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RABBITT,
Jimmy: KFI; KRLA, 1969-70; KLAC, 1971;
KMET, 1971-72; KBBQ,
1972; KROQ, 1972-73; KMET, 1975; KGBS, 1975;
KLAC, 1976; KROQ, 1976-78. Jimmy
was one of radio's
outlaw characters. He died during the Thanksgiving holiday of 2020.
Rabbitt was 79 and reports indicate he died of COPD. Born Dale Payne in 1941, he grew up in Tyler, Texas, joined the Marine Corps, then sold shoes until his first radio gig at KGKB in Tyler. Jimmy flourished at KLIF-Dallas, and with music changing in the 1960s, KLIF’s pd allowed Rabbit a Sunday-night-only show, featuring "psychedelic" music. Soon he was on nightly, and Gordon McLendon spent a fortune putting psychedelic lights in the KLIF studio windows, visible from outside. In 1968, he was off to KCBQ-San Diego. When the station tightened its playlist in 1969, Jimmy, looking for a way out, contacted his buddy Doug Cox, who was programming KRLA. The times were a-changing in 1969 when Doug put Jimmy on the air for a combination of “free-form” sprinkled with Country music. He left the station less than a year later. In 1969, the LA Times named Jimmy rock dj of the year. When times got tough, Jimmie rode horses in Topanga Canyon. He joined KMET for the first time on January 18, 1971, for the 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. shift. In May 1972, “The Rabbitt” was on KHJ for three days. He was called to a meeting at Nickodell's (an industry hangout) with Ted Atkins and Bill Watson. According to Jimmy in a Billboard magazine profile, Watson said, "We don't want another Robert W. Morgan at night." Jimmy was suspended, not fired, but only because Bill Drake had hired him and Bill was in Hawaii; he was eventually fired after Drake approved it. |
Later in 1972, Jimmie joined Bob Hamilton's Radio Report publication as Country editor. In 1975, he was back on KMET in the early evenings. When things didn't work out on KMET, management put him on sister Metromedia station, Country KLAC. A fellow worker marveled at Jimmy's ability to meld Progressive music with Country. "He'd mix classic country oldies with the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt." Jimmy’s band, “Renegade,” played the Palomino Club, and had moderate record-selling success. Between radio assignments, he did a one-to-one voiceover workshop at Wally Heider Studios, up the block from local jock hangout Martoni's. In 1996 Jimmy returned to Tyler, Texas and was working at KKUS. He's now at KAFM/fm Community Radio in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Rabbitt, Johnny: KOST, 1977. SEE Don Pietro
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RABE,
John: KPCC, 2000-20. John is KPCC's production and
promotions director, a post he assumed in July of 2017 after 35
years behind the mike. His job is to shape the sound of the station.
From 2006 to 2017, John was producer and host of Off-Ramp, twice named the nation's "best local public affairs show." Before that, Rabe was the station's housing & healthcare reporter and local host for All Things Considered. Rabe began his career as a commercial dj in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but he found his niche as reporter and anchor at Michigan State University's public radio station, where he half-heartedly earned his BA in English. Rabe has also worked in public radio in South Florida, Philadelphia, and Minnesota. Rabe lives with Julian Bermudez, his art curator husband, and their Irish terriers in the foothills of Mt Washington. (from KPCC's website) |
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RACCO, Al:
KLAC, 1960-61. The former gm of
KLAC
died of
hypertensive cardiovascular disease April 20, 2009. Al was born November 22,
1928, in Warren, Ohio. He started out in L.A. as a sales executive for KLAC
and became gsm and general manager. Then in the mid-60's Al joined RKO-General in San Francisco and became gsm at KFRC and then general manager. From there he moved to KGO-San Francisco. He went on to be vp/gm at WABC-New York in 1975. |
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RACE, Clark:
KMPC, 1971-77; KBRT, 1980. Clark’s
radio "career dovetailed perfectly with the golden era of pop
music in the late '50s and throughout the '60s," was how
the obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette opened.
Clark had an enormously successful 11-year run at
KDKA-Pittsburgh when he joined KMPC in 1971 as an heir
apparent to the morning heavyweight Dick Whittinghill and
lasted until 1977. In 1972 Clark became the host for ABC/TV's game show The Parent Game. At KMPC he worked mostly overnights and by 1978, Clark had failed to make an impression with Southern California listeners and turned to booze. Clark headed for KYUU-San Francisco and San Diego before returning briefly to the Southland in 1980 to work mornings on the short-lived contemporary Christian music station KBRT. "The Hudson, New York native started his radio career doing baseball broadcasts in Albany. One day, the station manager told him to play some music, so he went out to a record store and simply bought a bunch of music he liked. Listeners liked it, too, and the concept caught on," according to the Post-Gazette story. "A year later, Westinghouse Broadcasting heard what he was doing and offered him a job at KDKA. The 26-year-old came to Pittsburgh in 1959 to host a radio show that lasted until 1970. At its peak, Mr. Race's show captured more than 50 percent of the audience - he simply played what he thought listeners would like. He was one of the first to bring the music of black artists to a wider and more mainstream audience. After meeting Beatles manager Brian Epstein, he was invited to go to London and meet the Beatles. As host of ‘Dance Party,’ he was the Dick Clark of Pittsburgh," from the Post-Gazette. |
Clark returned to Pittsburgh in 1986. He and his wife opened a bed and breakfast in Sewickley, fulfilling a longtime dream. A few years later he bought another B&B in Amish country. The couple were known to drive tourists unfamiliar with the area around the back roads. Diane Race said one of her husband's last hopes was that he could discourage others from smoking. Mr. Race's throat cancer was attributed to his longtime tobacco use.Clark died July 27, 1999. He was 66 years old.
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RACHTMAN,
Riki: KNAC;
KROQ, 1993-96;
KLSX, 1996-97 and 2003; KCBS/fm, 2003. The former host of MTV's
Headbanger's Ball and
owner of a punk rock club called Radio Cathouse, Riki hosted the
popular "Loveline" program on KROQ. Riki, a recovering alcoholic and
former drug addict (according to a profile in the
LA Times), refers to his
own experiences with much empathy as the host of "Loveline." His mind-altering drug abuse caused the manager of Guns 'N' Roses to ask him to stay away from the band because he was a bad influence on THEM! The San Fernando Valley-raised Riki is the lead singer in a punk band called Battery Club. In a 1995 issue of Playboy Riki was one of the participants in a feature on "sex talk radio." In January 1996 he joined "Real Radio," KLSX and refers to himself as the “triple R.” He lived in Marina del Rey with six lizards, four cats and a bird. He snowboards, is a stock car racing fanatic and has a "43" tattoo for Richard Petty. Riki started hosting “Rockline” in early 1997. On September 8, 1997, Riki was terminated by KLSX for punching fellow personality Doug Steckler three times in the face, injuring Steckler badly enough to keep him bed-ridden for a week. Last heard, Riki was living in Mooresville, North Carolina. |
Radke, Walt: KHJ. Robert W. Morgan called his engineer "Failsafe" (Walt) during the "Boss Radio" glory years. Walt has passed away.
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RADLOVIC, Marko:
KPWR, 1989-97; KCMG,
1997-2000, gm; KLAX/KXOL, 2001-11; KABC/KLOS, 2011-15. Marko was promoted to evp/coo for Spanish Broadcasting System in
late spring 2005. In December 2006 he added gm duties at KLAX/KXOL. In the summer of 2010, he became the chief revenue officer at Spanish Broadcasting System. In October 2011, Marko took over as the new market manager for the Cumulus stations, KABC/KLOS. He left in early summer 2015 and later joined re-joined SBS as svp/West Coast regional manager for Los Angeles and San Francisco. |
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(Bill Ratner)
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RAHILLY,
Charlie: KIIS, 1990-2006. Since the spring of 2012, Charlie has been the
co-founder of Swan Digital Media, working to unlock the wireless digital
network effect of radio and tv stations. Charlie
joined KIIS in 1990 as a junior AE and two years later was promoted to KIIS
local sales manager. In 1994, he became general sales manager at KIIS. Charlie continued his climb at Clear Channel when he was made Director of Sales in 2000, followed by co-market manager with Roy Laughlin in early 2001. Later in the year he was made co-regional vp with Laughlin and senior vp of Clear Channel/West Coast in the summer of 2002. Charlie is president/eo of Excorda. |
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RALL, Ted:
KFI, 1998-2000. The Ted Rall Show aired weekends
from late 1998 through late summer of 2000. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1963, Ted achieved early success as an artist. His first cartoons were published in Ohio newspapers in 1980. He majored in physics at Columbia University’s School of Engineering from 1981 until 1984, where he drew cartoons for the Columbia Daily Spectator. In 1984, Ted was expelled from Columbia for disciplinary and academic reasons. He became a trader/trainee at Bear, Stearns brokerage firm and a loan officer at the Industrial Bank of Japan. He also moonlighted as a telemarketer and taxi driver. Inspired after meeting guerrilla artist Keith Haring in 1986, Rall began posting his cartoons on New York City streets. He eventually picked up 12 clients through self-syndication. In 1990, he quit Wall Street to return to Columbia, where he graduated with honors in history in 1991. Later that year, Rall’s cartoons went national, distributed by the San Francisco Chronicle Syndicate. His cartoons now appear in more than a hundred publications. Rall sees editorial cartoons as a vehicle for change more than a source of humorous gags. In 1997, Universal Press Syndicate began distributing Rall’s weekly opinion column, dubbed Op-Ed Writing for Americans Under 65. He is also a staff writer for P.O.V. magazine. Two early collections of cartoons, Waking Up In America and All The Rules Have Changed are now out of print. Rall’s critically-acclaimed first graphic novel, Real Americans Admit: The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done!, collects real-life stories of people’s worst deeds in comic form, and was the first-place winner of the first annual 1997 Firecracker Alternative Book Award. He appeared regularly in the LA Times. |
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RAMIREZ, Al: KROQ; 1976-79; KLOS, 1979-2005. Al, the overnight personality at KLOS for decades, died suddenly on October 23, 2005. He was 54. Al was 26 years with KLOS. The Los Angeles native graduated from Loyola High School and started his radio career in San Francisco in 1971 at KSFX. He worked as an intern at KPPC and KYMS in the late 1960s. In 1976 he joined KROQ. Al started his long run at "The Home of Rock 'n' Roll," KLOS, on December 24, 1979. When Al was interviewed for Los Angeles Radio People, he looked back on his long run at KLOS and recalled some highlights: "I co-hosted morning drive with Frazer Smith in 1983. I also produced and announced `The Hollywood Niteshift' hour on KROQ and KLOS, starring Phil Austin, Michael C. Gwynne and Frazer. I had the privilege of filling in as the host of 'Seventh Day' for two years in the absence of 'Uncle' Joe Benson." Since 1973, Al had been a free-lance motion picture and television recording engineer. “Al Ramirez was one of my family members,” recalled Rita Wilde, pd at KLOS. “We had things we agreed on and we had our disagreements, but we concurred that the music we played was special and we loved this station as passionately as anyone could. |
Ramirez, Leslie: KFI, 1998; KACD; KLOS/KABC.
Ramirez,
Luis: KFWB, 1993-99. Luis left his KFWB reporter position in 1999 to work
for the Voice of America in Washington, DC, then as the agency's bureau
chief in Abidjan, West Africa, Beijing, Bangkok and he is currently in
Jerusalem.
Ramirez,
Lupita: Lupita is head of Metro Traffic in San Diego.
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RAMON, Elsa: KNX, 2022-23. Elsa joined KNX as a news anchor in the fall of 2022 from KCBS/KCAL tv. Previously she had been a tv anchor with the San Antonio NBC outlet. |
Ramondo: SEE Raymond Bannister
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RAMOS,
Carol: KFWB, 1994-97; KABC,
1997-2000. Carol left morning drive at KABC in the fall of 2000. The
Puerto Rican worked for three years as the morning anchor on
all-News KFWB. Carol was born and raised in New York and worked for a decade in Chicago news before arriving in the Southland in June 1994. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Georgia in 1979. She worked in tv until 1986 when she joined WBBM-Chicago as afternoon drive anchor. Influenced by Geraldo Rivera at age 13 when she was a student in Brooklyn, Carol described herself as a "news junkie." Carol started her broadcast career for the CBS affiliate in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1979, moving next to WBDC-Huntingburg, Indiana and then to Chicago. "I had been waiting to move to California since 1987. I fell in love with the state after attending a professional conference here." In the summer of 1997 Carol joined KABC news. She is married to KNX morning drive co-anchor Dick Helton. |
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RAMSAY, Jon:
KWIZ, 1972-81. Jon owns Jon
Ramsay Advertising Services in Yorba Linda specializing in
radio and tv. "My radio career started at KYOR-Blythe," emailed Jon. "I spent two wonderful years there from 1969 to 1971. I signed the station on six days a week at 6 a.m. with my 1st Class engineering license, which was long before you could get one on-line for $12.50." Jon worked both drive times. "I loved it, but after a couple of weeks, I found I could make more money than my dj salary by being a sales rep in my 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. off hours. After the two years, I knew I wanted more…" Jon left KYOR and moved to Fullerton and registered at CalState to finish two years of his BA. "For part of that time, I worked sales at KORJ before it became the wonderful 'shoot howdy' KIK/fm. "After KORJ, Paul Barth took a chance and hired me as a part-time dj on KWIZ/fm in Santa Ana. To this day, I think he regrets that decision. After a few months, sales manager, Jack Bell hired me as a rep for both the AM and FM stations. I don’t think he ever regretted that. We smoked pipes together in the sales office for several years. In 1981, I left to form Jon Ramsay Advertising Services, specializing in broadcast. That has continued till today, in 2022." |
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RAMSBURG,
Jim: KLAC, 1965-68. Jim is in the Minnesota
Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He wrote a book,
Network Radio
Ratings, 1932-53.
Jim arrived in the Southland as assistant pd and worked a weekend show during the “two-way” Talk format at KLAC. A product of the University of Minnesota School of Journalism, in the 1950s he started at WLOL-St. Paul followed by WDGY-Minneapolis and KWKY-Des Moines. Before arriving in the L.A. he worked at WPTR-Albany and KMBC-Kansas City. After leaving KLAC in 1968, Jim returned to his hometown of Minneapolis, to become pd at KSTP until 1974. Upon leaving radio, he and his wife Patty founded a successful advertising agency, Ramsburg Advertising & Media Services (RAMS). Jim and Patty retired in 1998 and they split their time between homes in Balsum Lake, Wisconsin and Estero, Florida. Jim was very active in the voiceover business. |
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RAMSEY,
Dave: KFWB, 2009-14' KEIB, 2014-20. The financial advisor's syndicated show is heard
in evenings at KEIB, 1150 AM the Patriot.
He moved across town from CBS to Clear Channel in early 2014.
His syndicated show is in its 20th year. “I’m still surprised and
honored that people call me at some of the most difficult and
personal moments in their lives,” said Ramsey. “Giving people hope
for their future and seeing lives changed is why I do this every
day.”
Ramsey refers
to his radio career as a “happy accident.” In 1992, he was a guest
on a radio show on WWTN 99.7 FM. The station was in bankruptcy and
could not pay the host – so the host quit. Ramsey and two friends
offered to take the time slot in exchange for commercial time that
they could sell. His friends went on to other ventures, but Ramsey
continued the show and began syndicating it nationwide. Twenty years
later, the show is the largest independently owned, operated and
syndicated program on radio.
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RANDAL, Ted:
KFWB, 1961-62; KFI, 1968;
XPRS, 1971. Ted died February 11, 2021, at the age of 95.
He had been living his last years in Victoria, British Columbia. Ted
was quite successful as an on-air talent and consultant in the
United States and Canada (CHUM, among others). Starting at KASH-Eugene in the late 40s, he made is way to the Bay Area in the early years of Top 40 Radio at KOBY and KEWB. He also hosted a daily teen tv dance show on KPIX-San Francisco. He touched down in the Southland during the 60s. Ted became a respected and in-demand consultant and mentor to many in the radio business. One colleague wrote at the time of his death: "This fabulous man with more knowledge in the broadcast and radio industries than most of us combined is someone I’m proud to call a friend." |
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RANDALL, Chuck:
KPFK, 1974-75; KCAL, 1975-77; KROQ, 1979-81;
KMET, 1981-83; KLON, 1984-85;
KLYY,
1997-98. Chuck lives in Pasadena. He has been tour manager/tour
director for many rock groups including Bob Weir and Ratdog, The Dead,
Huey Lewis, Little Feat, Duran Duran, and Neville Brothers. In recent years, he has toured with Alice in Chains and Goo Goo Dolls. He's now the tour manager for The Cult. Born and raised in LA . Chuck graduated from the Don Martin School of Broadcasting. " I started a broadcasting career at KPFK/fm and worked in LA radio during the GLORY days of FM radio!" Chuck credits his days in LA radio as the foundation for his career in the music business |
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RANDALL, Dave:
KLON, 1981-86; KRTH, 1994-2014. Dave worked
weekends and fill-in at "K-Earth" until September 2014. He's now
working with the Cumulus cluster in Ventura/Oxnard (KBBY). Born Dave Burchett (which was his air name at KLON) on July 28, 1959, in Los Angeles, he graduated from Carson High School in 1977 and earned a B.A. degree in radio/tv at Cal State Long Beach in 1982. Dave was the first Cal State Long Beach student to earn an internship at KNX. He idolized Walter Cronkite and Vin Scully and thought he would pursue journalism. From August of 1981 to Halloween 1986, Dave did afternoon sports and a late night jazz show for KLON. He won a Golden Mike in 1983. The Real Don Steele's return to L.A. radio had a profound effect on Dave. "Steele had opened my eyes and shown me how to use my talents. It soon dawned on me that everybody doing CHR in the '80s owed him a debt of gratitude." Dave headed for KWLT/KKYY-San Diego and worked for Mike Novak for two years. In July 1988 he started at KCAQ (“Q105”)-Oxnard and worked afternoon drive until the summer of 1997. During this time he sold bits through the Burchett Bullshoy Players and free-lance work for Jay Thomas' morning zoo. Dave worked weekend fill-in at KRTH. He enthused about working at "K-Earth": "To be working on a station I'd listened to for 20 years, to be working with Steele and Morgan, the very embodiment of [Boss Radio] and the best of Top 40 makes this job the crowning glory of my career...a career that is still blossoming." |
Randall, Jeff: KMGG, 1983. Since 1997, Jeff has been a
special events manager for non-profit organizations, the voice of the Tacoma
Rainiers and he does voiceover work. He lives in Seattle.
Randall,
Steve: KWST, 1978; KKHR, 1983; KIQQ, 1985. Steve lives in Fresno.
Randolph, Jim: KGFJ, 1965-73. In 1966 and
1967, Billboard voted Jim the #1 personality in the
r&b category. He became pd at KGFJ in 1968. Jim died of a
heart attack in 1973 and left behind a wife and six children.
He grew up in Dallas where his folks owned a drug store.
Rangoonwala, Saaquib: KNNS, 1996-99; KFWB,
1999-2003. His colleagues call him the "biggest name in
radio." He was editor's assistant at KFWB.
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(Lupita Ramirez, Beau Rials and Craig Rossi)
Al started in Talk Radio in
1981.
“I know a little
about how it has evolved over thirty
years,” said Al. “What is going on
really frightens me. It’s become
carnival barkers, people who are really
not sincere in the things they say. It’s
become people who just want to throw red
meat out and say anything for the sake
of pandering to their audience,
regardless of the facts and regardless
of the consequences and regardless of
any kind of objectivity.”
Rantel likens many
of the leading talk show hosts to those
old televangelists. “I used to make fun
of them on my show in Miami. These
televangelists would come on begging for
money and they would just throw out the
red meat about the bible and get people
worked up so they would send in money.”
In making
comparisons to the old televangelists,
Al thinks Glenn Beck,
Rush
Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and
Sean Hannity are basically getting
people excited. “They throw them some
red meat every single day – non-stop –
regardless of the facts and they bring
up some of the ugliest stuff in American
politics. I happen to know for a fact
that a lot of what they say they don’t
live. They say it because they know the
folks that are making a lot less money
than they are want to hear it. And it
just bothers the hell out of me.”
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RALPHAEL: KIIS, 2019-21; KBIG, 2022-23. The former KIIS middayer has the same name as the Ninja Turtle. "I use my ninja skills to CrossFit, go cycling and do outdoorsy AF things." He's now apd and afternoons at KBIG (MY/fm). Raphael Opida (aka “Raph”) joined MY/fm in late March of 2022 for afternoon drive. He took a short hiatus from the radio business after his time at KIIS to pursue active-duty opportunities in the New York Army National Guard. Prior to KIIS, Raph worked at iHeartMedia’s WIOQ in Philadelphia, serving as apd and md and hosted nights. Raph began his radio career in 2007 as a morning show intern at WPXY in Rochester, New York. Raph wore many hats during his tenure there including serving as the promotions director and on-air personality for nights, PM drive and mid-days. He reports to John Peake, svp of programming for iHeartMedia Los Angeles, and pd for 104.3 MYFM. "Raph is talented and motivated and knows how to connect on any platform. He will add great depth to our programming bench as he steps in as assistant program director," said Peake. Raph said: "After a short walk outside the radio world, I’m back and ready to take on the LA market. Plus the Dodgerss are hosting the MLB All-Star game this summer, nothing’s better than being in LA!” |
Raphone, Mike: KROQ, 1978-79. Mike Ritto runs All Media Advertising in Orange County.
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RAPP, Joel:
KFI, 1972. Joel billed himself
"Mr. Mother Earth" and he hosted a daily interview
talk show. He wrote tv scripts for McHale's Navy and
Here's Lucy. Joel was raised in Beverly Hills, surrounded by show-business legends. His father, Philip Rapp, created The Bickersons and Baby Snooks, his godmother was Fanny Brice and his godfather was Eddie Cantor. Joel inherited the writing gene and went on to write or co-write 16 motion pictures and over 200 sitcom episodes, among them Gilligan's Island, The Lucy Show, My Favorite Martian, The Patty Duke Show, The Joey Bishop Show, and The Donna Reed Show. In 1969, he quit his job as Vice-President in charge of Comedy Development at Universal Pictures and went into the indoor plant business, soon becoming known as "Mr. Mother Earth, Plant Man to the Stars," a persona in which he wrote 14 best-selling books on indoor gardening and cooking, spent eleven years with Regis & Kathie Lee as their tv gardener, and for almost ten years was heard weekly dispensing gardening advice on WABC radio in New York. |
Ratner, Bill: KJOI,
1979-80; KBIG, 1980-85. Bill has been the promo voice for
ABC.
