The "Heinz 57" edition of short takes, part 1

Okay, okay, I know it's been awhile. So I offer this "Heinz 57" edition of short takes. Why "Heinz 57?" Because I'm trying to play "ketchup."

Did I mention I realized very early in my life I shouldn't be on the air?

The Sheriff is (sort of) back in town: He was a weekend host on KFI when he was L.A. County Sheriff, now Alex Villanueva will start hosting a daily talk program on CRN Digital TalkRadio. Villanueva served as the County’s 33rd Sheriff from 2018 – 2022, defeating then Sheriff Jim McDonnell, the first time an incumbent was unseated in over 100 years. Villanueva himself was voted out last November by Robert Luna.

“I am very excited to connect with the public on this new platform,” said Sheriff Villanueva. “Even though I am out of office, the fight continues. We are at a crossroads at which many of our elected officials are no longer serving the public. They are serving themselves and their individual interests. I want to stand with the people to fight the corruption. We are the resistance that will save our state and the country.”

Villanueva clashed frequently with the L.A. County Board of Supervisors during his tenure. Critics claimed he did not do enough to address issues regarding Deputy gangs and use of force incidents.

Villanueva’s weekday show begins Monday, May 8, at 10 a.m. via the CRN Digital Talk Radio website.

 

theatlantic.com

Newsers making news: Longevity is becoming a rarity on the local airwaves, changes in management are particularly frequent. Yet KFI’s Chris Little and KNX’s Julie Chin have been at the helm of their stations as News Director for quite admirable terms. Both were recently profiled by Barrett News Media.

Chin has been in her job for 17 years. She arrived in Los Angeles via the legendary KGO-San Francisco. She described how her all-news station covered the mass shooting in Monterey Park last February:

“When we first heard the official numbers, we couldn’t believe it,” Chin explained. “We heard the number was between 11 and 20 victims. It was hard to believe. Initially, when I was watching video from the scene, the emergency personnel were walking around, not running. There was no chaos. As the morning went on, we staffed up. We brought in Mike Simpson and Vicky Moore and kept on rotating people from our regular weekday schedule. We had a full staff working that Sunday.”

Little started at KFI as a reporter in 1991, then moved up to the station’s News Director in 2000. In his office there’s a sign stating “If you’re first and right, nobody remembers. If you’re first and wrong, nobody forgets”:

It’s all about accuracy for Little. When a new pope was being selected in the Vatican, media outlets were waiting for smoke from the chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel to signal the change. Black smoke meant no pope had been selected, white smoke meant they had a new guy.

KFI was on top of the story but Little didn’t feel comfortable without further confirmation.

“When Fox reported the selection had been made, Bill Handel wanted to go with the story,” Little said. “I urged him to be cautious and wait a bit.” Handel didn’t listen. “It was a special extension of the show to cover the Vatican. We were wrong.”

Other stories about local news talent include KNX’s Bob Brill. Besides his weekend anchor duties, Brill is also a producer and screenwriter. On Twitter, he expressed his appreciation that his short film, “The Girl from Sweden,” had passed one million views.

Remembering the Diamond Mine: I didn’t listen to Dave Diamond until he did evenings at KFI during their top 40 era. But many still remember his time on Southern California radio. He was one of the original Bill Drake “Boss Jocks,” but lasted only a few months. In his profile at LARadio.com, he told Don Barrett, “Boss Radio was a great experience for me (but) I didn’t fit in. I wasn’t focused. I had too many things going on.” He then went to KBLA and originated the “Diamond Mine,” which involved LP cuts progressive rock artists. He also worked at Top 40 KFWB, KRLA, and KIIS AM before arriving at KFI. Well respected by his peers, Diamond passed away this week nine years ago.

 

laschoolreport.com

Excuses, excuses: I’m now entering the week I affectionately refer to as “grading purgatory” as my school has ended finals week. But I’ve several more stories to share from my current backlog. I’m hoping to update within the next week or two. If you’d like to subscribe to the blog, where I notify you about breaking news and blog updates, please send your email (which will be kept confidential, I promise) at ayodaradio@gmail.com

Please stay safe and sane!