REEL TOP 40 RADIO REPOSITORY
 In 1960, while in high school, I did some weekend work at KEWB, where I met the morning man, Gary Owens.
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 By Ben Fong-Torres, December 2001
And what deejays — from Alan Freed and Murray the K to Scott Shannon and Rick Dees, and including Gary Owens, Casey Kasem, Dick Biondi, The Real Don Steele, and many others. But the CD allowed room for only a few minutes per jock. It doesn't come close to what you find here at REELRADIO every day. That's why I've decided to put up a collection — of things I gathered while researching the book, and from years before, as a fan of Top 40 radio. I've scoped most of the airchecks, so they're pretty fast and frantic — the way God intended Top 40 radio to be. Besides some great deejays who, for one reason or another, have not had their airchecks on this site, I've finally allowed myself to be heard. You'll soon comprehend why my career was in writing about music and radio (at Rolling Stone, GQ, The San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere), rather than in performing. Although my childhood love was for Top 40, I wound up doing free-form, underground, progressive FM rock on the pioneering KSAN in San Francisco. But in the clip I've included, you'll hear me crossing over to AM by way of a phone call to Russ "the Moose" Syracuse. Even in our phone conversation, you'll be able to sense my fondness for the Moose. You may know that when Russ died in April 2000, Bobby Ocean, John Catchings and I produced a memorial composite of Russ' work (it's here on REELRADIO). |
As I wrote in my book, I had one big moment in the Top 40 spotlight, in a guest appearance on Turi Ryder's show on KFRC, the Big 6-10. Excerpts from this rather humbling experience will also be included for your amusement, if not mine. Finally, prompted by Michael Hagerty and Liz Salazar, who have their own collections here on REELRADIO, I've tossed in The Making of a Classic, a special produced for the 20th anniversary of KFRC in 1986. It's like a thousand airchecks, and a chunk of radio history, all in one tight, bright, (Top) 40-minute package.
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The Repository thanks Ben Fong-Torres for sharing!
[Descriptions by Ben Fong-Torres]
TOP STREAM 16.2Kbps (8Khz)
Tom Donahue, KYA, San Francisco, December 1961
(12:11)
. . . and this is the way it all began, with Hank Ballard and the original "Twist!" . . .
Tom and Bobby (who also worked as Bobby Tripp in Los Angeles) loved to play the horses, and that's obvious from the on-air contest going on here, with a big payoff of $15. And check out the contest itself, conducted before callers could be put on the air. Ah, the good old days… | ||
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TOP STREAM 32.0Kbps (16Khz)
Scott Shannon from WMAK to Z-100 and WPLJ
(07:06)
Scott Shannon, one of the pioneers of the Morning Zoo concept, began as a kid pretending to be on the radio, playing cut-rate 45 rpm records in a faux "studio" in the basement of his home. From shrieking good ol' boy in Music City to wakeup powerhouse in the Big Apple, Michael Moore, whose air name is a tribute to DJs Tom Shannon and Scott Muni, has come a long way. In this clip, he pokes fun at rival Don Imus, who is portrayed making music, uh, on the fly. | ||
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TOP STREAM 44.1Kbps (20Khz)
Ben Fong-Torres on KSAN San Francisco, 1978
(11:07)
. . . The only thing that's cheap in France is French toast, french fries, and omelettes du fromage . . .
But first, a bunch of French pop and rock music, mixed in with the contagious laughter of KSAN staffer Linda Feder and my amazing impression of Bob Dylan doing an outro for the Sex Pistols. Crazy. | |
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TOP STREAM 44.1Kbps (20Khz)
The Making of a Classic: 20 Years of KFRC, 1966-1986
(41:34)
. . . an AM Radio Legend . . . Younger than its sister station, KHJ/Boss Angeles, by a year, KFRC ("The Big 6-10") shook up San Francisco Top 40 radio with its Bill Drake-driven "more music" format in 1966. Over the years, it seemed to get only stronger, winning a string of Billboard awards and showcasing a parade of DJs who managed to work in their unique personalities while pumping out the hits. The Big 6-10 men and women included Mike Phillips (most recently at KRTH/Los Angeles), Steve O'Shea, Howard Clark, Bobby Dale, Dale Dorman, Dave Diamond, Chuck Browning, John Mack Flanagan, Marvelous Mark, Beau Weaver, Eric Chase, Rick Shaw, Big Tom Parker, Shana, Dave Sholin, Don Sainte John, Harry Nelson, Jack Armstrong, Sue Hall, Bobby Ocean (who voices this special), Jack Friday, Sandy Louie, Bill Lee, and, of course, Dr. Don Rose. Produced by longtime KFRC staffer Albert Lord, this is an amazing look and listen at a most influential station, including news, contests, promos, and even a spot for Corn Huskers lotion, one of the station's first advertisers. Rub some on, sit back and enjoy. |
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TOP STREAM 20.7Kbps (10Khz)
Jerry Blavat, Geator Gold Demo
(08:26)
He began as a rabid fan of American Bandstand in Philadelphia, and wound up as a Philly radio legend in his own right. Jerry Blavat, better known as "the Geator with the Heater, the Boss with the Hot Sauce," is still on the air, and, if this demo tape is any indication, still gathering testimonials every day, from stars ranging from Liza Minnelli and Tony Bennett to Boz Scaggs and Chuck Berry. | |
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My love story with radio is pretty much told in my history of Top 40 radio, The Hits Just Keep On Coming, which was published in 1998. It's out again, in paperback, this time with a lower price and a free CD of excerpts of airchecks from 16 legendary deejays. What a country!
