Monthly Archives: August 2018

Geo’s Media Blog. (Jury Reunion) 12/11/18

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I recently told my grandson Nathaniel what the secret of life was, “First, figure out what you love to do, then find someone to pay you to do it.” However, if you’re lucky enough to get that done, unfortunately, your life just flashes by, and you end up like me wondering what the hell happened?
When I was a young lad growing up in Transcona, a suburb of Winnipeg, all I dreamed about was being in a Rock & Roll band. So I bought a guitar, learned to play it, and then started a few bands with my friend Rolly (Termite) Blaquiere. The next thing I knew our band, The Jury was signed by London Records, and soon we were releasing records along with the Guess Who, BTO, and Neil Young. Wow, what a heady experience, but unlike how I dreamed it, it did not come with a lot of cash, so I needed a day job too. Luckily I got a part-time job at CKY which was very fun.
However, when my daughter Candis was born, and even though we had the #1 Canadian record in Canada, I decided to leave The Jury. The band thing just didn’t look like it was ever going to pay enough to support a family so I thought that I would give radio a shot. It turned out to be an excellent choice because not only did I love doing it, my radio career exploded. Not only did I own a syndication company, I also owned several radio stations and was headquartered in San Diego.
None of that was easy of course, and because I was working hard and trying to stay focused on my company’s future, I never thought about my old band days much. Then I got an invitation in the mail to attend the reunion of all the Winnipeg bands at a concert which was going to be held at the Winnipeg Convention Center. Not only that but the whole thing was going to be Televised. Wow, how fun!
Now, not having touched my guitar for twenty years, I only planned to fly back to Winnipeg for a couple of days to see some old friends and hang with my old bandmates. When I arrived home, the whole town was just buzzing about the concert and the press was all over it. 
The highlight of the evening for me was watching Randy Bachman of BTO, Burton Cummings of The Guess Who and Neil Young on stage together doing a twenty-minute version of American Woman. The scariest moment though was when Randy and Burton strapped a Strat on me and pushed out on stage to join the rest of the Jury who were laughing their asses off. Standing there in front of a sold-out crowd and a bunch of TV cameras, I was scared to death. I told the roadie to make sure my guitar was turned off, and as our lead guitar player Terry Kenny hit the first few notes of our first record, the strangest thing happened. After twenty years of not touching my guitar, I had no idea what the chord progressions were, but my hands knew them all. (to view some of what went on that night, click on the link at the bottom of the Blog.)

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS.

MUSIC MOVIES & RADIO

Radio Consultant Tracy Johnson said that Kidd Kraddick told him that he gave some of his funniest stuff to his co-workers because it didn’t match his image. Wow!

The folks listen to the radio for 227 minutes every week. Can you imagine what it would be if it was any good?

MOTIVATIONAL  PHILOSOPHICAL & INSPIRATIONAL.

Your true value is measured by how many people became successful because of your success?

If you want to accomplish something, you’ll find a way. Otherwise, you’ll find an excuse.

Making magic memories is what our life’s mission should be all about.

We all respect that which we cannot do.

The Loss of your word is the biggest loss of all.

MARS & VENUS.

Marriage makes absolutely no financial sense for a man.

Little girls are fun and easy to make happy, but when they turn into women, impossible.

Why is it that its the not so good looking women who complain about men hitting on them, whereas the beautiful ladies never mention it?

Do women stop being naughty when the moment they no longer can conceive or were they never naughty?

If the ladies really do like sensitive men the best, why do they always go home from the party with a Clint Eastwood type?

All pretty women are sleeping with somebody.

POLITICAL & POLITICALLY INCORRECT.

The government is the same as its always been but unfortunately, we the people are smarter.

Before escaping to Canada you may want to consider this, the far right is a little bit right of center.

Is it just me or do all the presidents upon leaving office, live like, and near all the people they railed against?

REALITY.

Telling me what’s wrong with this picture pays a dollar an hour but fixing it pays a thousand.

If you can’t change the situation then it is you who must change.

NFL kneelers ain’t gonna get the police’s attention, only what threatens their pensions can do that.

FAMILY & FRIENDS.

The only women I can handle attitude from are my daughters, and even that’s kinda tough.

(For a little taste of what went on at the band reunion in Winnipeg, click on the link below.)

The short story above is about my going back to Winnipeg for a band reunion with #TheJury, #TheGuessWho, #BTO and #NeilYoung followed by #Geo’sLifeLiners which deals with #Kneelers, #TheFarRight, #Canada, #NaughtyWomen, #Respect, and a few other #PoliticallyIncorrectOservations. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Geo’s Media Blogs, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio and you can subscribe by putting your email address in the comment section below. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.

