Here it is, New Year’s Eve, and a little more significant today than usual to me. It’s the last day of my contract with Clear Channel, and although there may be something down the road with them again, nothing immediately is happening. So my plans are to look elsewhere in the Los Angeles market for a new employer.
Radio is a very funny business. Someone once told me, “you’re hired to be fired”. Another industry friend said “You’re not really in radio until you’ve been fired at least 3 times”. It’s a business that depends on ratings and revenue, and there’s more pressure than ever when it comes to revenue. Wall street, bankers, accountants and the bottom line now rule what once was a very creative industry, that was run by the creative people.
When I came to L.A. in 1967, the axiom was “It takes money to make money”. Radio stations spent money on marketing and promotions first, and knew whatever their investment was, it would reap rewards that far exceeded the expenditure. My first few years in L.A., I was called into the manager’s office at least 5 times to be told they were giving me a raise. They appreciated my hard work and realized that I was a big asset to their station.
I know for a fact that budgets in radio are now cut to the bare bone, yet there are rumors of even more cuts coming and more radio people being fired in 2008. None of my radio friends that are still working got raises to renew contracts, and in many cases, escape clauses in their deals permit the owners a much lower payout if you’re fired. It’s a very tough time to be in broadcasting.
All that being said though, I love what I do! I’m looking forward to being on the air somewhere on the dial in the coming month of January, if circumstances all would work out with whatever new station I make a deal with. It’s been too long just writing my thoughts on my website. I realized that the other day when listener Marie sent me this eBay link.
Thank you for all the emails that continue to come in, especially from all of you who have followed me since my earliest L.A. days at 93/KHJ. For those of you who liked the KHJ Rose Parade float picture from 1970, here’s another one from a year earlier in 1969 when I was named the San Pedro Fisherman’s Fiesta Honorary Commodore. I wonder what has happened to the Fiesta Skipperettes who are in the picture with me? If you or anyone knows, tell them hi and email me some time. I love connecting with all of you who’ve known me since my start in L.A. and want to find out just how you’re doing now.
The Skipperettes from left to right are Donna Taylor, Jill Mosely, and Maria Marinovich, and we’re all 38 years older now, Wow!
And here’s a couple of KHJ music survey covers from my brief 1977 return to KHJ!
KHJ’s address was 5515 Melrose Avenue and Henry Winkler worked right next door at Paramount Studios, so he stopped by one morning before going to the set as the “Fonz” on “Happy Days”, and Donna Summer’s gold record for “I Feel Love” was her first top ten hit since her 1975 debut with “Love To Love You Baby”. It was just the beginning of a string of Disco smashes for Donna!
In today’s “BUZZ” link, Britney’s got a lot coming up in 2008, “Treasure” still the #1 movie, but there was a big surprise of a limited release film, Jimmy Fallon gets hitched, Nicole Kidman, Jamie Lynn Spears and J.K. Rowling rumors examined, a Miley Cyrus contest scandal, and wait till you see the Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale video at an L.A. drive-thru yesterday. “CLIPS” has part 2 of my visit with Rose Parade TV host Bob Eubanks, “GALLERY” with pictures from the Disco Fever concert in 2006 and Sly’s wife, Jennifer Flavin Stallone. “TALKBACK” has a very funny email and picture from a fellow radio personality in Fortaleza, Brazil.
Have a very Happy New Year! Remember, no drinking and driving. Stay safe!
With the New Year and the annual Pasadena Rose Parade coming up, I’ve been working on my archives these past 3 and a half months, and found this 1970 photo of the KHJ float in the Rose Parade. This picture was taken, it appears, in the assembly line of the floats just before we turn right on the corner to head down Colorado Boulevard!
Here’s a closer view of all of us KHJ personalities then. From left to right, Scotty Brink, Sam Riddle (next to the guitar), Robert W. Morgan (head turned), The Real Don Steele (waving), Humble Harve (hidden behind Don), Charlie Tuna (very front of the float), Bill Wade (sunglasses) and Johnny Williams (looking to his right).
