~Los Angeles Radio People, Where Are They Now, W

Where Are They Now?
LARadio.com
LA Radio People - W
Compiled by Don Barrett
db@thevine.net

W

W, Jeffrey: KEZY, 1986. Jeff is working morning drive (Jeff and Anna in the Morning) at KDMX (Mix 102.9)-Dallas.
Wachs, Larry: KLSX, 1995-97. As part of the "Regular Guys" talk team, Larry was working at WKLS-Atlanta until the Spring of 2004 when they were let go following the accidental airing of explicit language during a "backwards porno." He's now with Turner's Radio Deluxe.
Wade, Bill: KHJ, 1963 and 1968-74; KBRT, 1980-81. Bill is teaching at Lampson Business College in Mesa, Arizona.
Wagman, Rob: KBBY, 2003-04; KYSR, 2004. In addition to his role at AllAccess Music Group, Rob joined "Star 98.7" in early summer 2004 and left a few months later. He's programming WIBT-Charlotte.
Wagner, Dave: KMZT, 2001. Dave joined "K-Mozart" as pd in March 2001.
Wagner, Gary: KLON, 1992-2001. Gary the "Wagman" hosts a blues show on the Internet at Wagmanblues.com.
Wagner, Jack: KNX, 1947; KGIL, 1951-52; KHJ, 1952-57; KBIQ, 1957-58; KHJ, 1958-62; KHJ/fm, 1967-68; KNX, 1968. Jack died June 16, 1995. He was 69.
Wagner, Mike: KEZY, 1974; KIIS, 1976-82; KRLA, 1984-94. Mike is director of adult formats for Group NRJ in Paris.
Wagner, Shelly: KABC, 1979-2008. Shelly is the marketing head at KABC.

(Rob Wagman; Dan Weiner; Van Earl Wright; and Mitchell Whitfield)

Wailin, Jon R.W.: KZLA, 1979-80. Jon lives in San Leandro and is doing airborne traffic reports for KGO-San Francisco.
Waite, Charles: KNX, 1968-69. Charles died of a brain tumor at a young age.
Walcoff, Rich: KORJ, 1979; KRLA, 1979-83; KIKF, 1983. Since 1985, Rich has been broadcasting sports on KGO-San Francisco.
Wald, Ronnie: KGIL, KRLA, KMNY, KWRM. Ronnie is his 21st year in L.A. sports packaging as play-by-play announcer for Pepperdine, Cal State Fullerton, San Diego State and others.
Walden, Mike: KNX, 1966-69; KFI, 1970-73. Mike lives in Tarzana with his wife Nancy and has four grown children.
Waldow, Mitch: KFWB, 1984. Mitch works at UPN/Channel 13.
Walker, Adrienne: KOST, 1993-95. Adrienne is co-host of the syndicated "World Chart Show."
Walker, Glynnis: KFI, 1996-99. Glynnis left WAIT-Chicago in early fall of 2002. She has written six books.
Walker, John Lee: KIIS, 1977. Unknown.
Walker, Mike: KABC, 2005-07. Mike hosted an entertainment weekend program on KABC until early 2008.
Walker, Rhett: KRLA, 1967. Last heard, Rhett was working in Memphis.
Walker, Sky: KTNQ; KHTZ; KIIS, 1988-90 and 1991-92; KKBT, 1990-91; KJLH, 1992-93; KRLA, 1993-96; KACE, 1996; KMLT, 1998-99; KRTH, 2008. Sky, aka Dave Skyler, left mornings at KNST-Tucson in early 2006. He's working weekends at KRTH.
Wall, Kevin: KFI, 2006-07; KABC, 2008. Kevin is a fill-in talk show host.
Wallace, Gerry: KFI, 1990-93. Gerry is married to KFI's Terri-Rae Elmer.
Wallace, Rick: KPOL, 1978. Rick was news director at KPOL. Unknown

(Bill Weaver; Glynnis Walker; Geoff Witcher; and Bill Ward)

Wallach, Paul, KIEV, 1976-93. Paul died May 26, 2002, of cancer.
Wallengren, Mark: KOST, 1985-2008. Mark is co-host with Kristin Cruz for mornings at KOST.
Wallin, Fred: KIEV, 1976; KGOE, 1978-79; KPRZ, 1981-82; KWNK, 1985; KFOX, 1982-87; KABC, 1988-89; KMPC, 1992-93; KIEV, 1995; KWNK, 1996; KIIS/AM, 1997. Fred hosts a sports talk show in Ventura.
Walrond, Zoe: KPCC, 1991-94; KABC, 1996; KFWB, 1998-2006. Zoe is teaching news writing and reporting in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Humboldt State University.
Walsh, Chuck: KFWB, 1968-79; KABC, 1979-93. One report has Chuck living in the South Seas as a beachcomber.
Walsh, George: KNX, 1952-86. George died December 5, 2005, at the age of 88.
Walton, Cynthia: KNOB; KFOX. Cynthia is a part-time actress and is married to former KWIZ dj Johnny Lewis (Reeder).
Wamsley, Bill: KLAC, 1971; KFOX, 1971-72. Bill retired in the summer of 2001. He's enjoying his two passions - flying and photography.
Waples, Alvin John: KGFJ, 1972-77; KJLH, 1984; KGFJ/KKTT, 1984; KACE. Alvin is working at WMMJ ("Magic 102.3")-Washington, DC.
Ward, Bill: KBLA/KBBQ, 1967-70; KLAC, 1972-79; KMPC, 1982-93; KLIT/KSCA, 1993-97. Bill died July 30, 2004, of an apparent heart attack. He was 65.
Ward, Cameron: KALI, 1996-2000; KLOS, 1998-2008. Cameron works in the promotions department at KLOS.
Ward, Mike: KMPC. Mike is an anchor/reporter at news/talk KFBK-Sacramento.
Ward, Paul: KGBS, 1967-69; KFI, 1969-70; KOST, 1970-71; KBIG, 1971-72; KOST, 1973. Paul is president/ceo of Far West Communications, Inc.
Ward, Rick: KDAY, 1962; KBLA, 1965; KIEV, 1973; XPRS/XERB, 1973-75; KALI. Rick lives in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Ward, William: KNX, 1958-62. William died December 13, 1996, at the age of 76.
Ware, Ciji: KABC, 1977-93. Ciji has written two historical novels, one titled Island of the Swans. She also does voiceover work.
Warlin, Jim: KPSA, 1972; KEZM, 1973; KJOI, 1975-79; KNOB, 1980; KMPC, 1980-81. Jim owns an insurance brokerage firm and is the "Love Doctor" on KEZN-Palm Springs.