Raven-Stark, Bruce: KLAC/KZLA, 1996-97.
Bruce lives in Phoenix.
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RAY, Bob:
KSRF, 1967-68; KMPC, 1968-70. "My
lifetime mistress - radio - is back in my life after a 40-year
hiatus. I’m still doing 9-noon on
BossRadio.com, which is simply a dream gig. I love the music, know it well from
living it well. Being on-the-air with the opportunity to talk about
artists, events and life is a gift I appreciate every single day.
Off-the-air, I am a featured speaker on rock ’n roll for Crystal,
Silversea and Princess Cruise lines around the world. My multi-media
presentations resonate well with cruisers as rock ’n roll is the
soundtrack of their lives. And mine, too! Plus my love of
photography has added two books to my bio' and I’m still producing
8-day adventures to Italy for people who love taking pictures:
PicturePerfectItaly.com.
Bob was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2019. |
Ray, Byron: KIKF, 1984-85. Unknown.
Ray, Doug: KWIZ, 1985-87.
At KWIZ, Doug worked afternoon drive. He eventually moved to Fresno where he mornings until the end of 2013. He had Bob Cady host a
weekly podcast, radioexiles.com.
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(Jim Rome and Jim Richards)
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RAY,
Steve: KLIT, 1991-93; KMPC, 1993-94;
KRCI, 1994; KGRB, 1994-95; KRLA, 1998.
Steve was living in Washington DC and was the official Presidential
Announcer for Inauguration Parades, Concerts & other events. He also worked
as a news anchor for WBAL Radio in Baltimore. Steve died October 11, 2022,
at the age of 64.
He posted on Facebook, a final message: "I am being transferred to
Manor Care in Arlington in preparation to leave this earth under
hospice care. The care will be primarily pain management with no
resuscitation in the event of a heart attack or other life altering
event. Unfortunately the infection has taken over with no further
surgical solution available. I have lived a wonderful life, traveled
all the way around the world, experienced meeting my heroes, and
hosted or announced once in a lifetime events. God bless my friends
and family. Thank you for your unending love & support. I never got
the chance to write that book, but I promise you it would have been
a great adventure. I love you all. This will most likely be my final
post." Steve started his radio career at WOHN-Herndon, Virginia. In the mid-1970s he worked at WPGC-Washington, DC. “I got out of radio to join the Jaguar IMSA Trans-Am Racing Team as director of PR. I was promoting the LA Times Grand Prix at Riverside and at the end of the racing season I returned to the Southland to follow-up on media connections and restart my radio career.” He ended up working in a number of motion pictures. In 1989 he joined KKUR-Ventura. “I sounded as bad as I did over a decade earlier.” After a stint at KMPC/KLIT, Steve became gm of Radio Catalina, KRCI. He has spent time at WW1's Oldies Channel. In the mid-1990s Ray programmed a station in Taipei, Taiwan. “While there I fulfilled a dream by becoming a contributing writer for the international editions of Playboy.” For many years at KMPC and KRLA, Steve also produced the California Angels, Los Angeles Rams, UCLA and Mighty Ducks network feeds. In the summer of 1999, he returned to Washington, DC as one of the first format managers for satellite-fed digital radio at WorldSpace. |
Razor: KNAC, 1994. Born Rey deCarolo, Razor started at KNAC working the request phone lines and being a prize van driver. He went on to work at WZTA-Miami.
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REAGAN, Maureen:
KABC, 1973-74. Maureen, the
daughter of the former president and Jane Wyman, worked as a
talk show host and her first guest was then-governor Ronald
Reagan. She became a crusader for Alzheimer's disease awareness after her
father fell ill, died August 8, 2001. She was 60 and suffered from skin
cancer. Maureen died peacefully at her Sacramento-area home, said her
husband, Dennis C. Revell. |
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REAGAN, Michael:
KABC, 1983-85; KIEV,
1998-2000. Michael hosted a syndicated talk show that was
heard locally at KIEV until the fall of 2000. Born John Charles Flaugher on March 18, 1945, Michael is an American television personality, political commentator, Republican strategist, former radio talk show host, and author. He is the adopted son of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan and his first wife, actress Jane Wyman. |
Reagan, Ron: KMET, 1984; KTLK, 2008-10. The former president's son reviewed movies on "the Mighty Met." He was a talker on KTLK working afternoon drive until the syndicator Air America went out of business.
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REARDON,
Sharon: The traffic reporter and news anchor for various Southland radio stations,
including KABC, is
a software adviser with THRY, a business automation software company. She was an account executive with LA56 KDOC/tv and a creative
director at Salem Communication "As a former broadcaster, I'm a great speaker," she wrote on her LinkedIn page. "As a marketing specialist, I'm a great listener. I love helping people move their business forward by finding the right solutions. Clear, concise and relevant messaging is key to effective marketing. Love the creative process and I'm not afraid to take risks. My passion is to work with clients and find the key, creative messaging that helps them achieve their business goals." |
Rebenstorf, John. In 1991 John became the radio play-by-play voice of UCLA football and basketball. Before the start of his second season (1992) with the Bruins, John died at the age of 41. He started out as the voice of Cal State Fullerton where he was a one-man show. John had a history of heart problems and suffered his first heart attack at 28. In the fall of 1985, at 35, he had triple bypass surgery. He was looking forward to his second season at UCLA when he required another heart bypass procedure. He died shortly after the operation.
Red Rooster: KACD, 2000. Red Rooster hosted
a blues show at Channel 103.1." Unknown.
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REEB, Trip:
KROQ, 1988-2006 and KROQ/KCBS,
2002-03. Trip left KROQ in the summer of 2006, following a massive CBS
Radio "restructuring." He went on to be the general manager of a cluster in
Hawaii. In the fall of 2013, he was named vp/market manager for Hubbard
Radio's cluster in Phoenix. In the summer of 2022, Hubbard added their
five-station group in Seattle to his duties. Reeb continues to lead
the Hubbard Radio group in Phoenix, where he has served as VP/Market
Manager since 2014. Before starting his L.A. radio trip, Trip was pd at KISS-San Antonio, KAZY-Denver and XTRA (“91X”)-San Diego. His philosophy was detailed in a LA Times profile in the early ‘90s: "We haven't succeeded by compromising or homogenizing the radio station. I believe that KROQ is one of the most challenging stations anywhere in commercial radio." |
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REED, B. Mitchel: KFWB, 1957-63 and 1965-67; KPPC, 1967-68; KMET, 1968-71; KRLA, 1971-72; KMET, 1972-78; KLOS, 1979-81. B.M.R. played an important role in two key, distinct format successes: Top 40 and AOR "Underground" radio.
Mitch was born Burton Mitchel Goldberg in Brooklyn on June 10, 1926,
and entered radio following a decision at the |
"The fastest tongue in the West" hosted a #1 rated 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. high
energy show using horns, bells and buzzers until February 20, 1963 when he
was wooed back to his hometown as one of "The Good Guys" at WMCA-New York:
"I'm not talking too fast, you're listening too slow." Again rated #1, "Your
Leader" spent time in
After his final WMCA show on March 20, 1965, he was cheered by thousands at
the airport, a scene that was repeated when he landed in
Mitch underwent successful coronary bypass surgery in 1978 and left KMET for KLOS. Mitch "kept his mind open and his spirit free" until his death from a lingering heart condition at the age of 56 on March 16, 1983.
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REED, Donn:
KABC, 1959-60;
KMPC, 1961-81. Donn died after a bout with cancer on December 15, 2003. He
was 88. |
The LA Times' Don Page described Donn: "What he really relishes is investigative reporting, and he does it with the dash and flair of a fiction writer's cop.” In 1970 Donn was named announcer-reporter of the year by the Times. During his illustrious career he won 16 Golden Mikes and 5 L.A. Press Corp awards. "I was most proud of the Edward R. Morrow national award for a documentary called Skid Row Merry-Go-Round.” Retired in 1981, Donn was an avid fisherman, taking his boat out to fresh water whenever weather permited. His favorite fishing holes were the lakes in the High Sierras.
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REED, Eric "Rico":
KJLH, 1974-93;
KACE, 1993-97; KOST, 1997-2001; KLAC, 2001;
KRBV, 2007-08. Eric has been around LARadio for
decades. His work in the community earned him the 1992 NAACP
Humanitarian Image Award. He received a commendation from the L.A.
City Council for playing a major role in calming the situation
during the L.A. Riots. Rico was one of those jocks looking out the
studio's picture window at KJLH and thought it “was just like
looking at a movie screen.” He gave an on-air play-by-play as he
watched people smash the window of a repair shop and run off with a
broken TV. “I can’t believe this guy,” Rico told the audience. “It’s
a TV repair shop. The TVs don’t even work, man. They just stealing
them to be stealing them. It makes no sense.” A graduate of Dorsey High, Rico attended CSUN, West L.A. College and Los Angeles Community College during the 1970s. His long association with Stevie Wonder’s station, KJLH, allowed him to co-host with Stevie the “King-a-thon.” He has hosted the “Lou Rawls Cavalcade of Stars Telethon” along with numerous community events including the Magic Johnson UNCF fund-raiser and a black radio exclusive live with the legendary Frankie Crocker. During his 18 years with KJLH, Rico touched the lives of millions on a daily basis both over the airwaves and through community service. At some point, he worked every on-air shift and held various off-air position, including production manager, promotion director, music director, assistant program director and program director. Rico spent a number of years at V-103.9 (KACE) as morning drive personality and host of “The Up-Front Talk Show.” This popular talk show raised thousands of dollars for needy families and hosted trips for hundreds of listeners to Africa, Jamaica. He also served eight consecutive years in the nineties as host/MC of “Lind Taylor’s Classic Soul Cruise.” Rico is married, with three children and is a self-employed Graphic Designer and voiceover artist. He loves to restore classic cars, and collect animation cells. "Thanks for your years serving LARadio." He is now doing voiceover work. |
Reed, Larry: KMPC, 1969-83; KABC, 1983-2001.
Larry is an engineer at KABC.
Reed, Leonard: KDAY. Unknown.
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REED, Phil:
KFWB, 1968-73; KNX,
1973-78 and 1991-94; KBIG/KBRT, 1978-87; KNX. Phil is an ordained minister at the
Church of the Nazarene in Monrovia. When KFWB made the historic switch from Rock to all-News, Phil was the second voice on the air. Born in Los Angeles, he grew up in Pasadena. One of Phil's early influences was Bob Crane. "It was sometime around being a junior in high school when I stopped and thought about broadcasting. While I was attending the Don Martin school to get my FCC 1st Class License, I would deliver newspapers to earn a living. After I delivered the papers and before school I would hang at Columbia Square and watch Bob Crane on KNX." After knocking the needle off a disc, he thought he would never be invited back, but Bob continued to let him watch and encouraged him. KBUC-Corona was Phil's first stop in 1962 and then, six months later, KGRB-San Bernardino. He graduated with a psych major in 1966 from Pasadena Nazarene college. Before joining the news format at KFWB, Phil spent some time at KSOM-Ontario. Phil has worked morning drive during his on-air news days and was made nd of KBIG in 1979 which included work on the Bonneville AM station, KBRT. In 1987 Phil joined the world of voiceovers and teaching. He teaches at Pt. Loma Nazarene and Cal State Los Angeles. "Voiceover work is a very shaky way to make a living. You go in strings or runs of work and no work." |
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REED, Tom: KGFJ, 1966-69; KMET, 1969-71; XPRS, 1971-73; KDAY, 1973-76. Born and raised in St. Louis, he arrived in L.A. in 1959 and was on the air at the Los Angeles City College radio station. He also attended UCLA and Windsor University. While working in Kansas City he was the reporter for Down Beat. Tom tells the legend of his nickname "The Master Blaster": "While sitting in a Kansas City bar many years ago, a patron was taunting me, saying, 'You are gonna get blasted outta here.' I said, 'You can't; I am the Master Blaster.'" The next morning, his only recollection of the night before was the "Master Blaster" reference. He went on KPRS/AM&FM-Kansas City with the descriptive line, and the name stuck. In the mid-'60s Tom worked at WLIB-New York and WJLB-Detroit before blasting into the Southland in the little house on Melrose Avenue. (Thanks to the LA Times for the photo) In 1969, Tom was elected president of the Western States Chapter of the National Association of TV-Radio Announcers. A 1973 Arbitron showed KDAY was Number 1 in teens. Tom said, "This was the first time in Los Angeles radio history that a black station or radio personality was No. 1." Between 1976 and 1979, Tom was assistant advertising manager and music critic for the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper. In 1978, he went back to school and earned a master's degree in communications science at Windsor University. Tom has done doctoral work at USC's Annenberg School of Communication. He is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. He has fulfilled a lifelong passion by documenting the rich history of black music in Los Angeles with the 1993 publication of a book called The Black Music History of Los Angeles - Its Roots. Tom credits his own firm roots to strong family values: "My father was a policeman and my mother was a school teacher. My cousin, Elston Howard, was the first black ball player for the New York Yankees.” Tom was the first African American to win an Award of Excellence from the Greater Los Angeles Press Club three years in a row for tv entertainment reporting. Since 1990 Tom has won five Angel awards for excellence in media for his program "For Members Only," the longest running locally produced African American program in L.A. television history. The shows airs on KSCI/Channel 18. |
Reeves, Dave: KGIL, 1968-69.
Dave lives in Jacksonville, Florida.
Regan,
Dennis: KGIL, 1975-76. Dennis owns a voiceover production facility in San
Diego, Main Street Productions.
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REGAN, John:
KSUR,
2002-05; KKGO, 2005-06; KGIL, 2010-11. John worked middays at Adult Standards 1260 & 540.
He worked mornings at Retro 1260, KGIL and he provides an Oldies Internet r&b/Oldies show. John
is a real afficianado of 50s Rock, in
particular doo-wop and r&b. You can hear his incredible library at his
Internet radio station: Regan's Record Rack on Live 365. You can listen at:
www.live365.com/stations/jregan818?play “I love the Oldies as much as I do the standards. Having been born in 1942, I've got a unique perspective on the evolution of American music from the late '40s on. Of course, being a music freak even in grade school helped and so did my family's record collection. So I became well schooled in the American songbook at an early age. And in 1955 I turned 13, a prime and willing participant in the early rock & roll revolution.” Regan continued: “Since then I've had a fascinating, self-taught education in the full-spectrum of American music and have had the rare opportunity over the last 35 years in Phoenix, San Diego and now Los Angeles to play all this great musical heritage on the radio, both in regular daily programs and in special weekend features. |
Reid, Gary: SEE Gary Moore.
Reiff,
Scott: SEE Skylord
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REILING, Joe:
KLOS, 1977-81; KMET,
1982; KNX/fm, 1983; KLSX, 1988-90; KLOS, 2003-09.
Joe was a familiar voice for four decades at KLOS, KMET, KNX/fm, and
KLSX. His voice was silenced on October 6, 2017, following a decade
of health issues. He has been alternatively described as jovial, sweet and an all-round good guy. Joe's jock and rock programming past prepared him well for his tenure when, in 1992, he became the programming, voicing, artist interviewing and producer of inflight entertainment for over 30 airlines. He began this part of his career with AEI Inflight. Joe then moved to Inflight Productions USA as a vp in June of 2000. Working for the airlines is somewhat prophetic, for Joe since he was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, the birthplace of aviation. Joe attended the University of Dayton where he majored in communication arts and minored in psychology, a rather apt combo. While at the university, Joe began his radio career a part of the school’s owned-and-operated commercial radio station, where he was the midday jock and Sunday morning talk show host. After graduating in 1974, Joe went to KFIG-Fresno for midday-jocking, news anchoring and directorship becoming the station’s pd. One memorable Fresno story was when he interviewed Reverend Jim Jones (The People’s Temple Of San Francisco). "Jones brought some of his followers to Fresno to protest the jailing of three local newspaper people in 1976. I was the only media person to interview him. My editorials attacked Jones for brainwashing his ‘flock,’” said Joe. He claimed that he never sipped grade Kool-Aid since that interview. Tom Yates hired Joe at KLOS in 1977. Joe introduced "The KLOS Local Music Show" in 1981, the long-running program featuring unsigned acts. “In 1983, I was part of the short-lived but greatly ballyhooed ‘Turner Music Channel.’ It lasted a whopping 39 days, not one of Ted's foremost successes.” For almost a decade, beginning in 1984, Joe hosted an alternative rock show to an estimated worldwide daily audience of 400 million on Armed Forces Radio. Joe’s “bests” are his many friendships and his daughter, Krista. |
Reisman,
Larry: KEZY, 1977-83. When he left KEZY, Larry worked for Westwood One, IRS
Records and The Album Network. He left the radio/music business in 1996.
Reiter, Bill: KLAC,
2014-16. Since 2013, Bill has been working across multiple platforms at Fox
Sports. He hosted a midday show at KLAC with Leeann Tweeden. He
left in late summer 2016 to join CBS Sports.
Reitler, Bill: SEE Bill Wright
Remington,
Peter: KXOL/KLAX, 2007. Peter was appointed gm/market manager for the two
SBS stations in late spring 2007.
Remy: SEE Remy Maxwell
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REOPELLE,
Tom: KNX, 1990-2017. After 27 years as the San Diego
reporter for all-news KNX, Tom left the station in early 2017. "It's
been a great run at a great station," Reopelle said. During his
time, Tom covered military and border issues along with every major
regional story, including devastating wildfires, the Trump
University lawsuit and the Chargers leaving San Diego. For his
on-air work Reopelle received awards from the Los Angeles and San
Diego Press Clubs, as well as the Radio and Television News
Association of Southern California Born in Phoenix in 1947, Tom’s family moved to San Diego (National City) when he was three. “During teen years, I listened to the radio all the time and thought this might be a good way to make a living,” recounted Tom. “After attending San Diego State University, I headed out looking for a radio job. My first job was in El Centro as a dj. Over the years, I developed a keener interest in news. While working in Georgia I was a tv news reporter and anchor and became convinced that covering the news would be a big part of my life. Returning to San Diego I delivered the news on KOGO, XTRA, KSDO and KFMB before joining KNX. |
Requio, Roxane: KPWR, 1990-1998; KABC/KLOS, 1998-2016. Roxane was marketing director for the Cumulus Classic Rock and all-Talk stations. The California State University, Fullerton graduate majored in Business Administration. She left the Cumulus stations in early 2016.
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RESNICK, Wayne:
KFI, 1988-2023. Wayne
is Bill Handel’s sidekick and fill-in and he does sports during the morning
show. Wayne had a variety of assignments at KFI including a stint as Joe Crummey's screener and supplier of character voices before he got his own show. He moved to early evening in late 1995 when Marilyn Kagan left the station. Born July 7, 1963, in Port Arthur, Texas, he was raised in Santa Barbara and Charleston, West Virginia. He graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in psychology. Wayne was a supervisor with the U.S. Probation Office and was previously employed as the program director of a methadone treatment program. |
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REYES, Jimmy: KHHT, 2001-15; KQIE, 2019-23. Jimmy worked afternoons at Art Laboe's KOKO-Fresno. He's mornings at KQIE in the Inland Empire. Jimmy was born and raised In Los Angeles. "In middle school, I started going to dances and that's when I first noticed 'the dj,'" said Jimmy. "I thought, 'Wow! This is dope!' It was at that point I knew I had to get involved with music." After graduating from the Academy of Radio Broadcasting in Huntington Beach in 1998, he landed an internship and first job at Mega 100.3 F.M in Los Angeles, where he wore many hats from an intern, producer, production assistant, promotions and, on air personality. Then he became the host of Hot 92.3’s morning show, taking over for Rick Dees in 2012, and hosted Old School Saturday Night. Jimmy has also worked at Wild 96.1 FM in San Bernardino on air nights, afternoons and middays. In 1994, Jimmy started a mobile dj business. "I rocked parties, quincenieras and anywhere people needed music." |
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REYES, Meghan: KFI, 1994-95; KLSX, 1995-98; KNX, 1998-2012. Meghan left her midday KNX traffic post in late summer 2012. She continues to be an aerial traffic reporter for KNBC/4. Reyes has been doing the job since 1997 in the air and on the ground, and, in fact, it is something she has wanted to do most of her life, according to the late Al Martinez of the LA Times. Her mother, Karen, said that when Meghan was just a little girl she'd listen to traffic reporters on the radio and jabber along with them, copying their style and cadence. Now she looks down at the entanglements on the freeways or above fires from 2,000 to 5,000 feet. It used to be that Friday was the worst day, Reyes says, but now it's Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. "More like every day if you ask me." Among the hazards of being an airborne traffic reporter is that there are so many other traffic reporters up there in planes and helicopters that you have to be careful not to become a statistic yourself. On one occasion, Reyes came close to buying the farm, as they used to say, when the Cessna she was in began filling with smoke. The pilot landed all right, but moments after they ran from the wreckage, the plane exploded into flame. It was shortly after the incident that Reyes, shaken but determined to carry on, learned to fly, just in case. Reyes is a reserve officer with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. Her "passion," she says, is to someday be a full-time cop working not in the air but on the streets of L.A. County, which may be a lot more dangerous than being caught in a burning airplane at 5,000 feet. |
Reynolds, Andy: KFWB, 1983-85. Andy is a
deputy DA in the Newhall office. Andy was a reporter for all-News KFWB. "I
am forever indebted to Ed Pyle and Frank Oxarart for allowing me to go to
law school while working at KFWB." Born in New York, Andy grew up in Havana
and after school worked news in New York and Miami before coming to the
Southland. After KFWB he was a reporter at KTTV/Channel 11 for a year and a
half. As a deputy DA, he said: "I'm just one of the grubs in the office."
Reynolds, Bo (Pat): KZLA,
1993-97 and 2003-04. Bo rejoined KZLA for afternoons in late 2003 and left
in the spring of 2004 and returned to KALC-Denver. He now works for Apex
Broadcasting in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida as the pd/afternoon talent for
WHWY (Highway 98 Country).
Reynolds, Jack: KGIL, 1969. Jack is vp of
Capitol Records' special markets division.
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REYNOLDS, Joey:
KMPC, 1980-81; KRTH,
1981-82. Joey Reynolds is not dead, though the rumors have it that the
always-creative radio legend, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dj, and
digital creator, is styling himself as “The Late Joey Reynolds.”
