJ still RULES!” —  Jeffrey Leonard, Woodland Hills

            “Charlie Tuna, Real Don Steele and Robert W on KHJ … Charlie getting us through our earthquake terrors after the Sylmar quake by talking about lost cat ads and showing up to every local event and opening made me want to go into radio.” — Julie T. Byers, Arcadia

            “KHJ was one of the two AM stations to listen to on a hand-held 9 volt transistor radio in junior high school days (the other was KRLA) … the time they were giving away a car each day.  (Wonder how the economics on that worked out.)  Must have had some effect on me, because I majored in Radio-TV in college. My best memory of KHJ was a visit to the station to meet Charlie Tuna -- truly one of the nice guys of radio. He showed me around, and I also got to see Bill Wade wrap up his shift -- dancing around the studio to some record. Wade was not built for dancing …” — Tim, Corona

            Wow … thank you for the memories!

Radio Waves Podcast #295

 Radio: April 23, 2021

I’ve been a big fan of The Woody Show on Alt 98.7 since soon after it made its debut in April of 2014. Led by Jeff “Woody” Fife, the show is what you get when you put the cynical Woody in charge of a cast of intelligent and fun friends who see life in much the same was I do.

Not sure if that’s good, but I like it.

Unfortunately it’s syndicated now, but still a damn good show. Last week, we found out that the show will be around for at least a few more years, as Fife and friends signed a new contract to take the show through April of 2028. Obviously the station and syndicator like the show as well.  Considering that it consistently ranks among the highest-rated programs among its target demographics, and you can understand why. Woody airs on Alt from 5 to 10 a.m. weekdays, with “best of” segments airing Saturday mornings from 4 to 10.

Amp is now Now!

There was a time when Amp Radio (KAMP, 97.1 FM) was in striking distance of top-40 leader KIIS-FM (102.7). In the past year or so, however, while KIIS-FM itself has underperformed compared with itself in a historical sense — February had the station tied for 9th with a 3.3 share … a far cry from the dominant position it had for so many years — Amp has just about become irrelevant.

There was a time when even AM music stations totally abandoned music formats when ratings dropped below 2.0. Amp hasn’t been as high as, or even close to a 2.0 share in at least six months, and February had it at 1.2. This is the lowest rating I can recall — correct me if I am wrong — for the station in about five formats and four decades … talk, classic rock, adult contemporary, adult top-40, and even country.

Frankly that rating surprises me, but perhaps it should not. Top-40 radio isn’t being done right, as shown by even KIIS-FM’s problems, and the lifeblood of the format — young people — are simply not as interested in radio as are you or I. I personally think it can be fixed easily, and have stated how right here in the past.

The main problem with Amp is that it doesn’t set itself apart from KIIS-FM. Musically? Similar. Personalities? Nothing special. Morning show? Syndicated from out of town and generally lackluster (which pains me to say as they truly seem to be a nice group). 

So how do you fix the station? Pump up the music mix. Find out what kids and young adults want to hear. Either replace the Morning Mess or work with them to connect with the local audience. Get a vibe going with promotions that the target audience wants, and don’t rely on national contests because your owners is too broke or cheap to do something local.

What does the management of Amp do? Change the station name.

Same music. Same personalties. Same dull programming and promotions. But now it’s called 97.1 Now!

Yeah that’ll fix it. Bad on-air IDs always fix bad programming. This has to be a joke.

Launch date for the new name was April 15th, and 97.1 Now! Is “LA’s Party Station.” In a press release, Audacy Regional President Jeff Federman explained, “As more and more Americans receive their COVID-19 vaccine, now is the time for us to safely get back on our feet and get moving with the daily habits we love and miss.

“This rebrand not only embodies the spirit of our return to normalcy, but also the dynamic state of today’s music industry and we’re excited to usher in this new era with our consumers. As LA’s party station, our programming will spotlight the biggest stars in music and deliver a fresh listening experience to our audience no matter the time of day.”

I like the sentiment, but seriously … “Now!” ????? That’s the best they could do?

One on One

I have no clue where I obtained the recording, but on a recent late-night walk, what came up in my iPhone playlist was a recording from August of 1986, featuring the final hours of KFRC/San Francisco as a top-40 station.

For the uninitiated, KFRC was the Bay Area’s version of KHJ (930 AM). Some feel it may have been even better than co-owned KHJ, and it did last about five years longer as a top-40 station than did KHJ.

