Monthly Archives: May 2019

Geo’s Media Blog. (My List!) New 6/17/19

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A few days ago, I was talking to my longtime mentor, Jim Hilliard, about one of my Blogs. I’m kinda used to him being pissed about some of my Blogs because as he says, “Johns, you’re giving away all the secrets.” When I tried saying that it really doesn’t matter if that’s true or not because most of today’s radio people have no idea what the hell I’m talking about anyway, he just shrugged and continued to try and light his Cohiba. (Jim, pictured above with his Cohiba and me)
However, this particular time, he was calling to tell me that some of the guys were upset with what I had written in a recent Blog. First, though he wanted to say that weren’t half as upset as he was, the day he claimed that I screwed him. (I left Fairbanks to start my own company)
What has this got to do with his call you ask, absolutely nothing is the answer. But this topic comes up in every conversation that we’ve ever had over the last twenty-five years but the amazing part is that each and each time he whines about it, it’s like it’s the first time he’s ever brought it up.
However, getting back to the reason for his call, when I asked him who it was that was upset with my Blog, he said, “That’s not important, what’s important is what you said.” Well, I responded, “Who they are is important to me Jim.” He then said, “Well, this conversation must end because I know where it all goes and I don’t have the time nor the patience, I have people to sue.”
What he was referring to was long ago in Indy when we worked together and he summoned me to his office for one of our many philosophy sessions. He, as he said, made the fatal error if beginning the meeting with, “Johns, I’m sure that you’re probably aware that everybody in the company doesn’t like you right?” When I replied, “No, Jim, I wasn’t aware of that, and pray tell who is it that doesn’t like me?” That’s not the point, he tried to say, but unfortunately, he claimed, the conversation went downhill from there. He said that he spent the next hour trying to get it back on track but I wouldn’t let it go. He finally gave up and had to end the meeting just like he was about to do with this phone call.

Before he hung up though, I managed to say, “Jim, I was so hoping that this call was about your finally being ready to give up all those old names and any new ones that you may have so I can add them to my list.”

GEO’S LIFE-LINES
 
PHILOSOPHICAL
When nothing is guaranteed, everything is possible. 
 
Only one person can make you happy, you!
 
QUESTIONS?
When the government fines a big company for doing evil, what happens to all the money?
 
Why do the people who drive a company into bankruptcy continue to run it after it comes out? 
 
Why do rich people love Arabs? 
 
If it was against the law to make a profit from war, how long do you think a war would last?
 
Why do the people from New York and LA think they’re so hip? Not only are they nothing alike, but I can’t find anybody in the Midwest who believe either is.
 

Years ago, when my daughter Candis was a singer-songwriter who performed at the Roxy and the Whiskey in Hollywood, she asked, “Dad, how did you manage to release four records even though you lived in Winnipeg which is the middle of nowhere? I live in LA, and work for a record company and yet can’t get any of the A&R guys to come and see me, let alone get a record deal?” I told her that it was because I was too stupid to know I couldn’t.

How did the NHL and the NBA manage to make the playoffs last so long without being investigated?

Speaking of the NBA, Canada now has the best basketball team in the world.

Speaking of Canada, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in first place in the western division of the CFL. Go Bombers!

Whatever happened to home ice advantage?
 
POLITICALLY INCORRECT.
I wonder how many politicians would switch parties if it gave them a better shot at being elected?
 

The only small states who are going to vote for the banishment of the electoral college are the ones who receive more from the Feds than they send.

I think white people liked Obama more than the black folks did. Maybe they were hoping that by electing him that they were washing away the sin of slavery.
 
REALITY

Somewhere at this very moment, some teacher may be teaching a student who will go on to cure cancer. Hopefully, that teacher is up for the important task they have at hand.

A teacher needs to learn how to teach; a student needs to learn how to learn.

You can’t teach anybody how to sing, but you can sure teach them what they should sing about

It’s a hell of a lot easier moving in then it is moving out.

I am so tired of the word no.

Today, I don’t think Watergate would even make the news cycle.

