Radio Waves Podcast #308

 Radio: August 27, 2021

Low-power FM radio stations are tough to come by in Southern California. Not that there is no interest in launching them, and not that there actually aren’t any. The problem is that commercial stations in San Diego, Riverside, Orange, Los Angeles, and even Santa Barbara counties fill every available frequency, and the weather often allows the commercial stations to cover vast areas … meaning that supposedly distant stations can overpower the low-power FM station even it’s licensed area.

Add to that the fact that the LPFMs, as they are called, cannot run commercial advertisements, and you have a situation where a hard-to-find station usually cannot support a budget allowing it to get the word out on its existence.

Of course the whole idea of LPFMs only came about because the FCC allowed the educational band of full-powered stations to stray from its intent of serving local communities, along with allowing huge conglomerates to take control of the rest of the band such that few stations program to a local audience. But I digress.

As I said, though, there are a few LPFMs around. Among them is one I just discovered, quite by accident, due in part to the odd weather conditions near my house.

I happened to be testing out my “new” car stereo — a Kenwood removed from my wife’s car — when I happened upon a station at 90.3 FM. Of course I know 90.3, and you may as well. It’s XHITZ, broadcasting from just South of the border with a transmitter in Tijuana, Mexico. I used to listen long ago when it was a good rock station, with such DJs as Bill Hergonson.

But this time I wasn’t hearing top-40 music as the station now plays. It was oldies, primarily from the 1960s, along with some old-school from the ‘70s and ‘80s. And I wasn’t hearing commercials. Did XHITZ change into something different? Then I heard the top-of-the-hour ID: KLIE/Fountain Valley: Radio Suerte.

It’s apparently not a new station, as it received special recognition from the United States Congress in 2019 even though RadioLocator.com says the license was granted in January of 2021. Either way it is new to me, primarily due to atmospheric conditions that blocked XHITZ and allowed its 90-watts of power to reach me as I was driving around upper San Pedro last weekend.

The station is bilingual, English and Spanish, but the music is the language it speaks. Songs — and occasionally versions of songs — you haven’t heard for a while are the stars. Station CEO Maria Luisa Luna puts it this way, as an introduction of the station website (radiosuerte.com): “Radio Suerte is like no other station you have heard. We are the first bilingual station bringing you golden hits, playing jewels from the 60's - 70's -80's and 90's. We pride ourselves in playing music the whole family can hear.”

I wouldn’t be surprised if Maria grew up with the original KRLA (now KRDC, 1110 AM) or even the Chuck Martin-programmed KHJ (930 AM) circa 1979-80, which did the same thing. KRLA in particular, when the legendary Art Laboe was involved, created a format often listened to by multiple generations in families.

The station is downright fun. And you can hear it at radiosuerte.com by clicking on the player link on the main page.

HD Update

HD Radio, the digital radio broadcasting system authorized in the United States, had its genesis as a way to improve the sound of AM radio. Yet the state of HD on AM is dismal, at least in Southern California. While almost every FM station in town uses HD to add extra channels (that they rarely promote) and hopefully improve fidelity if heard over an HD Radio tuner, there are only two HD AM stations left that I know of — KBRT (740 AM) and KMZT (1260 AM).

Why did KFI (640 AM), KABC (790 AM), KFWB (980 AM), and KNX (1070 AM) turn off the HD? A KFI spokesperson told me it had to do with a listener in the fringe reception areas annoyed by the drastic sound change when the station switched between analog and HD. I’m not sure about the other stations, but for those of us with HD Radios, it is unfortunate - the sound quality and lack of background noise is striking compared with typical analog.

But perhaps it doesn’t matter, as the future of AM radio — or perhaps radio in general — may be online. Between online internet access, smartphone apps, smart speakers and the like, the value of HD on AM or even FM is somewhat diminished. AM stations sound great via apps, and you can listen to distant stations with ease. 