But the main programming in the early Monday morning featured in the recording was not much music. Instead it was station Music Director Jack Silver taking calls from listeners regarding the station’s impending switch from top-40 to adult standards.

Two things struck me listening to the air check. First - it was recorded from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., and Silver was live … as was the norm back then. Today, no station runs local live programming overnight.

Secondly, the passion of listeners calling in to talk about the death of their favorite station was uplifting in way. Listeners. Passionate. About a radio station. That is unheard of today. Why?  Should that not be the norm?

“Don’t let your radio stations be stagnant” Silver begins as his parting shot a bit before 6 a.m.  “More music, less talk is bull; fifteen in a row commercial-free is bull,” he continues just prior to playing the last two songs. “You’ve got to make sure that they talk to you … one on one.”

The last song played? “Lights" by Journey … a song about San Francisco that was used in a television commercial for the legendary station. Somehow it just worked.

Speaking of KHJ

Next Tuesday at 3 p.m. marks the 56th anniversary of the birth of the Boss … the Sneak Preview that launched with the Real Don Steele that afternoon that marked the beginning of what would prove to be one of the most successful and influential radio stations in the history of radio. 

In recognition of that event, as well as the fact that the station is now celebrating 99 years on the air, I want to put you in charge of the next column… what are your memories of KHJ as a top-40 station, or even of its earlier incarnations prior to the big change? What personalities did you like the most? What attracted you to the Boss sound … or what drove you away? 

Your responses next week

Radio Waves Podcast #294

Radio: April 16

My column on KROQ’s new(er) morning show and there station’s “two minute pledge” didn’t necessarily settle any arguments, but brought in some good responses from you. Witness:

"I agree with you 100% on this. I would be far more likely to stay with a station that announced how long the ads would last (esp. 1-2 minutes!) with a promise of another set of music to come.

“And speaking of insufferable ‘tune outs,’ KRTH's ill-conceived and heinous promo featuring listeners repeating ‘KRTH101’ as fast as possible for a minute (?) to win a prize is like fingernails on a blackboard to me. Even the ads for the promo cause my tune out finger to move like lightning and punch up another station - ANY other station! And I don't go back until the next day.” — Joe Lanning

I know the feeling. Sometimes I do wonder if programmers actually listen to their own stations. My hunch these days … rarely. No time.

“I can't agree with you more. I either turn the volume down or change the station when the ads come on.  Another thing I do is listen to Sirius Radio where the commercials are minimal.” — Oliver Grani

“I'm on board with you regarding commercial breaks. The longer they go the more frustrated I get. It truly ruins the flow of a show/broadcast. It’s not unlike TV. I find myself recording a vast majority of programs simply so I can fast forward thru the litany of commercials. Less is more.” — Frank Rizzo

That’s a major problem. As stations added commercials to each hour in order the raise revenue, advertisers realized that their ads were not being heard and caused a lowering of ad rates … the net effect being lowered revenue overall and listeners tuning out the long breaks. Not a good move, and what KROQ is trying to fix.

As I said before, I think the plan can be made to work but it will take time to get listeners to change their habits. Does any station have the time and patience?Is there an alternative?

“I enjoyed your column on KROQ. What used to make KROQ so good was the music and the concerts they put on. The music was alternative, new, and rocking! Devo, Clash, Specials, Echo and the Bunnymen. And in the 90's,  Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice n Chains...and Lollapalooza's.

“Today, rock music is practically dead, and the music on KROQ is terrible with a couple exceptions. Commercials mean switch the channel. 

“The Woody Show...is a bunch of 50 and 60 somethings trying to be funny. Fake laughs, predictable gags, and that crappy music to fuel them.

  “I prefer Sirius, Pandora, Records, and YouTube.” — Joe Nevis

Before they were news

David Schwartz, currently with cable television’s Game Show Network; formerly with the originally KRLA (now KRDC, 1110 AM) sent along a real gem. It’s five minutes short of an hour of programming from our own KNX (1070 AM) beginning just before 10:30 a.m. on November 22, 1963. 

This was prior to the station’s move to all-news. Back then it was a variety format, with many different shows, many of which were recorded.

As it explained in the description, President Kennedy was shot at exactly 10:30 a.m. Pacific time in Dallas Texas, adding “The first KNX bulletins interrupt Arthur Godfrey's show, which had been pre-recorded just a few hours before.”