Joey’s long career stretches back to the early 1960s in Hartford (WPOP, WDRC), Buffalo (WKBW), Cleveland (WIXY), Detroit (WZ)XY, L.A. (KMPC) and Philadelphia (WIBG and WFIL) - with many other stops along the way. From 1996 to 2010, Joey held court in the wee small hours of the morning in national syndication on WOR Radio in New York. More recently, you saw him on digital cable and streaming online (WNBC and WABC). Today, "The Late Joey Reynolds" appears on all major social media platforms. Every week, you'll enjoy his insightful, stream-of-consciousness commentaries, live video from his travels, and a treasure trove of audio and video content from his vast archives! (From Joey's website) |
Reynolds, Steve: KIBB, 1996-97. Steve worked production at "Viva 107.1."
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(Curtis Robinson, Dyland Riggs, Scott Riley, Bill Reiter, and Freddy Rivera)
Rhines,
Howard: KFAC, 1950s and 1960s. Unknown.
Rhodes, Dusti: KMET; KWST, 1979. Dusti works afternoons at
KKWV-San Francisco.
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RHODES,
Randi: KTLK, 2005-13. Randi left the Progressive Talk station in the spring
of 2008 following an incident where she called Hillary Clinton a "f-#$%ing
whore. She returned and was working noon to 3 p.m. until a format flip to
Conservative radio and a re-branding as 1150 AM The Patriot. Randi Joyce Bueten was born in Brooklyn and she grew up in the area. In contemporary Talk radio, Randi has been a voice of the Progressive side of politics. She joined the Air Force for three years was being trained as a flight engineer. In the 1980 presidential election, Rhodes voted for Republican candidate Ronald Reagan, explaining: "I was young and stupid and sick of the gas lines, but never voted Republican again,” according to Wikipedia. Rhodes' radio career began in Seminole, Texas at a Country music station. She moved on to jobs in Mobile, Alabama and eventually to WAPP “The Apple.” In late September 1992, Rhodes started on the nightshift at WIOD in Miami. The Miami Herald described her as "a chain-smoking bottle blond, ... part Joan Rivers, part shock jock Howard Stern. but mostly, she's her rude, crude, loud, brazen, gleeful self." In 2004, Rhodes joined Air America Radio, bringing The Randi Rhodes Show to a national audience for the first time. In 2007, Rhodes was recognized by Talkers Magazine as Woman of the Year. Air America suspended Rhodes from the network on April 3, 2008 after an event in San Francisco. While doing a stand-up comedy act, Rhodes said, "Geraldine Ferraro turned out to be the David Duke in drag ... What a whore Geraldine Ferraro is! She's such a fucking whore! Hillary is a big fucking whore, too.” She left Air America and joined the Nova M Radio Network. From 2009-14, her show was carried by Premiere Radio Networks. In 2016, Randi Rhodes initiated a Kickstarter campaign. The show began live streaming publicly on July 5, 2016. |
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RHODES,
Ray: KBIG, 1994-2011. Ray was a producer and mixer at MY/fm.
Beginning in 1995 Ray was been the dj and music producer for KBIG
104's "Disco Saturday Night," a live mix show on Saturday nights. In
early 2000, he helped conceive a new show on KBIG called “Friday
Night Dance Party," which now goes by the name “Boogie Nights.” Ray began his radio career at UCLA’s KLA, where he worked on-air and in management. Ray also worked as a mobile dj at UCLA, where he quickly found his skills in-demand for parties and school events. On nights when he isn’t spinning on the air, Ray can usually be heard in the clubs doing one of his many themed musical nights. In his spare time Ray enjoys producing and remixing music, with several remixes under his belt including Fifth Harmony’s Work From Home, Michelle Omaba’s This Is For Your Girls, twenty one pilots’ Stressed Out, Jennifer Lopez’s Ain’t Your Mama, Lady Gaga’s Til It Happens To You and Rihanna’s Sex With Me. |
Rhone, Paul: KRHM, 1959-60.
During the 1960s, Paul appeared in Burke's Law, Petticoat Junction,
and The Rebel. In the early 1970s, Paul was working as the lobby security guard/greeter at
KHJ TV & AM. Unknown.
Rials, Beau: KSRF, 1988-89; KLSX, 1989-96;
KLOS, 1997-2003. Beau is the host/producer of Skil Shop and Into
the Mystic. He is the worldwide tv spokesperson for many national
clients including Mitsubishi Electric and Cuisinart.
Ricci, Little: SEE Ricci Filiar
Ricco, Paule: KLOS, 1978; KWST, 1979; KHTZ,
1979-80. Paulie became a paralegal working in the San
Fernando Valley.
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RICE, Bill:
KYMS, 1968; KNOB, 1969; KNAC,
1969; KWIZ, 1969-70. For 15 years, Bill was an anchor at all-News KOMO-Seattle. Bill fell in love with radio while touring with the Young Americans in the summer of 1967. The group appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, Andy Williams Show and the Tonight show. "We did lots of radio and tv interviews. I just found the medium exciting." While attending Fullerton Junior College and Cal State Fullerton he studied Communications, Bill started working part-time on Orange County stations. Born in Los Angeles in 1947, Bill left for KUUU-Seattle in 1970 and by the mid-1970s made a transition to news. He was nd of KPLZ-Seattle for six years. For almost 20 years Bill was the nd of KJR/AM&FM and KUBE-Seattle. He left in the spring of 2002. Bill's done tv news in the Northwest and for eight years in the 1980s was the stadium announcer for the Seattle Mariners. Bill became an anchor at KOMO-Seattle. He's now retired. |
Rich, Allan: KRHM, 1959. Unknown.
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RICH, Bobby:
KHJ, 1973-74; KHTZ, 1979; KFI,
1981-83. Bobby is pd and co-owner of The DRIVE (KDRI/AM830 and 101.7/fm in
Tucson. Arriving in the Southland from WAVZ-New Haven, Bobby started in June of 1973 at KHJ. Paul Drew was the pd and it was a volatile time. The Real Don Steele had just left and Robert W. Morgan would leave within weeks, to be replaced by Charlie Van Dyke. Drew was promoted to RKO national pd and brought in Sean Conrad who lasted six months, replaced by Gerry Peterson Cagle. Bobby left in early 1974 for KFMB-San Diego and created "B-100," which became, according to Bobby, "the first Contemporary music FM station in the country to capture overall #1 ratings." In 1978, he became pd of WXLO (“99X”)-New York with Jay Thomas powering the mornings. Bobby returned to the Southland and joined "K-Hits" as pd and afternoon drive. He was Greater Media's first pd and was responsible for converting the station from Top 40 to Adult CHR. He left in less than a year. "Even though I was given less than a year under somewhat undesirable conditions, I built another winner, assembled a great staff and developed an excellent sounding station." He joined Drake/Chenault in 1981 as the director of specialized programming. In 1982, Bobby became assistant pd and night jock on KFI until Cox transferred him to program WWSH-Philadelphia. He returned to KFMB in 1984 as pd and morning host. There, he created the Hot AC format and the Rich Brothers morning show. In 1989 he gm'ed KMGI-Seattle. |
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RICH, Debra:
KFI, 1997-99. Debra worked weekends at KFI. Debra
commuted between Phoenix and Los Angeles each week for her talk
show. She has had an interesting journey prior to getting the KFI
weekend shift. Debra was working at KYPA, a motivational station a
few years back, and a sales associate suggested they cut a demo
tape. "We had a blast and sent it to KFI pd David G. Hall.
David called a few days later and said, ‘I want you on my station,
alone.’ Debra was born in Chicago and grew up in Lincolnwood, Illinois and graduated from the University of Michigan with a dual degree. "I got a Bachelor’s in romance languages and a second B.A. in comparative literature," said Debra. Her father was a pharmacist and her mother was a stay-at-home mother. "I have a sister who became a lawyer and when I chased entertainment, it broke their hearts." After working at the Leo Burnett ad agency in Chicago, she quit to pursue acting. For five years she worked in Chicago theatre and acted in commercials to make ends meet. She worked for a time in Phoenix radio. Debra is a member of the Dramatist’s Guild of America (DGA) and three of her plays were presented at the DGA’s New Works Festival. Debra is the Managing Director at The Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds, Washington. |
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RICH, Jai: KBCA, 1969-72; KJLH, 1980-85; KKJZ, 2007-08. James 'Jai Rich' Richardson, whose sonorous voice and lively mixture of Jazz, Gospel as well as r&b helped formulate the background music for Black Los Angeles from the 1960s to the 1970s, died October 24, 2012. He was 78 years old.In an autobiography written for radio station KJAZZ, where he had returned to radio in 2007, after a 23-year hiatus, Jai talked about a childhood fascination with the broadcast industry at a time when all black music on the radio was lumped together into the category “race music.” That stricture aside, Rich gained an opportunity at an early age to appear on a local show called Blues at Sundown that aired from 3-6 p.m. on a station emanating from Fort Worth, Texas. He was only 9 years old.Rich was born August 15, 1934 in Marlin, Texas. He was raised and educated in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, graduating from Booker T. Washington High School in 1952. After that early radio experience, Rich said he was hooked. After serving in the Marine Crops as a radio-telephone operator and receiving commendations for outstanding service, he went on to complete formal broadcast training at the Don Martin School of Radio and Television Science, which also produced such graduates as The Real Don Steele and Bob Eubanks. |
Richards, Barry: KGFJ, 1984-85, pd. Barry, aka The Reazar, is a major music consultant to radio and records.
Richards, Beau: KMEN / KGGI 1987-88. Now ski reporter for Mountain News Network Orinda, California, and freelance voiceover commercial production from his home in Florida.
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RICHARDS, Bill:
KIIS, 1990-92. Bill was a
senior vp of programming for Premiere Radio Networks. In the summer of 2020, RCS announced Bill was retiring as Product Manager of its Test All Media division, closing out a stellar 50-year broadcast industry career. Since 2011 Richards has been responsible for overseeing the tremendous growth of Test All Media, which he founded in 2008 and was later acquired by iHeartMedia. Richards earlier launched Bill Richards Radio Consultancy (BRRC) and was responsible for the creation of Rate the Music, an online research software that was also acquired by iHeartMedia. Over the course of Richards' half-century career he has also programmed such notable radio stations as KLUC-Las Vegas, KDWB-Minneapolis, WNCI-Columbus, OH; KKBQ (93Q)-Houston, KXXX (X100)-San Francisco and KIIS/fm. "It's been a honor to work in this industry... actually, it was never 'work' to me -- I've loved every minute of it. I've been blessed to have worked alongside some of the best in the business," told The Ramp newsletter. They made me better and I learned and grew from that. Hopefully they learned from me as well. My goal was always to win, but do so with integrity and honor." "To come from a small town in South Dakota and to have experienced all this is just mind-numbing." Looking ahead," Richards said, "I'm not one to sit around, but I will look forward to spending more time playing golf, guitar and doing some traveling soon, as well as delving more into my music recording." |
Richards, Jim: KBRT, 1980. Jim is president of Vallie Richards Consulting, based in Atlanta.
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RICHARDS, K.M.: KGIL, 1977-78 and 1989-90; KNJO, 1978; KWNK, 1988-89. In the early nineties, K.M. became a very successful consultant. There was a brief three-year stint working at Pacific Bell around the turn of the century. |
Richards, Lisa: KACE, 1990. Last heard, Lisa was working at WBLS-New York.
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RICHARDS, Mark:
KGIL, 1985; KFI, 1985-86.
Mark was the original host of "The Radio Game Show" on KOGO-San Diego. In
the summer of 1985, he joined KFI to host a nightly version of his KOGO
show. Mark is currently producing a weekly
local tv game show in Las Vegas. Born Dick Liberatore in 1942, Mark lives and breathes game shows. He made his first network television appearance at the age of 12 as a contestant on Break The Bank with Bert Parks and wound up as a contestant on 5 more game shows during his lifetime including The Dating Game, To Tell The Truth and Wheel Of Fortune. As Dick Liberatore, he worked in Cleveland between 1965 and 1978 at WZAK, WHK, WIXY, WERE and WUAB/TV hosting a nightly "oldies" program and a weekly 1950s bandstand tv program. (His late father-in-law was rock & roll dj Alan Freed.) Mark left Cleveland in 1978 and joined KCBQ-San Diego hosting a nightly oldies show. In 1982, he created and developed "The Radio Game Show" that aired 6 nights a week on KOGO-San Diego. He also moonlighted as the host of Starcade, cable televisions' very first original tv game show that aired on Ted Turner's WTBS. In 1984, Mark became the contestant coordinator for Jeopardy! Anxious to go back to hosting and producing "The Radio Game Show," Mark left Jeopardy! in 1985 and landed a job hosting a daily 2-hour afternoon game show on KGIL. A week before the program made its debut, the Los Angeles Daily News printed a small story that caught the attention of KFI's program director, Steve LeBeau who used to monitor Mark's nightly KOGO game show. Looking to spice up KFI's early evening lineup, LeBeau contacted Mark at KGIL and asked it he had a contract with the station. At the time of the call, Mark was actually reading the KGIL contract but had not yet signed it. "Don't sign it!" said LeBeau. That was 10 a.m. By 11:30, Mark was meeting with LeBeau at the KFI studios. Because “The Radio Game Show" was being heavily promoted, Mark did two weeks at KGIL before joining KFI where his show aired Monday thru Saturday nights from 6 - 9 p.m. Needless to say, KGIL was miffed. |
Richards, Neil: KSRF, 1980. SEE Neil Young
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RICHARDS, Ronni:
KWIZ, 1981-87. Ronni
has an active VO career. Ronni was born back, "when God was a boy." She grew up in a swampy area of Florida now known as Cape Canaveral. After graduating from the University of Florida, Ronni worked for several years with WFLA and WIPC in Central Florida. As part of a two-voice radio comedy team, she and partner Dan O'Day won one of Billboard magazine's Top Jock Awards in New York City and promptly moved to the San Francisco area where she began a successful 13-year run with Davis-Weaver Broadcasting Company. At KLOK-San Jose, she became one of the first female morning drive personalities in the country and was seen nightly on KGSC/TV. She spent 15 years with the KWIZ organization, starting in 1974 with KLOK. She commented on her decade-and-a-half to Gary Lycan in the OC Register: "They were good to me, and the new owners asked me to come back, but since I started free-lance commercials, working every day was just too much. While on maternity leave from KWIZ, I tasted the sweet nectar of commercial voiceover work and residual pay.” Ronni bravely returned to KWIZ after her husband was killed in a plane crash. She owns Aubergine Productions and can be seen and heard across the country in tv and radio commercials. She is active in the yearly Orange County PBS/TV station pledge drive. "I was listening to an Oldies station, searching for my Motown fix, when suddenly, Morris Albert comes on singing Feelings. I got whiplash reaching for the radio dial! I had to play that song once an hour in high rotation when I was on the radio and hearing it again was beyond painful. I know there are so many people who loved that song and it is probably a wonderful ballad, but to me it was chalk on a blackboard. Sorry Morris, for my money, there was only one ballad in '77, Elvin Bishop's Fooled Around and Fell in Love! |
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RICHARDS, Stoney:
KIIS, 1973-74; KLAC, 1980; KHTZ, 1981;
KLAC/KZLA, 1981-94. Stoney graced the Southland with
his quirky sense of humor on a number of Southland stations and a long
run at Country KLAC/KZLA.
Born in Detroit, Stoney (born Chuck) attended Wayne State before starting his radio career at W4-Detroit. From Jack Thayer's WGAR-Cleveland, Stoney arrived at KIIS in 1973 and left the station a year later. In 1977 he was doing stand-up comedy at Catch A Rising Star in New York and the Paragon in Washington, DC, while working on the radio. Stoney said at the time, "It works out well, since it gets me out in the community." In 1979 he was cast in two productions of New Playwrights Theatre Dramathon in Washington. Stoney left WRQX-Washington, DC for a play in New York called, Practice. In 1981 he did weekends at "K-Hits" before returning to Country KLAC where he stayed until the 23-year format was abandoned for satellite generated AM Only nostalgia programming. Stoney played an intern in 1983 on St. Elsewhere. He was the voice, with Merlin Olsen, for FTD Florists. He appeared in Dudley Moore's Best Defense and was in a production of Hamlet. When KLAC changed formats the LA Times published a farewell from Stoney to the KLAC fans in an Op-Ed piece: "And all we of KLAC Country have left are the feelings of the fun and games and gossip we shared and the words of all those great country songs. And no one can ever take that away from us. Thanks for the memories." Since 1994, Stoney has continued acting in films and stage work. He has been an outstanding personality in Pittsburgh radio. |
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RICHARDSON,
Burton: KMPC, 1974; KJOI, 1978-89; KBIG, 1991-92.
Burton was born on September 29, 1949, in Portland. He
announced The Arsenio Hall Show from 1989 to 1994, where he became
known for his long-drawn-out introduction of the show's host:
"ARSENIOOOOOOO... HALL!" Richardson has also announced various game shows, including Rodeo Drive, Russian Roulette, WinTuition, and To Tell the Truth from 1990-2000. He was heard on Family Feud since its since its 1999 revival until 2010, as well as Celebrity Family Feud, and The New Price Is Right in the mid-1990s. Burton worked as an actor and performed on KTLA/Channel 5 before joining the Gene Autry outlet, KMPC. |
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RICHARDSON, Liza: KCRW, 1991-2020. Lisa hosted a weekend show on KCRW. Lisa was program assistant for many years in addition to hosting the weekend “Brave New World” program and a frequent guest host in morning drive. She left the Santa Monica station in the fall of 2020 after being offered a buyout due to Covid-19 pandemic financial woes. A musical chameleon, Liza has hosted a number of specialty shows on KCRW's ariwaves in the past, from the groundbreaking mix of spoken word and music, Man In The Moon to the alt-country / Latin-alternative focused, Rancho Loco to the uptempo dance music show, The Drop. Liza is known for her exceptionally diverse musical vocabulary, and her current radio show displays that with a wild blend of all genres including dance music, indie rock, deep cuts, retro roots and party jams from around the world. An assiduous independent music supervisor for ads, films and TV shows, Liza's credits include the first handful of iPod silhouette spots, films Y Tu Mama Tambien (Grammy nominated), Curious George, Lords of Dogtown, Surf's Up, The Kids Are All Right and Hotel Transylvania. Liza music supervised all five seasons of Friday Night Lights and currently helmed Parenthood, Hawaii Five-0 and The Following. Liza is from Phoenix, AZ and holds a BFA in Theater and Dance from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. |
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RICHEY, George: KGBS, 1967. George arrived in the Southland from KAYO-Seattle. George was a singer on Hickory Records and a regular with the Foggy River Boys on the old Red Foley Ozark Jubilee. George was born November 30, 1935, and he was raised in Malden, Missouri. He was married to country singer Tammy Wynette from 1978 until her death in 1998. Richey was a mainstay of the Nashville country music community since the 1960s through his songwriting and record production. Head of Columbia records, in the 1970s, he wrote many major hits for future wife Tammy Wynette and Wynette's then-husband, George Jones, including Jones' A Picture of Me (Without You) and The Grand Tour, and Wynette's 'Til I Can Make It On My Own and You and Me, among many other artists. |
Richey served as the musical director for the television show Hee Haw from 1970 to 1977. Upon marrying Wynette, Richey served as Wynette's manager during the 1980s. George retreated from public life after marrying Sheila Slaughter, a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, and became a social media advocate with his highly popular Facebook page "DON'T SMOKE, DON'T SMOKE, DON'T SMOKE, IT WILL DESTROY YOUR LIFE."
Richey died peacefully on July 31, 2010, following a long battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There was no public memorial, per his request and he was buried peacefully in Nashville near Wynette.
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RIDDLE, Randy: KNX, 2000-04. Randy was the business editor at KNXNewsradio. He passed away November 16, 2010. He retired to Florida when he left KNX. He had a stroke several years ago and had been unable to speak. “Randy had an unmistakable style and was a credit to our craft,” said Andy Ludlum, program director of KNX. Randy did his special reports from the Pacific Stock Exchange. Unlike other stations which taped earlier market reports and replayed them in the afternoon, KNX Business News was heard "live" until 9 p.m., giving listeners "real time" information on the ever-changing financial world and a recap of the business week. Randy was an honors graduate from Georgetown University. He began his broadcast career in 1968 at UPI Audio in Chicago. He subsequently moved to UPI in New York, there as a news writer for CBS News. |
In 1971 he became a writer-producer for CBS's WBBM/TV in Chicago. While in the Windy City he co-produced two award-winning documentaries that won a national Emmy and the coveted DuPont-Columbia University Award. He joined San Francisco's KCBS Newsradio in 1975 as an investigative and consumer reporter. And in 1982 he became a CBS News Correspondent in New York City. Finally, prior to coming to KNX, Riddle joined Public Radio International in 1997 as a business reporter/writer for the highly-acclaimed "Marketplace Radio."
“Randy and I were hired together in 1982 for the new 'young adult' network CBS News Radio in New York launched to counterprogram against NBC Radio's 'The Source', emailed Chris Stanley. “There were eight anchors hired in a clump; Randy and I were two of them. We were fast friends from the day we met. He left CBS News Radio in the early ‘90s. He figured out how to retire early, to Mexico. But that didn't work out as he and his wife Amy had planned, and he wound up back on the market again in the late 90's. He was there when I left the network in New York in '98 and came west, and one of the best things about the move to LA then was seeing him, and getting to work with him, again.” Stanley continued: “Shortly after David G. Hall took over KNX, Randy decided it was time to move on, this time to Florida, but he was among those who'd learned how to do remote broadcasts, and continued to deliver KNX business reports from his Florida home as if they were coming from down the hall at Columbia Square. Eventually that ended and he was enjoying an actual early Florida retirement.
In January '06 he had a serious stroke. Eventually he recovered somewhat, walking and talking to a degree where he felt some of his old pizzazz. Then came a move to Oxford, Mississippi, followed by another move back to Florida two years ago. He was one of the best, most committed, most ferocious newspeople I've ever known, one-of-a-kind, with a one-of-a-kind delivery.” Bill Polish, anchor at KNX, was another wonderful friend of Randy's. He took this refreshingly candid photo of Randy just two months ago while on a visit to Randy's Florida home. "Randy was one of the smartest, quickest, most amazing reporters I've ever met. He was truly a wordsmith. His command of the English language was unbelievable. When confronted with hypocrisy or lies, his eyes would literally flash. But when he laughed, the whole room did too. When I'd ask him how things were going, he'd flash that big smile, wave a hand toward me and say, 'Everything is tickety-boo!' He was a stylish, refined man, with a wicked sense of humor. And a pleasure to work with or around. I met him at KCBS in San Francisco in the 1970's and we became fast friends. Then, he headed off to NYC as a CBS News Network anchor, where after what I think was a 15-year run he retired to Mexico, where he built a solar powered house and eventually landed at KNX doing business news, which is where I ended up, just a few weeks before the 9/11 Twin Tower attack."