I’m not ready to say AM and FM over the regular airwaves are dead, but it’s an interesting thought. What are your views?

Tuna on the AM and FM

Charlie Tuna from August 23, 1976 is the star of KIIS AM and FM on a recent MixCloud addition. The short segment features a full newscast, and a reminder that the station was not known as “kiss” back then … it was still K-double I-S, including the jingles that have a groovy soul-full “AM and FM” vocal a part of the package. Also included: a montage of Neil Diamond songs that the station custom assembled. Tuna, as always, sounds great … though he isn’t heard nearly enough.

Hear it at https://www.mixcloud.com/retroradiojoe/kiis-fm-los-angeles-charlie-tuna-8-23-1976/

Radio Waves Podcast #307

 Radio: August 20, 2021

The tremendously accurate recreation of Mellow Sound KNX-FM (now KCBS-FM, 93.1) that was so popular in the 1970s and part of the ‘80s — KNXFM93.com — has another special in store.

Saturday at 5 p.m. and again Sunday at 12 noon (Pacific time), the popular internet station will present 90 minutes of Linda Ronstadt recorded live “over space and time,” says station spokesman and producer Douglas Brown. What he means is that it’s not one concert on one date but a combination of her best performances — and those of some of her friends — recorded over the years and in different venues. Perhaps you were at some of the concerts yourself.

It’s another of the station’s “In Concert” series, and it’s available only inline via the internet, your smartphone using a radio app, or your smart speaker when you say tell Siri, Google or Alexa to “play knxfm93 on TuneIn Radio.”

If you haven’t sampled it yet, by the way, you owe it to yourself to do so. The music mix is huge, and the presentation is top-notch, from the jingles, to the announcements, to the all-new Odyssey File. If you weren’t paying attention to the fact that they run no commercials, you’d swear you were hearing the original KNX-FM. 

Honestly,  I am not sure why someone doesn’t put the format on the traditional radio airwaves. 

DJ Denning

Country artist Travis Denning is performing October 12th at the Greek Theater as part of the Brothers Osborne “We’re Not For Everyone” tour. In celebration, Go Country 105 (105.1 FM) is giving away tickets all this month and giving Denning control of the Go Country airwaves weekdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through the end of the month as the August mid-day guest host.

The station is also giving away tickets to the concert, which are actually possible to win being that the contest is for local listeners, not nationwide like so many cheap discount huge corporate-owned competing stations. You know which stations I mean … 

Speaking of Go Country, station owner Saul Levine is a huge lover of animals and has spent many years promoting and supporting the adoption of shelter animals. He and the station promote the adoptions right on the website, GoCountry105.com.

Valley Fest

Independent 88.5 FM invites you to join them for an evening of great food, fun, and live entertainment as you support local small businesses. It’s called The Valley Fest, and it will be held on Saturday, August 28th from 5 - 10 p.m.

The station calls it an assembly of “hidden gems,” featuring food, brewers, artists, creators, and entertainers. Registration needs to be done through Eventbrite; find information and a link to register at the station website, 885fm.org. The event is sponsored by 88.5 FM, The 818 Insider, and Westfield Topanga and the Village

What is 88.5, you ask? Quite simply a hidden gem itself. Over the air, I think the signal reaches about 27 people … maybe 28. But you can listen online at the website or via your smartphone or smart speaker. One of the few stations that plays new music and new artists, albeit on the adult alternative light-rock side. Definitely worth searching out. It is a service of Cal State Northridge and Saddleback College.

Takeover

Want your 15 minutes of fame? Want to be on KIIS-FM (102.7)? Get both by nominating yourself for Takeover Tuesdays, winners are announced Tuesdays at 2 PM.

Shy? Nominate your friend. Sketchy details are at kiisfm.com.