You can listen via YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR17uOVMDhI

The Mighty 690

“In your Friday Column you wrote about XEPRS, a 50K watt station from a suburb of Tijuana.  What ever happened to XETRA the 50K radio station from Tijuana.  I remember listening to it as a kid in the 50s in Blythe along with other 50K watt stations.  Their station ID breaks were distinctive, being pronounced in Spanish.” — Leslie Venable

That’s a good question, and it has a nice connection due to 1090’s use of the “Mightier” handle, an obvious reference to The Mighty 690 name that XETRA used under numerous formats.

690 AM is still around, and they still broadcast from Tijuana. What is perhaps a sign of the various ethnic groups that make up our area, 690 is now XEWW, broadcasting from Tijuana, with studios in Burbank, carrying a format of Chinese-language music in the dialects of Mandarin and Cantonese.

Radio Waves Podcast #293

Radio: April 9, 2021

The King is dead. Long live the King.

Just as when the former Clear Channel radio group changed its name to iHeart in order to solve all of its self-created problems, Entercom has decided to become Audacy.

Audacy: audio, audacious, and an odyssey, according to company CEO David Field.

Sure. Whatever you say, David.

The name change was not unexpected, as Entercom pretty much destroyed itself — just as iHeart did — by overextending itself through buying too many stations, then trying to handle crushing debt by cutting talent, promotions, and salespeople. Kind of the exact opposite of what they should have done, which was to build up stations through better programming, better promotions, and a focus on what local listeners want to hear.

Instead, they changed the name. The radio equivalent of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The new Audacy has no more chance of surviving longterm than did Entercom. I won’t be shedding any tears.

Mark Elliot Passes

Former KHJ (930 AM) morning man and former voice of KRTH (101.1 FM) Charlie Van Dyke posted on Facebook April 4th that his good friend Mark Elliot passed away. No other details were available.

If you grew up in Southern California in the early to mid 1970s, you know Mark Elliot. His smooth delivery and amazing “pipes” made him one of the best DJs on the station at the time. He could do anything. But he got tired of radio, and he decided to move into doing VoiceOver work, in which he was tremendously successful.

Ken Levine wrote about Elliot’s career change in his blog; read it at http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-to-break-into-voice-overs-without.html.

Prior to landing at KHJ, Elliot was a jock on KFRC/San Francisco, which was KHJ’s sister station in the Bay Area. While still in radio, Elliot hoisted the Weekly Top-30, an alternative to American Top-40 (that Elliot filled in as host for Casey Kasem at times), that aired — as I recall — on KHJ and later K-WEST (now KPWR, 105.9 FM) when that station was top-40. The Weekly Top-30 was produced from 1979 - 1982.

The primary voice for Disney productions from 1983 - 2008, Elliot also did voiceover work for CBS Television and Fox, numerous movie trailers even outside of Disney, and commercials. In other words, you probably heard him without realizing it, no matter where you were.

But I will always remember him as a super-nice guy who had arguably one of the best deliveries ever to be heard on KHJ. Here’s a short sample: https://airchexx.com/charlie-van-dyke-mark-elliot-93khj-los-angeles-june-18-1976. Elliot begins at about 5:25.

Kaplan and Crew TV

The border-blaster that was once the home of Wolfman Jack and is currently sports-formatted The Mightier 1090 (XEPRS, 1090 AM) is venturing into television.

OK, I’m stretching it a bit, as the station itself is not moving to television. But 3 - 6 p.m. afternoon show Kaplan and Crew — hosted by Scott Kaplan and featuring Alex Padilla and John Browner — is making the move, with a nightly Kaplan and Crew Tonight show, which can be found from 7-8 p.m. on Cox Cable Television’s Channel 4 and 1004 in San Diego and Santa Barbara, along with Channel 118 on Cox systems in Orange County and Palos Verdes.

The television edition made its debut on March 29th, and features two “best of” segments from each day’s radio broadcast with other elements added as time permits. I have not seen it myself, as I am not a Cox cable subscriber, but the XEPRS signal, 50,000 watts from a suburb of Tijuana, Mexico, reaches much of Los Angeles County as clearly as a local … so I — and you — can tune in to the radio show easily. 

Veteran talk host Bill Moran, formerly heard on KABC (790 AM), KFI (640 AM) and KGIL (now KMZT, 1260 AM), called to tell me about a podcast series he recently launched. Called “The Golden Mic Experience,” the program features residents of The Village at Northridge — a senior living community in Northridge, California — talking with Moran about their most intimate memories, sharing words of wisdom developed throughout their lives, and reveling sometimes deep secrets.