(Charlie Weir; Dave Williams; Jo Jo Wright; Donald West; and Rod West)

Warne, Steve: KLAC, 1993. Unknown.
Warren, Bob: KGBS, 1970-74. The former announcer for the Lawrence Welk Show and This Is Your Life. Unknown.
Warwick, Stan: KXLA, 1957; KMPC, 1957; KLAC, 1957-64; KGIL, 1964-92. Stan died November 2, 2004 after a number of years of failing health.
Washburne, Jim: KRLA, 1961-63. In 1966, Jim fell asleep at the wheel of his car coming home from a weekend in Big Sur and died in the automobile accident.
Wassil, Aly: KABC, 1972. Unknown.
Waters, Lou: KFWB, 1968. Lou is a news anchor at CNN.

(Johnny Wendell; Christian Wheel; and Rick Ward)

Watkins, Chick: KMPC, 1987-88; KGIL, 1998-2000. Chick works at the Adult Standards format at Westwood One.
Watson, Bill: KHJ, 1972-73; KIQQ, 1973-74; KMPC, 1975-78 and 1982-87. The former Drake-Chenault national pd splits his time between Carlsbad and Rosarita Beach. "If you're looking for me, I'll be in the first row, dead center shady side at the Tijuana bullring every season Sunday at 4."
Watson, Rich: KUTE, 1982-87; KOCM, 1988-89; KJOI, 1989; KLIT, 1989-90; KIKF, 1990; KACD, 1992-98. Rich is the entertainment director at Knotts Berry Farm..
Watson, Tom: KKDJ, 1972. Tom is president/ceo of his own international consulting and marketing firm, based in Beverly Hills.
Way, Art: XTRA, 1958-61. Art passed away on March 25, 2008 of a heart attack.
Wayman, Ric: KUCI, 1978-79; KOCM, 1978. Ric, also known as Ric Stratton, is sales manager at KBCB/TV-Bellingham, Washington.
Wayman, Tom: KMPC, 1962-81. Unknown.
Wayne, Bill: KZLA, 1983. Unknown
Wayne, Bruce: KFI/KOST, 1968-86. Bruce died in a plane crash on June 4, 1986.

(Scott Willis; Bill Watson, Jim Washburn; and Jack Wagner)

Wayne, Darrell: KEZY, 1972-74; KAGB, 1975; KHNY, 1975; KROQ, 1976-81. "Insane Darrell Wayne" Wampler buried disco albums at the beach as part of a disco funeral. Darrell lives in Ventura and edits LARadio.com.
Wayne, David: KGER, KWVE. Dave hosts and produces the Saturday Morning Kids Show using the on-air name of 'K-Dave.'
Wayne, Sid: KBLA, 1965. Unknown.
Weatherly, Kevin: KROQ, 1993-2008; JACK/fm, 2005-08. Kevin is senior vp of programming for CBS Radio and vp of programming for KROQ and JACK/fm.
Weaver, Beau: KHJ, 1975-76; KRTH, 1990-94. Beau is the voice of Entertainment Tonight.
Weaver, Bill: KWIZ, 1964-90. The general manager of KWIZ passed away in January 1990.
Weaver, Bill: KPOL, 1967-70. Bill was the second CapCities general manager at KPOL. Unknown.
Weaver, Hank: KLAC, 1957-61. Hank was a sportscaster in the 50s and 60s and he was replaced at KLAC by Jim Healy. He was in an automobile accident in the early 1960s on his way home from a boxing match at Dodger Stadium. Hank was eventually taken to Stanford University Medical Center and died several weeks later.
Webb, Larry: KRLA, 1965-75. When Larry left his general manager post at KRLA, he joined the staff of FCC Commissioner Robert T. Lee.
Weber, George: KMPC/KABC, 1993. Since 1995, George has been the morning news anchor at news/talk, WABC-New York.
Weber, Pete: KRLA/KIIS/KPRZ, 1978-81. The former color commentator for the Los Angeles Kings is the play-by-play voice of NHL's Nashville Predators on Fox Sports Net South and WWTN.

