TEXAS RADIO STORIES REIGN SUPREME
Visits from record company promotion
representatives were a common occurrance when I was Program Director, Music Director and Morning Drive DJ at KBER FM-AM in
1972. Never established a particular time or day for them to come by and talk about their new records, so they appeared at
almost any time.
One morning in particular, it was
still very dark outside and I didn't have the front door locked. Into the control room quietly walked a fella who was dressed
in his Sunday best. He never uttered a single word. Just stood there and stared at me. Didn't recognize him, but he seemed
innocent enough. Figured he was another one of the record promo people. Had my headphones on and was about to do a stop-set.
Told him to wait just a minute.
When I finished, removed the headphones
and turned around to face him, he moved toward me in a quick manner. Just like in the movies when detectives flipped out their
badges, he flipped out his wallet to show me his big important badge. Scared me to death, because after eight years in radio,
this was my very first FCC inspection. My heart skipped a beat. He informed me who he was and that he wanted to speak with
the manager and chief engineer. Quietly told him that they had not yet arrived and that I will call them right now.
This guy moved slowly but with lots
of authority. He took a seat while I called A.V. BAMFORD at home to let him know that there was an FCC inspector here
in the control room who wanted to see him pronto. BAM and TOM ORTIZ, who was the Chief Engineer, arrived shortly. Quite an
experience that became another part of the radio seasoning process.
LEE ANDERSON (McAlester, OK) sleepylee@mcalesterradio.com Jim, a funny story from KBER. It was either early 60 or 61, I was working the Saturday Morning sign
on. KBER was a 3 tower directional built in a trailer out in the country. Not many luxuries out there.
About a mile up the raod was a restaurant. I didn't have
a first class license at that time so we had a fulltime engineer. He had gone for breakfast and there i was all alone when
in walked 2 FCC inspectors. I had only been in the business about a month. Scared the **** out of me. I told them the truth
i didn't have license and engineer had gone out for breakfast.
They looked around told me they were going for coffee
and i better have the engineer there when they returned. I got him on the phone and he was there in 5 minutes. About an hour
later here they came. Boy the trailer shook with their voices rattling the windows. Nothing ever happened on the deal, but
it sure scared me. Lee
The new Album Rock KIOL FM here in Houston announced
May 9, 2005 that it has added new blood to its staff. Bobby Slam Duncan is the fresh new Program Director.
EDWARD GUERRERO (San Antonio, TX) edward-guerrero@sbcglobal.net Subject: Page #56 - A Masterpiece Jim, Your Friday the 13th web page is "MAGNIFICO".
Today's writing of Logan's and Nelson's and others story was written in such a style that you actually placed me in the midst
of their presence. Your account of your's and their life's experiences was exciting to read about. Magnificent!
In today's column you also mentioned KBER's Eddie Daniels...in
the time frame you recalled i believe the station had a newscaster named Deborah, who later joined KMOL/WOAI-TV as an anchor
for quite a few years, whose last name is Daniels. Did she newscast out of KBER while you were there then and was she related
to Eddie?
An addendum to a veteran newscaster professional style,
a colleague of yours, Henry Guerra....when he ended a newscast or participated as an MC (which he did numerous times) he ended
his speech by saying "Thank You y Muy Buenas Noches". He remained very visible in public service almost to his death (July
1, 2001, at 82 yrs.)
On the personal side: His father founded the "Angeles"
Funeral Home and eventually he took over the family's while still being involved in public service. Henry married later in
life, he was very dedicated to his family. As a youth it was not unusual to see him take up the duties, of a respectful son,
chauffeuring his mother in the big limousines that belonged to their business. His mother, a Mexican of Italian decent, was
born of an aristocratic blood line; always rode in the back seat of the vehicles. Henry, this city's historian, left a legacy
of historical writings. Regards, Ed G San Antonio, Texas
So sorry to hear of the passing of HENRY GUERRA. He
was a real class act and a legend in his own time. Do not believe that EDDIE DANIELS and DEBORAH DANIELS are any relation.
EDDIE's last name of DANIELS was a radio invention. EDDIE was of the polish descent and had a tedious last name. KBER FM-AM
had a one person news department. MIKE WOLVERTON was news director and drive time news anchor. MIKE possessed a very distinguished
goatee.
BRUCE CHANNEL was born in Jacksonville, Texas on November
28, 1940. BRUCE made an appearance on the famed Louisiana Hayride radio show which was broadcast throughout the nation on
clear channel 50,000 watt KWKH in Shreveport. In the winter of 1962, CHANNEL recorded a tune called Hey Baby in Ft.
Worth at KXOL's studios. The song was originally released on Major BILL SMITH's LeCam record label. Nearly all of us in Ft.
Worth-Dallas radio knew Major BILL. He was a promotion guy without equal.
Smash records picked up the tune, Hey Baby
which reached the #1 position on Billboard's Hot 100 and remained at that spot for three weeks. There was a young fella who
played harmonica on that recording who became very famous as a singer himself during the next several decades. He was another
of those great rockers who came out of Lubbock, Texas. Can you name him? The answer is toward the bottom of this column.