From dating at the age of 79 to stories of Holocaust survival and more, featured residents tell their stories. In episode one, 90-year young Norma Yaegar, author of Breaking Down the Walls, spoke of  her experience entering the male-dominated world of finance and telling the story of her walking the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, the first woman to do so.

Episode two features Gloria Sands telling her experiences as a mid-century model, giving listeners an inside look on what to was like to be a popular and successful advertising model during the “Mad Men” era.

“It’s a show that covers issues important to senior citizens,” says Moran, “but is so much more. It’s also a way to save these fascinating stories for future generations as well as link families together.”

Interested? Head over to srglive.com or search for The Golden Mic Experience on Spotify.Com.

 

Radio Waves Podcast #292

 Radio: April 2, 2021

It’s been a while since I wrote about (Ted) Stryker and (Kevin) Klein, who made a name for themselves working together in the afternoon on KROQ (106.7 FM) only to be thrown into the hyper-competitive morning slot … replacing the remnants of the Kevin and Bean Show that ran for over a quarter century.

Not only were they replacing a legendary show, though an injured version since Gene “Bean” Baxter had left Kevin Ryder to do it alone until he and the rest of the team was let go. They also had to launch the morning version of the show during a pandemic in which they had to do it from their individual homes in individual studios - hardly the easiest way to get a vibe going.

The early days of Stryker and Klein mornings were not good. In spite of having a chemistry built up over time in the afternoon, the combined pressure of mornings and the challenges of the pandemic made for a show that sounded overly rehearsed. For all I know it was rehearsed with segments pre-recorded. But over time, they have settled into once again being the great team they are.

The chemistry between the two is perfect. They sound like — and I assume are — good friends. In fact, listening to them is like listening to your own friends talk. Crude? No. Well, usually no. Fun? Yes. And with music thrown in as well.

How does it differ from Alt 98.7 FM’s Woody Show? Much like the days when Kevin and Bean on KROQ were compared with Mark and Brian on KLOS (95.5 FM) , they are very similar. Perhaps fewer regular bits. Slightly different music. Both are tremendously entertaining, and choosing the best can perhaps best be decided by the topics of conversation for the day.

Not that everything is perfect. One bit they do run weekly (Fridays)  is The Stryker Awards, in which they highlight the bloopers of the week as made by the team. What should be one of the best bits of the show turns out to be as grating as fingernails on a chalkboard due to a sound bite played about 100 times too often, ending with “Strikeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.” It is an absolute tune-out; the program director truly should destroy the recording and forbid it from ever being played on the station again. It is that annoying. That awful. And it plays about every five seconds during the segment.

That being said, outside of the segment that should be good, it’s among the best morning shows in town right now, one that for the most part you wouldn’t mind your kids overhearing. Give it a shot.

Speaking of KROQ

I want your opinion. For years, I have railed against long commercial breaks. My thinking is that long sets of commercials are a huge tune-out, running long sets lowers the value to advertisers as their ads are lost in a cluster, and if done right, short breaks with well-produced ads won’t (necessarily) be a tune-out. As commercials get more notice, ad rates can go up, bringing in more revenue due to the ads being more effective. Essentially, a win-win-win for the station, advertisers and listeners alike.

KROQ is basically trying my plan. Commercial breaks are no more than two minutes (still 30 seconds to one minute longer than my ideal, but better than the 5-7 minutes often run elsewhere). But one observer told me that the two-minute promise, as it is called, is actually hurting the station.

Why? People are just used to long breaks, so they tune out as soon as ads start. Essentially, listeners need to be retrained, and KROQ is wasting valuable air time promoting the commercial promise rather than other elements of the station: music, personalities, whatever.

While they may be using too much time promoting the promise (you could go with a simple announcement like “now up to 56 minutes of music an hour” or “back to the music faster” as done by stations of the past) but I still believe the idea to be sound. When I listen to KROQ lately, I am not included to hit the button any more … by the time I think of it, the break is over.

What do you think? Do you like longer breaks allowing for more uninterrupted music sets, or are 15-minute music sets with just two minutes of commercials better? Let me know … good thoughts will appear here.

