An ayoda on radio

  My mailbox has been full over the past few days. I first became aware of the controversy involving evening host Tim Conway Jr. and executive producer Sheron Bellio  via a May 14 article in AsAmNews , a publication that offers both original stories and aggregates news about the Asian American community (read it here ). Louis Chan, their national correspondent, wrote about a skit done during Conway’s May 3 program. Among the highlights from the story:   ·        When (listener) Keith Kawamoto heard a bit by Tim Conway Jr on KFI-AM 640 imitating a Japanese American woman, Kawamoto “couldn’t believe” they were doing that. The sketch on May 3 involved the long time Los Angeles radio host supposedly interviewing the wife of (KLAC-AM 570 LA Sports) sportscaster  Vic “the Brick” Jacobs , Yuko Sakamoto.   ·       “The imitation was so stereotypical with the character saying “Moshi-moshi” & “Ah-so” type comment...

We speculated earlier about a local AM station simulcasting on FM. It’s something you see in a lot of major markets, LA may be the only market – with the notable exception of public radio – currently without an all-news, talk or sports station on FM. That being said, what current station on the FM dial could be “sacrificed” for a simulcast? I can’t think of one.   Which leads me to my next observation – LA has an amazing diversity of Spanish radio. As I mentioned previously, the battle for reggaeton listeners between KXOL (Mega 96.3) and KLLI (Cali 93.9) made it to the front page of the Los Angeles Times (read it here ). Plus KLVE (K-Love 107.9), KLAX (La Raza 97.9) and KSCA (LA 101.9) are frequently listed in, or just bubbling under, the top ten of the local ratings. So again I ask the question – where is there room on the Southern California dial for an FM simulcast of an AM station? A side note: I recently reconnected with Eduardo Quezada , the legendary news anchor of KMEX...

While we were still writing for LARadio.com last year, John Ireland  was kind enough to share his memories of Kobe Bryant just days after the tragic accident. In honor of Kobe's induction into the 2020 Naismith Hall of Fame tomorrow (May 15), we reprint the interview with the Lakers play-by-play announcer: Photo courtesy Andy Bernstein John Ireland is the radio voice of the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as half of the afternoon duo of ( Steve ) Mason and Ireland on KSPN (710 / ESPN). He has also covered the Lakers for many years on both radio and tv. Interviewed by LARadio.com, Ireland offers an insider’s perspective on the passing of Kobe Bryant:   The Lakers were flying from Philadelphia on Sunday morning. News about the crash was first reported by TMZ before a number of different news outlets could confirm and report on the tragedy. It’s reported many of the Lakers received the shocking news in-flight. Los Angeles Times “The Lakers have survived the loss of (Laker announc...

  One thing I can get my students to agree on (besides a disdain for my dad jokes) is the universal disgust of finals week. As I take a break from grading, here's this week's look at what's going on. Good news from Eric Tracy , who had surgery last week for esophageal cancer. He posted on social media that his cancer has not spread, so this is good news indeed. Or as Eric said himself: “PRAISE GOD!   I wrote to my kids ‘It looks like I'm going to be around awhile longer to continue to drive you crazy.’” It appears Bill Handel will need a bit more time to recover. Gary Hoffman and Shannon Farren continue to sit in during KFI mornings, with Wayne Resnick and Mo Kelly taking care of middays for the remainder of the week. While we’re visiting the iHeart Pinnacle building, Jill Kempton has been named the new program director at ratings leading KOST. She succeeds John Peake , recently promoted to Senior VP of Programming for iHeart Media Los Angeles. Kempton arrives fro...

I mentioned previously I was checking out AMP Radio (KAMP). The station has been below the top 20 even though my initial listen didn’t hear anything wrong, it sounded pretty solid. Of course, that may have been the issue, was AMP offering something different to stand out? It appears rebranding is one step they're trying, the station is now known as 97.1 NOW! (KNOU), “LA’s party station.” I don’t believe there was a major shake up of on-air talent. My initial impressions: A good music mix, the talent does their job satisfactorily. “The Morning Mess” is a decent show, but some of the bits are renamed standard features. “Nachoo’s Revenge” sounds an awful lot like “ Ryan ’s ( Seacrest ) Roses.” I need to listen a few more times before I draw any conclusions, if you’ve any opinions about 97.1 NOW! please share it with me . Bill Handel, Wayne Resnick Shannon Farren, Gary Hoffman, Jennifer Jones Lee KFI morning man Bill Handel returned after his back surgery on Monday, but soon left be...