FRANK HALEY (Albuquerque, NM) fhaley@qwest.net Jim, Qustion: But didn't you ring the Cow Bell between the I.D.'s??? or was that
just done by the WBAP DJ?? I grew up in DAllas in 40 and 50's, and I remember listening and hearing that Cow Bell clanging
during the top of hour ID, must have been WBAP for cowtown. Have a great one, Frank
The cow bell clang on the 820/570 station I.D. was a
specific WBAP happening. WFAA tried to present a very dignified approach to everything it did which definitely did not include
a cow bell. When I was a DJ at WFAA-820 from 1967-1968, management and programming had a general attitude that WBAP was a
hick operation. WFAA maintained that they were going to eventually own the clear channel 50,000 watt 820 frequency and WBAP
would inherit the 5000 watt 570 position.
Not long after I left in August 1968, WBAP offered 3.5
million bucks for WFAA's 50% share of both frequencies and won the prize of the 820 frequency. WFAA dropped its Contemporary
Middle of the Road music and went all news. By the mid 1970s, KLIF was far from being the dominant leader it once was for
three decades since the fabulous fifties. Several ownerships later, KLIF dropped their once famous call letters. WFAA dropped
theirs, too, and quickly snapped up KLIF as their very own.
At that time, WBAP owned the powerful 820 frequency,
WFAA was on 570 and KLIF at 1190. The KLIF call letters moved it on over to to the 570 spot. Never dreamed in a thousand years
that WFAA would ever give up the clear channel 50,000 watt 820 dial position.
ED MILLER (Austin, TX ) esmiller@swbell.net Jim, Thank you for keeping alive the memories of the late Horace Logan and Groovey Joe Poovey, and
the rest of the fine airstaff at KPCN.
A lot of youngsters never knew that Dallas-Fort
Worth had a top-rated full-time AM Country Music radio station long before WBAP (which has now itself gone over to mostly
talk), and decades before any of these new-fangled cutesy-pie FM stations playing Contemporary Nashville Country Pop Rock
ever even went on the air.
Your fine e-columns do a lot to preserve the priceless
memories of all those thrilling days of yester-year when we were playing George and Hank and Lefty and Merle and Buck and
Patsy like there was no tomorrow (which, it turned out, there was not). Ed Miller
So nice to hear once again from my pal, ED MILLER. When
we were at KPCN-730 in Dallas back in 1967, ED was a jack of all trades. MILLER was manager, program director and news director
of KPCN. Groovy JOE POOVEY was music director. ED used the air name of ED MILTON during his dramatic MCLENDON style newscasts.
Don't believe I have ever heard a more authoritative news delivery in all my travels in radio. Another fine feature is ED's
one of radio's good guys.
BOB CROWLEY (Arlington, TX) bobcrowley@mail.ev1.net Jim, I remember Bill Rohde's saying, "Hows your mom n'em?" I caught him anchoring
the saturday block on WOAI, where he's been on the air for the last decade or so. Howard Edward's "Fair Dinkum" was an Australian
saying. Mark Carillo and I worked together at about a half dozen stations. He's the only guy I know who's worked at more SA
stations than I have.
I never met Bob Jenkins, but I do recall going out
with his daughter a time or two, 30 years ago. Beautiful redhead, with a charming personality. I was so out of my league!
Henry Guerra, San Antonio's first TV newscaster. few people
knew he was Italian! I worked with him at WOAI. Mary Denman was another favorite. She was on the first talk show on WOAI when
Clear Channel took over, and I still get mad when I think about how she was treated when she was forced out.
Bill Shomette worked at KENS. KGBS was the Harlingen
station also on Channel 5. Allen Dale had the evening talk show on KITE, then went to WOAI, then retired, then came back in
'85 to be a part owner of KRNN with Larry Safir and Stanley Rosenberg. His son Tony was PD at KEXL and KTFM, then joined him
at KRNN, and was the last one working there, after they fired the staff, one at a time.
Jerry King is a class act, and was still at KKYX,
last time I visited Cox West. Any luck finding Nick St John? Bob Crowley
HENRY GUERRA and I did a Travis Savings TV commercial
back in 1970. He arrived dressed like a banker. HENRY was a very quiet, dignified fella who never said anything but the
lines on the board. Had forgotten about RHODE's little saying. Have not heard a single thing about NICK ST JOHN in several
years. Sure hope he's doing OK. NICK was in my Dallas Elkin's Radio class in 1964. Someone told me a year or so ago that ST
JOHN was a drug counselor somewhere along the Texas gulf coast.
BOB CROWLEY (Arlington, TX) bobcrowley@mail.ev1.net Hey Jim. I've been in Arlington since May 2001. I came up here to be the morning drive reporter for
KRLD, segue'd into anchoring, then was shown the door when they stopped doing news in the evening. I landed at WBAP in December of 2004.
I grew up in San Antonio, and spent most of my life
trying to get out. I went to Houston in '73, Baton Rouge in '74, Austin in '75, Minneapolis in '79, Gallup New Mexico in '82,
and then Austin again in '87. I went back to S.A. in '74, '76, '79, '84 and '99. I was very well known in the early '80s,
but by '99 was quite unknown!