King Concert

Online mellow rocker KNXFM93.com — available on-line or via smart speakers and phone apps — is featuring another in its continuing series of concerts as originally heard on the old KNX-FM (now Jack-FM).

This time it’s Carole King and friends “recorded live over space and time.” According to the station announcement, “you’ll hear Carole in her prime doing many of her classic songs … just like a front row seat.” It will air on the internet station Saturday, April 10th at 5 p.m. and repeat on Sunday, April 11 at 12 noon. For more information, visit the station website.

Radio Waves Podcast #291

 Radio: March 26, 2021

Is it fair to compare podcasting with broadcast radio? In a word, no. The two are totally different animals, with broadcasting by definition attempting to reach a broad audience and the podcast designed to appeal — at least as is usually done currently — to a very narrow, specialized audience.

There are exceptions, and sometimes the lines do blur. Ben Shapiro’s radio show heard from 3-5 p.m. on KABC (790 AM)? That’s actually a rebroadcast of his podcast you can hear every morning on line. And that is but one example.

But in general, as radio has abandoned much of its local focus, and with so many stations not even running public affairs programming at all any more, podcasting has come in to fill the gap.

You can listen to podcasts produced by Trader Joes, talking about products the store carries. Mike Stark and I do a weekly podcast talking about radio, usually promoting this very column. There are podcasts about music, concerts, business … just about anything.

Paul Roberts saw the potential of podcasting years ago. Struck by the fact that Orange County no longer has a local mass appeal radio station, he launched OC Talk Radio in 2010, available at octalkradio.biz.

At its launch, it was basically an experiment in a new form of media. Indeed, the term podcasting had only been in use for about six years, and podcasts were often far from professional. Roberts wanted to change that, and he realized that he could provide — via his network — a voice for Orange County.

He calls it a community radio station, though it is not “on” the radio. Or at least regular radio. But many feel the future of radio is on the internet, and podcasting may drive the move. More on that a little later.

Unlike other podcast distributors, not only does OC Talk Radio stream programming on demand, but Tuesdays through Fridays the online station broadcasts programming live from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Shows range from business, to religion to Women in Electronics. And everything in between and around, such as Impact OC, hosted by Dawn Kamber, which highlights people, businesses and organizations making a positive impact on the County.

In some ways it is like the very early days of radio in which programs were sponsored by individuals or companies trying to promote their ideas or products. You can hear the programs online at the website, or through such apps and services as iTunes, and you can subscribe so that you’re notified when a new show you’re interested in becomes available.

Check it out and tell me what you think.

The Next Limbaugh

He’s not really a replacement, as you can’t truly find a new host for The Rush Limbaugh Show. But with stations facing a hole in programming following Limbaugh’s death last month, and his former distributor lacking a clear plan moving forward, the rush is on, so to speak, to find programming that will fill the void.

With that in mind, podcaster and Fox News contributor Dan Bongino, who’s podcast has been carried on KABC (790 AM) from 5-6 p.m. weekdays, has been selected to host a show in Limbaugh;s time slot of 9 a.m. to 12 noon weekdays. 

To be clear, the program is not a replacement for Limbaugh’s. It’s actually a competing show designed to strike while opportunity is knocking. It will launch on May 24th, and will be carried in a handful of markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Washington D.C.

In Los Angeles, the good money is that it will be carried on KABC, seeing that the show is being distributed by Westwood One … which is owned by Cumulus Media, the same company that owns KABC.

In the meantime, Limbaugh’s show is still airing with guest hosts and “best of” recordings of “Rushbo” himself. This will continue while distributor Premiere Networks figures out a plan.

Online Rocks

I mentioned earlier that some people think online radio may just be the future of radio. And they may be right. Considering that it is almost impossible to find new rock music on the local airwaves, I’ve been using my iPhone and my HomePod to listen to various stations such as Rock 108 out of Waterloo, Iowa. It’s an Active Rock station not limited to a particular genre, and to my ears quite good.

I’ve mentioned this station before … it is among my favorites. I seem to always catch the Hard Drive XL show as I walk at night, which I find well worth the listen. I’m not sure how they do it, but ads heard in the stream include at least one local business based in Torrance, California.

Anyway, as apps and smart speakers get easier and easier to use, it is very possible that radio will indeed make its way onto the internet. And not just as a repeat of the broadcast radio signal. Is it possible that upcoming technologies will allow internet radio to reach the same potential audience as a standard broadcast? Meaning millions of potential listeners, not just a few thousand as currently thought?

