Loved livin’ in San Diego,
but San Antonio had Class.
Soon there were forty,
and they all came with cash.
After looking for houses in La Jolla, Fairbanks Ranch, Rancho Santa Fe, and Mission Beach, I finally settled on Coronado because it had a sort of forties feel to it and looked like it might be a safe place to raise kids.
The only problem was it needed a lot of work, but the rehab project went well, and now all I needed was for my family to join me. (Photo of the remodeled house on top)
The Shadek family, whose headquarters were in San Diego, had hired me to be their corporate consultant.
They owned KOGO/KPRI in San Diego and another station in San Antonio that I was very interested in.
When I arrived in San Diego, Reid Reker, who Jack McCoy said was a keeper, was the current operations manager, so I decided to give him a shot.
Reid not only turned out to be very knowledgeable and a quick study guy, but he also became one of my best friends. However, Reid may have a different opinion because he claims I ruined his life.
I take no responsibility for his addiction to all the toys, not to mention the pretty women that were attracted to his toys.
The format was very successful in Dallas and then again in Palm Beach, but it had that big Fairbanks footprint all over it, and I needed a win without the presence of Ron Chapman or Fairbanks.
I loved the weather in San Antonio, the River Walk, the legendary Alamo, and, of course, all the pretty Senoritas who were just gonna love “Class FM.”
What made the “Class” format so special was the music and talk were narrowly targeted at a 30-year-old woman, but the outrageous promotions were aimed at everybody.
I, of course, I had my usual cast of on-air outlaws like the Gardner brothers, Bill and Al, along with Bruce Buchanon, Cat Simon, and Harry Nelson.(Bill Gardner pictured above on the billboard)Now, having a cast of characters like these guys meant that whenever I visited “Class,” there was always a bizarre story waiting for me.
When I called him in and asked what happened, he said that while he was having a couple of drinks at the bar in his hotel, an attractive lady started hitting on him.
“However,” he went on to say, “When I bent over to take off my shoes, she cold-cocked me, and as I lay on the floor dazed, she stood over me and said, “You’re not gonna take that shit from me are you?”
One day, when Ed Shadek, the company president, and I were in San Antonio together, we were chatting with Jack Collins in his office.
Jack was the GM and even though he was from sales I was a big fan of his because he figured out how to get the money before we got the ratings.
Now it’s no secret that I’m not very sales-friendly, but I make an exception for Jack because what he did would probably be labeled as racist or at least politically incorrect today.
The run showed that “Class FM” was already #1 there already. (See the ratings above)
The next thing I know, we’re following him to the production room, where I suspect we’re going to hear a borderline commercial that Bruce Buchanan rejected.
As the commercial finishes and I’m putting on my tap shoes, I feel Ed’s hand on my shoulder, and then I hear him say, “May I handle this one, George?”
So here’s how it works; if George or any of his people don’t like a commercial, the Shadeks don’t like it either. Can we go for lunch now?”
Bill Gardner:Thanks for reviving some great memories of Texas’ greatest city, and “worst to first” in under a year…..record time! Great fun, and after two and a half record-breaking years there, you rewarded me with a transfer to San Diego and OUR home on Highway 1 in Del Mar.
Do you think radio revenues will ever support lifestyles as we enjoyed back then? I’m guessing “no.” (“Class”)
Geo: Those were the days my friend we thought they’d never end but end they did.