Radio Waves Podcast #306

 Radio: August 13, 2021

AllAccess.com broke the news that Garry Meier — perhaps best known for his many years paired with Steve Dahl on WLS, WLUP and WLUP-FM in Chicago — has started hosting a new show on KABC (790 AM) Sunday nights at 10:00.

As half of the Steve and Garry Show on WLUP, Meier was part of the WLUP Disco Demolition Night held in July of 1979 which was originally conceived as a publicity stunt for the station to “end disco once and for all.” What ended up happening is that the event, held between games of a doubleheader between the Chicago White Sox and the visiting Detroit Tigers, got out of hand when fans stormed the field after the records were blown up, and refused to leave. The second game of the day was first postponed and later ruled a forfeit win for the Tigers.

It was perhaps one of the most notorious radio events of the decade, with news coverage all across the country.

A member of the Chicago Radio Hall of Fame, Meier’s one-hour program  is a lighthearted look at the news and current events … no particular topic is to be discussed or not discussed. The program is also available as a podcast on the KABC.com website.

Speaking of KABC

The station is placing the daily 1 p.m. Doctor Hour — among the highest-rated hours of its broadcast day — on hiatus, “officially” in order to devote time to covering the issues behind the recall of Gavin Newsom. The hour — one third of John Philip’s noon - 3 p.m. weekday program (formerly) airing at 1:00 — is expected to return after the election.

But it won’t necessarily return with Dr. Kelly Victory, the primary and most popular guest on the segment and someone who has been with the station for almost seven years as the go-to expert when public health issues arise. For the past year and a half, Victory has been on the air almost daily weekdays taking calls and answering questions for all things Covid-19.

“After 18 months of donating my time, five days a week, to be the voice of calm and reason on KABC, they called me recently and said they are canceling the hour. They are ‘worried about any negative information about the vaccines.’”

Part of that worry is a corporate culture that lives at the major mega-corp radio companies like KABC owner Cumulus. Cumulus talk host Phil Valentine, heard on 30 affiliates nationwide, was an outspoken anti-vaccine proponent until he became ill with Covid-19 and was placed on a ventilator in late July. The worry, says observers, is listener or regulatory backlash due to the nature of the discussions and public policy.

That’s a bit hard to understand in this case, though. Victory is far from anti-vaccine, though she believes in presenting information and letting people make the risk-benefit decision themselves. She thinks that is exactly the problem.

“I always present a balanced view when I do these segments, whether on KABC or elsewhere,” says Victory, an emergency trauma expert and public health specialist. Part of her expertise is on disaster preparedness and response. “If I can’t speak the truth, then my job is over,” she told me, adding that she always strives to be calm, balanced and measured.

“You can’t make good decisions out of fear,” Kelly said.

Her decision right now is to seek out a different platform to help spread accurate information and help people make informed decisions. “My mission hasn’t changed.” But it does apparently signal a split from KABC, with Kelly stating that she won’t return unless she gets a guarantee that she can say what she believes as truth. My hunch is that she’ll return to the local airwaves, but on a different station. “I’m not going to sign up to be censored.”

“Virtue untested is no virtue at all,” Kelly told me, reflecting on what she feels is the station dropping the segment due to perceived pressure from outside. “I broadcast from the ICU when I was in the hospital – as a patient, rearranged flights and travel plans to accommodate the show, and was on the air almost every day for 18 months — as a volunteer — just to help people out.”

It’s unfortunate, as the doctor hour is definitely one of the best hours on the radio. Hopefully it will be back on the air sooner than later. Somewhere.

Letterbag

“I'm a dedicated listener to Swing Time and I can't find any information about why Johnny Magnus will no longer be hosting. Can you enlighten me?” — Frank Coffey

“Good morning from West Hills!! Did Johnny Magnus leave… there’s a new guy on the air this morning!” — John Del Gatto

“Do you know what happened to Johnny Magnus on K-Jazz?  I don't understand why DJ changes are so secretive.” —  Alex Nigian

It appears to just be a change, with longtime radio personality and programmer Chuck Southcott taking over the Swing Time program from former host Johnny Magnus. Like Magnus, Southcott is an expert on the genre, and can be heard from 7-10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays on KKJZ (88.1 FM). Southcott tells me he loves playing the music once again. 

