Airwaves: April 24, 2009
Catching up with the mail ...
Q: I read your column in my local newspaper, and I’ve got a question
I hope you can answer. I was a fan of Mr. KABC and his radio program.
Do you know what happened to him? It’d be great to know. -- Harold
Ho
A: Mr. KABC, formerly known as Mr. KFI and who was later to be
known as Marc Germain (his real name) had a short stint on KTLK (1150
AM) until early 2008. Now he can be found on TalkRadioOne.com live weekdays
from 8 to 10 PM locally. Shows are also available as podcasts. Germain, long
one of my favorite talk hosts, is not currently heard on any local radio stations.
Q: This may have been publicized before but ... any indication on why Larry “Sage
of South LA” Elder and KABC parted company? -- Herb Clarkson
A: Nothing “official” ever came out, but it is widely thought
that KABC owner Citadel just wanted to cut costs and felt Elder wasn’t
worth the money they were paying him. It also may have been due to clearing
out the old to make room for the new, but the station still really hasn’t
done much and frankly, seems a bit lost. No word yet on and if Elder will return
to radio.
Q: I know that if I ask about a radio person, you are the person who
can give the answer. I have been away from Los Angeles for a while and turned
on KFI to listen to the Bill Handel Show. I noticed Paul The
Wall (a real music buff) was not on the show any more. Do you know what
happened to him? -- Mary Phillips
A: According to statements made by Handel on KFI, Wall returned to his
homeland of Guam due to a “family situation.” Handel said, “After
18 years together I would say it’s like a member of my family leaving,
but I tend to like Paul more than I like members of my family. I am sad to
see him go.” Wall left the show in February, 2008.
Q: I enjoy your columns on radio stations. There isn’t much written
about radio and DJs, and yet for most people it is part of their daily lives.
I was wondering where Charlie Tuna is. Suddenly he was gone from KBIG.
I am also wondering why most DJs will not give the name and band of a song
- almost never! This makes no sense to me; it’s one of the things I appreciate
so much ... not mentioning the songs is baffling and disrespectful of the listening
audience. -- Alison Trafas
A: Tuna, one of the nicest DJs on the radio, is doing weekends and fill-ins
on KRTH (101.1 FM). Regular schedule is 9 AM to 2 PM Saturdays and 10
AM to 3 PM Sundays, but you can find him random times when needed.
Song mentions are a pet peeve of mine as well. I agree, it is disrespectful.
Station programmers forget that mist people don’t follow music as closely
as they do, and often don’t know a song. SOmehow, stations of the past
were able to state the song, artist/band, weather and time and still make it
entertaining; seems today that you get almost nothing. No wonder people are
leaving radio for iPods ... they don’t lose a thing. And the iPod tells
you the song ...
Want a question answered? Send it in. I try to answer all e-mails quickly,
but if I don’t, feel free to send another to rwagoner@cox.net.
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Copyright © 2009 Richard Wagoner and Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
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