Airwaves: October 24, 2008
Roseanne to the Rescue
Roseanne Barr, best known for her long-running television
show currently in syndication as well as a rather infamous attempt at singing
our National Anthem, is now moving up to radio.
Paired with on-air partner Johnny Argent, the duo take over the airwaves
of KCAA (1050 AM) in the Inland Empire every Tuesday through Friday
afternoon from 4 to 5 PM. You can also hear her via the internet or a podcast
through www.kcaaradio.com.
It’s a rather unusual arrangement for a woman of her stature, to be sure.
First off: the fact that the show is only an hour long each day. Secondly,
she pays to be on the air rather than the station paying her. But it is her
way to get on the air and “tell the truth” about politics and life.
Ironically, she does the show from a studio in El Segundo, where the locals
cannot even pick up her the KCAA signal. But she bought time on the station
through next March because, she says, she wanted to reach that demographic,
at least politically. To let them hear what she considers “the truth.”
I’d like to know what you think. If you hear the show on KCAA or you sample
it on a podcast or online, drop me a line and let me know if you like it, hate
it, or wonder just what she’s trying to do. I’ll print the most interesting
letters and emails in a future column.
Reincarnation
Longtime readers of this column know that I am a huge fan of radio, television
and movie star Jack Benny. His shows on radio and television ran an
amazing 33 continuous years before he left the regular schedule in order to
slow down a bit with periodic television specials and guest appearances on
other programs.
Last Sunday I had the pleasure of watching a live performance of Benny at the
Thousand Oaks Arts Center, as a benefit for the Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters.
Sure it was not the real Benny, who passed away in December, 1974. But actor Eddie
Carroll so looks and acts like Benny that you would be hard pressed to
tell the difference.
Carroll’s one-man act tells the story of Benny’s life, from when
he got kicked out of high school in the 10th grade due to bad grades, through
his early career in vaudeville, and finally to his hugely successful programs
on radio and television for CBS and NBC. The performance was
nothing short of phenomenal -- at times I had to remind myself that I was not
watching the real Jack Benny. It even included a recreation of part of a script
as it aired on the radio back in the height of Benny’s radio career.
The show is called Laughter in Bloom, and if you are even close to being
the fan of Benny that I am, you owe it to yourself to catch this show for yourself.
Carroll will be in San Diego December 7th, then Garden Grove January 17th and
18th. Go to www.eddiecarroll.com for more information.
Passing
The small world of Los Angeles radio engineering lost a good one last weekend
when KFI (640 AM) Chief Engineer John Paoli passed away. Reports
said that he had actually taken his wife to the hospital because she wasn’t
feeling well, and he collapsed as they were filling out the admittance forms.
Paoli recently completed overseeing the redesign and rebuilding of the main
KFI transmission tower in La Mirada. He is survived by his wife, Starla.
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Copyright © 2008 Richard Wagoner and Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
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