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RIDDLE, Sam:
KRLA, 1960-63; KFWB, 1963-65;
KHJ, 1965-70; KDAY, 1971-72;
KROQ, 1972-73; KHJ, 1974. The
longtime producer of Star Search produced tv
specials. He died September 28, 2021, at
the age of 83. Sam came to Los Angeles radio from KDEO-San Diego. Born in Fort Worth, he was there for the beginning of "Boss Radio" in April of 1965. His shift was nine to midnight, and he left the station in 1970, only to return in 1974. In the 1960s Sam hosted a nightly show on KHJ/Channel 9 called 9th Street West and Boss City. He used to open his show with "Hello Music Lovers." Another on-air trademark was reference to eating "peanut butter and banana sandwiches." In 1967, Billboard recognized Sam as the top late evening dj. He hosted an RKO TV show on Saturday nights at six called Sounds of Now. Sam hosted the Hollywood A Go Go tv show with the Gazzari Dancers. He was the longtime producer of tv's syndicated Star Search. For over a decade he produced the annual Supermodel of the World specials. Sam has also produced a variety of successful Latin series and specials. |
Riddlemosher, Rob: KCMG, 1998-99. Rob left his post as marketing director at KRBV-Dallas in February 2003.
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RIEDY,
Matt: KTWV, 2006-10. Matt joined Smooth Jazz KTWV from doing mornings at the
Seattle Smooth Jazz station. He left in the summer of 2010. Matt's also an actor
and has recurring on Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush. Born in Buffalo, New York, he did the requisite paper route, worked in a record warehouse, a record store, a retail store and then began in radio at the age of 18. That took him from Buffalo to Miami, San Francisco and Seattle in the space of 3 years. After taking up stand-up comedy on the side, he left radio and hit the road full-time from 1986-97. He quit a fifth of Jack Daniels a day habit in 1997 and his life changed. He won a Weider natural bodybuilding championship in the Master's division at age 43 and he started pursuing his lifelong desire to act. He soon landed a starring role as Plastic Man in the independent film Carried Away which played in the Seattle International Film Festival. He scored several national commercials and a starring role in another independent film Lover's Lane. After this series of successes and holding down a morning radio show for eight years he decided to give acting a more serious try. Moving to Los Angeles in 2005, partly because director James Frawley told him he thought he'd be very busy if he worked in L.A., he has worked pretty steadily since. |
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RIEGLE, Barbara: KNX, 1967-69; KFWB, 1969-87. Barbara, one of the pioneering women in L.A. radio news, died March 19, 2007. She was 85. As an intern in the KWIZ newsroom at the age of
17, I dreamed of the big time, and listened to
KNX and KFWB reporters closely every day. Over
the next several years, I eventually met many of
the reporters whose work I admired, but was
frustrated that I had not met Barbara. |
Our visit was outstanding, and she was gracious enough to spend an hour or so with me in her living room talking about her Orange County beat and the state of LA Radio. My story proves that not only is radio a small business, but that this is – indeed – a very small world. (Written by Patrick Veling)
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RIGGENBACH, Jeff:
KFWB, 1972-78 and 1986-87;
KFAC, 1988-89. Jeff was living in Houston working as a freelance writer
and editor when he died January 24, 2021. He was 74. Jeff was a journalist, author, editor, broadcaster, and educator. He was a pioneer of the libertarian movement and he authored five books in that field. He studied at the University of Houston and culminated his studies with a Master of Arts in Humanities from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Over a period of nearly thirty years (1966-95), he worked in Classical and all-News radio stations in Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco as a writer, anchor, producer, and book and music critic. He contributed articles and reviews to numerous daily newspapers, including The New York Times, USA Today, and the LA Times. He held staff writing positions on two of California's largest dailies, the Oakland Tribune and the Orange County Register, served as executive editor of the Libertarian Review and as managing editor of the Pacific Business Review, put in two years as the daily economics commentator for CNN Radio, and served as a contributing editor of several magazines including Reason, Inquiry Magazine, and Liberty Magazine. Throughout the 1980s, he produced the nationally syndicated daily radio program Byline. Jeff forged a busy second career as a narrator of audio books on political, economic, and historical subjects for a number of producing organizations and audio publishers, most notably Blackstone Audio of Ashland, Oregon. Jeff was born in Detroit and grew up in Pasadena, Texas. (from his obit) |
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RIGGIO, Stephanie:
KPCC, 1992-2000; KACD, 1999. Stephanie is a
voiceover artist with an impressive array of clients including KFC,
Motorola, El Polo Loco, and Volvo among many others. She is based in
Prescott, Arizona. Stephanie was at KPCC when they were playing music at night. She was awarded Radio Disk Jockey Certificate at the 8th Annual LA Music Awards . She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in theatre from the Northwestern University. From her VO website: "When Stephanie Was Born In the Orange Groves Of California, The Coyotes Sang A Special Song In Celebration. Well, Not Exactly....But She Is A Native Southern Californian Whose Vocal Range Is SMART, REAL, And VERSATILE ... Always Fresh And AUTHENTIC. Mix in a theater degree from Northwestern University & VO/improv training with the best in Los Angeles. |
Riggs, Dylan: KYSR, 2013-15; KAMP, 2015-17. MY/fm morning became on-air weekends at 98-7 in early summer of 2013. In 2015, Dylan moved to AMP Radio as commercial production director.
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RILEY, Chuck: KZLA, 1979-80. Chuck had an active voiceover career including clients such as Ford and KABC/Channel 7. He died May 10, 2007. Chuck was 66. His younger brother is Buster Bodine. Brent Seltzer remembers Chuck: "I was working at KZLA as morning newsgoon and assistant news director, when Rollye James told me she was bringing in Chuck Riley from Indianapolis to do mornings. When Chuck arrived at KZLA we were still playing rock and roll and our ARB had jumped from 2.3 to 3.3 because KIIS-AM went God and we ran ads on KIIS telling folks to join us for the music they liked...and they did! |
Chuck scared the crap out of a lot of folks at the station with his stylish swagger, but he was great to work with and got a wonderful audience response. He once said to me, ‘I don't care who gets the punch-line at 7:10 in the morning, just so long as there is a punch-line at 7:10 in the morning.’ Chuck was anxious to work in a major market because he wanted to push his VO career.
At my farewell party at KZLA, Chuck gave me a 5 gallon bottle of Vodka with a card that said, ‘Call in two years when you either finish the bottle or sober up. Ten years later I ran into Chuck at LA Studios to do a session. He came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘So...you finished the bottle?’"
He was born in Kaplan, Louisiana, where he grew up until his family moved to Duncan, Oklahoma. After a year of junior college, he later graduated from the Elkins Institute of Broadcasting in Dallas. As he was deciding on a career, it was a close call between broadcasting and becoming a veterinarian.
Riley, Dick: KIKF, 1982-85.
Until 2006, Dick
was a voice talent at Dabrow radio in Costa Mesa.
Riley,
Jonathan: KGFJ, 80s. Unknown.
Riley, Pat: KLAC, 1978-79. Pat is
manager of
the Miami Heat NBA basketball team.
Riley, Scott: KCMG, 1999-2001. Scott
was
part of the crew of Outrageous Game Show Moments for NBC.
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RIPSTON,
Ramona: KABC, 1990-91. Ramona ran one of the 53 affiliates
and chapters that make up the ACLU's national organization for 18 years. The
longtime executive director for the ACLU of Southern California
worked at KABC. In the spring of 1990 Ramona joined Bill
Pearl as co-host on the "Point/Counterpoint" show in
afternoon drive. Born and raised in New York she reached her $90,000-a-year job as head of the Department of Public Affairs for the New York Urban Coalition through activist involvement. Ramona is the daughter of an Orthodox Jewish mother and a physics professor who was Roman Catholic. She said she was raised to be aware of inequality and discrimination. She thought she was going to be an actress, a veterinarian or a teacher. Instead, she became a model after graduating from Hunter College in 1948, and soon married. She pursued volunteer work editing a newsletter for the New York Civil Liberties Union, raised funds and organized new chapters. Married five times she ran one of the 53 affiliates and chapters that make up the ACLU's national organization. Born on February 18, 1927, Ramona died November 3, 2018, at the age of 91. |
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RITTENHOUSE, Jim: KWOW, 1966-72; KLFM, 1967-70.He worked virtually every shift at KWOW-Pomona when it was a Country outlet and for a time moonlighted at KLFM in Long Beach playing the hits and Oldies. Born Oct. 17, 1938, in Bell, he was raised in Southeast L. A. He graduated from Excelsior High School in Norwalk in 1957. "On July 8, 1960, I married my childhood sweetheart, Judy Daub," emailed Jim. "We will celebrate our 40th Anniversary next year." A fan of KXLA and KFWB during the early Rock years, Jim applied for a job with KWOW in early 1966. "I went to Pomona and visited the station and told them that I wanted to be a dj. Their answer was, ‘So do 10,000,000 other people.’ That answer did not deter me, I was determined to get that job. I went to KHJ radio and asked them if they had any old prerecorded commercials that I could have. They gave me several large transcription records with commercials on them," Jim remembered. At home with a couple of turntables, a microphone and a tape deck, Jim cut an audition tape. He returned to KWOW and met with the pd Jim Robinson, who shocked him by listening to the tape right away. "We went back in an audition studio, Jim listened to my tape for about 5 minutes, turned to me and said ‘When can you start? I need you this Sunday if possible.’ That following Sunday I was on the air, and I know this story is kind of unusual as that is not the way people get into the business today, but it worked for me." Jim passed away on April 26, 2003, from pneumonia. He had battled diabetes for many years and his death was actually a result of complications from long-term diabetes. |
Rivas, Chris: KPWR, 1995. Chris was part of
the evening Ruffnex Show with Mr. Chocolate. He left radio
and is working for a record company.
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RIVARD, Mike: KWIZ, 1968; KFOX; KDAY; KBIG; KFAC; KGBS; KGFJ/KUTE; KIIS, KFI, 1984-97; KABC, 1997-2001. Mike is ceo and founder at RadFlight. "I have been lucky to work with some of the great talents in the business including: Wolfman Jack, Sam Riddle, Bill Ballance, Hudson & Landry, Rick Dees, Lohman & Barkley, and many others whose names escape me. Radio is a wonderful business, at one point I tried to get out and do something else, but like drugs, it's almost impossible to get out of your system." |
Rivera, Freddy: KIIS, 2012-15. Freddy worked fill-in and weekends at KIIS/fm, as well as KGGI in the Inland Empire. He started out as an intern for Rick Dees.
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RIVERA,
Geraldo: KABC, 2012-13. Geraldo began a mid-morning talk show KABC on 1.30.12.
He left in late 2013 and beginning in 2014, he hosted a local show at
WABC-New York. He has various
projects, including a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice. Geraldo
is now living in Cleveland and hosts a show on WTAM. Rivera began his 50-year career as a television reporter at WABC/tv in New York and was a member of the original cast of ABC's Good Morning America. He had an eight-year association with ABC's 20/20 as an investigative reporter and produced and hosted The Geraldo Rivera Show for 11 years. Prior to joining Fox News, Rivera served as host of CNBC's number-one rated prime time show, Rivera Live, where his critically-acclaimed coverage of the O.J. Simpson civil trial verdict set an all-time CNBC rating record. Geraldo left Fox News in the spring of 2023, following a downsizing. Rivera is a veteran foreign correspondent who has been on the frontlines of many international conflicts since 1973. Geraldo is also a three-time winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, the Scripps Howard Foundation National Journalism Award and has received more than 170 awards for journalism, including the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award, three national and seven local Emmys, and two Alfred I. duPont - Columbia University Awards. He is a graduate of the University of Arizona and Brooklyn Law School and is the author of eight books, including The Geraldo Show – A Memoir. |
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RIVERA,
Rocio: KFI, 2015-20. In the fall of 2018, Rocio
took over the weekend news shift. She was born and raised in Los Angeles. Rocio's a graduate of Cal State Northridge with a degree in journalism. She started her broadcast career in a small town in Southeastern Colorado in 2011 playing Country music. “I found her [she found me] while she was working in Lamar, Colorado,” emailed KFI news director Chris Little. “I told her to stay there and work on her delivery, with my help, but she decided to move back to LA. I kept working with her and put her on overnight.” She's also now a fill-in host for KCRW in the LA and Santa Barbara market during middays, Morning Edition and All Things Considered. |
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RIVERS
Bob:
KCBS/fm, 2001. Bob spent 11 days as the morning show at
"Arrow 93." His KZOK-Seattle morning job came to an abrupt end in
early October 2010. He went on to mornings at KJR/fm in Seattle. He retired
to Vermont where he produces maple syrup. He has since returned to
the Northwest. A decades-long radio veteran, Bob got his start in Connecticut where he was heard on WAVZ, WNHC, WCDQ, WELI, WFIF, WCCC. In 1987, Bob left WAAF for WIYY in Baltimore. "Baseball was berry berry good to me in Crabtown," says Bob, whose 11-day on-air marathon during the '88 Orioles losing streak earned him the NAB Promotion of the Year award and helped set the stage for a future nervous breakdown. In 1989, Bob WWCO and WLIS. With no more stations left to conquer in Connecticut, Bob moved on to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. A program director stint at WECM in Claremont, New Hampshire cured Bob of any further desire to be in management. "I worked at 20 stations in about six years," says Bob. "I wanted to make every mistake possible in this business." After a brief stint as keyboardist/songwriter for a 70's bar band, Bob returned to radio at legendary rock station WAAF, Worcester/Boston where he began writing song parodies moved to Seattle where he underwent drug rehab, an "off-air promotion" for which the now-sober Bob was awarded the opportunity to keep his job and his family. Other prizes Bob has collected include an RIAA Gold Record for Atlantic Records’ "Twisted Christmas," which has sold over 1.6 million units. Bob was twice voted Radio & Records' major market Rock Personality of the Year and has been Billboard's Radio Personality of the Week. Asked why Twisted Radio has been at the top of the ratings in Seattle for years, Bob says: "Our team is the best ensemble cast I've ever heard in this business. And we don't have to be shock jocks to be interesting." |
Rivers, Dan: KELT/KLIT, 2001. Dan worked morning drive at KELT/KLIT-Riverside.
Rivers, Mark: KODJ, 1989.
Unknown.
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RIVERS,
Steve: KIIS, 1986-89. Steve
(Carl Belcher) was the pd at KIIS/fm from 1986-89. He went on to
serve in executive positions with CBS Radio, AM/FM/Chancellor
Media/Evergreen Media, Pyramid Broadcasting and others. Rivers died
of cardiac arrest on March 6, 2012. He was 58. Steve stepped away
from radio in 2007 when he suffered the first of multiple strokes.
In 2008, FMQB honored Rivers as its Top Radio Executive at
its 40th Anniversary Event.
Steve started as a jock in 1972 at KCBQ-San Diego. He arrived at
KIIS from KMEL-San Francisco and programmed the station until 1989.
His major programming assignments started in 1974 at WZGC-Atlanta.
He was a jock at WCJX (“96X”)-Miami where he met his mentor
Jerry
Clifton, followed by WRBQ-Tampa/St. Petersburg, KOPA-Phoenix,
WAPE-Jacksonville and KNDE/KROY-Sacramento. |
During Steve's watch at KIIS, some of his unusual programming innovations
included the fm's zero-talk hours and the AM's Dance-Mix format. He also
conceived the KIIS/fm "Star Cruiser," a $250,000 mobile broadcast studio.
Steve left in 1989 for WZOU (now WJMN)-Boston where in addition to
programming he could do outside consulting.
In 1990 he was named
Billboard magazine Program Director of the Year.
Steve's wife Maureen Matthews was pd of Transtar's Niche 29.
In 1991, Steve left WZOU and crossed town to rival WXKS (“Kiss108”), where
he became vp of programming.
In late 1994, he was promoted to the newly created post of chief programming
officer for parent Pyramid Communications and went on to be chief program
officer of Chancellor Media, later AMFM, Inc. based in Seattle. In a
two-part 1995 Q & A session in R&R, Steve was asked his strongest and
weakest attributes and he responded, "Being persistent and not giving up on
a win and probably spending too many hours at it."
In the same article he discussed his programming principles: "First you've got to play the hits. The hits form the center of the radio station. The music has to be familiar, strong and show some passion. We also have to remember what business we're in. We're in radio, but in reality, we're entertainers."
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RIVERS, Tom: KIQQ, 1975 and 1977. Born Tom Loughridge, he worked at KIMN-Denver between his two stints at "K-100." When he left L.A. radio he joined KYA-San Francisco, followed by pd slot in Anchorage, and then to Toronto radio, including CHUM. He made a signficant contribution to Top 40 radio. "Big Tom" died November 20, 2004, after a short battle with cancer. He was 57. Tom was born in Newberry, Michigan, on September 22, 1947. Tom, who stood 6 foot 8 inches, started his radio career in 1966 at WNBY-Newberry, Michigan. After a series of smaller markets, in 1969 he got to WKNR-Detroit and two years later was on CKLW-Detroit. He also worked for CHUM-Toronto, and KFRC and KYA-San Francisco. At KYA he was known as Mike Rivers/Rivers in the Morning. During the 1980s he worked in Canada at CHUM, KFTR, CHOG and CJEZ. |
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RIX,
Monica: KFI, 2017-20. Monica became an
anchor/reporter at KFI in October 2017, by way of morning achor at
Fox News, New York. She left KFI in the spring of 2020 and Monica
returned to Florida. The graduate of the University of Floria started her career in Wilmington, North Carolina, then worked in Huntsville, Alabama. She joined News 13 in Orlando in 2007, making the switch to radio and WDBO in 2011. |
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RIZO, Jose:
KLON/KKJZ, 1990-2023. Jose hosts "Jazz on the Latin Side" at "K-Jazz"
along with a Be-Bop show. Jose was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and raised in Oxnard. He played trumpet in high school, but it was not until he was a student at UC Santa Barbara that he developed his passion for jazz. In the late 70's, Jose was the founder of "Radio Chicano," a student and community broadcasting organization based on the Santa Barbara campus at KCSB, where he served as program director for two years. His Sunday night show at KCSB was called "Barrio Salsoul", where he explored latin-jazz music and salsa. In 1975, Jose also hosted the weekly music/public affairs radio show "La Vos de la Raza" at Santa Barbara's Top 40 radio station, KIST. As a UCSB student, Jose produced the yearly Cinco de Mayo Dance Concerts, where he began to work with such artists as Poncho Sanchez and Los Lobos. Rizo began hosting "Jazz on the Latin Side" on KLON (now KJazz) on January 6, 1990. He was intricately involved on KLON's "Latin Jazz Club Caravans" and served as a member of the Grammy's Screening committee for Latin Jazz. He was also the artistic director of the Luckman Fine Arts Latin Jazz Concert Series. Jose also founded the memorable KJazz High School Jazz Festival". Jose has been involved with the "Central Avenue Jazz Festival" since its inception. For the last 10 years, he has served as the festival's artistic director, sharing those duties in the past with Buddy Collette and Teddy Edwards. |
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ROADMAP, Dr.:
KABC, 1990-95. David Rizzo
helped drivers during morning drive at KABC. "In the late fifties, my dad bought me a two-transistor radio as a gift, and I felt like the luckiest kid in the world," David answered how he fell in love with radio. "Born and raised in South Central L.A., I tuned into the strongest station on the dial: KFI. There I heard Vin Scully broadcast some of the first L.A. Dodgers games, and I was hooked. Many were the nights I lay in bed on my right side with the radio balanced on my left ear. Being just a kid, I could never stay awake to the ninth inning, and Vin Scully’s voice would serenade me to sleep almost every night. It left a permanent influence on my brain. To this day, I’ll take listening to a radio over watching tv any day. As it is, I only watch about one hour of tv a week, but I never shut off a radio. Even when I lived in a studio apartment, I still owned one dozen radios. Of course, fifty years later I’m still a Dodger fan. But I must confess that I only listen to the first three innings. Once Vinny signs off, so do I. Of course, the radio never goes off, I just tune to a different station." |
Roast, Chuck: KROQ, 2000-03. Last heard, Chuck was a program director in New York.
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ROBBIN, Rich "Brother": KIQQ, 1973 and 1975; KKDJ, 1974-75; KGFJ, 1975; KTNQ, 1976-77. Rich hosted the popular Top 40 Internet station, RichBroRadio.com for over a decade.
He was born Rich Werges in
During late 1974 and early '75 this
fiery redhead with an energy level to match lit up late nights at
KKDJ, then moved to his second tour at “K-100” during the
Drake/Chenault ownership. This was followed by a stint at KGFJ until
December 26, 1976, when KTNQ went on the air and Rich became one of
the original jocks on "the new Ten-Q." Since his |
Robbyns, Linda: KACD, 1994. Unknown.
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ROBERTS,
Art: KFWB, 1961. Art was
born and raised in In the 1970s Art was at KNBR-San Francisco, WLS, WCFL and WKQX-Chicago and WOKY-Milwaukee. During the 1980s, he worked for WBCS-Milwaukee, KWKH-Shreveport, and KXTN/KBUL-San Antonio. Art’s career is best known for his time as a Top 40 dj at WLS.
In 1995 Art was sales manager and worked afternoon drive at
KDOK-Tyler. He acquired
extensive marketing experience while working for Century Analysis
Inc., in
Art died March 6, 2002, in |
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ROBERTS, Brian: KDAY, 1976-80; KUTE, 1980-83; KMGG, 1984-86; KKHR, 1986; KZLA, 1987-90; KRTH, 1990-93; KCBS, 1993-94; KRLA, 1996; KZLA, 1996; KLTE, 1999-2002. Born Jered Persten, Brian spent three decades in radio, much of it working morning drive. In 1983 he spent a year-and-a-half doing Country at Transtar. Brian worked at KYA-San Francisco and KCBQ-San Diego before arriving in the Southland. In 1984 he graduated from law school only to fail his bar examination by a mere 11 points. "When I didn't pass it the first time, I decided I really didn't want to be an attorney. Maybe I'll take the test again." Brian worked the Oldies Channel at WW1 every weekend. For over two decades, Brian was part of Los Angeles radio working at many stations. He graduated from Canoga Park High School in 1965 and started his radio journey leaving behind his high school sweetheart, Sherry Smolkin. During his radio odyssey he worked at KYA-San Francisco and KCBQ-San Diego before starting at KDAY in 1976. He married head sheriff Sherman Block’s daughter, Barbara. About the time he left his last L.A. job, KZLA in 1996, his marriage was coming apart and they divorced. His high school sweetheart "maintained contact" with Brian’s parents over the years. Now single, Brian was going through prom pictures from 32 years earlier and wondered about Sherry Smolkin. He enthused: "I called her for lunch and I saw the same 15-year-old saxophone player from the school band who was now 50. She was just like in high school and we fell in love all over again. We got married on New Years Eve 1997." |
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ROBERTS,
Chris: KUTE, 1973-79;
KGGI,
1981-83; KFI/KOST, 1981-92;
KMPC,
1992-94; XTRA, 1994.