I posed that question to master radio and audio engineer Greg Ogonowski, said to be the guy who could make an AM signal sound as good as FM and the man behind the fantastic app Streams HiFi Audio, perhaps the best-sounding streaming audio app in existence. He said it is indeed possible, And not in the future … now. New programs and standards are already in place that would allow this, and I’ll have full details in a future column. Stay tuned.

Radio Waves Podcast #290

 Radio: March 19, 2021

Several local radio stations were big winners in the annual Golden Mike competition, presented by the Radio and Television News Association of Southern California. This includes Best Newscast awards for KNX (1070 AM) and KFI (640 AM), with the former winning in the category for newscasts over 15 Minutes in length, and the latter winning the award for newscasts under 15 Minutes.

But that’s not all for the two popular stations. KNX also won in the categories of Best Traffic Report, Best Live Coverage of a News Story (Division A), Best Business and Consumer Reporting, KFI, meanwhile, won for Best Continuing News Coverage, Best Documentary, Best News Reporting (Division A), Best Light Feature Reporting (Less than One Minute), Best News Special, Best Internet News Reporting, and Best Podcast.

KLAC (570 AM) took two awards in Best Sports Segment and Best Sports Reporting; KCRW (89.9 FM) claimed two in Best Hard News Series Reporting and Best Use of Sound (Division A); KPCC (89.3 FM) also won two in Best News Public Affairs Program and Best Government and Political Reporting (Division A).

KCLU (88.3 FM) in Thousand Oaks took three awards: Best Live Coverage of a News Story (Division B) , Best News Reporting (Division B), Best Light Feature Reporting (One Minute or Longer), Best Entertainment Reporting, Best Government and Political Reporting (Division B), and Best Use of Sound (Division B).

The two divisions, A and B, relate to the size of the station, with Division B referring to stations or podcasts with five or fewer full-time news staff members.

The category of Best Medical and Science Reporting (Division A) was won by a podcast, inewsource.

Golden Mikes are the longest-running broadcast news awards in the country, and are quite distinguished as judges include some of the top journalists in the country. Due to the pandemic, the awards were presented in a live-stream show on March 13th; you can watch the presentation ceremony and get more information on the awards and categories by visiting RTNA.org.

Helping Hand

KLOS (95.5 FM) and the station’s loyal listeners united to raise money benefiting St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital during a two-day on-air radiation held March 11th and 12th. In its 4th Annual St. Jude Rocks radiation, the station raised more than $880,000.

The two-day radio broadcast featured the participation of rock celebrities like Gene Simmons, Metallica, Dirty Honey and Daughtry. Sister stations to KLOS even got involved, with  Power 106 FM, KDAY (93.5 FM), and the new KALI (93.9 FM) rallying their listeners for the radiothon.

“Everyone stepped up in a huge way,” KLOS programmer Keith Cunningham told me, including the entire Meruelo Media stations in Los Angeles. Personalities encouraged fans to make a monthly commitment to St. Jude as a Partner in Hope to receive a “We Won’t Stop” t-shirt, a custom KLOS “St. Jude Rocks” t-shirt, and then snap photos wearing them using #StJudeWontStop on social media. 

Still At It

For over 30 years, Royal Oakes has provided commentary on America's most talked about legal cases to national and local broadcast media. He's appeared nationally on the syndicated programs "Inside Edition," "Extra" and "Access Hollywood." He’s also served as Legal Analyst for Los Angeles television station KNBC Channel 4, KABC (790 AM) and KFWB  (980 AM) All-News Radio. As an ABC News Legal Analyst, he contributes to network radio news broadcasts, and to ABC's Good Morning America.

Now he’s doing a new feature, and can be heard on affiliates to Benztown, a radio imaging and production company. Called "It's the Law," the one-minute short form feature provides Oakes' topical daily legal analysis and insights about laws -- controversial and otherwise -- that affect Americans. The feature presents Oakes' legal analysis and updates in an information-packed format, and is available to all Benztown News Library users for airing Monday through Friday.

This new segment is in addition to his work with “Bunker Diaries,” a 60-second spot airing locally on KABC, as well as KOMO/Seattle and KTRS/St. Louis. “It’s a labor of love,” Oakes told me “It takes me back to the 20-year run I had on KFWB with the one-minute spot, “KFWB Legal Adviser.”

Oakes is a Capital Partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP in Los Angeles.