I am told that the health of Magnus is not an issue. 

“I have been searching the airwaves for a station to take the place of 1260AM when classical music replaced the oldies.  I found it at 88.1 FM coming out of  Cal State University at Long Beach.  They play some jazz and a good mix other stuff and very little talk.  Love it!” — Katherine Samuelsen

Interesting replacement, aside from the difference in music. Saul Levine of 1260 also runs 88.1 — they even use his studios in West LA for the programming.

By the way, the oldies formerly found on 1260 AM can still be heard at LAOldies.com, as well as via phone apps and smart speakers, and on HD radios (KKGO HD2).

Radio Waves Podcast #305

 Kevin Ryder responds to KROQ column, talks connection to listeners of the World Famous 106.7

The mail was almost 100% in agreement with my commentary last week on KROQ’s (106.7 FM) has-been status. Only one letter disagreed, and it pointed to a website of supposed radio insiders who disagreed. I am absolutely wrong, they all said.

I know them well. I call them the corporate radio apologists. They will defend to the death what iHeart, Audacy and Cumulus have done to radio, which is to send listeners to alternative sources such as Apple Music and Spotify, make radio a background entertainment service minimizing ad rates and station value, and, in general, make radio less important in the lives of people.

You, on the other hand, said this:

“Unfortunately the state of radio is more concerned with the bottom line instead of evolving a brand into the tech era. “ — Don A

“You nailed it. Good job. It's about time.” — Max Tolkoff

“Been listening to KROQ since their AM days. Regarding your brief article, they let go of all their talent. I could list them but you know who they are starting with Ralph and Lisa. I finally cut the cord and now listen to KLOS. Feels like the old days with Kevin Ryder and other familiar voices. I love Heidi and Frank. Feels like the old days just with (expletive deleted) music, but that's what my music library is for.” — Scott W

Kevin Ryder, who spent 30 years waking up Los Angeles on the Kevin and Bean morning show on KROQ — and currently heard doing afternoons on KLOS (95.5 FM) as half of Kevin and Sluggo — agreed with my analysis.

“I didn’t understand the level of connection that you can have with listeners. I had no idea,” Ryder told me recently on the LARadiowaves podcast. “Until probably 12 or 13 years into doing the morning show on KROQ, did I realize, people are really invested in this, and invested in me as a person,” later explaining that “the problem I think is there are so few huge corporations that own so many radio stations … and I just think that they have miscalculated that connection, many different times.

“It’s a real connection … and it’s the connection that they don’t understand.” Ryder's former partner, Gene "Bean" Baxter chimed in on Twitter as well, saying "I'm sad to see what it's become."

There were more letters (and more of the interview with Ryder at LARadiowaves.com where he talks about KROQ, radio people and his new gig at KLOS), but the idea is there. I just don’t see any real progress until KROQ is either independent again, or Audacy let’s the local creative juices flow. National and regional programming just doesn’t cut it.

No Rush

There was always a bit of mystery surrounding the success of radio talk host Rush Limbaugh, who passed away this past February 17th. Not that there should have been, but there most definitely was: to this day, few seem to understand what made him successful.

Yes, I know there are those who will analyze the show and say that it was his conservative views presented in a liberal-dominated media world. I've said it before but this absolutely misses the real reason he was popular. And the lesson not learned is the reason that so many competitors on all sides of the political spectrum have missed the boat … few conservatives ever matched his success, and liberal Air America failed miserably.

What made Limbaugh tick was that he was an entertainer first, political talker second. There were times his show segment didn’t even feature politics at all, with football being his main diversion. The point is that he was fun. And while I am sure to get a ton of hate mail (mostly from those who never heard his show), it is an absolute fact. Especially in his early days, it was not just conservatives who listened. He didn’t insult listeners who disagreed; he embraced them. In the political arena, he was friends from the full spectrum of politics.