(Ray Willes; Zoe Walrond; Rick Williams; and Rich Walcoff)

Weed, Gene: KFWB, 1958-68; KLAC, 1971. Born in 1935, Gene started in Texas radio when he was 17 years old and attended North Texas State University. He went on to work in Dallas, Omaha and Miami before joining KFWB. The "Weedy One" worked weekends at KFWB at the age of 23 while assigned to Armed Forces Radio and Television Service in Hollywood. In early 1961, Gene was made assistant pd to Jim Hawthorne. He moved to afternoon drive in 1961. Except for a month during the infamous personality strike in 1961, Gene stayed with the station until the very end, on March 10, 1968, having worked every shift. In 1966, he was voted top all-night dj in Billboard magazine's Radio Response Ratings. He created the nationally syndicated Shivaree tv rock show, which ran for three years and aired in more than 150 markets and seven countries overseas. He produced and directed over 200 of the mini-movies for recording artists such as Glen Campbell, The Fifth Dimension, Creedence Clearwater and Debbie Boone. He has produced and directed over 300 tv commercials and numerous industrial and sales presentations. As senior vp of television at dick clark productions (dcp), Gene developed, produced and directed major television series, specials and annual events. Each year he produced and/or directed the Golden Globe Awards, The Academy of Country Music Awards, The Soap Opera Digest Awards and the Sea World/Busch Gardens Party. In the early 1990s, Gene produced and directed the Hot Country Nights series for NBC, which continues to air on The Nashville Network. His other specials include Farm Aid III and IV, The Golden Globes 50th Anniversary Special, The Lou Rawls Parade of Stars and Prime Time Country nightly on TNN. He also directed the three-hour LiveAid concert for ABC. His work as a producer/director earned him two first place awards for creative excellence at the International Film Festival in Chicago. A spokesman at dcp said, "Gene was one of the foundational posts here." Fellow KFWB dj Jimmy O'Neill was "shocked" to learn of Gene's death. "I hadn't seen Gene for 30 years when we ran into each other about five years ago. I was struck by his kindness. He could not have been nicer." Gene died of lung cancer on August 5, 1999, at the age of 64.

(Gabriel Wisdom; Cynthia Walton; Brian Whitman; and George Weber)

Weed, Steve: KIIS, 1977-80; KHTZ, 1980. Steve is station manager at KDND-Sacramento.
Weiner, Dan: KXTA, 2000-04; KTWV, 2004-07; KTWV/KNX/KRTH, 2007-08. Dan joined "the WAVE" as general manager in late Spring 2004.
Weiner, Len: KMPC, 1992-93. Len is the program director of the ESPN stations in Boston and Lowell, Massachusetts.
Weintraub, Roberta: KMPC, 1981-82. The former Los Angeles school board member and president is an activist.
Weir, Charlie: KUSC, 1999-2001. Charlie worked all-night at Classical KUSC.
Weiss, Dave: KEZY, 1990-98; KXTA, 1998-2001; XTRA Sports/KLAC, 2001-08. Dave, on-air known as DC Williams, is the promotions and marketing director at all-Sports KLAC.
Weiss, Jonathan: KNX, 2006-07; KKJZ, 2006-07. Jonathan broadcasts traffic and he has a weekend shift at all-Jazz KKJZ.
Weissman, Sharon: KLON, 1982-94. Sharon runs the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach.
Welch, Clarence: KDAY, 1965. Unknown.
Welch, Cliff: KMPC. The fill-in pilot/reporter for KMPC died in 1999.
Weldon, Steve: KLAC, 1985-87. Steve works at WSM-Nashville.
Welles, Dara: KNX/fm, 1976-79; KRTH, 1979-80. Dara is midday news anchor at WOR-New York.
Wells, Don: KMPC, 1961-72; KFWB, 1972-87. Don was part of the original broadcast team for the Angels. Don died October 3, 2002, in Switzerland after a long illness. He was 79.
Wells, Jack: KABC, 1963-67. Last heard, Jack was living in Palm Springs.
Wells, Pam: KACE, 1987-89. Pam works at "Majic 102"-Houston.
Wells, Paul: KMET, 1986; KNAC, 1986-88. Paul hosts a syndicated show, "Lobster's Rock Box."
Wells, Sandy: KABC, 1998-2008. Sandy reports news and traffic for KABC.
Wells, Scott: KLON, 1983-2000. Scott left KLON in early 2000. Scott teaches foreign language and has been nominated for Disney's "Teacher of the Year" award.
Welsh, Pat: KROQ, 1979-84; KACD, 1995-96. Pat is a professional golfer.
Wendell, Bruce: KDAY, 1960; KBLA, 1967. The longtime Capitol Records executive and baseball fanatic in the mid-1990s joined Rotations promotion and marketing firm.

(Bruce Wayne; Bradley Wright; and Tom Watson)

Wendell, Johnny: KFI, 2002-04; KTLK, 2005-08. Johnny, also known as Johnny Angel when he writes for the LA Weekly, works as a weekend talk show host at the Progressive talk station. He is also the regular fill-in for Mike Malloy and Alan Colmes.
Wendi: KIIS, 1990-96; KZLA, 1998-2001. The former Miller Genuine Draft poster girl moved to mornings at KZLA in the fall of 1999 and to middays in the Spring of 2000. She left the station in the fall of 2001. She's now at Country KSCS-Dallas.
Wennersten, Robert: KFAC, 1985-90; KKGO, 1991-96 and 1998-99. Robert was program director at Classical KKGO.
Werndl, Bill: XTRA, 1996-2001. Bill was part of XX Sports Radio 1090AM in San Diego until late 2008
Werth, Paul: KRHM; KVFM; KNOB, KNAC, KFAC. Paul was a knowledgeable, creative musical documentarian. On the KNOB his program was called "Werth Listening To." He brought Bing Crosby back to live performances with a concert at the Music Center. His career began in the 1950s in New York, where he produced concert performances for Harry Belafonte, the Weavers, Woody Guthrie, the Modern Jazz Quartet and Stan Getz. He moved in 1957 to the Southland where he produced concerts and theater shows for Dinah Washington, Herbie Mann and others. Paul produced many radio specials including "This Is Steve Allen" and "Johnny Green's World of Music." In 1972 Paul received a Billboard Air Personality award while working at KFAC. He wrote and directed the Leukemia Society radiothons for many years. Paul created an audio history of Harry Truman titled "A Journey to Independence." In 1992 he adapted and produced Neil Simon's Sunshine Boys as the first in a series of Mark Taper Forum Theater of the Air radio programs. Paul died on December 20, 1996, of cancer. He was 69.

