Airwaves: August 20, 2010
Avey Passes
Longtime radio newsman Dan Avey passed away last Sunday afternoon at
the age of 69 due to cancer that originated in his prostate.
According to Don Barrett’s LARadio.Com, Avey was diagnosed with
prostate cancer five years ago and had his prostate removed. Everything went
well for about 18 months, when tests hinted that the cancer may have returned;
further tests revealed that the cancer had metastasized in his spinal column.
he had been undergoing treatments since.
Avey is perhaps best known for his years at KFWB (980 AM), fitting,
considering he spent his high school years hanging out at the station ... which
at the time played music as Color Radio Channel 98. Other local stations included KWIZ (1480
AM), KFI (640 AM) and most recently KABC (790 AM) where he worked
until 2007.
The recipient of numerous awards including 15 Golden Mikes for news reporting
-- one for anchoring KFWB during the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,
Avey was a Green Beret Captain during the Vietnam War and worked as color commentator
for the Los Angeles Kings from 1969 to 1976.
LA’s Best
Cal State Northridge radio station KCSN (88.5 FM) has an award of their
own: Los Angeles Magazine selected the station as Best Americana
Radio Station in their Best of LA 2010 issue.
Interestingly, it wasn’t Americana that cemented the deal, though considering
it is LA’s only Americana station it may well have been a done
deal.
“With shows like Americana Matinee, Tangled Roots, and Bluegrass Etcetera,
the weekend lineup on KCSN was for years the best place to hear Americana music
on the radio,” the magazine wrote. “As of March the station has gotten
even better (switching) from classical to triple A, playing rock, pop, alternative
and country -- and not just the hits.”
Perhaps triple A -- also known as Adult Album Alternative -- is the new Americana.
Miller Outs Herself
Syndicated talk host Stephanie Miller, heard locally weekdays from 6
to 9 AM on KTLK (1150 AM), publicly announced on her show last Friday
that she was lesbian.
The two listeners who had still not figured it out were in shock. Shock I tell
you. The rest of the world figured it out sometime back in 1993 or so when
she hosted a program on KFI.
Miller made fun of her own coming out, mentioning on her program Monday that
there was an outpouring of “love and support” from people she did
not expect, including “straight women who now believe there are more men
for them,” among other “groups” that I cannot state in a family
newspaper. Suffice to say, as with most Miller shows, it was funny.
On the Go
On the 4th anniversary this week of the demise of KZLA (now KXOS, 93.9
FM) as a country station, Go Country 105 owner Saul Levine is
on fire, stating that he and his managers and staff have put together “formidable
resources” to take Go Country as high as it can go in the ratings, the
goal being the top-rated country station in, well, the country.
I like that attitude and wish him well. I’ll be watching the results.
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Copyright © 2010 Richard Wagoner and Los Angeles Newspaper Group.
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