For over three decades, Chris was the radio sports voice of the UCLA
Bruins (football, basketball and baseball). He died May 12, 2023
following a stroke he suffered a couple of months ago. He was 74. Beside a life in sports broadcasting, Chris owned income property and worked as a broker for a firm in Glendale. In early 2015, during the final Bruins’ regular season game at Pauley Pavilion, Chris was honored during halftime, after 23 years as the UCLA football and basketball radio play-by-play man. Chris retired after the 2015 NCAA Tournament. After the game, the tribute continued as a few hundred friends, relatives and co-workers gathered at the Pavilion Club to bid Chris farewell. “The entire stadium was giving Chris a standing ovation. And I was especially proud of him having been a former Bruin myself,” said Jhani Kaye. The Alhambra native was born Bob LaPeer (the street in Beverly Hills is named after his grandfather) in Alhambra. Chris played football, basketball and baseball at Baldwin Park High and baseball at Cal Poly Pomona. He began his broadcasting career at KCIN-Victorville, then KREO-Indio and KWOW-Pomona where he announced high school and junior college sports. He changed his named professionally in 1970 when there was a name conflict at KFXM. In the late 1970s he announced Cal Poly Pomona baseball, later Chris would do play-by-play for Cal State Long Beach baseball for 10 years until the school dropped the sport in 1991. |
While on the air doing overnights at KOST, Chris prepared a sports report
for morning drive live on sister station KFI. He eventually became sports
director and covered the Los Angeles Raiders while KFI had the broadcast
rights for the NFL team. He called his KFI and KOST sportscast “Athletic
Briefs.” When KMPC went all-sports programming, Chris became an important
part of the station’s on-air presentation. He left KMPC when the station
changed formats in 1994.
Roberts,
Craig: KIIS, 1991; KRTH, 1991; KYSR/KXEZ, 1992; KIIS, 1997.
Craig has an active voiceover career and is living in Las Vegas.
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ROBERTS,
Dave: KEZY, 1975; KWIZ, 1975.
Dave died November 24, 2018, following a
long batter with cancer. He was 70. Born Dave Kelliher on November 1, 1948, he held a doctorate in research from the University of Oregon. He worked at KYNO-Fresno, KMEN-San Bernardino and KPOI-Honolulu. He started his career in 1966 at KDUO, and did fill-in work at KFXM-San Bernardino. A year later he joined KREO-Indio, then on to KPOI-Honolulu. In 1980 he was at KYA-San Francisco as assistant pd, research director and afternoon drive. In 1981 he was appointed pd at KRQR-San Francisco before he was named vp/director of programming for the RKO Radio Network in 1983. In the mid-1980s he was host of RKO’s “The Hot Ones” and was a four-time fill-in host for American Top 40. In 1985, he joined the CBS/FM Group as vp/director of programming. Dave owned a consulting company in Austin. During part of his radio journey, Dave worked as David B. Daniels. |
Roberts, Doug: SEE Doug the Slug
Roberts, Joel: KSRF/KOCM, 1988-90; KMPC,
1990-91; KFI, 1991-92; KABC, 1992-94. Joel operates a
training and consultation company for Talk radio.
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ROBERTS, Ken: KROQ, 1972-86; KSRF/KACD, 1991-97. Ken was the controversial owner of KROQ in the 70s and 80s. He passed away in May 2014 after a series of illnesses, at the age 72. He earned and lost multi-millions of dollars over the years. Born in Hoboken, Ken
had a deep history with KROQ. In the mid-1970s with the station heavily
in debt, he attained his first partnership meeting. He owned the station
for almost 15 years before he sold it to Infinity Broadcasting
Corporation for $45 million.
According to a
station profile in the LA Times
in 1985, "KROQ's owners turned out to be a doctor, a pair of dairymen, a
Sacramento lobbyist, a secretary and several other small investors who
knew little or nothing about broadcasting. Roberts found himself
president on the strength of his experience as a concert promoter - as
close to actual radio experience as any of the KROQ partners had."
On July 29,
1974, KROQ went off the air for two years. In 1976, Ken began to rebuild
slowly. There was no more commercial-free broadcasting or million-dollar
promotional gimmickry. In the article Ken said: "Rick
Carroll [pd] liked to tell everybody he was the one who turned it
around." Ken said he was
responsible for making KROQ the first mainstream station in Los Angeles
to regularly play Prince, an artist who had been consistently heard only
on Los Angeles' four black stations until the early '80s. By 1982, Ken
had controlling interest in the company that owned KROQ. |
By the end of the stock
market crash in 1987, Roberts was completely broke again, according to Roger
Friedman at Showbiz411.com. “He went on to make and lose a lot more money. He
bought the most expensive piece of real estate in Southern California and lost
that too. For a long time, he managed Frankie Valli, and he was there on opening
night of Jersey Boys on Broadway. He
also worked with Sly Stone, trying to rescue him from greedy managers. Lawsuits
are still raging. He has discovered the fund wasn’t intending to just make him a
loan, it really wanted to get control of his high-value property.”
In 1991 he bought KSRF
and KOCM for $17.8 million. The two stations (for a time were branded as
MARS/fm) occupied the same dial position - 103.1- the former based in Santa
Monica and the latter in Newport Beach.
Friedman talked about
the early days of KROQ: “To alt-rock fans, Roberts may be considered an unsung
hero. When the owners of KROQ ran into money trouble in the mid-1970s and took
the station dark, the FCC gave them ten days to get the station back on the air
or forfeit the license. Roberts, who was among those they owed money for a
station concert, bought some radio equipment, paid the electric bill and got
KROQ on the air from its transmitter. Eventually a trade with the Pasadena
Hilton enabled the station to move into the hotel. Helped by an explosion
of alternative and punk music over the next decade, KROQ took off and became one
of the best-known Modern Rock stations in the country.”
“Ken Roberts was a dreamer, a
tummler, a larger than life guy who made show biz glow with mystery. I’m really
glad I knew him,” concluded Friedman.
Roberts,
Mike: KYSR, 2005-06. Mike, also known as Stench, hosts a podcast with his
former STAR partner, Jack Heine. He's also executive producer of The Jason
Ellis Show on Sirius XM 52. Mike works at Benztown.
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ROBERTS, Nathan:
KDAY, 1969-74; KIIS; KNX,
2018-22. Nathan was the weekend
morning news anchor at KNX. Nathan's media career has been
versatile. If his voice sounds familiar, maybe you heard him during
his oining KDAY in 1969.
Five years later, he transitioned to L.A. tv, starting at KNXT (now
KCBS/tv) Channel 2, first as a sport anchor, then a field reporter.
He moved to KHJ/tv Channel 9, where he was a news anchor for many
years. “I also reported for KTTV and anchored and reported for
KCOP,” emailed Nathan. “My 22 years in Washington was spent mostly
anchoring on TV, but the last five were as a radio anchor at all
news WTOP. Nathan came to the Southland with his family at age 15,
attending Hollywood High School and Los Angeles City College where
he majored in broadcasting. His first job was at KVEC-San Luis Obispo. “I was on board at KDAY when Bob Wilson created the first AM album rock station and rode that horse until the owners turned it into an r&b station. Also had a brief gig at KROQ when Shadoe Stevens was running it. He followed Jimmy Rabbit late at night for a few months, but the station was dying at the time and eventually went under, but it was a wild time. Shadoe used to engineer a show on Saturday nights for Flo and Eddie, and they always had superstar guests in the studio. It was brilliant radio, far too short-lived.” Nathan was happily retired for several years before the call from KNX. “I missed being on the air and when the opportunity came to work at KNX I grabbed it.” |
Roberts, Rick "Jo Jo": KJLH, 1984. Unknown.
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ROBERTS, Stephanie:
KNX,
1995-2007. Stephanie and her husband own Party Pronto, a company that
supplies party supplies. Born in San Francisco, Stephanie believes that journalism is a calling – and she's passionate about it. Stephanie began working at KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO in March 1995. She's interviewed celebrities and just plain folks. She's covered Hollywood awards ceremonies, including the Oscars, the Grammy's, The Country Music Awards and more. She's been to murder scenes and the Rose Parade and witnessed riots, firestorms and California's first lethal injection at San Quentin. Stephanie began her career in Paso Robles in 1975 and has worked her way up through various markets in California, Nevada and Massachusetts. In San Diego, she anchored the afternoon news at KSDO, where she worked with Michael Reagan. At XTRA-San Diego, she anchored the morning news for a talk show featuring baseball great Steve Garvey. At KMJ-Fresno, and at KDWN-Las Vegas, she worked both as a news anchor and talk show host. Stephanie is a past-president of the Associated Press Television Radio Association of California – Nevada. She is the recipient of the National Headliners' Award, and has been honored over the years for her work by the Radio Television News Association (Golden Mikes), the Radio Television News Directors Association, the Los Angeles Press Club, the San Diego Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists, Las Vegas chapter. Hobbies include showing and breeding Cavalier King Charles spaniels, reading and playing the flute. |
Roberts, Tom E.: KYMS, 1972-74.
At the end of his life, Tom was breeding horses in Central California. He
died in 1995, at the age of 48.
Roberts, Dr. William: KREL, 1973-74. The ordained minister owned KQLH-San
Bernardino until 1989 when he sold it and the station became KFRG.
Robertson, Ron: KRLA, 1971-73. Unknown.
Robins, Jeff: SEE Bruce Chandler
Robinson, Curtis: KACE, 1994; KJLH, 1995-97;
KKLA; 2007-10.
Curtis is a board-op/producer at Christian KKLA.
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ROBINSON, Dave: KBIG, 1971-86. Dave died August 20, 2008. He was 78 years old. Born on July 29, 1930 and raised in Baltimore, Dave joined the Air Force in 1947. As a radio operator, he flew “photo-mapping” missions in B-17's and B-29’s. One day, during a preflight test of the plane's radios, Dave called the tower and an on-board engineer remarked about his having a nice voice and told him he should work on the base radio station. Following a stint with Armed Forces Radio in Puerto Rico, Dave was discharged in 1951 and began his radio career at WASA-Havre de Grace, Maryland. For the next 15 years Dave worked at radio and tv stations in the Baltimore/ West Virginia corridor. “In the mid-1950s I worked at WFBR-Baltimore, the station where Arthur Godfrey got his start,” Dave told me while researching Los Angeles Radio People. In 1965 he joined Bonneville’s KMBZ in Kansas City; transferring to KBIG in 1971. Fifteen years later, after the KBIG gig ended, Dave became the admissions director at L.A.B. “For a shy kid who spent most of his life alone in a radio studio, I found I liked interacting with ‘real’ people,” he remembered. When the school folded, Dave took a similar position with National Broadcasting School in Sacramento until 1992, when he retired. “These are the golden years, and with my social security check and AFTRA retirement, I’m having a great time. I like to laugh a lot.” |
Finally, after a couple of years studying at American River College, Dave graduated as a Gerontologist, the study of aging. “I’ve discovered that the imagination one uses in relating to an unseen audience is very helpful in dealing with elders, who are often confused when facing old age.” Dave also worked with Senior Peer Counseling as a Media and Outreach Specialist, and was a member of Valley Legends, a social group of retired broadcasters.
Robinson, Dick: KMPC, 1970. Unknown.
Robinson, Mark: KMGG, 1983-85; KIKF,
1991-99. Mark worked all-night at Country KIKF.
Robinson, Marsha: KACE, 1980-89; KGFJ,
1989-95. Marsha went on to head of promotions at WCIN-Cincinnati.
Robinson, Pamela: KACE, 1979-80; KJLH,
1984-85; KACE, 1985-86; KACD, 1995. Pamela works at
"Shadow and Light' video production company.
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ROBINSON, Smokey:
KCMG/KHHT, 2000-02. Former
leader and Hall of Famer Smokey joined "Mega
92.3" for evenings on July 24, 2000 and left in the fall of 2002.
In 2022, MusicCares named Smokey Person of the Year for 2023. Born February 14, 1940 in Detroit, Smokey Robinson formed the Matadors in 1954 while attending Northern High School and by the end of the decade, had become one of the leading figures in the local music scene. His flexible tenor voice, which swooped easily into falsetto, made him the group's obvious lead vocalist, and by 1957 he was composing his own variations of current r&b hits. The Matadors changed their name to the Miracles in 1957, the year Robinson met Berry Gordy while auditioning for Jackie Wilson's manager. Wilson turned them down, but Gordy, impressed by Robinson's ability to transcend the usual banalities of the typical teenage popular song in his writing, along with his affable personality, took Smokey under his wing and helped them get a recording contract. The Miracles debuted with Got A Job in 1958. It was a hit locally, but didn’t gain national attention. When Gordy started the Motown label, the Miracles were one of the first acts he signed. Their second release Shop Around was a huge hit, and not only put the Miracles in the national spotlight, but was Motown's first million-dollar seller. Over the next seven years, the Miracles experienced incredible success and became the first Motown act to appear on ABC/TV's American Bandstand in February 1961. |
As the singer/songwriter/producer and member of “The Miracles,” his solo hits include Cruisin' and Being With You and group hits include the Tears Of A Clown, Ooh Baby Baby and many more. He has written 36 Top 40 hits including My Girl, Get Ready and The Way You Do The Things You Do, which he wrote and produced for “The Temptations.”
Smokey has earned many music industry awards including the Grammy's Living
Legend Award, NARAS' Lifetime Achievement Award and Soul Train's
Heritage Award. Smokey was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on
January 21, 1987. In December 1988, the year he published his biography
Smokey, he was named a Grammy Living Legend and on May 30, 1990, Smokey
was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Robinson is now one of the
senior figures in popular music, a writer and producer still best remembered
for his outstanding work in the 60’s, but one who has seldom betrayed the
responsibility of that legacy.
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(Beau Richards, Travis Rodges, Red Rooster and Jeff Rollins)
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ROCCHIO,
Mark: KLON, 1982-84; KGUY, 1985; KFWB, 1985-94. Mark is a writer/producer in
the news department at KNBC/Channel 4. "I was hired by KFWB in 1985 when
Charlie Brailer, John Leisher and
Jim Burson anchored the mornings. I worked as a
general assignment field reporter and earned 6 Golden Mics for my
coverage of events like the Long Beach Grand Prix, the 100 Year
Storm, the L.A. Riots, the Northridge Earthquake, the Malibu-Topanga
Fires and the Loma Prieta Earthquake." said Mark. "I've got stories of ol' Cleve Hermann nearly burning down the newsroom, classic on and off the air wise-cracks by RM Howard, and was mentored by the late, great Vince Campagna. I was lucky enough to work with some of the greatest news people on Earth." |
Rocha, Nestor: KSEE, KACD/KBCD, 1999-2001.
Nestor was elevated from md to pd of the Spanish stations in
late 2000. He's now vp/programming for Entravision.
Rochon: Lonnie: KDAY. Unknown.
Rocinna, Joe: KAGB, 1975. Unknown.
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ROCKOFF,
Neil: KNX/fm, 1972;
KGBS/KTNQ, 1976-79; KHJ, 1979-82. Neil died on September 7, 2016. For two years, Neil struggled to convince Los Angeles listeners that they should "all grow up to be cowboys" and listen to KHJ when the station launched a Country format. Later, Neil was part-owner of KBZT-San Diego and worked at WHN-New York before moving on to be Storer Broadcasting vp of the radio division. In the summer of 1995, Neil joined Jones Satellite Network as manager of special projects. Neil was born March 19, 1938 in Bayonne, New Jersey and he received his Bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont. His great sense of adventure and love of travel brought him all around the world. His passion and vast knowledge of music, drew him into a long and successful career in radio broadcasting. Neil was the Chairman of the NY Board of Radio Broadcasting. He was written up in many magazines and major newspapers, even a full half page of the New York Times Business section and is listed in the "Who's Who of America." He was a mentor and instructor to many people in business and sports. As an author and a passionate political "junkie" Neil was able to express himself in a fictional novel. He was a sportsman who loved sailing, skiing, flying, horseback riding and golfing. In his later years Neil followed his love of art and began painting. |
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RODDY, Rod:
KGBS, 1967; KDAY, 1967; KOST,
1972-74. Robert Ray Roddy died October 27, 2003, of colon, prostate, and breast cancer.
He was 66. He had been ill for two years. "The courage he showed during
those difficult times was an inspiration to us all," said Bob
Barker, host of The Price Is Right. Barker recounted a
recent visit to his friend: "I went to the hospital and sat on the
edge of his bed and we laughed the whole time we were talking. He
was still having fun." |
Rod returned to Southern California in 1972 to program KOST and he hosted a syndicated show "On A Clear Day" featuring guests from the world of the occult. In 1974 he initiated his new career in voiceover work. He was the voice of ABC's Soap which ran for four years. Rod was the announcer on a number of game shows including Whew, Battle Stars, So You Think You've Got Troubles, Hit Man and Press Your Luck. He was the announcer on Love Connection for the first four years before joining Bob Barker on The Price Is Right.
He hosted The $25,000 Game Show for two seasons at the Roy Clark Theater in Branson, Missouri. Internationally, Rod was the official ambassador of Chaing Mai, Thailand and traveled frequently to Southeast Asia to create his colorful Thai silk wardrobe featured on The Price Is Right.
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RODERICK,
Kevin: KCRW, 2008-23. The editor of LAObserved.com hosts a weekly show at KCRW.
"In the beginning they were 4-minute commentaries about the LA news, media
or political scene for several years, then more recently we switched to a
conversation format where afternoon news host
Steve Chiotakis engages me in
talk about something in the news," said Kevin. He also guest-hosted a couple
of times when The Politics of Culture was still on the air.
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Rodgers, Travis: KLAA,
2012-15; KSPN, 2015-20. Travis worked morning drive at the Angels' station
until moving to KSPN in early 2015. For 15 years,
Travis produced the Jim Rome show. He also hosts a national sports show
weekdays on Yahoo Sports Radio.
Rodrigues, Paul: KKBT, 1989. The former
morning man at "the Beat" is a versatile tv and
film actor. He is seen frequently on the improv circuit.
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RODRIGUES, Ron:
KMPC, 1979-82; KMGG,
1985. Ron was Marketing Communications Director at Arbitron until the
company was purchased by Nielsen ratings company in late 2013. Ron was the
managing editor of R&R. Ron was born in Japan. "I was a Navy brat. Before I was five I lived in Japan, San Francisco, Honolulu and Alameda." He was exposed to the radio experience when he was four and living in Hawaii. "My brother won a contest on KPOI and he took me to the station to pick up his prize and the jock on the air was Tom Rounds." Ron started his radio career in 1973 as a board-op for K101-San Francisco. "I fell in love with radio in the early ‘70s listening to KYA and KFRC. I loved the music and it made a connection with me. I resolved then to pursue radio." After graduation from San Francisco State with a degree in communications, Ron worked in the news department at KFRC. He met Mark Blinoff (then KMPC pd) at an industry convention and in 1978 was offered a music director position at KMPC. He was also om of KIDD-Monterey in the late 1970s. In 1982 Ron joined R&R and for the next three years was the AC editor. After a stint as om at KMGG, Ron returned to R&R. In the summer of 1997 he was promoted to Editor-In-Chief of R&R. |
Rodriguez, Charlie: KMAX, 1990; KFOX,
1993-94; KALI, 1997-2001. Charlie works at KALI.
Rodriguez, Joe: KKBT, 1995-97. Unknown.
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RODRIGUEZ,
Matthew: JILL/fm,
2011-14. Matt was general manager of the Amaturo Group of four
stations playing "Playlist 92.7 Adult Contemporary music. Matt is
now vp of business development for US/Latin America/Caribbean. At the time of joining the Amaturo stations, Matt brought in Alan Burns as a consultant and Rick Shaw for programming. “From the research we’ve seen we know that both listeners and advertisers will love it. It’s very hard to find a ‘hole’ in the LA market, but we feel Playlist 92.7 has found and filled one. Its deep and it’s wide, but where we radio people hear train wrecks, consumers are telling us they’re just hearing songs they like," said Burns. Matt later joined the Trust of KFWB as general sales manager. |
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RODRIGUEZ, Nancy:
KLVE, 1998-2005; KCAQ, 2005-16. Nancy joined the morning show at KCAQ-Oxnard/Ventura in the
spring of 2005. Beginning in 2010, Nancy was at Total Traffic Network (then-Clear Channel Communications). In 2012, she became the news/traffic reporter for KHAY, KBBY and KVYB (Radiate Media/ Cumulus Media), in Oxnard/Ventura. She left in the spring of 2016. Nancy is now head of marketing for the Boy's & Girl's Club of Santa Paula. |
Roebuck, Jay: KLON, 1985-93. Jay was the pd and on-air personality of the Long Beach Jazz station. He died of a heart attack on March 17, 1993, at the age of 55.
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ROGERS, Beach:
KIEV, 1956-64; KFWB, 1964-71;
KNX, 1971-98. A
native Californian, the former Glendale Junior College student body
president studied communications at USC. During the Korean War,
Beach was with radio’s Far East Network News Bureau in Tokyo
following a stint out of Sendai, Japan. He was known as the “Honshu
Cowboy.” Prior to joining KNXNewsradio" in May 1971, he was a member of the Westinghouse Radio space team that covered the NASA space launches. "The Apollo 11 moon landing was by far the greatest story I ever had the privilege of reporting!" His first real job in radio was as a summer relief announcer at KIEV in 1952, Beach told LARP corespondent Alan Oda. After the military, Beach returned to KIEV and began working weekends at KFWB, working alongside Gene Weed, Wink Martindale, Roger Christian, and B. Mitchel Reed. He started full time at KFWB as a news reporter and anchor following the 1964 AFTRA strike. Ironically, it was during another AFTRA strike, in 1971, that Rogers made the switch from KFWB to KNX. Russ Powell, Walt Hoffman, and Harry Birrell were among the other weekday anchors. In 1987 he moved to overnight anchor, where he worked until his retirement in 1998. Beach was on the air during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Debris fell all over the studio while the station was temporarily without power. He recalled that traffic anchor Jill Angel "thought that my face was going to be the last one she would see!" He said that it was a very long day but it "wasn't one of my finest minutes." Listeners might argue otherwise as the veteran anchor sat in with morning anchors Tom Haule and Tom Sirmons for the next five-and-a-half hours. "It has been a good run, 42-years in Los Angeles for which I am grateful to the many listeners who have been so generous with their time as I tried to be the messenger of the news 'they need to know.' I have three Golden Mikes (two for anchoring, one for reporting the Interstate Bank building fire in the early 1990s) to keep me company and some other awards I will always enjoy but enough is enough." He now spends his time as a Docent at the Los Angeles Zoo, is an elder at Glendale Presbyterian Church, and serves on the Board of Directors at Forest Home in Forest Falls, California. |
Rogers, Dave: KLAC, 1967. Unknown.