(Chick Watkins; Chuck Walsh; Cameron Ward; and Hamilton Williams)

Weshner, Skip: KRHM, 1957-64 and 1966-71; KNAC, 1972-74; KFAC, 1971-72 and 1973-79 and 1983-84; KPFK, 1981. Skip was married to Lynne Taylor of the Rooftop Singers and introduced so many people to the music of Latin America, as well as people like Bud & Travis, Hoyt Axton, Gordon Lightfoot and Joni Mitchell. Skip passed away in 1997.
Wesley, Jim: KFI, 1973-80. Jim is president/ceo of Patterson Broadcasting and he is living in Atlanta.
West, Andy: KHJ, 1963. Andy died of cancer on April 3, 1975 in Reno. Andy gained national fame for his vivid description of the shooting and struggle with Sirhan Sirhan following the killing of Robert Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel.
West, Bert: KNX, late 1950s; KRLA, 1980-84. Bert is retired and living in Palm Springs.
West, Charlie: KLOS, 1987-89, pd. Charlie died October 23, 2004.
West, Donald: KROQ, 1975-78. Donald has been practicing law in Orlando since the early 1980s.
West, Gene: KIQQ, 1972-73; KGFJ, 1975-76. Gene is a reading coordinator for Los Angeles Unified School District, soon to be a Secondary Assistant Principal.
West, Joe: KNX, 1992-95; KMPC/KTZN/KABC, 1994-98. Joe's HEREontheWeb program is heard on KNX. He lives in Palm Springs.
West, Mark: KIIS, 1979. Unknown.
West, Phyllis: KIIS, 1984-85; KLSX, 1985-87; KNAC, 1987. During the 1980s, Phyllis Weixelbaum West worked at KIIS, KLSX and KNAC. She died March 27, 2007, at the age of 44. Phyllis was born on Long Island and grew up in Atlanta and attended George State University. She started her broadcast career in 1980 at WRAS. Before arriving in the Southland she worked at WFOX-Gainesville, Georgia and WQXI-Atlanta. At KIIS she was “Big Ron” O’Brien’s producer. In 1987 Phyllis was the co-host (with Fraser Smith) of WTBS’ Night Tracks. When she left L.A. she went on to do mornings at KAFE and KXFX-Santa Rosa, promotion director at KUFX-San Jose, KCDU-Salinas and Metro Networks at KGO-San Francisco. Phyllis was also morning host and promotion/marketing director at Alternative rocker KMBY-Monterey. Since 2003, Phyllis was working at WIMZ-Knoxville. Terry Gillingham, general manager for South Central Radio in Knoxville, said Phyllis had been ill since the summer of 2006. She was diagnosed with a rare form of muscular cancer. She stopped appearing on the air in September 2006 and sought treatment at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. "It's a terrible loss," said Gillingham, who first worked with West at KMBY. "She was a very compelling and interesting woman. She was extremely intelligent and she loved to say things just to get a reaction. She had a much greater impact than any of us realized. People have called and told us how much she really touched them."
West, Randy: KMGG, 1983-87. Randy is the fill-in announcer on The Price Is Right and is the announcer on the traveling Price Is Right stage show, currently at Bally's in Las Vegas.
West, Rick: KWIZ, 1976-78. Rick is vp of marketing and planning at a Southern California company.
West, Rod: KZLA, 1984-85; KIIS, 1985; KSUR, 2004-05. Rod worked morning drive at Oldies "K-Surf" until a format change in the Spring of 2005.
West, Roland: KNAC, 1983-85; KROQ, 1986. Roland now works in San Francisco for the Island Def Jam Music Group.
West, Scott: KIKF, 1984; KCRW 1996-99; KOLA, 1998-2000. Scott works all-nights at the Inland Empire Oldies station, KOLA.
West, Sonny: KWIZ, 1980-82. Sonny, who worked as Greg Panattoni at KWIZ, is the morning man at KyXy in San Diego.
Westgate, Murray: KPOL, 1963-69. Murray is an independent entrepreneur with business interests in the Far East.
Westheimer, Dr. Ruth: KFI, 1983-84. Dr. Ruth lectures on sexual issues.
Westman, Dick: KLAC, 1959-60. Unknown.
Westwood, Denise: KNAC, 1977-80; KROQ, 1980-82; KMET, 1982-86; KNX/fm, 1986-89; KEDG, 1989; KLIT, 1990; KLOS, 2000-08. Denise works swing and fill-in at KLOS.
Wexler, Paul: KOST; KWST. Paul was the voice of God in the movie Ten Commandments. He died of leukemia in the mid-1980s.
Whatley, Susanne: KHJ, 1981-85; KFI, 1986-2001; KLAC, 2001-02; KFWB, 2002-09. Susanne is a casual anchor at KFWB.
Wheatley, Bill: KRLA, 1959; KFWB, 1965-66. Bill passed away in Broward County, Florida in the mid-1990s.
Wheel, Christian: KBIG, 2005-08. Christian works weekends at MY/fm.

