When I left Fairbanks Broadcasting in Indiana and headed to California to start my own consulting company, I had no idea how it all worked.
Luckily, the Shadeks, who owned radio stations in San Diego and San Antonio, became my first client.
Tom and Ed were well aware of KVIL in Dallas and were hoping that I could duplicate its success in San Antonio.
For me, it was the perfect opportunity to prove that the concept could work without Ron Chapman and outside of Fairbanks Broadcasting.
Whenever I was asked why I thought KVIL became so successful, my answer has always been, “They did everything with class!”
So, of course, the new format in San Antonio modeled after KVIL had to be called “Class.” Duh!
Before long, with the help of Bill Gardner and Reid Reker, we launched the first “Class FM.”
The only thing different about the format in San Antonio was that it became successful faster. KVIL took two years, and WRMF, which we did a few years later, took a year. KLLS did it in six months.
Whew! Ok, so far, so good, but how do I get the word out?
Luckily, years ago, Jim Hilliard taught me that a person is usually the answer to most questions.
Now, the only person I knew that was good at spreading good news was Jim West, who was running Fairwest in Dallas.
Jim and I put a deal together, and before you could catch your breath, we were in 40 markets; great, right? Not!
Unfortunately, the way Jim sold it was to include a visit from me for a couple of days each month. Do the math!
Finally, I said, “Jim, you’ve gotta stop selling; we’re oversold.” Jim responded, “It’s not in my nature to turn down certified checks. Get some help.” (Jim is pictured on top)
We tried sending one of Jim’s guys, but somehow his visit didn’t count; they wanted to know when that “Johns” guy was coming.
My solution was to talk my Brother Reg into becoming my partner in the Johns Company.
Still scrambling, though, because you’re never prepared for success, I decided to do something I came up with in Canada.
These guys not only knew what to do, but they could also explain why we did it that way and then go on air and show them how to do it.
In those early days, the guys I trusted were Gary Russell, Roger Klein, Keith Elshaw, Doc Harris, and Woody Cooper.
They not only were a formidable crew, but they were fearless.
Using a similar concept, Reg and I put together an incredible road crew which consisted of Reid Reker, Bill Gardner, Bruce Buchanon, Cat Simon, Mike Donahue, Tony Mann, Jason Williams, the Magic Christian, Bill Baily, Jeff McKee, and Jan Jefferies.
Thank you, guys; you were a part of a format that still rules the radio world today.
The way it worked was we’d recruit some guys that sounded good and then send them to San Antonio or San Diego, where we’d train them by putting them on the air for weekends.
As soon as we got a new client, we’d send a couple of them to the market to get it rolling
.
Things were going so well that a financial guy from Fairbanks named Bill Yde, talked me into buying Fairwest, which was a syndication company that was owned by Mr. Fairbanks.
Bill’s reasoning was, if I ever wanted to own radio stations, I’d need to own some brick and mortar first.
So with the help of a sweetheart deal from Jim Hilliard, Bill, Jim West, and I bought Fairwest.
Bill came on board as our CFO, and before we knew it, he raised enough money to buy a brand new FM signal in Portland called KKCW.
KKCW not only became K103, but it soon became #1 and stayed there for over 35 years.
The good news was, even though we didn’t have any of our own money in the deal, we owned 51% of the new company but the bad news was, Jim West never showed for the closing.
We quickly made Brother Reg our new partner but the bylaws read, “If a partner leaves the company, their shares will be distributed evenly amongst the other shareholders.”
When the smoke cleared, we’d gone from 51% to 49%, and of course, the money guys thought that they knew more about radio than we did.
“Rest In Peace,” Mr. West!
RADIO GEO’S LIFE-LINERS
Politically incorrect statements lead to controversy, controversy leads to debate, debate leads to decisions, and decisions lead to solutions.
Don’t politicians need a vacation from fundraising too?
Having the right to choose doesn’t give you the ability to do so correctly.
The greatest honor a man can give a woman is to ask her to marry him, and the greatest honor a woman can do in return is to turn him down if she doesn’t love him.
The good news, if you can call it that is, a beautiful woman will marry you for her security. The bad news is precisely the same.
Why are French folks always referred to as the “Fucking French”?
I think the best way to handle the situation when the woman you love wants to delay the wedding so she can think things through, is in the arms of another woman.
Strong men believe in Socrates’ theory of cause and effect, weak men believe in luck.
As you get older, you can’t help but want to share your wisdom. However, if you’re smart, you wait to be asked.
You would think that professional athletes who make millions of dollars a year would be some of the most grateful people on earth, they ain’t.
I adore strong women, which may explain the love I have for my daughters.
Watching the Sopranos pre-sequel, “The Many Saints Of Newark,” I can’t believe how lame it is. It’s just another movie about bad whitey. Boring!
I’m still wondering, as I’m sure Paul and Ringo are, “What the hell did John see in Yoko?
“Your competitor is neither smarter nor dumber than you.
Even though Change is inevitable, it’s also inconvenient.
Do white people participate in drive-by shootings? Asking for a friend.
Nobody ever sang along or had good memories swirling around their head while a new tune played on the radio.
The only sense giving credit to or blaming luck for your lot in life; it allows you to move on.
The more time Daughters spend with their Dads, the less time they’ll have to be hurt.
So the GOAT walks away from it all, huh!
COMMENTS
Wendy from Winnipeg: Looks like you’ve had a wonderful life, George! Congratulations! (They Say It’s Ur Birthday, Dude!)
Geo: I have had a wonderful life, Wendy, but those Sunday nights were also wonderful.
Geo: One must be fast enough to pull it off, Dougie. 🙂
Geo: That’s so beautiful, Bruce, they’re so focused on political correctness that they forgot how to spell.
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Stephen Dinkle: The curtain has been pulled back! Always wondered what happened with Jim West and you,… (Ya Gotta Have Class.)
Geo: Yes, too bad, Steve, had he shown up at the closing, we’d all be living high on the hog today.