I bring this up now because I’ve been sampling his supposed replacements, Dan Bongino — heard locally from 9 a.m. to 12 noon on KABC (790 AM) — and (Clay) Travis and (Buck) Sexton — heard locally on KEIB (1150 AM).

Both shows are fine, for what they are: political commentary mixed in with interviews of political leaders. But they are not Limbaugh … they are the equivalent to the shows that ran on many stations that carried Limbaugh, and were just there to fill space on the hours Limbaugh was not broadcasting himself.

That doesn’t mean they are bad, and it doesn’t mean they can’t become something better. But when I listen, I cannot get past the preaching to the choir feeling that was never there with Limbaugh. They are informative, and of course similarly biased … but lacking the fun.

Part of that fun came from Limbaugh’s first jobs in radio: playing top-40 music. He honed his craft making the most of his limited time in between the records, and as my RadioWaves podcast partner Mike Stark always says, it is what is between the records that counts.

Limbaugh didn’t bring people back to the AM band and launch a talk-radio revolution by sounding like everyone else, and he never did sound like everyone else. Bongino, Travis and Sexton need to think about what they are doing and make their shows not only more entertaining, but present their views in such a way that they, too, can attract those who may disagree but are willing to listen to views other than their own.

I just don’t see that right now. But they can do it. And should.

Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com

Radio Waves Podcast #304

Special guest Kevin Ryder formerly of "Kevin & Bean" on KROQ - now "Kevin & Sluggo" on KLOS

Radio: June 25, 2021

By now you probably know that KROQ (106.7 FM) is in trouble. The once trend-setting station that helped put New Wave on the map and helped create the eventual “alternative” format in radio has seen better days, to say the least. Most recently, while ratings edged up slightly in May to 2.2 from April’s 2.0, the fact is that since the beginning of the year KROQ has been beaten in the ratings every month by Alt 98.7 … in two months by a full point.

There are numerous reasons for this, not the least of which is that the station is owned by Audacy, a company so desperately trying to stay afloat under massive debt that it no longer has local personalities or local programming for numerous formats they run nationwide … including alternative, which means KROQ is hobbled by upper management.

Oh, sure, you could make the station perhaps slightly more successful than it is now if you get the music mix just right, have the right promotions, and maybe do something to knock Alt off the air. But the fact remains that KROQ was KROQ precisely because it was Los Angeles. You can’t do KROQ unless you make it its own.

Students of local radio history have seen this exact thing before. No one outside of former programmer Sam Bellamy, former General Manager David Moorhead, and a handful of others understood what made KMET tick in the late 1970s when they dominated their format. When Bellamy was let go and management got lazy, it was KROQ itself that did the Mighty Met in. And they did it by beating KMET at its own game - playing the right music for Los Angeles, finding the right attitude in the personalities, and being a part of a new wave (no pun intended) of music and listeners … made for Southern California.

KROQ today? Meh.

The music is programmed nationally. Most of the personalities are broadcasting from here, but are syndicated as well. The remaining come from other cities. This is just a national version of an alternative format, sounding exactly like you would hear in Portland. Or New York. Or wherever. 

Definitely not Los Angeles. Nor Southern California. And no one cares any more, including listeners who at one time were among radio’s most passionate.

So excuse my lack of enthusiasm for the search currently in progress for the “solid, strong anchor for the morning show on this legendary radio station” as was posted on consultant Steve Reynolds’ Facebook page. Reynolds is helping with the search from his home base in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Know how to build a great culture and do spectacular radio?” He continued. “You super talented, have a great attitude, and ready to do the work that'll make you an even bigger superstar in the industry?  DM me any names (yours or others, even if they're working).  This is freakin' KROQ, folks.”