(Kevin Weatherly; Rich Watson; George Walsh; and Bill Wright)

Wheeler, Mark: KMDY, 1986-89; KNJO, 1989-96; KSCA, 1996-97; KRTH, 1997-2002. Mark reports traffic for a number of Southland radio stations including KRTH and KRLA and news at KLON/KKJZ.
Whelihan, Kelly: KFWB, 1992-2006. Kelly is a news editor at all-News KFWB. She's currently on medical leave.
White, Brian: KREL, 1970-71; KDAY, 1976-77; KIIS, 1977. Brian is operations director and afternoon jock at Oldies WKOO-Jacksonville, North Carolina.
White, Dave: KCBS, 1993-96. Dave is working in Detroit radio.
White, Jack: KJLH, 1965-67. Last heard, Jack was living in Colorado.
White, Jamie: KYSR, 1998-2006. Jamie was part of the morning team of "Jamie, Frosty & Frank" at "Star 98.7" until September 15, 1999, when Danny Bonaduce joined her for a two-person team. Danny left in the summer of 2005 and she was teamed with Mike Roberts (Stench) and Jack Heine until late 2006. Jamie has been spending her time being a mother.
White, Wood: KDAY, 1987. Unknown.
Whitesides, Barbara: KPOL, 1978; KNNS; KFI, 1980-93; KFWB, 1996. Barbara is out of radio and living in San Diego.
Whitfield, Mitchell: KMPC, 2003-05. Mitchell is part of the morning show at all-Sports 1540 The Ticket.
Whitlock, Mark: KFI, 1990. The African American talk show host whereabouts is unknown.
Whitman, Brian: KIIS, 1994-2005; KABC, 2000-05; KLSX, 2005-08. Brian partnered with Tim Conway, Jr. at KLSX for the Conway & Whitman nightly show until leaving in March 2008.
Whitman, Don: KXLA, 1957. Unknown.

(Mark Wallengren; Cal Worthington and his dog Spot; Ciji Ware; and Bo Woods)

Whitney, April: KROQ, 1980-92; KEZY, 1993-97. Spril has an event production company and has returned to school to work on her Masters in psychology. She would like to be a radio psychologist.
Whittaker, Debbii: KGFJ, 1993-94. Debbii changed her air name in 2001 to Toni Terrell. After stops in Colorado and Texas, she is now the apd and an air talent at WHRP-Huntsville, Alabama.
Whittaker, Gary: KBBQ. Gary works at KHMO-Hannibal, Missouri.
Whittinghill, Dick: KIEV, KGFJ, KMPC, 1950-79. For three decades on KMPC, every morning Southern Californians were "Whittinghilled." In the 1950s and 1960s, KMPC was "The Station of the Stars" - the personification of MOR radio - and Dick Whittinghill was the #1 star in the galaxy. He died January 24, 2001, following complications from colon surgery. In the 1940s, Dick was a singer with The Pied Pipers, a vocal ensemble from the Big Band years that sang with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra. He was born March 5, 1913, and began his radio career in his hometown at KPFA-Helena, Montana, making a stop in Denver before arriving in the Southland to work at KIEV and at KGFJ. He then had an incredible quarter of a century with Gene Autry's KMPC, beginning in 1950. His old morning rival Bob Crane said it best: "Whittinghill has likability." He was described as steady, honest and faithful to his audience. Crane continued, "Whit's a flag-waver. He likes golf and booze. He says so on the air and he's completely honest and likable." On his 25th anniversary, Dick commented: "What I'm doing is basically the same format that I've used since 1954. We'll go with an instrumental, a boy vocal, then a girl vocal, up tempo...you just can't play the same type of music constantly." What he did do constantly was an hourly "Story Record," in which Dick told a joke that was punctuated by the lyrics from a song. His engineer, Hal Bender, did bg and voices for Dick. Part of his morning ritual was his breakfast break during a half-hour newscast, when he would leave the station and walk two blocks down Sunset Boulevard to Norm's, where a plate was already prepared with a hamburger patty and tomato slices. His morning team included traffic reporter Paul "Panther" Pierce, Herb Green, Dave DeSoto, John McElhinney and news director Tom Wayman. In 1957, Dick was co-chairman of the high-profile Southern California Heart Fund drive. Dick never made any bones about why he loved radio. In an LA Times profile, he said he enjoyed the money and did the morning show because "it's more money and I can get away early for golf every day." He hung out daily at the Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake. "The disc jockey," he once said, "is the lowest rung on the show business ladder. There's no talent required for this whatsoever. Believe me. I should know, I've been doing it long enough." In a 1978 interview, Dick said, "I don't believe in ratings and surveys. The way you know you're doing well is to look at your log; if you have a bunch of commercials in there, you know you'll be back the next day." He valued the friendships with his sponsors and advertisers: "I play golf with some of the fellows. Cadillac has been with me about the longest." Dick made a commitment to never tease the sponsors. His show had something for everyone. He had a number of trademark features that his audience could always count on: soap opera lampoons of "Helen Trump," "On This Day in History," and he ended the show with a minute or so of an instrumental. When he retired from the morning show on KMPC in 1979, he said, "You keep saying to yourself that it has to happen sometime but when you finally make up your mind, it becomes kind of scary. I'm perfectly reconciled to the fact that I've been here long enough and have nothing more to prove." In 1976, he wrote his best-selling autobiography (with Don Page) Did You Whittinghill This Morning? He was immortalized in the Hollywood Wax Museum. In 1982, Dick went to KPRZ and got to sleep in by working afternoon drive. The "Music of Your Life" format was eventually abandoned and the station was renamed KIIS/AM. "The real tragedy was not my leaving the air but rather the city's loss of one more good music station." Dick was featured in hundreds of tv shows and movies. Whittinghill summed up his journey: "I just stumble through life." He was 87.
Whittington, Dick: KNOB, 1960-62; KLAC, 1960-63; KGIL, 1965-79 and 1985; KABC, 1966-68; KFI, 1975-77; KIEV, 1982 and 1988; KHJ, 1983; KABC, 1989-90; KMPC 1990-91; KNJO, 1994-95. Dick is living on the Central California Coast and writing a novel.

