Geo’s Media Blog (What Ever Happened To My Old Friend Riley!) Repost from 6/22/15

Download PDF

417559_253646634716847_134010383347140_608468_290450172_n11159507_10152655985286330_6509167115517266898_n10404877_10153003351204307_8665266998486747413_n1(3 very rare pictures of radio legend, the late great Chuck Riley)

 

 

When I was but a kid working at CKY in Winnipeg, I had the good fortune of learning how to do production from one of the best, Chuck (Dann) Riley. When Chuck and I first met, I was a part-time board-op at CKY  where I was trying to get some kind of a radio career going. However, after learning so much from Chuck, production became my first love, and doing great promos ended up becoming my life long addiction. I’ve never ever been able to figure out how to do any kind of decent radio without having some super voices around like Riley, his brother Buster Bodine, Roger Klein, Earl Mann, Gary Housley, John Polk, Eric Chase, TJ Byers, Billy Moore, Eric Edwards, Jack Mccoy, and Bobby Ocean that I was honored to work with.
Luckily, I’d learned early on that creating promos was similar to writing a song, making a movie, staging a play, authoring a book, or creating a great bit for the radio. You need an attention-getting opening, put a little drama in the middle and then you wrap it all up with a killer close.

Chuck eventually moved back to America where some ten years later we worked together again at WIBC in Indianapolis but now I was his boss. (like anybody could be Chuck’s boss) Being reunited with my old production mentor, I couldn’t help but drag him back into the studio now and then to do a few promos. Chuck claimed that he got his mean voice delivery from me which he needed to round out his voice over demo tape. It was at one of these promo sessions with Chuck that we, along with help from Cris Conner and Buster Bodine, produced a top-hour ID for Wnap that became a classic.
You can hear that 1973 session by clicking on the Buzzard at the bottom of this page and below that is the demo tape that got Riley his shot in Hollywood. Lastly, I’ve included a taste of his on-air warmth (great acting on his part). Enjoy!

SOME ABSTRACT THOUGHTS…

Doubt, without a doubt kills a lot of great relationships.

I heard a thought-provoking line on a TV series the other night, “When I lived in Russia I was very poor, not American poor, poor”!

Speaking of not poor, the wealthy don’t like to show their wealth, but the rich are always ready to flaunt theirs.

A wedding ring is the smallest set of handcuffs in the world so choose your cellmate wisely my friend.

Socrates claimed if you marry a good woman you’ll be very happy, but if you marry badly, all is not lost because you can still become a great philosopher.

I was always told that the reason the Asians bound the feet of female babies was to keep them small for aesthetic reasons. Now I hear that the truth may have been that their undeveloped feet caused them to walk in a fashion which strengthened their vaginal muscles. I think Paul Simon may have had it right when he sang “All The Crap I Learned In High School.”

Just because you agree with something doesn’t make it less controversial.

Success won’t necessarily make you happy, but doing what makes you happy usually makes you successful.
 
Every situation has 6 different points of view.
 
Does anybody but the government think that tax evasion is a horrendous crime?

I wonder what our ancestors would think of today’s modern man?
 
As long as the sex is good a lot of men will hang in there, but I rather doubt that women will.
 
If you are passionate and have a great imagination, not only can you become a great lover but after the lovin’, you can also become a great air talent. 
 
Modern Man in more ways than one was created by women.
 
Some women will actually love you enough to kill for you, but none will ever die for you.
 
The good news is that there are actually two ways to argue with women. However, the bad news is, neither of them works.
 
How many careers do you suppose would have been lost had we told our bosses what our wives told us to tell them.
 
Radio only needs to move @ the speed of life.
 
A couple of phrases that you don’t often hear in California anymore … Rain Delayed or Rained Out!
 
Isn’t it strange how upon winning, winners start to take on the appearance and style of losers?
 
If you don’t feel grateful you’re a long way from happiness.
 
I’ve been influenced by a lot of great women but unlike some of my friends and family members, I’m proud to say that I’ve never been pussy whipped.
 
The only way Democracy works is if you have a large middle class, otherwise, some form of Communism probably would be a better way to go.
 
Speaking of not having a middle class, isn’t it amazing how the President of Mexico always seems pissed at us for not letting his citizens into our country?
 
So here is how I think it should work … You tell all the cops that if any of them does anything that results in even a threat of rioting and looting, their pension is gone, and you tell the looters that they will be shot on sight.
 
The only justice in the world is the justice we as individuals hand out.
 
The ability to see what yet doesn’t exist is an amazing gift that very few have.
 
Over the years radio sales people have tried to upgrade their status by becoming Account Executives, Media Marketing Managers, etc. whereas on-air actors have become Jocks. How did that happen?
 
Who you are is the person you are at your worst.
 
Have you ever noticed that your failures are a hell of a lot better known than your successes? 
 
The thing that is so neat about success is you can get up, and go to bed whenever you want, plus do whatever you want in between.
 
Absolutely everything begins with imagination.
 
The hardest part of any project is getting started.
 
The only folks I know who like selling older demos are old folks and I’m not so sure about them?

The Chicago Blackhawks are the Stanley Cup Champions and the neat thing is all the players get to take the cup back to their home towns this summer.

Speaking of champions, my Grandson Nathaniel owes me a pizza because the Golden State Warriors knocked off his Cavs.


 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

4 thoughts on “Geo’s Media Blog (What Ever Happened To My Old Friend Riley!) Repost from 6/22/15

  1. said it then and i’ll say it now, “the wrath of the buzzard” was the best station id ever produced…i had the good fortune to work with chuck many times in los angeles, he was an amazing talent!

  2. He was amazing Eric but was a bear to be around, sometimes Grizzly and sometimes Teddy. The weird thing about that ID was that I don’t even remember even cutting it so was surprised to hear Chuck talking to me at the session.

  3. The outtakes from Chuck for KOX and the other WRMF at 1060 end were priceless..Farmington for Framingham etc. The WVBF I’d I phased, boy did it leap out the radio..there is a site that has VBF airchecks from 73 with Bud Ballot and Ron Robin are priceless. Do miss the big guy’s voice and laugh.

Leave a Reply to geo Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *