Conversations.buzz

DEBORAH PARENTI was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame on November 2, 2023, three weeks before this conversation. It's easy to see why. She's as bright and energetic as they come. With a deep career in broadcast management, she is now the publisher of Streamline's Radio Ink. Here Parenti talks about why radio will never die, but she's also brutally honest about some of the industry's serious problems. She says radio needs to put its money where its mouth is and get back to what it does best.

In 1973 I was Program Director of K-Earth in Los Angeles, formerly KHJ-FM. Automated at the time, it was the oldies music creation of the legendary Bill Drake. Shortly after I started working there Drake was fired as Programming VP for RKO. KRTH GM Hal Rosenberg and I hired GUY ZAPOLEON to create new music lists and recordings to replace the Drake/Chenault package. In my recent conversation with Guy we drifted into our Paul Drew stories. He was, as we say with deep respect, a piece of work.

Guy Zapoleon is a modern music savant. For the past fifty years he has guided contemporary music radio stations and corporations in identifying the right songs to play at the right time to achieve their target audience goals. Along the way, he discovered a generalized pattern in which contemporary music trends rise from innovation to mass appeal and ultimately to a downturn he calls doldrums. Then, the cycle starts again. He's a music scientist and journalist; he's the ultimate source for radio music directors, artists, and producers everywhere.

If WALTER SABO (aka Walter Sterling on WABC) was a baker he wouldn't own a cookie cutter or a recipe book. Walter is an innovator. For all of his decades of creating and consulting media programming, he has never relied on a formula. When I asked him what's wrong with the radio business these days he had answers I didn't expect. He also emphasized what's right: "(Radio is) the most elegant distribution system in mass media. It's elegant, it's incredible."

Dave Williams, November 4, 2023

JOHN KOBYLT has been half of the most popular talk radio show in Los Angeles for 36 years. Now his partner, Ken Chiampou, has announced his retirement. The famous John and Ken Show is about to become the John Kobylt Show. That's where we start this conversation, with the obvious questions: when and what can we expect?

KEN CHIAMPOU and John Kobylt electrified Los Angeles with their brash, clear-spoken brand of talk radio when they arrived at KFI 36 years ago and they haven't stopped. It's the longest-running talk show in radio history that changed the direction of the talk radio industry. In this exclusive conversation, Ken tells Dave Williams why he's retiring and looks back on 40 years of friendship with John, and the lightning they've held together in a bottle. L.A. radio will never be the same.

MARK AUSTIN THOMAS is his real name. It's a beaut, ain't it? Well, so is the man behind it. MAT, as he's sometimes known to friends and colleagues, has made the most of his deep native intellect, his curiosity, and his passion for journalism. Now retired but by no means old, Mark shares his insights and philosophies.

JOHN GEHRON is a name synonymous with Chicago Radio; he began programming the legendary WLS in 1974 and built it into a music radio institution. He also created a national standard for the “smooth jazz” format while at Chicago’s WNUA-FM, followed with senior officer and COO titles at American Radio and Infinity Broadcasting, including the role of Senior Vice President of Programming for all of Infinity/CBS. When Oprah Winfrey decided to start her own radio show she turned to John as the obvious choice to guide its programming. John's philosophy is deceptively simple: hire great talents and give them every tool and opportunity to succeed.

Bill Rogers & Camille Dixon are the voices of Disney, master voice actors with skills that enable them to cast Disney Magic on children of all ages. And, get this: they're married! How it all happened for them, and us, is a romantic story for the ages in true Disney style.

Jack Swanson is a superstar of news and talk radio. He has been a primary architect of the spoken word formats around the world. Radio towers may vanish but the desire for information and entertainment through new communications platforms has Jack excited. He says he wishes he could live another 50 years to see what comes next. We all hope he does.