Except that it isn’t. For all intents and purposes, KROQ is dead, and will remain so as long as it is part of Audacy. It isn’t the morning show that is the problem — the station had great talent there with Ted Stryker … at least until they removed him from mornings. But a replacement won’t make a bit of difference until KROQ is freed from the restraints given by overpaid, useless upper managers and a CEO who don’t “get” radio. KROQ cannot be KROQ when it has to play everywhere. It just sounds canned. Predictable.

When was the last time you listened to KROQ? See my point?

New Talker

After months of anticipation, KBLA (1580 AM) has launched its new talk format with an all-new lineup of hosts.

Weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m., it’s First Things First with Dominique Diprima, described as news and commentary from a uniquely different perspective. Following DiPrima at 9:00 is station owner Tavis Smiley with “insightful conversations with thought leaders, opinion makers, celebrities, authors and artists.”

At 12 noon Middays with Danny Morrison presents a community-centered program from “a politically astute, socially conscious, unapologetically opinionated, call to action warrior.” D.L. Hughley lightens afternoons somewhat from 2-4 with a “no hold barred ride of reality and humor.” At 4:00 every weekday afternoon, Alonzo Boded asks “Who’s Paying Attention?” As he attempts to root out the truth in an entertaining fashion.

At 7 p.m., Dr. Jeshana Johnson gets to the heart of relationships on Let’s Get Intimate … something particularly important as we re-enter life after the pandemic. Finally at 9:00, Don Amiche Vs. Everybody + Crysta and Kiara bringing “the other side of news, politics, pop culture, and life.” Repeats and best-of segments will air on the station between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m.

Using the branding of “unapologetically progressive,” the station launched on Saturday June 19th — Juneteenth — with a sort of sneak preview; the official format began this past Monday June 21st. Give it a listen and tell me what you think.

///

Radio Waves Podcast #303

 Radio: June 18, 2021

Last week I asked two questions: do you enjoy radio, and more importantly why?

I didn’t really give much thought to it, but a related question is do you still enjoy radio, but as it turns out, that comes out in your emails over the past few days. Obviously, you do (did) enjoy it, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this column. But your response are important, I believe, to move the industry forward such that it will still be relevant in the years ahead.

“You mentioned  having a transistor radio at an early age. I can do one better...my first was a crystal set that my brothers made in their hobby room upstairs in our house. It couldn't reach much except for the local station in our small town in northwest Washington, but it was great to listen to underneath the covers when I was supposed to be sleeping at night.

“Later when doing homework in high school, disc jockeys from Seattle at KIRO kept me focused (?) on the work. The Hit Parade countdown to the  # 1 hit was a favorite which we teens waited for each week. Our family listened faithfully to such programs as Fibber McGee and Molly and always laughed heartily when he opened the closet door and the contents came crashing out. Bob and Ray, in later years and their subtle humor was a favorite of mine, and a bit of relief from other  madcap humor of the day.

“Now, FM Classical programming is my choice now and the extensive play list of KUSC continues to fill my home and car.” — June Russell, Laguna Woods

“As an only child living in Southern California I didn’t have siblings or a lot of friends around especially in the evenings, so it was easy to build a “friendship” in my mind with the people in the box. Sports were the source of my first connection.  Vin Scully could have been part of the family … I can still recite parts of some of the Farmer John and Union 76 ads from the games. Scully was so important to the team that almost everyone would bring a transistor radio to the games and you could hear his voice throughout the stadium during the game.

“It didn’t take long for me to find out there were other things on the radio. I made it a point to listen to Lohman and Barkley when I could in the mornings. I loved those crazy characters Lohman made up like Ted and Eva Baloney, etc. As I grew older, the radio became a gateway to new music for me. 

