Radio Radio, Pt. 1

The other day, I was talking to my daughter about "Dad's time on the radio," telling her that 20 years ago I had my own radio show.  She was actually interested, which was kind of cool.


20 years ago, I was living in San Luis Obispo, trying desperately to find a job. I wanted to be a writer, but that wasn't panning out well. While I was sitting around feeling sorry for myself, I read an article about K-OTTER in the (I think) New Times that talked to the two guys who kind of ran the station, Drew and Clam Chowder, who said they would let anyone on the air who was interested.

I figured that I was anyone and fit the description, and I wasn't doing anything anyway.

I'd always wanted to be on the radio. My earliest memories were standing in the back of my mom's '64

Malibu listening to Boss Radio KHJ and the "Real" Don Steele ("Tina Delgado is Alive! ALIVE!). I continued to listen to KHJ until the "Real" Don Steele moved to K-100-KIQQ.


That would be 1973, and as an adventurous 10 year old, I discovered Dr. Demento on "The Mighty Met," KMET. Somehow, I must have left the radio tuned to KMET on Monday morning after listening to the good Doctor's Sunday night show, and liked whatever was playing on the station the next day. I'd still listen to KHJ and K 100,and even follow the "Real" Don Steele to 10-Q, but my tastes were shifting to that FM style.

Actually, I was just looking at an old 10-Q playlist, and according to that, I must have been listening to 10-Q a lot, because one of my favorite songs from that time period, Robert Gordon's Red Hot was only played on 10-Q, and I remember buying the 45 way back then.

In the summer of 1977, I conned my parents into taking me to see both Led Zeppelin and Kiss at the Forum, but my musical taste shifted again, and (as Frank Zappa used to say) I started to listen to a station with "Real Balls," the legendary KROQ in Pasadena. KROQ was the number one station on my radio from the time my parents let me have a station in the family car until now, though it is difficult to get here in Ventura and I'd have to say that I have no idea who is actually on the air other than Kevin and Bean (who I never really liked) and Dr. Drew. 

There were five stations I listened to in high school. KROQ was the always the first, but in the days before cassette players, radio was all I had in the car, so I was always changing between KROQ, KMET, KNAC, KWST and KLOS.

For a while, there, I'd say that I actually liked KNAC the best, but even from Downey it was difficult to get their signal. The transmitter, if I recall, was atop the F and M Bank building in downtown Long Beach, and there just wasn't that much juice. Still, their free form was free-er than KROQ's, and when I could get it, that's what I'd listen to.

But KNAC went heavy metal, KWST program director JJ Jackson went to MTV,

KMET become The Wave, and only KROQ and KLOS remained.

At UCLA I had a job that had me driving to the UCLA extension campus on 7th St. in Downtown LA in a van that only had AM radio. This was '84 and there were no AM music stations anymore. I started listening to KNX at the recommendation of the graduate I was replacing so I could hear Dan Rather's commentaries and the traffic report. Almost 30 years later, KNX is the station that is usually on in my car, but that's jumping ahead of my K-OTTER stint.

I'll finish this shortly, but I'd like to post what I have.