(April Winchell; Jamie White; Cliff Winston; William F. Williams; and Mike Walker)

Wilberding, Jason: KTWV, 2000-04; SBS, 2004-08. Jason joined Spanish Broadcasting System as vp/DOS in late Spring 2004 and is vp of sales at English/Spanish KXOL.
Wickstrom, John: KWOW, 1974. Unknown.
Wiggins, E.Z.: KACE, 1977-2000. E.Z. worked evenings at KACE until an ownership change in 2000.
Wilabraham, Craig: KKBT, 1991-99. Craig is senior vp of Clear Channel Traffic Network.
Wilcox, Brent: KCRW, 1980s. Unknown.
Wilcox, Margaret Kerry: KKLA, 1992-2004. Margaret hosted a number of weekend shows at Christian KKLA.
Wilde, Rita: KEZY, 1978-82; KLOS, 1983-2008. Rita is program director at KLOS.
Wilder, Chuck: XTRA, 1971; KIEV, 1971-2000; KRLA, 2001; KPLS, 2001-03; KSPA, 2005-07. Chuck produces the George Putnam Show, heard at KSPA and Cable Radio Network.
Wildman, Diane: KMET, 1973. Unknown.
Wilkinson, Bud: KSUR, 2003. Bud hosted "Broadway's Biggest Hits" on "K-Surf." His show is syndicated around the county.
Willard, Mark: KMPC, 2003-07. Mark was part of the morning sports show at KMPC 1540/The Ticket until the spring of 2007 when the station was sold to Radio Korea.
Willes, Ray: KGIL, 1966; KBIG/KBRT, 1968-77. Ray works voiceover.
Williams, Brad LaRay: KACE, 1981-87; KKGO/KKJZ/KJQI/KNNS, 1989-97; KKJZ, 2007. Brad works mornings at all-Jazz KKJZ.
Williams, Charlie: KFOX, 1960-72. Charlie moved to Nashville and built a home on a lake. He managed Bobby Bare and hosted a talk show on WSIX. Charlie passed away in 1995.

(Dr. Ruth Westheimer; Don Wells; Bill Werndl; and Randy West)

Williams, Dave: KRTH, 1973; KABC, 2000-01; KNX, 2002; KFWB, 2002-03; KNX, 2004-08. Dave was the morning drive co-news anchor at all-News KNX until late 2008.
Williams, DC: KEZY, 1994. SEE Dave Weiss.
Williams, Dudley: KGIL, 1966-70. Unknown.
Williams, Eric: KFWB, 1972-2009. Eric is a writer for all-News KFWB.
Williams, Gary: KKGO, 1994-97. Unknown.
Williams, Hamilton: KCBH, 1966; KFAC. Hamilton died June 30, 2006. He was 83.
Williams, Hugh: KFWB, KGFJ. Hugh earned an Emmy for his work on AM Los Angeles at KABC/tv. Hugh died August 6, 1994. He was 63.
Williams, J. Otis: KKJZ, 2006, J. Otis works weekends at the all-Jazz station.
Williams, Jeff: KABC, 1974-76; KTNQ, 1978-79; KFWB, 1982-84; KIIS, 1984-87; KTNQ/KLVE, 1993-2006. Jeff is head of research at the Spanish stations.
Williams, Johnny: KRLA, 1965; KHJ, 1965-74. Johnny lives in Hawaii and hosts premiere radio Web site, 440int.com.

(Darrell Wayne; Mike Wagner; Pam Wells; and Jamie Worlds)

Williams, Keith: KLSX, 1998. Unknown.
Williams, Larry: KUTE, 1973-76. Unknown.
Williams, Laurie: KSCA, 1994-97. Laurie is working for a radio syndication company.
Williams, Morgan: KGFJ; KBCA; KRLA; KFI/KOST; KBIG, 1984-98. Morgan worked at KBIG for 13 years and passed away in her Mid-Wilshire home after a short but difficult battle with lung cancer on July 17, 1999. Born Morgan Hendricks on February 29, she was first heard in the 1950s as Margi, sidekick to Hunter Hancock at KGFJ. "Hunter thought his name was so unusual and not many women were named Morgan, so I became Margi," Morgan told me when I interviewed her for my book, Los Angeles Radio People. A graduate of William and Mary University, Morgan worked in media across the country. In the 1960s, she was a news reporter at KABC/Channel 7, and KHJ/Channel 9 (now called KCAL-TV). In the '70s she had a long stint with KFI radio covering news and public affairs. In the '80s and '90s, she was public affairs director at KBIG, where she was known for her unique and intimately styled weekly long-form interviews on "The Big Picture." Morgan married the lead singer of the Platters, Tony Williams. Her love affair with radio began with a love for her grandfather. "When I was three or four I would sit at my grandfather’s feet and listen to the radio news with him. I would say ‘Papa Charlie what does the man mean?’ And he would answer me like a grownup. He said if I was old enough to ask the questions, I was entitled to an answer. He never told me to hush." Morgan ended my interview with the following that seems somewhat appropriate: "I have truly been blessed in this life." She was 67.