“ I will say that the fragmentation of media can be disappointing and even a little dangerous. We all have different playlists and they have all diverged and have less and less in common.  It kind of makes me pine for the innocent days in high school when punk rock fans like me listened to KROQ while the stoners listened to KMET.  “ — John Standiford, Cypress 

“Back in the fifties, I’d lie in bed, in Venice,  listening to Lucky Lager Dance Time on, I think, KFWB.  The sweet-sounding tunes lulled me to sleep.  I can still remember the theme song for that show: “Dream…” And talking about skip: I was stationed in Panama during the early sixties, and remember that, on certain nights, we’d pick up a SoCal station or two.  Good music and back-home news.  Now, that was exciting.” — Mike Levitt

“I was a 40 year long haul truck driver, the radio was essential to keeping me awake and not bored. I love talk radio … missing RUSH more than words can express. For music it was country or classical.” — Pete Fitzek

“My earliest recollections are KMPC with Dick Whitinghill. ‘Around the corner and up your street, now its time for As the Stomach Turns, brought to you by Kers…the last word in crackers.’  And the serial ‘lost’ … tell your mother to go to the market and get lost.

“We listened at breakfast and at 8:25 a.m. or so, it was the business report: a female voice would say: ‘E.F. Hutton & Company, the market, just a moment please.’ When that was over it was time for school. At night it was KMPC and Gary Owens with the ‘teenage underground.’ Then KFWB: Bill Balance and the rest. And oh how I miss Jim Healy’s sports on KLAC.” — Joe Davis, Laguna Niguel

“LOVED your article today about the radio stations of long ago; they were the BEST!!  Everything you said about them was true. I loved KHJ back in the day; Charlie Tuna was my fave!  So glad he ended up on KRTH years ago, and I was lucky enough to get to meet him when he did a couple of outdoor gigs at a Stater Bros. near me – and even had my picture taken with him …  Something I treasure to this day.

  “I loved looking forward to going to the record store and getting the latest program with the top songs of the week listed. So fun to see just who was up and coming, and listening to the new songs.  And it was fun to call in and request songs, as well as participate in their contests. I think of our old radio often, as I listen while I drive – so not what it used to be!

  “I’m saving your article from today, and putting it in with my old record albums that I still have. It was so much fun to listen to radio back then – and be a part of it.

I miss that. Oh, and don’t forget Jeff Gonzer of KLOS – what a show he had!” — Michele Cruz

“I will spell it out:

“Right here -- We can listen to radio anywhere in our home, and just about anywhere outside of home. Activity-oriented -- Radio can entertain and lift us while we are doing just about any activity -- as it did for you when you worked in the back warehouse at Sears Surplus. Dramatic  -- As Jack Benny said, on radio, the screen is as wide as your imagination. For sports fans, a big game is even more epic on radio than on TV, because you are hanging on the announcer's words and because you become more aware of the crowd noise. Information and intimacy -- All-news radio is still the best place for reliable, immediate information on breaking news. No matter how good GPS is, it's still comforting when driving to hear the traffic problems from a real person (WHY is there such a back-up?). . . . As for intimacy, on TV, you feel the announcer is talking to "everyone." On radio, you can feel the announcer is talking only to you -- it's just the two of you. Over distance -- We can pull in stations from other cities and, at night, other parts of the country. There are few pleasures better than cruising on a highway at night while listening to a terrific interview or game.

“Yours shopping for a new transistor radio” — John Lowe, Seal beach

One response perhaps brought out the real reason we all love radio: the human connection you can’t get from an online jukebox. “Yes, I listen to radio, happily. Simple, easy, interesting, no user name, password … no instructions needed … Sam Riddle, Wink Martindale, Wolfman Jack … I embrace print, radio and human interaction.” — L.T. Karg

Radio Waves Podcast #302

 Radio: June 11, 2021

Do you enjoy radio?

It’s a simple question … most likely since you are reading this column, the easy answer is “yes.” Here’s where it gets harder: why? Depending on your level of “enjoyment,” the answer to “why” could be akin to explaining what is love … and that is more than just a Haddaway song.