I remember Nick St. John in '76, doing mornings
at KEXL, living across the street from Playland park. They had a Music-land ride that played loud obnoxious music until 2
am each night. He went to Houston's KLOL after that, and when he came back he told me they loved him, until one day he mentioned
he was looking, and they shut him out and blew him off. He told me this hilarious story of meeting Ken Dowe on Ken's first
day as GM of KTFM, after Ken's introductory pep talk, getting up and making a few comments of his own. He was gone within
hours. Shame of it was, He had a 23 share, the station had a 2 point 3 share! Bob
Sounds like BOB's made the rounds. The title to the most radio
stations remains in my possession.
BOB CROWLEY (Arlington, TX) bobcrowley@mail.ev1.net Ok, lets count them up. KBAT/KKYX, KUHF, KLOL, WJBO-FM, KONO/KITY (3 times) KTFM, KRMH, KEXL, KRTU,
KMAC, KLLS, KISS, WJBO, KSAQ, KRNN, WOAI, KPEZ, KVET/KASE, KENS, KRLD, KMSR, KSKY and WBAP. That's 24. (That doesn't count
KLRN-TV, KENS-TV, KTBC-TV, and KTVT-TV). Can you beat that? Bob
Not even close. 37 in all. That includes twice at KILT FM,
twice at KILT-610 and twice at KTER-1570.
BOB CROWLEY (Arlington, TX) bobcrowley@mail.ev1.net yes, You have me beat. I sometimes envy guys who work in one place for decades
at a time. Bob Guthrie has been at WOAI since 1955. That's 50 years! Bill McReynolds and Henry Guerra also spent many decades
there. I used to average less than a year per job when I was a dee-jay. now that i'm in news, It's extended to about 3 years
each job. Bob
For four decades, I waltzed across Texas and everywhere
I went, either the ownership, management, program director or format would change. Sometimes, all four of those things. Radio
is the most fun filled exciting profession one can have, but it can really keep you hopping.
BOB CROWLEY (Arlington, TX) bobcrowley@mail.ev1.net Jim, You're up way too late. I remember with great fondness my days in Houston. I used to walk from
U of H down Elgin to Westheimer after getting off the air at KUHF at 2 am to do my 6-12 Sunday shift at KLOL. I'll never forget
walking by KILT and hearing the music blasting.
Ed Beauchamp, Steve Nagel, Jackie McCauley, Chapman
Mott, Crash, Jay Teakle. those guys were big stars back then. Now I know Jack Williams and Ed Mayberry at KUHF. they're two
Austin transplants. KTRH tried to hire me, at 30k last fall. HA! I told them I couldn't afford to work for them. They then
fired 5 staff members, making me glad I didn't move the family. 30k for a top 10 market? Man, they were making that 30 years
ago when a new car cost 4 thousand dollars. What a business! Bob
When one peered out the KILT-610 upstairs control room
window, which was in the rear of the cubicle, KLOL FM's brick wall was only about five feet away. Over the years, there have
been many stories about what KILT AM DJs did to that wall. Wonder if JOHNNY SHANNON did the same when he was at KILT AM about
33 years ago?
JOHNNY SHANNON (San Antonio, TX) kirbystudio@yahoo.com Subject: Johnny Shannon Remembers Jim Rose who Remembers Radio. Jim, These 'teasers'
are really cool...just like your column. Let's talk, wanna tell ya about running into Bruce and Jerry...and others, yesterday.
Best wishes, Johnny
Like very much to hear about how my compadres BRUCE
HATHAWAY and JERRY KING are doing these days. Haven't seen hide nor hair of them since the early seventies.
DAN BURLESON (Orlando, FL) danburleson@yahoo.com Hi Jim: I was introduced to San Antonio radio as an army medic stationed at Fort Sam Houston. I listened
to KONO with a morning show featuring some sort of duck "quack-quack" sounds. Lotsa fun. Also became quite the Ricci and Judd
fan and listener to their show on KBUC.
Later, after I got out of the service in 1978 I
was actually able to jock middays at KONO (never did find that duck) and do news on the weekends at KBUC a couple of years
after that.
When I was still in the army as a SP4 medic, I wrote
Judd Ashmore a letter and he wrote back with some sage advice on how to break into radio. Ricci and Judd both read parts of
that letter on the air one morning on KBUC. Matter of fact it was just a few years later when I was on-air at KTSA jocking
and board-opping Ricci's evening talk show from 9-midnight. I'd jock music from 7-9, then the format changed to Ricci's unique
brand of talk show. Fond memories let me tell ya!
Does anyone know what became of Judd Ashmore? I
know Ricci's still there at KTSA along with his son Trey. I left the Alamo City in 1986 and have lost track of many brothers
in radio. Keep up the good work Jim, Dan Burleson Orlando, FL
The name of the harmonica player on BRUCE CHANNEL's 1962 hit,
Hey Baby, was DELBERT MCCLINTON. One of DELBERT's biggest hits was Giving It Up For Your Love from
the winter of 1981. It sold over a half million copies and sailed to #8 on Billboard's chart.
Jim Rose
Houston, Texas
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