(Ian Whitcomb; Stan Warwick; Dick Whittinghill; Gary Wagner; and Debbii Whittaker)

Williams, Rick: KACE, 1970-71; KNAC, 1977, KSCA, 1994. Rick is the A&R supervisor at DCC Compact Discs in L.A.
Williams, Travis: KACE, 1970-71; KTBT/KORJ/KDIG, 1971-76; KOCM, 1974 and 1976-77. Since 1996, Travis has been a regulatory affairs analyst with the County of Los Angeles.
Williams, Verne: KABC, KFWB, KFI. Verne was one of the original anchors when KFWB went all-News. Born in New York, he grew up in Texas and Massachusetts. He started out on WESX-Salem, Massachusetts and later spent two decades with WBZ-Boston. Verne’s son Eric has been with KFWB for 25 years. When Verne left the Southland in 1971 he moved to Sacramento and San Francisco. While he was in the Bay Area Verne was the executive assistant to the mayor of San Francisco. Verne passed away in 1992.
Williams, Vince: KFWB, 1968-70. Unknown.
Williams, Warren: KNX/FM, 1987-88; KLSX, 1991-96. Warren has an active production company that is responsible for the writing and producing of all radio advertising for Fox Sports.
Williams, William F.: KDAY, 1960; KBLA, 1965-67; KBBQ, 1966-67; KRLA, 1968-69; KPPC, 1971-72. Since 1984 William has been living and writing in the mountains.
Willis, Scott: KLON, 1992-2002/KKJZ, 2002-07. Scott hosted "Mostly Bop" weekend show at the Jazz station and he was music director until the spring of 2007 when there was a management change.
Wills, Maury: KABC. Maury, a former star with the LA Dodgers and host of SportsTalk at KABC, lives in the South Bay.

(Al Wiman; Beau Weaver; "Sweet Dick" Whittington; and Roberta Weintraub)

Wilson, Andy: KRHM, 1966; KPPC, 1966-68. Unknown.
Wilson, Bob: KDAY, 1969-72. The former owner of R&R is involved with the syndication of Wolfman Jack.
Wilson, George: KIQQ, 1980-85. George is living in Albuquerque.
Wilson, Marina: KOCM, 1988; KIKF, 1990-92; KEZY, 1992-96; KLIT, 1992-94; KOST, 1995-96; KACD, 1996; KZLA, 1996-2001; KFSH, 2000-03; KRTH, 2006; KOLA, 2003-08. Marina works weekends at KOLA in the Inland Empire.
Wilson, Mark: KLYY, 1999. Mark started mornings at "Y107" in the spring of 1999 and left in late 1999 following a format switch to Spanish.
Wilson, Nancy: KTWV, 1987-95; KLON, 1997. Unknown.

(Bill Wade; Rita Wilde; and Steve Woods)

Wilson, Scotty: KNAC, 1984-88; KIIS, 1993-94. Scotty has been working for Hard Radio.
Wilson, Warren: KFWB, 1968-70. Warren has been a longtime reporter for KTLA/Channel 5.
Wiman, Al: KFWB, 1959-66; KLAC, 1966-69. Al is the medical reporter at KSDK/TV-St. Louis.
Winchell, April: KFI, 2000-02; KABC, 2003-04. April left KFI at the end of 2002 and she appears frequently with Marc Germain on TalkRadioOne.com.
Windsor, Natalie: KMGX, 1990. Natalie covers the country music beat for AP Radio Network.
Winesett, Barry: KRLA, 1984-92. Barry is doing post-production for several syndicated radio shows
including The Dr. Demento Show.
Wingert, Wally: KTWV, 1987-2001. Wally is a national voiceover talent.
Winnaman, John: KLOS, 1974-79. The gm of the AOR station died on the baseball field during a KLOS promotional game.

(Bob Wilson; Denise Westwood; Chuck Wilder; and Darrell Winrich)

Winrich, Darrell: KABC, 1968-85. Darrell is retired and splits his time between Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and Dana Point.
Winslow, Harlan: KMET, 1975-76; KMPC/FM/KEDG, 1988-89. Harlan is semi-retired and living in Northern California.
Winslow, Michael: KODJ, 1989. Michael is sound effects actor in the Police Academy series.
Winston, Cliff: KJLH, 1986-90; KKBT, 1990-93; KJLH, 1993-2006; KKBT/KRBV, 2006-08. Cliff worked mornings at KRBV (V-100) until Radio-One sold the station to Bonneville in April 2008.
Winston, Kari Johnson: KBIG, 1978-82 and 1985-95. Kari is president of Bonneville's Washington, DC radio division.
Winston, Robert: Robert is vp/gm at Metro Networks/Shadow Broadcast Services.
Wisdom, Gabriel: XHIS/XHRS, 1972; KLSX, 1999-2008. Gabriel broadcasts a financial show at KLSX, 97.1fm.

(Jeff Wyatt; Len Weiner; Steve Woodman; and Gene West)

Wisk, Al: KMPC, 1978-79. The former LA Ram broadcaster is an attorney practicing in Dallas.
Witcher, Geoff: KGIL, 1969-70; KABC, 1975-83; KMPC, 1992-94; KABC, 1995-97; KIIS/KXTA, 1998-99; KFWB, 2000-02; KLAC, 2001. Geoff is a longtime radio sports figure and part of the Angels post-game game show.
Witherspoon, Jimmy: KMET. The blues singer died of natural causes on September 18, 1997. He was 74.
Wittenberg, Dave: KLYY, 1999. Dave worked evenings at "Y107" with Harrison until late 1999 when the station changed to Spanish.
Wolf, Janine: KHJ, 1980-84; KHTZ, 1985; KNX/fm, 1988-89; KODJ, 1989-90; KBIG, 1993-97; KZLA, 1998-99; KBIG, 2000-01. Janine works middays at KIJZ-Portland.
Wolfe, Gerald: KLSX, 1998-99. Gerald was part of the weekend "Ken and Jerry's Countdown Deli" show.
Wolfson, George: KXEZ, 1995. The former general manager at KXEZ. George passed away in 1998.
Wolt, Ken: KTNQ/KLVE, 1985-92. Ken is president of Radio/TV travel, an incentive travel company specializing in sales incentive plans for the broadcast industry, and is headquartered in Incline Village, Nevada (Lake Tahoe).
Wong, Al: KYPA, 1996. The former general manager of KYPA. Unknown.