COMMENTS

Hollis Duncan: Although KVIL allowed Consulting Engineer Charles Crossno to attend and heavily influence KVIL Staff Meetings, I did not want to attend. I was providing a service and didn’t really have anything to lend. And Larry Reid & I were very busy fending off interference by the aforementioned Crossno.
But preventing leaks is a better reason. Managers, Accountants, Programmers, Jocks, and Salespeople are competitors, but Engineers view other Engineers as colleagues regardless of where they work. A fellow Engineer has loaned equipment or has come to help put a station back on the air, and I have done the same. XEROK Chief Engineer Bruce Miller Earle came over to KINT-98 after midnight with the loan of a critical piece of equipment and read every Memo on every wall. I’m sure that Jim Taber would have had a fit. I wasn’t paying attention, and I didn’t care. But that’s the sort of pointless leak that would go directly to an opposing PD which was not a problem at KVIL because Ron did not tend to post memos on walls.
Engineering should not be included in Strategy Sessions for security reasons, and I would include Accounting, who can smother any idea in its cradle. Ann Bradley being a notable exception.
Geo: Hollis, I have the scars to prove that most engineers are part of a fraternity and not at all a part of the radio station.
At a couple of my stations, we’d discover a new piece of equipment that once installed, would make us so loud that the other stations sounded like they were coming in from out of town. However, this would only last a couple of weeks before we’d all be equal again. When I would ask the engineer why he turned us down, he’d say, “I didn’t turn us down, the other stations just got louder.” When I would ask him how they did that, he would say, “I told them about the new equipment we got, so they got it too.” What! (We’re #1 Here!)

Former DJ Steve: George – Local DJs all want to talk about national stuff because they think it sounds bigger and more important. They want to work in larger markets and fantasize about being in Hollywood and NYC. As a result, they focus on where they want to be, not where they are.
Check back in five years; most of them will still be in the same town. (What The Hell Was Whitney Thinking!)

Ken Dowe: I’m really enjoying your site, George. You haven’t missed a beat. Still the best guy in the business in marketing your product.

Best always,
Ken

P.S. Like you, I have a gorgeous daughter. I used to tell her mother I was going to keep her locked up inside the house, and then drive her to the “nunnery” when she turned 30. Another one of my ideas that went nowhere. (Elton Was Singing About My Tiny Dancer)

Bruce Munson: I remain a fan of the blog!
Geo: Then I must write on Bruce. (The Secret)

Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.

 
 

Geo’s Media Blog (Million Dollar Bills) New for 6/10/19

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With the chatter getting louder about another KVIL reunion in Dallas, it got me thinking about when I was the National PD of Fairbanks Broadcasting which owned KVIL. Jim Hilliard (pictured with me above) who ran the company, always reminded the corporate staff that one of our most important jobs was to keep our owner, Richard M Fairbanks (pictured right above) from making a decision. In order to do so, his advice was to stay out of his office. However, if we were ever summoned for a meeting in there, we were to blame whatever Mr. F wanted on Jim and then get the hell out of the office as fast as we could.
The main problem we had with Mr. Fairbanks’ decision making was that once he decided to do something, it was forever. Occasionally though, Jim would be unavailable so if we needed a quick decision on something, we had no choice but to go to Mr. Fairbanks. He loved those moments because he was always more than ready to jump in as he did big time in Big ‘D’ on one occasion.
At that time, the only real players on FM in Dallas were KNUS which was owned by the McClendons, and KVIL which Mr. Fairbanks owned. Even though our formats were quite different, we chased some of the same demos, which forced us to be somewhat competitive. However, our competitiveness was good for the then-new FM band, because it brought attention to it.
Anyway, one day when Jim was out of the country, I was told that KNUS had bought a bunch of billboards that ringed Dallas, claiming that they were the big Banana in town. When I told Mr. Fairbanks about it, he said, “No worries, I’ll take care of it.”
And take care of it he did. He personally designed a billboard sat in front of all of theirs (see newspaper photo on top) that not only was the worst looking board we’d ever put up, it was also the most devastating. Shortly after making their appearance, KNUS gave up competing with us which proved once again that it’s not wise to mess with folks who play the game with million dollar bills.
 
GEO’S LIFE-LINERS
RADIO
Why does it take until your fifty-fifth birthday for you to realize that the media is overly obsessed with 25-54-year-olds? 
 
Radio today is too timid, it makes the listeners nervous.
 
PHILOSOPHICAL
It’s one thing to go after what you want, but it’s another figuring out how to enjoy it once you get it. 
 
There is nothing more powerful than a good story. 
 
The Demons use your voice when they to lie to you.
 
REALITY
If you want to get a cop’s attention, threaten his overtime or pension. 
 
Sometimes you need to have voluntary amnesia. 
 
Eight years ago Cersei stated, “If you play the Game Of Thrones, you must be prepared to die,” and die she did.
 
Simplifying merely means eliminating the unnecessary. 
 
Brandon, the broken, becoming King reminds me of participation trophies. 
 
There is not enough money in the world to shut Social Media up. 
 
Drunks start fights; stoners start bands. 
 
I can’t believe that I actually spent eight years of my life watching GOT but thankfully, unlike most of the characters, I’m still alive. 
 

It’s he who pays for the poll that the results tend to side with.

I’m only impressed by the people who can do things that I can’t.

Most folks don’t become or stay “good people” when treated badly by bad people.

In Indiana, a dollar is worth $1.11, in New York and California, it’s worth $.87.

People may hear what we say but they only believe what they see.

VENUS & MARS

Women started the sexual revolution.

I wonder why women feel they have a right to hit a man?

I think the women whose eyebrows match the hair on their head are much more attractive.
 
QUESTIONS?

If God wanted us to end up looking the same, why did he start us out so differently?

Isn’t it weird that no matter how poor a country is, their politicians can still afford to ride around in limousines and stay at 5-star hotels?

While living in Canada and visiting the US, I was always amazed by how proud the people were of being Americans. However, I don’t feel that now, what the hell happened?

I know fathers dream about having their sons in the family business but do mothers have the same dream about their daughters?

Speaking of dreams, when you’re you’re reading a book in your dream, who wrote it?

POLITICALLY INCORRECT

I think the only reason our government cares what the politics of other countries are is so they can decide whether or not to put coke machines into them.

The way the government got us to stop protesting their wars was to simply cancel the draft.

The north may have been the ones who freed the slaves but it doesn’t appear that they liked them very much.

Wouldn’t it be great if the politicians were as passionate about politics as the rest of us?

Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.
  

 

 

Geo’s Media Blog. (Excellence!) 5/27/19

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As you may know, I hang out a sports bar here in West Palm Beach called Duffy’s. I like it a lot because you kinda feel like you’re a member of a private club, and like at Cheers, everybody knows your name. They’ve got 60 flat screens hanging on all the walls and over the bar area which are constantly showing sports events from all over the world. Not only that but drinks are two for one all day long, the food is decent, and the bartenders are pretty. What’s not to like?

Anyway, at my particular Duffy’s on Village Blvd, there are a few cool black guys who hang out there who I enjoy talking to like Kenny, Big Al, Morey, Phil, and Joe. We talk about everything under the sun, although I must admit that sex, sports, music, and women, seem to be our prime topics. However, seeing as they also like to tease me about my being white, I have to get my shots in now and then too.

The other day while chatting about nothing in particular, I brought up the fact that when I was growing up in Winnipeg, the only black people I ever saw were on TV. I still remember how much I loved watching Willy Mays, (shown above) Jackie Robinson, and Roy Campanella play baseball. They could do things that very few others could which was also true of Walter Payton, (pictured) Barry Sanders, and Jim Brown in the NFL and Bill Russell, (shown) Wilt, and the Big ‘O’

Because my folks loved watching TV music shows like Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey along with Lawrence Welk, I got to appreciate the talent of artists like Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, (shown) and Ella Fitzgerald early on. However, when Rock & Roll burst on the scene, rockers like Little Richard, (pictured) Fats Domino, and Chuck Berry, blew me away.

So, as I explained to Kenny, Big Al, Merely, Phil and Joe, “Seeing as the only black people I was aware of were all on TV, I assumed that all black folks were exceptional. So, with that in mind, I’m sure you can imagine what a disappointment you fuckers turned out to be.”

 

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

RADIO.

I never believed that anyone should go on the radio and sound like they live next door by being themselves. I mean, who the hell would listen to their neighbor for more than five minutes. My solution was to try and give them the courage to be unique by telling them that I’d hung up a disc jockey jumpsuit just outside the on-air studio. All they had to do was put it on, zip it up, and then go in there and be anybody they ever wanted to be. However, the rule was, as soon as they finished their shift, they had to immediately take it off because nobody wanted to deal with that guy.

Would you rather receive a dollar from everyone who listens to the radio, or those who don’t?

Radio’s big problem, of course, is TSL. Hey, the folks only have so much time for entertainment so each time a new way to be entertained shows up, everyone else suffers. AMC fought back with Breaking Bad, and HBO came with the Sopranos and GOT. Hey radio, ya’ll got anything new?

Ron Chapman told me that he’d retired just far enough away from Fort Worth that he can still say that he lives in Dallas.

REALITY

The only people who seem to enjoy talking on the phone are salespeople. Friends text.

America may seem divided, but it doesn’t want to be.