You’ve seen all the emails in the “TALKBACK” section of this website referring to hearing me on 93/KHJ back when I first started in Los Angeles radio in 1967. This parade float is one of the reasons why. KHJ was regarded as the #1 station in the U.S. at that time with huge ratings, 20+ ratings shares were the norm in some surveys. By comparison, today you can be #1 in Los Angeles with anywhere from a 4.5 to a 5 share.
As a result, the Rose Parade for the first time (and as far as I know the only time), allowed a radio station to have their own float in the parade. I remember the cost was quoted at about $25,000 for the float itself, pretty expensive in those days. You notice the American Flag colored egg starting to crack open on the back of the float, an eagle holding the mast of an American flag was supposed to rise out of the “hatching” egg and then go back down, and have the sequence repeat itself while we rolled along Colorado Boulevard for the next 2 hours.
But something went terribly wrong and just as we turned the corner on Colorado Boulevard, right in front of the national television audience and all the local stations covering the parade, all that rose out of the cracking egg was a puff of smoke….something went wrong and we never did see the eagle that day, just the shell of what was to have been a spectacular salute to America!
The night before had been equally unexpected. All of us had met at the radio station on Melrose Avenue, and limos took us to a camper stocked with food, drinks and some stronger beverages at the parade site, to ward off the overnight chill of Pasadena before the sun came up. I don’t drink the hard stuff, but most of my fellow Boss Jocks did and not just a little….a lot. We had a brand new rookie Program Director at that time, Jim O’Brien (who died later in a skydiving accident in the 80’s), and he had no idea how to control all these high profile personalities who, as the night wore on, became even more out of hand with each passing hour and drink.
The next morning, while loading us on the float, The Real Don Steele slipped (some beverages impair your balance), and cut his forehead on the black balance post you see in front of each one of us, that are there for us to hold onto with the starts and stops of the float. Blood was spurting all over, and we were trying to keep it from getting on his custom made suit from Cy Devore Tailors in Hollywood (KHJ would always buy us all custom tailored suits for every major appearance, from the leading menswear store of that era, Cy Devore). Fortunately, the blood stopped flowing as we started the parade, but those along the route probably noticed Don’s head wound that day and wondered what happened.
Great memories and a lot of sadness, as I look back with Robert and Don having passed on a decade ago too, but I’ll always have 93/KHJ as the benchmark of what a radio station could and can be. And those who listened back then know what I’m talking about.
Coincidentally, in the “CLIPS” section today, the first of a two part interview with Bob Eubanks (from KRLA, our rival radio station in those days), as we talked about his career highlights, including bringing the Beatles to the Hollywood Bowl, and his annual duty as host for KTLA’s #1 rated annual coverage of the Rose Parade. “BUZZ” today has another Hollywood couple breaking up, another actress in court Monday for a DUI, Jessica Alba makes it official, Amy Winehouse in court again and the Jib Jab guys have a hilarious year-end video. “GALLERY” with photos of my friend and former teen superstar, David Cassidy, and “Dancing With The Stars” former contestant and Miss USA 2004 Shandi Finnessey! I’m still posting some of your responses to my recent mass email update on me in “TALKBACK”, and they continue to come in. If you want to be part of the next email update in January, just click on the link in the “TALKBACK” section and send me your email so I can include your address.
Have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll be back this Monday to wrap up the year!
We woke up to the news a world away today of the assassination in Pakistan of the former Pakistani Prime Minister, who the United States had invested considerable time and diplomacy in promoting reconciliation between her and the current President of that country, Pervez Musharraf. Why should we care about what’s going on that far away?
Well, for openers, we have sent Pakistan billions of dollars in American financial assistance and enlisted them as an ally in the war on terrorism. Oh yes, and they are a nuclear-armed country. This country has an unstable government and if the wrong people disrupt things, and the power shifts again with one of their President’s key opposition leaders dead, who could get control of the nuclear weapons?
As a result, the stock market plunged downward, gold prices went up and oil is approaching $100 a barrel with gasoline expected to top $4 a gallon this coming year. And this puts an already nervous public more on edge, wondering about the future of their homes, economy, terrorism, Iraq, and what future presidential candidate can get us back on track. The mantra optimistic people have been using is “it’ll be great in 2008″, but when news like this happens, you have to wonder.