Rogers, Joe: KPPC, 1970-71; KMET, 1971-72.
"Mississippi Fats" worked at WBCN-Boston before
arriving in the Southland where he used the name Mississippi
Brian Wilson. Joe is now a restaurant broker in Boston.
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ROGERS, Julia: KABC, 2001-03. Julia lives in South Carolina. The Journalism graduate started working for the Columbia Star Newspaper in Cola. South Carolina in 2011. When asked to share a love story, Julia responded: "My husband was the brother of one of my best friends from high school in SC. My dad got sick in 2003 and I came home to take care of him....my mom had passed in '96. Daddy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and while I was caring for him, Marty and I reconnected on Father's Day '03 when his mom wanted me to come for lunch and take my dad a plate. From there, we began talking and reminiscing and eventually fell in love. To this day I believe my father hung on long enough for Marty and I to fall in love. Marty was my father's parting gift to me." |
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ROGGIN,
Fred: KMPC, 2002-06; KLAC, 2006; KFWB, 2014-16;
KLAC, 2016-23. Fred was been part of the
KNBC/Channel 4 News team for four decades until early 2023, as well as holding syndicated
tv programs and network duties. "On Channel 4, we try to deal with the broad-based audience. Most viewers don't know anything about sports, so our producers continue to use production techniques to do something unique since the majority of this audience "don't even care about sports." This requires other avenues to catch and maintain their attention, said Roggin. By comparison, radio offers him "a very specific audience." His first radio job was in Globe, Arizona. "I sat on the rooftop of a stadium and did the play-by-play of a Phoenix Suns game" recalled Roggin. "I sent the tape to a radio station and called every day for a month, asking for a job. Finally, the manager said 'if you promise to stop calling me, you can have the job!'" The station, located in a local trailer park, also required Roggin to work selling spots and advertising, earning him $400 a month. After dropping out of community college, Roggin, then 19 years old, moved to Yuma where he was "Rock n' Roll Roggin – 56 K-BLUE!" He also broadcast local high school team athletics, while also doing his first sports talk show, which Roggin describes as "an unmitigated disaster." It was in Yuma that Roggin got his first tv job, which led to Phoenix where he worked before being hired by KNBC/Channel 4. "What we do on radio is offer perspective, analysis, and opinion," said Roggin, who confirms that his radio experience has affected his work on television." In early 2014, Fred was inducted into the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Hall of Fame. The longtime KNBC/channel 4 sports anchor now co-hosts a midday show at KLAC. |
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ROHDE, Barry: KNX, 1965-97. In the 1980s Barry was the afternoon anchor and moved to middays in the '90s on "KNXNewsradio." He passed away on October 15, 2015, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, of natural causes. He was 78.
Born in
Barry Rohde originally trained to become a Baptist minister – a
background which some have suggested influenced his on-air
personality. He has been cited as sounding “a bit like the voice of
God at times, unshakeable in the face of disasters besetting mere
mortals.”
During his time at Ottawa University, Barry was profoundly affected
by the mentoring of Dean David
In 1964, a CBS radio executive heard the young reporter on the air.
He passed a tip to the CBS owned radio station, KNX, and Rohde was
promptly signed to a contract. The 27-year-old started his first
major-market gig as the announcer for the KNX morning show hosted by
future Hogan’s Heroes
During the 1965 Watts riots, Rohde won his stripes as a field
reporter for the station, which was slowing evolving into an
all-News entity. After a stint as a reporter, Rohde found his dream
job as sports editor. He served in the sports department for six
years until his news talents were once again unexpectedly |
Rohde was promptly moved into the featured afternoon drive time anchor
position, where he remained for many years. During that time, his awards
mounted. He always relished breaking news, saying: “It’s a challenge
Toward the end of his fabled career, Barry Rohde decided to give back to
Ottawa
Barry and his wife Alma, a former model and dance instructor,
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ROJAS, Leslie: KPCC, 2010-23. Leslie Berestein Rojas edits a team of reporters focused on diverse communities in Southern California, which is home to many new immigrants. She previously covered immigrant and emerging communities and ran KPCC's Multi-American blog, which covered that topic. |
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ROJAS, Victor:
KLAA, 2010-21. The former Angeles play-by-play broadcaster
is now president and general manager of the Frisco RoughRiders. Victor replaced Rory Markas who died suddenly in 2009. Rojas pitched in the Angels’ minor-league system in the 1990’s and is the son of former Angels manager Cookie Rojas. He took the job with the Frisco RoughRiders, Texas Rangers’ double-A team because is is based near where Rojas and his family reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. The new position will allow him both the flexibility to be near his wife, Kim, who was diagnosed with Graves’ disease and thyroid cancer in 2019. “As I’ve gotten older, as my wife’s health issues came out, priorities change,” he said. “Your mind-set changes. Things that drive you change." |
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ROLFE,
Cary: KZLA, 1994-96. Since the summer of 2011, Cary has
been vp/program development & artist relations at
the Country Network in Nashville. He programed successful radio stations in
Portland, Salt Lake City and Eugene. Cary came to the Southland from
KKNU-Eugene and KMLE-Phoenix. He also worked as a West Coast
promotion rep for Giant Records. Cary was promoted to interim pd of KZLA in late 1995 until leaving for a pd'ship in the spring of 1996 at Country KUBL-Salt Lake City. In early 1998 following a 15-month sabbatical from radio, in which he ran a computer consulting business, he joined KUPL-Portland as pd. Cary was part of the startup team that launched KMLE in Phoenix. At KZLA, he was apd/md during period of highest ratings in mid 90's. Cary specializes in developing and executing music and perceptual research studies, Maintaining MusicMaster and Selector database's. |
ROLL, Robert:
KROQ, 1981-85; KMET, 1985; KMPC/fm, 1989.
Robert now works in environmental
documentaries as a writer-producer. He still does narrations for marketing
videos, EPK's and network "sizzle reels."
Robert checked in recently and he’s into tv production having done
music specials for UPN, documentaries and on-air promos. He’s also
maintained an active voiceover career having done the spots for the
LA Galaxy, LA Zoo and “member, FDIC”- type jobs.
For part of his stay at KROQ, Robert worked afternoon drive with
Raymond Banister. He worked at KROQ for four years
in the early 1980s and then on to KMET and was part of the
short-lived “The Edge” format at KMPC/fm.
Rollins, Jeff: KLAC, 1997-98; KGIL,
1998-2000. Jeff worked mornings at Dial Global's Adult
Standards format.
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ROMAN,
Alex: KLYY, 1999-2003. Alex is Director of Integrated Technologies at Emmis
Communications. He's also a councilman in Verona, New Jersey. With Emmis he's in charge of making multichannel digital platforms for WBLS and Hot 97-New York. Roman was named Emmis’ director of integrated technologies in New York in 2011. While working for Emmis, the company said, he led efforts to modernize WQHT, WBLS and WLIB, including creation of digital media production spaces and transitioning to AoIP. Roman was also in charge of the team that rebuilt the Empire State Building transmitter facility and added an auxiliary transmitter site on 4 Times Square. During his career, Roman also served as chief engineer for WKTU and as director of engineering for Citadel Broadcasting. He began his engineering career in the nineties in California. |
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ROMAN,
Nick: KLON/KKJZ, 1984-2004; KPCC, 2004-23. Nick left the all-Jazz station in March 2004
following the elimination of the news department. Nick had been news
director for almost 13 years. Nick is KPCC's host of All Things Considered. Roman has been a fixture in Southern California radio news for more than 30 years. From 1984-2004, he was the voice of news at KLON/KKJZ in Long Beach, serving as a producer, anchor, and news director. Along the way he helped create CALNET, a daily statewide news program, where he was a producer, news editor and host. He's proud to have trained such accomplished journalists as Kitty Felde and Frank Stoltze. Roman has also worked for the past 25 years teaching broadcast journalism to students at Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Fullerton. His love of sports has led him to file numerous stories for NPR's Only A Game. |
Roman, Tedd: KLDE, 2007-08. SEE Ted Schermerhorn
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ROMAY, Lina: KNX. Lina, who sang with Xavier Cugat orchestra in the early 1940s before beginning a decade-long career as a film, radio and tv actress, died December 17, 2010, of natural causes. She was 91. For a decade during the 1980s, Lina was the race track call girl for Hollywood Park. She translated racing information into Spanish for many Southland stations and made the calls for KNX. Born in New York City, a “true Latin from Manhattan,” she was only 18 years old when she debuted as the vocalist for Xavier Cugat over a coast to coast radio broadcast that originated from the fabled Waldorf Astoria Hotel. MGM announced plans to do a remake of their Academy Award winning Grand Hotel and combine it with a musical version of a recently published novel titled Weekend at The Waldorf. Lina’s performance was rewarded with a studio contract. “My contract guaranteed that I wouldn’t be limited to just musical roles and for at least 10 years appeared in movies with Clark Gable, Mickey Rooney, Van Johnson, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire and many other MGM luminaries.” Lina also appeared for 39 consecutive weeks on Bing Crosby’s Kraft Music Hall radio program. She guest starred in I Love Lucy and several tv shows with Bob Hope and Red Skeleton. |
Rome, Jim: XTRA/KXTA,
1990-2008; KLAC, 2009-12; KFWB, 2014-16. Jim's syndicated KLAC show ended in
late 2012 when he moved from Premiere to CBS Sports Radio. He joined KFWB,
the Beast and was there until the station was sold to a foreign language
broadcaster. He can now be heard on Mightier 1090” XEPRS-Tijuana/San Diego. In late 2019, he was
inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.
Romero,
Bobby: SEE Sky Walker
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ROMERO, Danny:
KCMG,
1998-99. Danny is the weekend weatherman at KABC/Channel 7. Born and raised
in East L.A., Danny graduated from Rio Hondo College in Whittier. He
worked as a jock at KMBY-Monterey in the mid 1970s and in San Diego
during the ‘80s. He worked morning drive at “Mega 100” (KCMG) while
concurrently hosting the evening weather reports at KCOP/Channel 13.
Danny was also the entertainment reporter for L.A.’s Urban News.
He left morning drive at “Mega” in the summer of 1999. At ABC7 "Eyewitness News," Danny loves that he is on the air and living in the same area as his parents, sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins. Danny has always had a strong interest in broadcasting and earth science. The broadcasting came into play when he was hired for his first radio job shortly after graduating from high school. Radio took him from Fresno to San Diego. In San Diego, he worked nightly on B-100 FM. The same company that owned B-100 also owned the CBS affiliate tv stations, Channel 8 and hired Danny as the weekend weathercaster for Channel 8. Almost 2 years later, Danny was hired to be the prime time Weathercaster for KCOP. Channel 13, the UPN station in his hometown of Los Angeles. Seven years and 3 Emmy awards later, Danny was hired to do weather at KNBC, Channel 4. Then in June of 2005, Danny was invited to join the ABC7 "Eyewitness News" Team. Besides handling the Weekend Weather and fill in duties, Danny is also the new co-host of Vista L.A. and Cool Kids. |
Even before his three bouts with cancer, Danny
had worked with the American Cancer Society, MDA, UCP, March of Dimes, MS
Society, Boys and Girls Clubs, The Downtown L.A. Mission and many more. He
continues to look for ways to help the city he loves and all the people in
it. Danny loves that he is working in the city in which he was born and
raised. Besides the benefit of seeing all his family and getting the
occasional home cooked meal from his mom, he has the opportunity to help. He
is always looking to be involved in the neighborhoods of his early years.
Since his family moved around so much, Danny considers all of L.A. as his
neighborhood. He especially loves helping kids in those neighborhoods. He
wants them to know that no matter where you are born, the circumstances you
are raised, you can be anything you want to be. Danny is living proof of
that. In his minds, Danny is still that little kid running around the
streets of East L.A. But when he looks at where he is, he feels that his is
the luckiest man in the City of Angeles.
RONDEAU, Jim:
KOST, 1993-94; KCBS, 1994-97;
KYSR, 1997-98; KBIG, 1999; KCLU, 2002-16;
KNX, 2016-18; KSBR/KCSN, 2018-19. Jim was director of operations and
programming at KCLU-Thousand Oaks. He's now general manager of KLCC, a
network of 10 signals carrying NPR and local news throughout central
Oregon.
"I anchored mornings at KCLU for 12 years
and grew up wanting to be on KIRO in Seattle, so it's really a kick to
do KNX," wrote Jim. "It's unbelievable how many people in L.A. depend on
that station. They've got an A-team in place, so I just fill in some
holes once or twice a week. They're real pros when news starts to break!
I love public radio and working with future broadcasters at
Saddleback College, so it's the best of both worlds. Yes, it sounds like
one of those phony press release quotes, but I'm incredibly thankful for
all the opportunity."
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ROOK,
John:
KFI,
1977-82, pd;
KABC,
1988-89, pd. The very successful radio programming consultant during
the 1970s and '80s was born October 9, 1937, in After high school he came to the Southland in the mid-1950s and studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse with Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood. Following bit parts in several motion pictures, his best friend, Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame legend Eddie Cochran, suggested John consider a career in radio.
His first dj job in 1957 was at
In the early 1970s, John teamed up with Chuck Blore and Ken Draper in a consultancy company. He started John Rook & Associates in 1974 with WCFL-Chicago as one of his first clients. Within weeks, the legendary Larry Lujack left WLS for WCFL saying, "I think John Rook is the greatest pd of our time or any other time. He's a real pro, super fair and up front and honest." |
As a consultant, John's impressive client
list soon included WABC-
Within a year, KHJ went to a Country format,
the end of an era. In 1983, John purchased KCDA-Spokane and started dividing
his time between his Northridge residence and his horse ranch south of
Until his death, John lived on his
Rooney, Jeff: KABC, 2003-10. Jeff works for one of the news/traffic services.
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ROOPE, Jim: KWST, 1980; KFOX, KIEV; KRLA; KFI; KNNS, 1995-96; KGIL, 1997-99; KNX, 1999-2000; KABC, 2014-23. Jim worked for CNN Radio for many years as the Los Angeles correspondent for CNNRadio Network. Prior to joining CNN in November 2000, Roope was a reporter with KNX 1070 News Radio. He covered a variety of news, including entertainment, politics, sports, light features, fires, police pursuits and traffic. Before joining KNX, Roope spent five years as the operations manager for Mt. Wilson Broadcasting, Inc., group of stations, including KKGO and KGIL in Los Angeles, two stations in San Francisco and one in San Diego. Roope was hired in July 1994 to help launch all-news K-NEWS (KNNZ). He served as operations and news director, as well as midday anchor. In 1982, Jim helped launch the Cable Radio Network, a satellite-delivered audio service to cable television, serving as talent and vice president of operations. Roope is a recipient of a Golden Mic Award. Roope and his wife, Rosie, head the Southern California Chapter of Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a neuromuscular disease from which their son Tyler suffers. Roope is also an Eagle Scout and Cubmaster for Cub Scout Pack 225 in Burbank. Roope attended the University of Cincinnati. |
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ROSATI, Joe:
KRTH,
2014-20. Joe joined K-EARTH for weekends in October 2014, while still doing
middays at Energy in San Diego. In the summer of 2019, he added afternoons
at Sunny 98.1- San Diego. He did late nights at Z100-New York from 2003-09 and did weekends there from 2002-03. His next stop was Channel 955-Detroit as imaging director and middays from 2009-12. He also worked in Minneapolis (briefly), Boston, Albany, NY and started at WENU/fm in Glens Falls, NY in 1995. |
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ROSE,
Darren: KYSR, 2007-13. Starting out as a programming coordinator at STAR
98.7, Darren joined the on-air staff for evenings in late 2007. He was
promoted to 98-7fm apd in early fall of 2009. He left the station in the
summer of 2013. Since 2014, he heads Darren Rose Music Network, which is a collection of music shows featuring songs from unsigned and Indie Artists, LIVE performances, and conversation series with Artists & Industry Insiders offering perspective on their career & craft. |
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ROSE, Dianna:
KSRF, 1989-91; "K-LITE," 1991-92;
KACD, 1992-95. Dianna was md/morning drive personality at KWJZ ("Smooth
Jazz")-Seattle. She was born and raised in Sacramento. Dianna began her radio career in Los Angeles after receiving her master's in broadcast journalism from USC. After college she worked in London for Children's Television at the BBC. While at KACD she worked under the “JazzFM” and “CD 103.1” formats. “In late 1998, I left Metro Networks and the nationally syndicated show ‘The Countdown, with Walt Baby Love' to take the position as music director/evening personality at KWJZ [‘Smooth Jazz 98.9’]-Seattle. She is now a voiceover artist. She is the daughter of Hilly's brother, hence she is his niece and Judd's first-cousin. |
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ROSE, Doyle:
KPWR, 1991-96. Doyle was a consultant with Emmis Broadcasting
for many years, including a stint as president of Emmis Broadcasting
beginning in 1989. Doyle graduated in 1972 from St. Cloud State University as a business/history major. While at University of Minnesota law school, he started in sales at WWTC and later at WCCO. In 1975, he returned to WWTC as gsm and was promoted to gm a year later. Ligget Broadcasting hired Doyle in 1979 to manage WLOL-Minneapolis which was later acquired by Emmis. In 1984 he was promoted to regional vice president, overseeing KPWR and KSHE-St. Louis. In 1988 he assumed responsibility over all the Emmis radio stations and was named executive vp of operations. Doyle turned over the management of KPWR to Marie Kordus in March of 1996. After leaving Emmis, he was president at Kate Somerville Skincare, managing partner at ROI Media Solutions and a managing agent for Rick Dees. Most recently, Doyle was an agent at TMZ Radio Syndication. |
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ROSE, Hilly: KABC, 1970-72; KFI, 1972-79; KMPC, 1979-82; KABC, 1982-84. Hilly was a true pioneer in Talk Radio. He died December 27, 2017, of natural causes, at the age of 91. Before moving to Los Angeles, Hilly was on the air in San Francisco for a number of years, hosting highly-rated talk shows on KGO, KCBS and KNEW, as well as a television talk show on KTVU. He spent close to two decades at KABC, KFI, and KMPC. Hilly was best known for his talk show "Open Phone Forum" on KFI, before satellites made national talk shows feasible. The KFI signal stretching across the country drew calls from all 48 states. When Art Bell “mysteriously disappeared” in 1998, Hilly took over the Coast-to-Coast program on 482 stations including KABC. He later alternated nights with Art Bell until January 2000. He also filled in numerous times for Larry King on the national Mutual Radio Network. Hilly had one of the very first shows on the Sirius Radio Network. The show focused on examining the paranormal. Hilly was a child actor, performed in network radio soap operas in Chicago, (Ma Perkins and First Nighter) and has made industrial films and commercials since 1961. In 1979 he joined KHJ/Channel 9 News to review restaurants. "I appeared live on tv and radio simultaneously through the wonders of tape." In the late 1970s, Hilly demonstrated the power of talk radio advocacy. "There was a lot of talk about tax relief for property owners and Proposition 13 was born as the Jarvis-Gann Initiative. The problem was they weren't talking to each other and it looked like it might fail." Hilly surreptitiously brought them together along with L.A. County Tax Assessor Phil Watson. "I locked the studio doors while they worked out their differences on-air!" The result was a huge vote for Prop 13. Hilly was also an author, writing on book on the talk radio profession entitled But That’s Not What I Called About. In 1984, Hilly retired from radio and purchased a large housewares store in Santa Cruz. A year later he started a series of weekend radio shows on KGO-San Francisco that ran until 1992. In 2016, Hilly was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame as a “Pioneer/Living Legend”. Hilly Rose is survived by his wife Mary Shepper Rose and has children Patricia, Roger and Adam. His oldest son was Judd Rose, ABC network news reporter. He is the grandfather of six. Rose was a resident of San Francisco. |
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ROSE, "Big J":
KODJ, 1989-90.
Francis is the Communications Director for the
Progress and Freedom Foundation in Washington,
DC. He is an award-winning broadcaster, journalist, speaker, writer, and host of Government Matters on Washington, DC’s ABC7 and WJLA 24/7 News. He has covered all three branches of the federal government as a broadcast jouralist since 1998. He was host of “In Depth with Francis Rose” on Federal News Radio from 2008 to 2015 after joining the station in 2006. His guest list has included virtually every important name in the federal government. Francis’s first book, The OPM Cyber Breach: An In Depth Look at the Worst Cyber Attack in Government History is available on Amazon. Francis is highly sought-after as a speaker and moderator of high-profile events in the federal community. His 30-year broadcast career includes stops at America’s leading broadcasters, including ABC Radio, CBS Radio, Westwood One, and C-SPAN. News and talk radio trade magazine TALKERS selected “In Depth with Francis Rose” for its list of the 250 most important talk shows in America in 2012. |
Rose, Jim: KZLA, 1985-93. Jim owns a digital on-hold company in Grants Pass, Oregon. He is the program director at KCNA in Medford, Oregon. Jim is set for induction into the South Dakota Musicians' Rock 'n Roll hall of Fame. He was on the road as a backup band to J. Frank Wilson. Jim co-wrote the tribute song, Seven Years to Glory, for the Portland Trailblazers in 1976 when they became champions.