(April Whitney; David Wayne; Dave Wagner; and Marina Wilson)

Wood, Jim: KBLA, 1965; KGFJ, 1966-67; KRLA, 1967-68; KGFJ, 1970-72; KROQ, 1972; KGFJ, 1978-79; XPRS, 1982-83. "Big Jim" Wood died at the age of 58 in 1990. At the time of his death he was a security guard and was suffering from emphysema. One of his friends remembered, "Jim was in the hospital and got a cough drop stuck in his throat and he choked to death."
Wood, Jim: KPOL/KZLA, 1979-80. In 1995, Jim created Fan Club Management Services, a company that manages the fan clubs of recording artists and other "fan sensitive" groups.
Woods, Bo: KRTH, 2002-06. Bo worked swing at Oldies "K-Earth" and left in early 2006. He's working the "Hot Country" format at Dial-Global syndication.
Woods, David: KPOL, 1965-70. Unknown.
Woods, George: KJOI, 1973. George is no longer in radio. Unknown.
Woods, J. Thomas: KWIZ, 1971. Tom ran for the California Assembly and won two terms (1994-98). He is now a retired Assemblyman living in Upland.
Woods, Steve: KDAY, 1974-85; KJLH, 1985-89; KACE, 1989-90; KBIG, 1993-96. Steve died of a heart attack on December 9, 2002. He was 51.
Woods, Tom: KPOL, 1965-69; KFWB, 1969-86. Tom was at California State University, Los Angeles from 1989-2005 where he was editor of Business Forum, a refereed business journal produced by the campus' College of Business and Economics. He is retired and lives in Lucerne Valley.
Woodman, Steve: KFWB, 1965; KDAY, 1968. Steve was severely injured in a motor vehicle accident in 1974. He died March 13, 1990, at the age of 62.
Woodruf, Fred: KLON, 1975-78. Unknown.

(John Williams; Charleye Wright; EZ Wiggins; and Mitch Waldow)

Woodside, Larry: KROQ, 1980-81; KLOS. Larry is a car salesman.
Woodson, Valerie: KRLA, 1975-76; KTNQ, 1977-79. Unknown.
Woolery, Chuck: KLSX, 1996. Chuck hosted tv's Love Connection for 11 years.
Workman, Martin: KFAC, 1976-87. Martin hosted "Luncheon at the Music Center." He has performed as a professional violinist, a singer of light opera and oratorio and as an actor. Martin holds degrees in economics, sociology and a doctorate in abnormal psychology. In 1979 he suffered a heart attack but was back on the air after two months of rest. Martin died in 1990.
Worlds, Jamie: KOST, 1990; KACE, 1990-91; KKBT, 1992-93; KTWV, 1994-2003. Jamie was a weekender at "the Wave" until early summer 2003. She's working on multiple tv and film projects.
Worthington, Cal: KXLA, 1950-59. Cal lives in Northern California and looks after his vast car dealerships.
Worthington, Diane: KABC, 1989-95. Unknown.

(Dara Welles; Mark Wheeler; Wendi; Fred Wallin; and Phyllis West)

Worthington, Rod: KDAY. In the early 1970s Rod broadcast traffic conditions from a Cesna 150. His plane was dubbed "The KDAY Sky Potato."
Wright, Bill: KPFK, 1976-78; KWIZ, 1978-89; KYMS, 1990-91; KBIG, 1992-96; KWVE, 1998-99. Bill is a producer for Ambassador Advertising Agency (now in Irvine). He's also active in voiceovers.
Wright, Bradley: KYSR, 2003-06. Bradley worked afternoons at "Star 98.7fm." He exited the station in the spring of 2006. He works weekends at Dial-Global and he has an active voiceover career.
Wright, Charleye: KLAC, 1969-70; KIIS, 1970-75; KPOL, 1975-76; KIIS, 1981-90; KKBT, 1990-93; KNX, 1995-98. Known as "The Coach," he had been a sports broadcaster at KNX since 1995. Charleye was born in Inglewood in 1937 and he graduated from Lynwood High and Compton College. He graduated with an M.A. from Baylor University with plans to enter the ministry, but while in college Charleye got into broadcasting. For most of the 1980s, Charleye was one of Rick Dees' sidekicks at KIIS. In the early 1990s he worked the mornings at KKBT for "John London's House Party." Charleye died October 27, 1998. He was 61.
Wright, Jo Jo: KEZY, 1988; KIIS, 1997-2008. Jo Jo works evenings at KIIS/fm.
Wright, Van Earl: KFWB, 1997; KXTA, 2004-05. Van Earl worked morning drive at XTRA Sport.
Wyatt, Jeff: KPWR, 1986-91; KIIS, 1991-94; KACD, 1996-97; KCMG, 1998. Jeff left his post at Red Zebra in Washington, DC in the summer of 2007.
Wyatt, Marques: KKBT, 1994-95. Marques is a club dj at the Deep at 1650 in Hollywood.

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