Health Care is another huge concern for the majority of Americans, and my friend Dave Anthony sent along this story which really illustrates where we are right now.
“Two patients limp into two different American medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require a hip replacement. The first patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day, has a time booked for surgery the next day and, within two days, is home recuperating. The second sees the family doctor after waiting a week for an appointment, then waits eighteen weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn’t reviewed for another month and finally has his surgery
scheduled for 6 months from then. Why the different treatment for the two patients?
The first is a Golden Retriever. The second is a Senior Citizen.”
Here’s another one of those fun links you can show your creativity with a penguin!
Click on the link below, type in your own message and you can email it to a friend.
Watch this until Sylvester catches Tweety…(wait for it. It’s worth it)… After Tweety is caught, scroll down to the bottom of today’s news…
Here’s a Blast from the Past! One of the pictures I ran across in my archives!
When I was part of the weekend line-up in 2005 on the Fabulous 690 AM in addition to my KBIG morning show (left to right-back row: Lou Simon, Brad Chambers, Charlie Tuna, Gary Owens, and Jim Duncan. Down in front, Steve Tyrell and Daisy Torme)
Finally, in today’s “BUZZ”, another young Hollywood actress arrested early this morning, Fergie is engaged, Stu Nahan’s last appearance on television and Paris will have to continue to work for a living. “CLIPS” has financial whiz Suze Orman with some money advice, “GALLERY” features pictures of the very funny Kathy Najimy, Donny Osmond and me with the “original” Charlie Tuna in “Faces of L.A.” and more emotional emails from all of you in the “TALKBACK” link today. Thank You!
Charlie
Oh, and before we finish this column today, for those who finally scrolled down from the Sylvester – Tweety Bird chase……
0-2 seconds – there’s hope for you
2-5 seconds – having a bad day?
5-10 seconds – are you maybe just a slow reader?
10-20 seconds – remedial classes are nothing to be ashamed of
20-30 seconds – it is recommended that you don’t breed.
30 sec-1 min – you probably can’t read this anyway. So why bother?
1-2 min – the equivalent of the average house plant
2-5 min – Good afternoon Jessica Simpson
5 min -1 hr – Dead people score in this range
1hr plus – Congratulations. You have a negative IQ. To find out what your prize is, watch Bugs until he finishes his carrot..
Hope you had a great Christmas and a wonderful holiday weekend! If you missed the Southgate Children’s Christmas Lane Parade early yesterday morning on Channel 13 that I co-hosted for the 18th straight year with Xiomara Galindo, it’s already starting to show up on YouTube!
And if you didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas, maybe next year you should write a letter to Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Have some fun and fill in the blanks on this link-be sure and put an answer to each question and wait till you read the result.
http://www.jhadesigns.com/frogiearno/dearrudolph.htm
Oh, here’s a total aside from everything. Santa Anita racetrack’s opening day today. I mention that because my mom who’s visiting from Nebraska has always been a big fan of horse racing. Pictured below is our favorite quarterhorse:-)
The hundreds of email responses continue to come in as a result of my first Charlie Tuna Update mass email a few days ago. You can see a few of the early responses in the “TALKBACK” link today, more will be posting as the week goes along. Thank You as always for your thoughts and wishes! I’m really starting to bear down now in my home studio getting ready for the New Year and hopefully a new local radio job and some national radio syndication too! It’s been a very long 3 and a half months waiting for my contract to finish, so I can look at some new opportunities.
In today’s “BUZZ” link, Will Smith is very upset and I’ll tell you why, “National Treasure” – a huge success at the weekend box office, a Country music superstar gets a big lawsuit settlement, the top selling celebrities on ebay, and deleted scenes from the Simpson movie on DVD. “CLIPS” has the actors studio cast with a holiday classic, and “GALLERY” photos today (like the one recent email mentioned), have pictures of me with more beautiful women!
Have a great day, and I hope you don’t have to wait too long in the exchange lines today!