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ROSE,
Judd: KFWB, 1978-79. Judd, the
Emmy award-winning co-anchor of CNN NewsStand, Entertainment
Weekly, and former KFWB newsman died June 10, 2000 in New
York at age 45. He had been undergoing treatment for a brain
tumor. Judd is the son of former Los Angeles Talk show veteran, Hilly Rose. Judd left KFWB in the late 1970s and worked at numerous network operations. "I worked with him when I was an editor at KFWB and enjoyed him," said Rich Buhler. "Judd was very bright." Judd joined CNN in 1998 from ABC News, where he was a correspondent for PrimeTime Live for nine years and contributed a wide range of stories, from political investigations and reports on corruption to newsmaker interviews and celebrity profiles. He contributed reports to Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and Turning Point. Rose investigated charges of sexual harassment in the Los Angeles Police Department, the police beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles and contributed to the award-winning PrimeTime Live investigation of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. |
"Judd Rose was one of the best radio reporters ever - with a nose for the unusual angle and the unusual interviewee," emailed Dan Avey, KFWB morning co-anchor. "This was highlighted by some of the funniest ‘features’ ever done on network tv, during the 1984 Olympics. Judd was intelligent, unassuming, unflappable and a great friend. He will be missed." During the Gulf War, Judd reported from Saudi Arabia on media restrictions imposed by the military and on the specialized search-and-rescue teams who flew dangerous missions into hostile Iraq. Over the past year he delved into the entertainment business, going behind the scenes in Hollywood to report on a variety of topics related to film, television and music. Recent reports have included a look at the film studio "junket" system, damage control publicity for stars in crisis and profiles of Sir Ian McKellen, Francis Ford Coppola and Frank Sinatra, among others. Earlier in his career Judd reported for KABC/Channel 7 and KNBC/Channel 4 and Associated Press Radio in New York and Washington, D.C. He was also a writer for NBC Radio, New York, and The Associated Press broadcast wire. Judd won four Emmys, including one in 1987 for his contributions to Nightline's coverage of the fall of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and most recently for his coverage of the funeral of Princess Diana. He also received an Associated Press Broadcast Award for his coverage of the murder of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone.
Rose, Roger: KMGG, 1983; KFI, 1986. Roger was an original VH-1 vj and is an actor.
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ROSEFSKY, Bob:
KABC, 1979-88; KBLA, 1988-89.
Robert Stephen Rosefsky died on September 15, 2016 in Palm Springs.
He was born November 18, 1935 in Binghamton, New York. Bob was a
graduate of Yale University in 1957 and earned a law degree from
Syracuse Law School in 1961. His career was long and varied. He was
a banker, a real estate broker, an attorney, an author, a broadcast
journalist on both radio and television, a financial consultant, an
adjunct college instructor, plus he wrote and hosted a long-running
tv college course, which won an Emmy.
"My introduction to radio was, to me at the time, a rather magical experience. Binghamton had only one station, WNBF, until the mid 1940s when WINR ['Winner in Binghamton!'] went on the air. Their studios were next door to my father's law office, and I, an avid baseball fan, would spend time in the WINR reception area where you could watch a ticker actually print out a baseball game, pitch by pitch, as it was happening! Such a Country! A few feet behind the ticker was a live broadcaster doing a re-creation of the game. He could 'see' the players and the action, and the crowd roared or groaned every time he twisted a little knob on his console. Magic!, Bob said when interviewed for Los Angeles Radio People." Bob practiced law and was in banking in Binghamton. He moved to Phoenix in 1967. He sold a thrice-weekly column to the LA Times Syndicate, which he turned into a two-minute radio spot. "Back came the magic. I created a syndicated radio format, which morphed into tv, and my new career was underway." In 1979 he started doing financial reports for KNXT/Channel 2 and a weekend call-in show at KABC radio. Bob eventually moved to KABC/Channel 7, doing the evening news and two features a day on the Ken & Bob morning drive show, in addition to his Sunday night gig. He started lecturing on financial issues on luxury cruises, which started a travel career in 1987. "Having taken my own financial advice [and hitting it lucky in the Los Angeles real estate boom of the 1980s] we cashed in our chips and moved to Palm Springs in 1991. We've been travelling about four to five months every year." For many years he wrote for his own bi-monthly travel magazine, CruiseNet, which was later sold to American Express. In 2000 he developed a "web-zine" called "Life's a Trip with Bob Rosefsky." |
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ROSEN, Sharone: XPRS, KWNK; KLAC, 1985-91; KCSN, 2008-09; KFWB, 2008-12. Sharone worked morning drive at KCSN until the Classical station automated in late September 2009. She continued to provide traffic reports at KFWB until the station was sold and flipped to a Spanish format. For decades Sharone Rosen has been a Southern California broadcaster. “You know how when you ask a little kid what they want to be when they grow up and they give you a laundry list of jobs? I fulfilled mine [except for the cowgirl part], emailed Sharone. “In addition to being a broadcaster, I am also a Doctor of Chiropractic [I decided to become the doctor I never married] and have served as the Cantor [and Spiritual Leader] of Temple Beth Torah of Granada Hills for 19 years. At Sharone’s chiropractic office in Northridge, she treats humans, horses and hounds. She also has a portable Chiropractic table, so she can make house, office or barn calls. She was with Shadow Traffic for years. She was a dj at Country KLAC from 1985-91. “Preceding that, I worked at the long suffering KWNK in Simi Valley, as a midday jock and in the mornings as ‘Sweet’ Dick Whittington's second banana and news announcer. She also worked in the Napa Valley and Arcata. She started her career in 1980 at host/producer L'CHAYIM, Jewish music and community interview program. “Everybody's gotta start somewhere!,” quipped Sharone. |
Rosenberg, Hal: KRTH, 1972-74. Hal was
running KFSD-San Diego until his retirement in 1996.
Rosenberg, Leo: KMET, 1972. After radio, Leo
became a teacher in Long Beach.
Rosenbloom, Randy: KWNK, 1984-85; KMPC,
2000. Randy is with the Digital
Sports and Entertainment Network.
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ROSENBLOOM,
Slapsie-Maxie: KLAC. Max was a Las Vegas comedian,
actor and former professional boxer and was part of KLAC's
attempt to resurrect the "Big 5" djs. He died March 6, 1976 of
Paget's disease of the bone, at age 69. Art Kevin remembers: “He was the passing of an era. One of the greats! His material would not be allowed today due to all the ‘protest’ groups. Slapsie-Maxie used to do a vaudeville type ‘dah dah dah dah’ with a plaintive look that would be considered insensitive to folks with real afflictions. He did his shtick for so long that it really became his persona because that is what people expected.” Few fighters stepped into the ring more often than Maxie Rosenbloom, who fought 299 times in sixteen years. Raised on the Lower East Side of New York, Rosenbloom left school after third grade and later served time in reform school. Reportedly, actor George Raft spotted the young Rosenbloom in a street brawl and advised him to become a boxer. Rosenbloom had an unusual style. He was a weak puncher and often slapped at his opponents with an open hand-earning him the nickname "Slapsie"-but he was a consummate defensive fighter and did whatever was necessary to avoid getting hit. He won the vast majority of his fights, although he only recorded nineteen knockouts in his entire professional career. Rosenbloom didn't devote much time to training. Although he stayed away from alcohol, he enjoyed gambling, the company of women, and late night celebrations. Rosenbloom parlayed his colorful reputation into a successful acting and night club career, often portraying a punch-drunk fighter. |
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ROSENTHAL,
Jessica: KFI, 2003-07. Jessica was a weekday reporter and weekend anchor at
KFI. She's now with Fox News Radio. Rosenthal graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a Bachelor's degree in journalism. Prior to KFI, Jessica worked as an anchor at KVTA News Radio-Ventura and part-time at WGCL and WTTS�Bloomington, Indiana. |
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ROSKO:
KGFJ, 1964-65; KBLA, 1965; KMET,
1971. Bill Mercer, better known as "Rosko,"
died August 1, 2000 after a long, hard fight with cancer. He was 72.
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ROSS,
Alan: Alan worked for Total Traffic Network/Los Angeles as a news anchor for
KRLA/870am weekend and many other stations. He died January 24,
2022, at the age of 80. "Alan had unbeatable qualities. When he entered a room with his blue eyes and red hair, standing tall, and looking sharp with his long arms and legs in a well-tailored suit, your eyes couldn’t miss him," wrote his wife and fellow LARP, Debra Grobman. "And, his voice didn’t disappoint either. He talked the way you think a man of his stature should talk. He had a deep resonant voice, with sharp consonants and neutral American vowels. He sounded like the all-American man." Debra and Alan met at a station in San Luis Obispo. Debra was the new dj coming in from NYC to join KVEC. He said he wanted to meet her after hearing her alto-intoned-voice and her eclectic music sets. Debra and Alan loved to travel together with frequent trips to Salvador, Bahia and New Orleans. Alan's sister Barbara remembers that her brother was given the privilege of doing the school announcements at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach. Alan and KEZY/KFI's Mark Denis were roommates while attending Long Beach City College where they hatched their plans to take on the Radio industry. Alan's first step in the radio door was at KNOB on Signal Hill where he pulled records for jazz jock Chuck Niles. Born on March 28, 1941 in Long Beach, Alan's voice was heard over the span of 55 years on dozens of radio stations from the 1960’s until 2019 as morning man at KVEC-San Luis Obispo, to weatherman on KSBY/TV, San Luis Obispo to field reporter and evening anchor on KCOY/TV in Santa Maria and host of the then newly created morning show On The Coast. One of Alan’s stints included filing reports live from the Pacific Stock Exchange to KFWB and was a frequent substitute and fill-in anchor for the legendary Jim Newman. While at KCOY/TV Alan was awarded the California Associated Press (AP) TV Radio Association Certificate of Excellence for Best Special Report News covering Diablo Canyon Protest. One of his proudest awards was the Airwatch (now TTN) Ed Berger Award for Outstanding Employee on and off the air. Neighbors of Alan and Debra may know him as the co-founder of the Carthay Square Citizen Patrol, part of the Wilshire Police Division in Los Angeles. He was an active member of the community working side by side with Debra in tree plantings on Fairfax Avenue and alley and trash clean-ups. It’s one of the lasting legacies for all those who knew and loved Alan Ross. |
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ROSS, Brenda: KPWR, 1987-92. Brenda joined Unistar's syndicated ACII series in the evening slot in early 1994. In 1995 she moved to KBLX-San Francisco for morning drive until the summer of 2002. |
Ross,
Don: KNX, 1952-57. Don was the longtime owner of Premier Sports, a sports
marketing company managing golf tournaments, such as "The
Quarterbacks Tournament" and travel incentive packages for major sporting
events. Don passed in 2012, at the age of 88. In 2008, Don moved to Northern
California from the Southland to be closer to his family and
grandkids. Don's final years were spent playing golf, reminiscing about his
Los Angeles media career, his many friends and colleagues such as Don
Drysdale, Les Richter, Dan Reeves, Jerry West and the incomparable Dick
Whittinghill, while trout and steelhead fishing on the banks of the
American, Sacramento & Cosumnes Rivers.
Ross,
Don: KHJ; KNX, 1966. Don left Southland radio for KFMB-San Diego and was a
tv booth announcer for decades. He retired in San Diego and worked on his
art work. Don passed away in 2011.
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ROSS,
Eva:
KHJ, 1974 and 1976-77; KIKF,
1980-90. Eva anchored the news at KHJ from 1974 to 1977. She
wrote for the OC Register and was married to Lyle
Kilgore.
She was an enormously liked
broadcaster, colleague, and a friend to all in the Orange
County community. Eva died February 19, 2019, at the age of 67. |
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ROSS, Frankie:
KJLH, 1985-90; KKBT, 1990-91;
KJLH, 1991-2003; KTWV, 2018-19.
Born and raised in Southern California, Frankie attended Los Angeles
Harbor College and UCLA. Frankie’s career in broadcasting and music
spans over 30 years. Starting in Top 40 / CHR radio at KKBC-Reno,
KSTN-Stockton and KSLY, KUNA, KZOZ in San Luis Obispo. Frankie moved
down the coast to Santa Barbara to fm rocker KTYD. In 1981 he was given his first shot becoming program director at an AM Oldies rock station KXXN- Santa Barbara. Frankie’s first major market move was to the San Francisco Bay Area to AM/FM Urban Outlets, KDIA and KBLX. In 85’ Frankie returned to Los Angeles to host morning drive for Stevie Wonder’s KJLH. I In 1989 Frankie moved to KKBT (“The Beat”) and “Night-beat” was created. While at “The Beat” Frankie and partner developed the syndicated radio show “Positive Images” (one minute vignettes hosted by various celebrities from Arsenio Hall to Nancy Wilson, which aired on over 100 radio stations nationwide. In 1991, Frankie returned to KJLH to become pd, where he received the “George Foster Peabody” award. Before leaving KJLH Frankie changed the station’s programming and developed the format know today as “Urban AC” or Urban Adult Contemporary. Frankie received the Radio & Records Urban Adult contemporary air personality of the year award for two consecutive years. He works evenings at the WAVE. |
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ROSS, Kevin:
KGFJ, 1993; KKBT, 1993-94; KACE, 1998-99. Kevin left radio for good in 1999. He publishes RadioFacts.com and sells real estate in LA.
Born and raised in Buffalo, Kevin grew up listening to Frankie Crocker and Gary Byrd. He went to the School of Performing Arts and in 1985 graduated from Buffalo State College. Did he get the interest in radio while in school? Kevin laughed in a 1996 phone interview, "I wasn't good enough to be on the college radio station. They turned me down, so I forgot about it." After college, Kevin moved to Atlanta for a fresh start and after watching a tv commercial for the Columbia School of Broadcasting, he went back to school and eight months later was working for WIGO-Atlanta. A year later in 1987 he moved to evenings and the "Quiet Storm" at WEKS (“KISS 104”)-Atlanta. In 1988 he became md of WFXE-Columbus, Georgia. Kevin's first pd assignment came in 1990 at KDKO-Denver. A year later and in a quandary as to what his next career move should be, he was debating a job offer from Kansas City, returning to Atlanta or going to Los Angeles which had always been a dream. "One night I was channel surfing and came across the Psychic Network infomercial and decided to call. The psychic said that I already knew Atlanta, that I would hate Kansas City and I should go to Los Angeles. And that's how I got to L.A." He used his writing abilities upon arrival and worked for the Urban Network for two years before joining KGFJ in 1993. |
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ROSS, Kevin: KTZN 1997; KABC, 1997-98. Kevin briefly worked Saturdays on AM 710/The Zone before being promoted to weekends on then sister station 790 KABC. He is currently celebrating his 10th Season on the daytime syndicated program America's Court with Judge Ross. Kevin’s tv career catapulted into national exposure by Byron Allen of Entertainment Studios. Just Google Allen’s name to be duly impressed. Kevin, the former Los Angeles Superior Court judge, has been presiding over cases since 2010 while also serving as one of the show’s executive producers. Nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Legal / Courtroom Program,” America’s Court is now the fifth longest running court show behind Judge Judy, People’s Court, Judge Mathis, and Divorce Court. There are two Kevin Ross’s who worked in Los Angeles Radio. Another Kevin Ross publishes RadioFacts.com and is a former radio personality who jocked at KGFJ, KKBT, and KACE. Ross the judge left terrestrial radio in 1999 after being elected to the municipal bench in Inglewood. Prior to America's Court, he had reignited his radio career on the Internet platform Blogtalkradio.com |
Ross, Lee: KFOX, 1962-63. Lee wrote My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You and Heart-to-Heart Talk.
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ROSS, Maggie:
KIQQ, 1977-80; KMPC, 1980;
KHTZ, 1980-82; KLAC, 1982-87; KZLA, 1989-94;
KCBS, 1994-2001.
Maggie left "Arrow 93" in early 2001. After graduating from UCLA in the class with fellow L.A. jocks Amy Hiatt and Manny Pacheco, the Oakland native landed her first on-air assignment at KIQQ doing the late evening shift. She was known as “silent Maggie,” tracking the music and commercials and later having her own shift. While doing part-time at KMPC, she handled the weekend shift at KOGO-San Diego. In the mid-1980s, Maggie moved to New York when her husband, Roger Rose, became a VH-1 vj. |
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ROSS,
Neil: KPOL/fm, 1978; KZLA,
1979-80; KHTZ, 1981; KNX/fm, 1981;
KMPC, 1982-85. Neil lives in L.A. and has an active
voiceover career. In the fall of 2018, he published his memoir,
Vocal Recall. Neil was born in London, England, and raised in Montreal, Canada. When he was 12 years old his family moved to Long Beach and Neil started listening religiously to L.A.'s legendary Top 40 station KFWB. When the Ross family moved to San Diego, Neil began listening to local radio including The Mighty 690 XEAK, KDEO and KCBQ. Midway through high school he decided to pursue radio as a career. He started working in radio when he finished school. His first station was KMUR in Salt Lake City. The he moved to KORL, KGMB and KKUA in Honolulu, before moving to KCBQ in San Diego in 1969. He stayed in California, working on KYA San Francisco and KMPC. When he landed in L.A., he started doing voiceover work in 1978. After a successful run at KMPC, Neil hung up the radio headphones in 1985. Since then, he has voiced many commercials, announced the 75th Academy Awards, and many other television specials. For a real treat, see Being John Malkovich. Neil is the featured voice in the movie. Neil added about being a voice over specialists: "Just a bit of advice to anyone reading this who has a dream. Don't ever let them talk you out of it. I had many people tell me I'd never make it in radio and voiceovers. Thank God I didn't listen. I don't know where a lot of those people are today, but I know where I am. Stick to your guns and remember: The worst day in a business you love is better than the best day in any other. Thanks for listening." He's written a very tasty memoir: Vocal Recall: A Life in Radio and Voice Overs |
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ROSS, Nicci:
KOCM/KSRF, 1989-90; KACD,
1994-96; KIBB, 1996-97. Nicci was an intern at KEZY
while in school, then some time in Plainview and Huntsville, Texas,
"paying my dues." For five years beginning in 1984, she worked in San
Diego at “Y-95,” "K-Lite" and KBZT. Prior to joining Orange County’s
“K-Ocean” (KOCM) Nicci worked at Metro Traffic. When she left K-Ocean
she worked a variety of formats in San Jose at “Hot 97.7,” “Mix 106.5,”
“The Fox,” plus two years at KOME.
For part of her stay at KACD she worked afternoon drive and middays. At KIBB, Nicci worked as Teena Marcos. “Management wanted me to have a more ‘ethnic’ Latin sounding name.” She’s also been known as Ricci O’Hara. “I left L.A. in 1997 to work for the legendary programmer and consultant Dwight Douglas at WZGC [‘Classic Rock Z93’] in Atlanta. I worked there until 1999, then I became the afternoon partner at WRAL (MIX 101.5) in Raleigh, North Carolina.” In the fall of 2001, she returned to San Jose. “I worked for a short time (2001-05) at KKIQ-Pleasanton. I then worked at KEZR MIX 106 and KBAY 94.5 San Jose as weekends and evenings from 2005-2016. In December 2016, I was hired for weekends and fill-in at KISQ 98.1 The Breeze San Francisco.” |
Ross, Phil: KYMS, 1986-94.
Phil co-hosts a nationally syndicated, weekly half-hour radio
program called Ambassador Express Talk.
Rossi,
Craig: KBIG/KOST, 2003-05; KYSR, 2005-07; KABC/KLOS, 2008-09. Craig was a
regional vp for Citadel Broadcasting and DOS at KABC/KLOS. He's now vp of
Spoken Word at Westwood One.
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ROTH, Jack:
KRLA, 1976-83. Jack is working voiceovers in
Hollywood. He was the voice of Nissan and countless other national
campaigns including McDonalds, Friskies, AT&T and Scrubbing Bubbles,
as well as promos for CBS, Fox and PBS. Starting as assistant pd to
Art Laboe, Jack became program director in 1979 and
masterminded the KRLA 60’s Reunion Weekend.
Jack was a graduate of Cal State Northridge with fellow classmates who got into L.A. radio, Michelle Roth and Johnny St. Thomas. While he was on the air at KRLA he was known as "Jack the Hit Man." |
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ROTH, Michelle:
KDAY, 1979-80; KRLA,
1983-85; KBIG, 1992; KMLT, 2002-07;
KRTH 2007-14. Michelle is a therapist in West Los
Angeles and hosted an evening relationship show at "Lite 92.7fm"
until a format flip in late spring 2005. She also filled-in at
"K-Earth." Michelle can be heard on LATalkRadio.com as Dr. Michelle
Cohen. Before her arrival in Los Angeles, Michelle had moved from news to an evening shift at “underground” KMPX-San Francisco. She was one of the active women in radio when it was not easy to get on the air. After leaving K101-San Francisco in 1978, she called a Los Angeles pd inquiring about a job opening. She was dismissed with, "If you're ever down here, come see me." The pd was shocked when Michelle arrived and commented: "The only reason I talked to you at all is that we have to talk to you women and minorities. If we are not nice, you'll take us to the FCC!" Undaunted by such attitudes, Michelle prevailed and was the third female voice on KRLA when she joined the station in 1983. She has been heard as an announcer on cable game shows. Known as "the straight talk doc," she can be seen on Entertainment Tonight and Inside Edition. Dr. Michelle has also been a columnist for The Valley News Group's three newspapers as their psychological columnist, and hosted "Understanding Body Language," a viral video series, which is part of the L.A. County Government's professional training program. |
ROUNDS,
Tom:
Tom, best known as one of the founders of the quintessential syndicated
program, American Top 40, died June 1,
2014, of complications from a minor
surgical procedure. His wife and business partner of 49 years, Barbara Rounds,
was at his bedside when he passed away. Tom was 77.
American Top 40 featured the team
of Casey Kasem and producer
Don Bustany. The program was popular in large
markets and also allowed small market stations to present a three-hour national
music chart countdown show at nominal cost that nevertheless produced good
ratings and helped generate advertising revenue.
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Rounds’ first radio show was at the campus radio
station of Amherst College in Massachusetts in the late 1950s, where he earned
degrees in English and Music. He worked at WINS (AM) in New York City as a
newsman in 1959. While a dj at KPOI in Hawaii, Tom set the world record for
sleeplessness. The period of 260 hours awake was attained while Rounds was
sitting in a department store window display. Before he left KPOI, he became
program director. While at KFRC in San Francisco, Rounds began promoting large multi-act concerts to benefit charity and gain publicity for the station and the bands it featured. After holding the Beach Boys Summer Spectacular at the Cow Palace in 1966, Rounds and KFRC conceived of a large outdoor festival featuring a fair atmosphere similar to the popular Renaissance Pleasure Faire. The KFRC Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival were held in the second weekend of June 1967 at Mount Tamalpais State Park in Marin County, California, to support the Hunters Point Child Care Center. Featuring Jefferson Airplane, the 5th Dimension, The Doors and many other acts, the event drew nearly 60,000 attendees. The Fantasy Fair produced by Rounds is considered the first rock festival in history, preceding the more well-known Monterey Pop Festival by one week. |
After Watermark was absorbed into the American Broadcasting Company in the early 1980s and became ABC Watermark, Rounds became responsible for the promotion and syndication of American Top 40 and other programs outside the United States. His independent company Radio Express was created in 1985 and produced and syndicated World Chart shows hosted by Lara Scott and PJ Butta, among other programming.