Sorry … couldn’t resist.

In my case, it truly is love. My love of radio began at a very early age, when (as I’ve written many times before) my Aunt Ina gave me a Realtone 10-transistor radio sometime when I was about eight years old. I spend my time listening to “KHJ,” though I was tuned to the wrong station and was actually listening to KGBS. Go figure. Eventually I was tuning up and down the AM dial, using the Realtone and an old tube radio, finding new adventures and new stations.

I didn’t understand the issue at the time, but I was fascinated with the stations that appeared at night and then went away during daylight … the long distance stations that “skipped” through the atmosphere to reach my radio from cities far away. The annoyance of interference whenever my Dad turned on the fluorescent light in the den.

I finally found the realm KHJ and was hooked, but I also tuned in to San Diego powerhouse KCBQ … and later KGB, which at the time called itself “The KGB,” perhaps making light of the cold war.

I loved the personalities. I loved the excitement. I loved being part of something that was bigger than life itself.  The contests that I never won  (though I do have a friend who won cash from Ten-Q twice … My friend Jeff is thus one of my brushes with greatness). The requests that were never really played, the song just always came up in regular rotation on the station’s playlist.

The jocks who were truly stars. The Real Don Steele. Robert W. Morgan. Shotgun Tom. Bobby Ocean. Jim Ladd. Dr. Demento. These guys were all my friends. And many of my radio friends I was fortunate enough to eventually meet.

And the drama … who can forget the CBS Radio Mystery Theater on KNX, a program I found by tuning around at night. It was me getting my parents hooked on the program, not the other way around. I listened almost every night … and always in the car on family vacations.

I’d tune into stations whenever I’d go to another city, which is how I found the late-great KFRC/San Francisco. After graduating college I took a trip to Hawaii and found KSSK … and used my radio to see if I could pick up stations from the mainland. My memory is that I was able to hear KEX out of Portland, among others.

None of this explains the “why,” however. And I am not sure I really can. I loved the personalities, and that is a primary reason behind the bond. Radio was one of my friends. It entertained me in a way that no music stream could ever do. The personalities and the music lifted me when I was down, and kept me going when I needed the encouragement. 

To show just how much of a radio geek I am, I still remember working in the back warehouse of the old Sears Surplus Store in San Pedro when the all-new K-West played a “jock logo” for the first time. That’s a jingle in which the DJ’s name is sung, followed by the station call-letters. “Bobby Ocean …. K-West 106!” I was in heaven and was almost giddy, especially as the format was essentially KHJ resurrected … but on FM.

Now, I know I am unusual, but I do believe that the same things that attracted me to radio are the same things that attracted others, even if they didn’t really know who/what/why or how. And that is part of the reason I believe radio suffers today, in the sense that the audience is aging and young people tend to shy away from radio totally. Not just AM, but FM as well.

Can my type of radio still succeed? Quite a few say I am totally off-base. And yet here we have SiriusXM soon launching TikTok Radio that is basically taking my longstanding plan to save AM radio and putting it on satellite: super-serve a younger audience with “influencers” who will entertain with new music, and fun programming designed to attract people to a medium that so many have written off. Sad that it’s satellite, but the plan is solid. A dying AM station would do well to get a jump on the idea so they can make a go of it.

Or even one on FM.

But enough about me. Am I totally off-base, or do you have similar thoughts on what attracted you to radio, no matter the format? The great stations over the years were not only those I tuned in. And some were not necessarily popular but had a fiercely loyal audience limited perhaps by signal or a marketing budget. 

Whatever your favorite - KHJ, Ten-Q, KRLA, KFWB, KMPC, KBLA, KWKW, KGFJ, KDAY, KCBQ, KEZY, KBLA, KLAC, WCFL, KFRC … the list is endless…  what made it your favorite? 

In other words: Do you enjoy radio? Why?