If you want to change your life, you must start immediately and do it at full speed. 

I think God gave us the courage to be brave and strong, which may mean that he expects us to stand up to him now and then. 

Rock & Roll was created by the lower classes so that some of us could escape the factories. 

You have to conjure up courage, fear happens all by itself.

You get to make your own choices, but you don’t get to choose the consequences.

MARS & VENUS.

When women receive equal pay, do we all get off the Titanic together? 

Is gluten-free a female thing? 

Men who defend women with their lives, of course, have a price. Hey, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

QUESTIONS?

I wonder what Archie’s going to think when he discovers that all his Uncles, Aunts, and Cousins are Princes and Princesses, but he’s not?

Is it the staff or the management that makes the service at a restaurant top notch?

What’s up with the guys who send friend requests to you on Facebook using pretty women as their profile picture? 

How come there are no statues erected for businessmen or critics?

What a great Indy 500, how did the weatherman get it so wrong?

PHILOSOPHICAL

Without difficulty, there is no opportunity.

When the path in front of you begins to grow shorter than the one behind, it’s time to live for today. 

Over 2300 years ago Aristotle said, “Truth is truth.” Unfortunately, today, people think the truth is only what they perceive it to be.

Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.

 

KVIL Casual Reunion.

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On Friday, October 18th, some of the original crew from KVIL are looking at doing a casual fun reunion at a bar near downtown Dallas. If you ever worked at KVIL and have an interest in joining us so that we can hear your version of why it was such a magical experience for most of us, get your email address to Jack Schell. jack@recallmedia.com

Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.

 

Geo’s Media Blog. (It Was 29 Years Ago Today) 05/20/19

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As I sit here in the Sun Dome at USF in Tampa proudly watching my youngest daughter, Cami graduate, (shown with me on top) I’m reminded that I watched her sister Candis do the same thing at UCLA twenty-nine years ago. (shown with me above) What, you ask? Well, it’s a story much better told when adult beverages are involved, but I’ll give it a shot.
 

Shortly after Candis graduated in LA, my good friend and mentor Jim Hilliard persuaded me to leave California for a six-month project in Boston. He wanted me to help pump up WVBF so he could sell it for Mr. Fairbanks. With Candis all set working for a record company, I said, “What the hell” and headed for New England.

Upon arrival in Boston, I figured out real quick that the only thing we had to work with at WVBF was the morning show. The show which featured Loren & Wally (shown above) along with Len Mailloux doing news was great, but what the hell, we upgraded mornings and anyway. We added in funny man Chris Paul from LA and then teamed Len up with local legend Nick Mills to punch up the morning news. Officer Bill did the traffic and then it was time to fix the rest of the station. For middays, we brought in the deep-throated Jeff McKee from Austin and then stole Boston’s angry Irishman, Tom Doyle, from WHDH to do afternoons. We wrapped it all up at night by importing the soon to be famous Delilah from Seattle. (all shown above having Thanksgiving Dinner)
 
To make a long story short, somehow this little project which was supposed to have me back in San Diego within six months, stretched into five years. However, I did manage to escape the cold in Boston now and then when I’d fly down to South Florida to visit our sister station, WRMF in Palm Beach. It was in Florida during one of those visits that I met the woman who was about to change my whole life. Her name was Kari and not only was she beautiful and fun, but also a psychotherapist who would soon become the mother of Camera Anne Johns Summerfield whom I am sitting here watching graduate some twenty-three years later. (Cami’s name was by far the longest announced at the ceremony and the guy who had to read it, laughed out loud when he saw the camera she had drawn under her name so that he wouldn’t mispronounce it.)
 
I loved living in Boston, hey what’s not to like when you’ve got Fenway and the Garden all within walking distance. Oh did I mention that we also had a suite overlooking third base at Fenway? Unfortunately, being from Winnipeg meant that I’d already done my cold time, so when Kari got pregnant, I moved to West Palm Beach where I’ve been ever since. (sadly, I never did return to San Diego)
 

The five years I spent in Boston was not only some of my best radio years, but they also provided me with a lot of great memories such as when Jim Hilliard and I were walking by the production room at WVBF and noticed the newly arrived Tom Doyle in there chatting with Lorne & Wally. We, of course, couldn’t resist popping in to say a quick hi, but before anyone could say anything, Jim said, “Hey, I’ve got a lot of money tied up in this room, somebody better make me laugh real quick.” Lorne, without missing a beat, said, “Wally, show him your dick!”

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