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ROURKE, Jack: KABC, 1957-58. Jack, a former Talk show host at KABC in 1957-58, was a native of Boston where he studied at Dartmouth College and the New England’s Conservatory of Music. He was best-known for producing and co-hosting Sam Yorty's television show when he was mayor of Los Angeles. Jack died October 14, 2004, at the age of 86. "Jack was the first Talk show host on KABC," emailed Roger Carroll. "I co-hosted 'party Line' with Jack. Jack and Jackson Wheeler were very successful on L.A. tv. Jack was a very funny talented man, it was an honor and pleasure to work with him." |
Jack worked in radio in the New York and New England markets before landing a job as an announcer for bandleader Horace Heidt. After World War II, Rourke started his own business packaging radio and televisions shows as well as writing, producing and hosting them. He became well known as host for a variety of tv fundraiser telethons in the 1950s and '60s. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor of L.A. in 1969.
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ROWE,
Bob: KMPC,
1966-94; KMAX,
1995. For three
decades, beginning in the
mid-1960s at KMPC,
Bob was part of the sports scene at 710/KMPC. He died on
September 23, 2012, in Littleton, New
Hampshire, after a 17-month
battle with cancer. “My husband
was courageous throughout,”
emailed Nancy.
A native Angeleno, dubbed “Dr.
Angel Fever” by
Robert W. Morgan, Bob
started with KMPC in 1966
working the “Sportswire.” When
fans called “Webster 8-3000,”
they got sports scores from
around the country.
Two years later Bob became the
sports producer, coordinating
broadcasts of the Angels, Rams
and UCLA Bruins. “I was anxious
to get on the air and the
opportunity came in 1972,” Bob
told me when I interviewed him
for
Los Angeles Radio People.
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The project won a Golden Mike
award for best documentary. “I
was not re-hired for the 1995
baseball season. Nobody ever
explained why.”
Bob was born on October 5, 1942,
in Los Angeles. He played
baseball at Poly High School in
Sun Valley, and graduated from
Don Martin Radio School in 1961.
He worked as a disc jockey at
KACY-Oxnard and KUTY-Palmdale,
before entering the U.S. Army in
1964. Bob served his country
from 1964 to 1966. He was
stationed in Schwezingen,
Germany (“at least it wasn’t
Vietnam”), where he served as a
mapmaker.
Bob’s passions were for sports
(particularly the USC. Trojans,
Patriots, Red Sox, and the
California Angels), walking,
travel, and movies. He
particularly liked classic
movies, including
Sunset Boulevard. and
Stanley
& Livingston.
In 1981 he met his wife, Nancy Angerstein. They were married on October 31, 1981. They celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2011, at their favorite resort in Northern California. She concluded her email with “I’ll miss him terribly.”
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ROWE, Chuck:
KNX, 1996-2006
and 2017-18. Chuck
was a
traffic anchor for KNX's
“Southern California’s
Morning News” and “Money 101” in morning drive. He went on
to
program chores for Froggy 106.7
(WFGA) in Auburn,
Indiana. He returned to KNX in the spring of 2017. In the fall of 2018, he moved to Arizona, a place he calls home. In the spring of 2022, Chuck joined KTAR-Phoenix delivering traffic reports. |
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ROWE,
Jeff: KPCC, 2022-23. In the fall of 2022, Jeff was
hired as head of programming at KPCC. Rowe’s experience spans the full media landscape, having worked in digital, mobile, network and cable television, film, and radio. He joins SCPR after spending the past six years at NPR, where he worked with member stations to improve overall local station sound and coordinate promotions between NPR shows and stations. Prior to that, he held senior executive positions at AOL, Tribune Media, NBC, and VH1. During his time at NBC, he developed a primetime seamless credit format that has been widely adopted across broadcast and streaming. He also served as director of specials and late-night programs, overseeing Saturday Night Live and Late Night with David Letterman before being named director of comedy programs and later director of comedy development, supervising the production of series such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Golden Girls and Mad About You. Before NBC, Rowe was vice president at VH1, where he headed all programming and developed a new on-air presentation. Rowe also co-founded Okanjo, ad tech-ecommerce platform, and Zap2it, a consumer facing television listings service. |
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ROWE, Red: KFI, 1968-69. Red was doing a one-hour morning variety show on KNXT/Channel 2 while working as a dj at KFI. In the 1950s he hosted a tv show called Panorama Pacific. Born July 1, 1922, died August, 2004. He grew up in Dallas Center, Iowa. Red arrived in California in the fall of 1945 after a successful radio career in the east and midwest. In early 1946, started "Free Speech Mike" on KMPC. From 1946 to 1953, he was host-announcer on NBC's Guiding Light and CBS' Right to Happiness. During the same time he did The Red Rowe Show on KMPC. In 1947, he starred on the Stuart Hamblen Show on KFWB, which later evolved into The Red Rowe Rancho on KFWB until 1955. In 1952 he switched into television and began the Panorama Pacific show on CBS-Television, which stayed on for 14 years. He has logged over 12,000 hours of Television Broadcasting. Also, while at CBS he did The Red Rowe Show on the CBS Network, and hosted a panel show Face the Facts. In 1966 he was the movie host on KTTV. In 1967, he did did a Country music show on KFI. From 1972-74 he was on NBC Television in San Diego - KCST. Red has been the receipient of service awards by numerous community and national organizations. |
Roy, Eric: KNX, 2007-08. Eric was a traffic reporter for KNXNews Radio.
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ROY, Mike:
KNX, 1965-76. Mike Roy's Kitchen was a tv and radio fixture for years. Mike died June 26,
1976, at the age of 63. His longtime announcer, Dennis
Bracken said: "Mourn Mike, but not his memory. Each day was a day
to be lived to the fullest." |
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ROZ: KLSX, 1988-90. Roz Byrne lives in Chicago and did weekends at the NINE/fm. Roz has always had a flair for fun, according to a Windy City blogger. In 2002, she became a real estate agent for RE/MAX. Roz belongs to the Platinum Club, earned because sales were eight times that of the average National Association of Realtors agent. Her marketing skills are evident in the world of selling real estate. She has compiled a listing of service providers–a kind of personalized Yellow Pages–that she updates periodically and gives to hundreds of people, including newcomers moving into the area. She donates $100 from every closing to the charity of her client’s choice. And she helps seniors find housing, often as they downsize. And during Halloween week, she has transformed into The Wizard of Roz. As she ventures into shops throughout the Oak Park-River Forest-Forest Park area, Byrne is delivering Hershey’s chocolate bars, her business card and this clever message: “Don’t be afraid of real estate," she says. |
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RUBIN, Sam:
KNX, 1994-2005; KMPC/KTZN, 1995-97;
KLSX, 1999-2003. Sam covers the entertainment news
from theater to tv to movies and celebrity interviews on the
enormously popular KTLA/Channel 5 Morning News, which he
joined in 1991 and at KNX. Born in Los Angeles, Sam attended Occidental College and in 1982 received a B.A. in American studies and rhetoric. He got his first “real” job at Fox Entertainment News. “This was a special unit set up by Barry Diller, in an effort to compete with ET. We never really did.” Sam wasn’t working when the new morning magazine show at Channel 5 debuted. “I watched the show from home for a few weeks, and I thought to myself that they were having trouble filling two hours. I called the producer at 2 a.m. I think, more than any other single thing, he thought it was pretty smart that someone who wanted a job on a morning show would realize that the people who were putting the show on the air were actually at the station working at that hour.” Sam started out as a $125 per diem entertainment guy and after a few months joined the team full-time. In the fall of 1996 he and Dorothy Lucey had a short-lived syndicated entertainment show. His show business reports air on KTVU-San Francisco as well as Show Buzz, a nationally syndicated show out of Canada. He has written articles for McCalls, Home and the LA Times. He was a regular contributor to the Joan Rivers Show. The former KTTV/Channel 11 entertainment reporter was an intern at KHJ during the "Boss Radio" days. His daily radio show at KLSX filled the time between the end of Howard Stern and the noon talk show. |
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RUDDLE,
Jim: XTRA, 1959-60. Jim worked middays at Top 40 Mighty
690. After leaving XTRA, Jim worked in Chicago tv for many years. He retired in 1986 and went sailing with layovers in St. Petersburg and Washington, D.C. 'Sailor' Jim finally settled in Rye, New York (portrayed in J.D. Salinger's book) in the early 90's and sails when the weather is good. He enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in his teens and became a radio operator aboard ocean station vessels in the Atlantic and Pacific. Following his discharge, he pursued a life of broadcasting and academics, earning graduate degrees and teaching at two major universities. For a break, he crewed on a hurricane-battered schooner attempting a transatlantic crossing and learning the limitations of old wooden boats. Later, he concentrated on television news broadcasting in Chicago for many years, sailing Lake Michigan from May until the snow fell. Leaving that career behind, he lived and cruised aboard a steel-hulled cutter for four years before settling down to residence in the northeast U.S. and sailing the Long Island Sound and New England waters in smaller sailboats. |
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RUDMAN,
Richard: KFWB, 1975-2002. The former director of engineering owns and
operates his own firm, Remote Possibilities, that consults on emergency public information.
He studied journalism at Northeastern University in Boston and holds a degree in that subject. While a grad school drop out, Richard continued his journalism and other studies at Penn State while gearing toward a career in the technical side of broadcast journalism. |
Rudnik, Lee:
KMET, 1971. Lee was the midday jock at "the Mighty
Met." He was a radio-tv major at New York University.
Ruiz, Cesar: KMJR, 2000-01. Cesar worked
middays at Spanish KMJR.
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RUMMELL,
Cooper: KNX, 2016-19. Cooper joined KNX in the
spring of 2016 as a news reporter/anchor from three years at KTAR-Phoenix. He left KNX in
October 2019. He graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. In 2020, he headed the Storytelling Minstry at Saddleback Church in Orange County. |
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RUSH,
Andy: KNX/fm, 1987-88; KMPC/fm, 1988;
KSWD, 2013-14. Andy died of a heart attack, apparently
related to a pulmonary embolism, on May 17, 2014. He was 60. “Andy worked at KROI and later KROY from 1977 to 78 as the midday and later AM drive host and again from 1980 to 82 with a stop in between as the morning man at KZAP in 1979,” said colleague Bryan Simmons. “He later worked at KFOG and KRQR-San Francisco, returning to his hometown of Los Angeles to work in Los Angeles. I just cannot believe he’s gone.” Tammy Trujillo dated Andy for a time in the late 80s when they taught at LAB (Los Angeles Broadcasters). “He was a wonderful, quirky, talented guy and the quintessential jock of the 70s and 80s,” emailed Tammy. “It has been so wonderful to watch the comments come in on Facebook and to realize how many people, especially up in the Bay area, remember and appreciate listening to The Rush! I will be playing some of his airchecks for my students at Mt. SAC (Mount San Antonio College) this week so they can learn from another of the real pros who knew how to rock.” Dave Beasing, program director at The Sound, described Andy as, “A great person. He really loved his profession and the people he met along the way. He was always the brunt of his own jokes, which were hilarious, kept everyone laughing.” Andy was working in production at The Sound at the time of his death. |
“When I was 12 I wanted to go into acting,” said Andy when interviewed for Los Angeles Radio People. “When I found out that somewhere along the line I’d have to wear tights and do Shakespeare in a public park, acting became just a fond fantasy.” Two years later Andy discovered his passion for radio.
“I came across an ‘instant recording’ exhibit at the Science and Industry Museum in Exposition Park. I spoke into a condenser microphone when the green light went on and stopped as the red one came on. Within 10 seconds, it played back for you. A visitor to the Exposition suggested that I should get into radio broadcasting. That’s all it took.”
Andy started at KOTE-Lancaster followed by KREO-Indio. He secured an FCC First Class License and in 1975 joined KUBA/KHEX-Yuba City for $400 a month. Following a return to Lancaster, Andy was hired by KROI-Sacramento. “And I didn’t have to work Bakersfield or Stockton to get to the 23rd market.”
“After leaving KMPC/fm, I got hired at L.A.B. (Los Angeles Broadcasters) as a teacher. I spent two years there, earning half as much as I could being on the air, but getting more satisfaction from it.” In 1994 Andy was hired to be the “Navigation Voice” for Amerigon. In addition to his radio work, Andy owned rental property in West Los Angeles, Hollywood and Oregon and bred Dachshund pups. A longtime friend, Barbara Bassett, said: “Andy was planning on chucking it all and moving to the orange groves of Ventura, where he could shout neighbors off his lawn."
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RUSSELL, Antoinette:
KJLH, 1987-89; KACE,
1989-97; KOST, 1997-2001. Antoinette left KOST in the early fall of 2001.
Antoinette was born in New York to West Indian parents. She graduated from Washington State University with a degree in communications. Antoinette began her broadcasting career in Seattle, which included jobs in both radio and television. In 1986, she moved to L.A. and joined KJLH in 1987 where she worked for two years before going to KACE. She remained there until March of 1997 when she moved across the hall to sister station, KOST. Antoinette is married to Mike Mann, former “92.3/the Beat” production director and leader of America’s premier Black Cowboy band, “Mike Mann and the Night Riders.” |
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RUSSELL, Aundrae: KJLH, 1988-2023. Aundrae was made pd at KJLH in the summer of 2002. The Meridian, Mississippi, native worked in his hometown at WALT as pd and md from 1983 to 1988. In a recent interview, Aundrae recalled one of his thrills during his stay in Southern California was "doing my show live from Las Vegas." During his career he has worked as a tv sportscaster and news anchor, radio programmer, and dj. He has been selected as Radio Program Director of the Year, Gospel DJ of the Year, Radio Executive of the Year, and most recently, one of the 100 Most Influential African Americans. He served as the half time voice and Music Coordinator for the Los Angeles Lakers for nine years, winning three NBA Championship rings. Devoted to making a difference in the community, he speaks at Career Day events and special programs at schools throughout Southern California. He is also the ceo of Stevie Wonder's "We are You Foundation" – a non-profit organization created to assist underprivileged children. Aundrae loves the Lord and is dedicated to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through his music ministry. Aundrae became sports director in addition to his air shift. In the summer of 2002, he was made program director. He stepped down in the summer of 2019 and took on Community Relations Director position. |
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RUSSELL, Bill: KABC, 1970-73 and 1982. William Felton Russell died July 31, 2022. He was 88. The greatest winner in professional sports — Russell’s 11 championships in 13 seasons is a mark unlikely to ever be matched — had a career that included 12 All-Star appearances and an Olympic gold medal in 1956. He was at his best in the biggest moments: In 30 elimination games at the college, pro and Olympic levels, Russell was a staggering 28-2. There was no mistaking Bill's on-air cackle while doing talk shows at KABC. Bill hosted KABC's "SportsTalk" show. In 1973 he joined the Seattle Supersonics. Bill was talked into the KABC job by Keith Jackson and others. Russell moved to L.A. after leaving basketball in 1969. A five-time NBA Most Valuable Player and a 12-time All-Star, the angular center amassed 21,620 career rebounds, an average of 22.5 per game, and led the league in rebounding four times. He had 51 boards in one game, 49 in two others, and a dozen consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more rebounds. Bill was born on February 12, 1934, in Monroe, Louisiana. His family moved cross-country to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Bill attended McClymonds High School in Oakland. He was an awkward, unremarkable center on McClymonds' basketball team, but his size earned him a scholarship to play at the University of San Francisco, where he blossomed. (Photo courtesy of NBA) |
Russell,
Dan: KFW, 1950s; KEZY, 1959. One of the officers of Radio Orange County
that received the last AM frequency in Southern California. He was a program
director.
Russell, Robby: KWIZ, 1995-96. Robby and The Nurse's Garage
Mania Show, which is a mid 60s garage, punk psychedelic and frat rock
show, which aired on the Internet at wpmd.org.
Russell, Lew: KGFJ, 1957-58. He was known as
Moon Dog.
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RUTKOWSKI, Ken: KFWB, 2012-14. Ken is one of the most broadly-informed and connected people in the media, entertainment and technology, according to a posting at the KFWB website. "Part pundit, part matchmaker, part strategist – Ken helps start-ups to multinational corporations understand the trends shaping their industries and connect with the people that matter. A true industry insider, Ken’s relationships span key government leaders, founders and CxO’s of leading technology companies to studio executives; and small software companies innovating the next generation of MET products/services to IT outsourcers and consultants. He enables clients to understand market dynamics and consistently out-maneuver their competition. Combining technology, rigorous research, in-depth analysis and a firm grasp of the competitive marketplace, his business intelligence team provides the information and insight that helps you craft strategy and identify opportunity." His show, Business Rockstars, was dropped by KFWB in March 2014. |
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RYAN, John: KMPC, 2002-05; KCBS/fm, 2006-09. John joined JACK/fm in early January 2006 and left three years later. He is now principal, managing director at Raygen Inc. Ryan’s media career includes sales vp for Hispanic Broadcasting/Los Angeles, gsm of MEGA 100.3 and local and nsm at The BEAT. “ |
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RYAN, Lori:
KEZY, 1993-96; KFI, 1996-99;
KNX, 1999-2001; KBIG, 2001-06;
KRLA, 2010-13. Lori did traffic for a number
of stations. In the early aughts, she was part of the morning drive show at
KBIG, dispensing traffic. Born at West Point Military Academy in New York, she grew up in many cities, as her father was a career army officer. “When dad left for Vietnam, we moved to Anaheim and I grew up listening religiously to KHJ and the Boss Jocks. I was the hippest 3rd grader on my block.” She always wondered why there weren’t any women jocks. Lori went on to college to study radio and tv broadcasting and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona. She started working at KHYT in Tucson and then moved over to “94-KRQ.” In the late 1980s she worked in San Diego at “Z90.3.” At KFI and KNX, Lori broadcast traffic. She now lives in Arkansas. |
Ryan, Mike: KKLA, 1992-93. Mike is in the financial industry in Texas.
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RYAN,
Nick: KWIZ,
1977-78. Nick went on to become a
celebrity in Fresno radio and tv.
In 2005, he was sentenced to 78 years-to-life in prison for sexually molesting young boys. |
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RYDER,
Kevin: KROQ, 1990-2020; KLOS,
2021-23. Kevin was inducted into the NAB Hall of Fame in 2015 and the
Radio Hall of Fame in 2019, and was co-host of one of the most
iconic morning shows in radio history, “The Kevin & Bean Show,” for
30-years. In addition to his role at KLOS teaming with Doug "Sluggo" Roberts in early 2021, Ryder co-runs the Friends and Helpers Foundation and hosts a YouTube series and Podcast entitled “Great News with Kevin & Mike (Catherwood).” When the celebrated KROQ morning team disbanded after almost 30 years (Bean left for England), owners Entercom kept the morning show renaming it “Kevin in the Morning with Allie & Jensen.” Show lasted only a year. The pairing of Ryder and Roberts is a KROQ reunion of sorts. While Ryder was part of the morning show, Sluggo manned many shifts. They also knew each other in pre-KROQ days at Top 40 KZZP-Tucson (where Bean and former longtime KROQ program director Kevin Weatherly also worked). |
Ryder, Max: SEE Chris Leary
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RYDER, Turi:
KIIS, 1987-89; KMPC/KTZN, 1996-97; KFI,
1997-98. The WLS-Chicago hostess joined KMPC in 1996 for the midday slot. In
late spring 1997 the Hollywood Reporter reported that Turi
had been fired for inflammatory on-air comments she made about
earthquake-stricken Iran. The story was not true. Comments
attributed to Turi were, in fact, voiced by a caller.” Turi left KFI in early 1998. Other stations prior to KMPC, Turi worked at KSTP-Minneapolis, mornings at KGW-Portland and San Francisco’s KFRC and K101. Turi is married and living in Northern California. Her work has been heard on KGO-San Francisco, and KLIF-Dallas. She also owns a small production company specializing in political advertising. Turi began working latenight on WGN-Chicago in early 2013. In addition to making a living doing fill-in talk from her Bay Area studio since 2006, she has been heard on the CBS Radio Network since 2007 with three, weekly, short humor features called "Turi Ryder's Exception to the Rule"? Turi edited and contributed to all four of Valerie Geller's Creating/Beyond Powerful Radio series. She's the new Sunday host of Envision Radio's America Weekend. In the summer of 2019, she published She Said What? A Life On The Air. She also hosts a podcast, She Said What? She's returned to Chicago. |
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RYDGREN,
John:
KRLA,
1972;
KRTH,
1977-82;
KRLA,
1985;
KRTH,
1986-88. "Brother John" had a unique place in
Born in
In 1982, John suffered a debilitating
stroke while on the air, which left him with a form of dyslexia,
forcing him to relearn reading and speaking from the third-grade
level. Doctors predicted that he would never be able to talk again.
However, with therapy he rejoined KRTH in 1986. Randy Gardner
talked
about the opportunity to have worked with John: "What a dear sweet
soul! He had come full circle. He had to voice track his show
between records during his relearning period." John died in his
favorite easy chair on the day after Christmas 1988, of a heart
attack. He was 56. Beasley Broadcasting's Allen Shaw said that John
"was unusual during the cultural revolution of the late '60s." |
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RYKER,
Malcolm: KNAC, 1994-95. Malcolm worked at Pure Rock
KNAC twenty years ago. He’s now the voice and production director
for over 20 iHeartMedia stations, including his home base in San
Diego, Star 94-1 and KGB.
Malcolm got a degree in radio and tv
at Arkansas State. The first rock station he worked for was
KWLN-Memphis. Growing up he listened to z-Rock in Dallas. “It was
crazy, heavy, and freaky,” said Ryker. “Lee
Abrams believed in true
theater of the mind in a hard rock satellite format.”
Malcolm is a member of La Jolla Lutheran Church. "I find Christ
gives me some balance to this whack Rock N Roll/Hip Hop close to the
fire world we live in,” revealed Malcolm in an AllAccess interview.
Fascinating fact from Malcolm: “I sold some Bud back in college a
long, long time ago. I am a radio lifer.”
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RYSSDAL, Kai: Kai
has been the host and senior editor of Marketplace, public radio’s program
on business and the economy, since 2005. He joined American Public Media in
2001 as the host of Marketplace Morning Report. Ryssdal began in public radio as a intern, then reporter and finally substitute host for The California Report at KQED/fm in San Francisco. After graduating from Emory University, Ryssdal spent eight years in the United States Navy flying from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt and as a Pentagon staff officer. Before his career in public radio, Ryssdal was a member of the United States Foreign Service in Ottawa, Canada and Beijing, China. |
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