Love in LA and other short takes
LA
radio lovin’: A recent Los Angeles Times story highlighted how
local listeners were loyal fans of dedication shows, programs where the talent
would take listener calls or letters (nowadays it’s emails) and hear about a
current love, a lost love, or something related. Writer Julia Carmel offered
her own tale about wanting her own dedication:
“Why have you never dedicated a song to me?” I asked them as we rolled up to a stop sign.
The streets were quiet when we turned onto my block a few minutes later. We lingered in the car for a minute to hear a stranger pour her heart out to Laboe — and thousands of listeners.
Laboe died last October, but his impact on
the radio industry can be heard in the dozens of dedication shows that cropped
up after he first went on air in the 1940s. The trend peaked in the 1980s, when
quite a few popular shows started broadcasting, but dedications can still be
heard across the country every night.
Art Laboe, Delilah, Karen Sharp
Other programs featured include Delilah (Rene), heard locally on The FISH 95.9 (KFSH), and Karen Sharp anchoring “Love Songs on the KOST.” Laboe’s program is still heard Sunday nights on KDAY, and weeknights on “Old School 104.7” (KQIE-Redlands, KOCP-Ventura). The article recalls the beginning of Laboe’s program airing calls from Black and Latino listeners, breaking racial barriers. Comedian Paul Rodriguez said “(Laboe) is more Chicano than some Chicanos. And everyone from the toughest vato to the wimpiest guy would say the same.” Also mentioned, Dick “Huggie Boy” Hugg who helmed KRLA’s dedication show in the 1980s and Laurie Sanders, the previous host of “Love Songs on the KOST.”
By the way, Carmel
finally got her on-air wish:
The other night, my partner’s voice finally came through my car’s radio.
“Hi, I’m Reanna in Los Angeles. This is for my partner, Julia,” they said, “and I want to dedicate Lauryn Hill’s ‘Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You,’ because I just want you to feel special, and I love you.”
It’s a declaration that we’ve repeated to one another thousands of times, but in those 30 seconds, it found a new way to make my heart flutter.
Remembering Gerry Wallace: When KFI first switched to talk programming back in 1988, Gerry Wallace was part of the team migrating from KFBK-Sacramento, along with his wife Terri-Rae Elmer, David Grosby, and PD David G. Hall. Wallace was also the weatherman and mid-morning TV host at then-ABC affiliate KOVR-TV in the Capitol City. As part of the “KFI Morning News,” Wallace provided forecasts from the “westside weather center,” anchored by Grosby and Elmer. He continued his weathercasts when Grosby was replaced by Tracey Miller, creating a morning news magazine.
Terri-Rae Elmer, Dave Grosby
Elmer announced Wallace’s passing on February 25, it was later announced he died of kidney failure. Wallace was 76.
With American teens in the midst of a crisis of unprecedented learning losses and mental health impacts three years into the pandemic, KNX News 97.1 FM in Los Angeles presented a live town hall Tuesday called “A Generation Lost.” The one-hour event, held in the Audacy SoundSpace on Los Angeles’s Miracle Mile, brought together teens and experts to illuminate the unseen impacts of the pandemic and discuss potential solutions.
Mike Simpson, host of “LA’s Morning News” on KNX, and Charles Feldman, host of “KNX In Depth” and “LA’s Afternoon News” served as moderators of the commercial-free event, which is available to watch on demand here.
“There is no issue of more universal importance to our communities, said Jeff Federman, Regional President, Audacy Southern California. “It was important that we use our platform at KNX News to ensure parents and teens know they’re not alone in adjusting to a new reality.”
Standardized testing showed 9-year-olds lost the equivalent of two decades of progress in math and reading. Just last week the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that a staggering 22-percent of U.S. high school students said they had considered suicide.
Originally broadcast on February 23, the program is now available for viewing via stream.
Bay Area DJ still MIA: Our friends in the Bay Area have been following the story about the disappearance of WILD 94.9 (KYLD) morning host JV (Jeffrey Vandergrift), who has been missing since February 23. The story has gained both national and international attention. On the station’s website, Natasha Yi, a Wild 94.9 radio host and wife of JV, shared an update, and it’s not good news:
Thank you to our friends and the entire i-HeartRadio
family and listeners for your love, support and prayers. I can feel your love
and energy for JV, and I am so grateful for it. The amount of compassion for
the physical torture JV has been going through for the past 2 years has been
overwhelming.
I have been in so much pain and fear and I know all of you have been so scared and concerned for JV as well. JV and I have always considered this community part of our family, so I want to let you know that personal information has recently been discovered that leads us to believe JV will not be coming back. I tell you this with incredible pain and sadness in my heart.
At this time, JV officially remains missing according to the SFPD, but no foul play is suspected in his disappearance. We are incredibly appreciative for the SFPD’s ongoing efforts in locating JV and they have asked us to keep the details to immediate family only. I know how painful this is for you to hear – please know that I have you in my thoughts.
Please forgive my silence during this time – my heart is utterly broken, and the pain feels unbearable. I will do my best to provide updates and I ask for you to please keep JV in your thoughts and prayers.
Vandergrift chronicled his harrowing experience with Lyme Disease back in 2021. He is 6 feet tall, 180 pounds and bald, according to police. He has brown eyes and several tattoos, including ones on his arms and above his right ear. He was last seen wearing black sweatpants. The San Francisco Police Department considers this an open case and encourages anyone with information about Vandergrift’s whereabouts to contact the SFPD.
AM not “Archaic Modulation?”: The future of AM radio is generally not promising. Audacy’s all-news KNX now has a full-time FM simulcast, all-sports KSPN moved their towers from Van Nuys and downgraded their legendary 50,000 watt daytime signal (now 34,000 watts day / 2,500 watts night from Irwindale), KABC sold both their studios and their tower property on La Cienega Boulevard…there’s other stories, and it’s not just in Los Angeles radio.
Don Elliot, Saul Levine
But not everyone is as downcast about AM. Don Elliot, an LA radio veteran (KBLA / KBBQ, KIIS, KROQ, KEZY, KIQQ, KKDJ, KIIS, KFI / KOST) recently offered a column in RadioWorld.com entitled “Who Benefits By Removing AM From Cars?” In addition to Elliot’s commentary, KMZT / KKGO owner Saul Levine and Tom King, the chairman of Kintronic Labs Inc. also offered their perspectives. The column was in response to car manufacturers dropping AM from their auto media centers, disagreeing with car manufacturers – particularly those who manufacture electric vehicles – who claim they can’t suppress the noise on AM signals. Elliot believes there are other factors to consider:
Some blame any perceived demise of AM radio
on the audience losing interest. Consolidators have brought that on themselves
(and on us), going the cheap way, firing local talent and filling with
syndication. In fact the iHearts and other large broadcast companies should be
the biggest noisemakers against the carmakers removing the AM capability of
receivers. It would be good to have them back on the team.
Elliot is
currently trying to bring AM 1500 back to the local airwaves, along with an FM translator,
emanating from Culver City on the westside.
I’ve a mentor
that’s been snowed in for over 10 days, fortunately his family was prepared for
the storm with supplies. Hope you and yours are safe and warm. Please subscribe
and / or send your questions to ayodaradio@gmail.com
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