 

Geo’s Media Blog. An inside look at music movies radio & life. (HOF How Bizarre) 11/13/17

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The other day I was thinking about how easy my job was for the decade that I was involved with WIBC /WNAP in Indy. The on-air talent along with the support staff at Fairbanks Broadcasting was simply the best and I’m very proud to say that we just ruled Indy. WIBC was always #1 but when that rating book came in with 19.4 rating, not only did it produced a lot of revenue, it also produced a hell of a rating party. Oh, and did I mention that WNAP was tucked in right behind “Big Mama” in 2nd place?
Shockingly though, very few of the incredibly talented people who toiled at the two-story brick during those wondrous days are in the Indiana Radio Hall Of Fame. Whereas most of the KVIL staff, our radio station in Dallas at are in the Texas Radio Hall Of Fame. Hey, and they had to compete with the talent from Houston, San Antonio, and Austin, we just had to be better than Muncie and Fort Wayne.
I can only shake my head in wonder why Jim Hilliard who was the GM of WIBC/WNAP, the CEO of Fairbanks Broadcasting, and the President of the Indiana Pacers is not in there? You can’t get much more “Hoosier” than that. Speaking of industry giants how do they ignore Gary Todd, Orly Knutson, Jerry Baker, Bob Lamey, Paul Page, Chuck Riley, Lou Palmer, Harry Andrews, Buster Bodine, Big John Gillis, Mike Griffin and many others? These guys were not only great on WIBC & WNAP, some of them were also part of the worldwide network coverage of the Indy 500.
I think it’s fantastic that Cris Conner and Tom Cochran are deservedly in there, but unfortunately, Tom was inducted for his TV stuff, not for the great news work he did at WIBC & WNAP. However, even though a few nasty words come to mind about the why of it all, the thing I find even stranger is that the HOF is funded by a trust that our owner Mr. Fairbanks set up before he exited the planet. Hell, it’s even called the “Richard M Fairbanks Indiana Broadcast Hall Of Fame.” How Bizarre!

GEO’s LIFE-LINERS.

You can’t change what you were or weren’t born with, so you might as well get on with what you’re gonna do about it. 
 
If you took away Republican or Democrat away from the candidate’s name, most Americans wouldn’t know who the hell to vote for. 
 
There doesn’t seem to be many socialists in government; they take care of themselves pretty well. 
 
The way it is and the way it should be are light years apart. 
 
Go ahead and dream about tomorrow but you better live for today cuz it’s all ya got.
 
The most popular music usually is a black person sounding white or a white person who sounds black.
 
If you didn’t hear it yesterday, it’s probably not true anymore.
 
Any other words other than yes mean no.
 
I do believe that Custer was the last American general to lead his troops into battle. Now they just send them.
 
Life always feels like you’ve been going against the wind. However, when you’re young it only feels like a slight breeze, but as you age you grow weary of it. Especially when it begins to feel like a hurricane.
 
The biggest shows on the radio were always for all things that were good, and against all things that were evil.
 
The only reason to have a guest on in the morning is so that you can get them to say what you can’t.
 
There are only two movie themes, an unfamiliar path leading to a familiar ending or a familiar path leading to an unfamiliar ending.
 
You know it’s gonna be a bad year when even the people who never planned on paying you, don’t buy anything.
 
Radio today has become so lean and mean that even yes means no.
 
If the staff were in charge of who got paid what how much do think today’s radio leaders would make?
 
The five forms of death are.
1. You stop breathing.
2. You no longer notice beautiful things.
3. You stop making love.
4. The little child in you dies.
5. You stop learning.
 
The client is not always right, but our job is to never let him know.
 

Working hard does not always get rewarded, but working smart sure does.

The thing I liked about Reagan was that he allowed the middle class to get rich but they put a stop to that the moment he left office.

 
When I was about 12 years of age, I was lucky enough to hear R&B merge with Country & Western music which produced Rock&Roll and the whole world changed.
 
Traffic reports on the radio sound better when you do them for the folks who aren’t driving.
 
When your memories are bigger than your dreams, you’re toast.
 

When an air talent enthusiastically endorses something he doesn’t believe, it’s called hype. When he does believe, it’s called passion.

The population in South Florida swells by a couple of million each winter, but just like radio everywhere the revenue goes down. What’s up with that?

When National business was 40% of the radio station’s revenue, the GM’s secretary took care of it but now that it’s minuscule it somehow has become a V/P position?

#GeosMediaBlog above deals with the snubbing of some great #Indiana #Broadcasters. #GeosLifeLIners that follow, take a look at #Radio, #Rock&Roll, #Reagan, and #The5Deaths. For sneak peeks at upcoming Geo’s Media Blogs, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. To subscribe just put your email address in the comment section below. Sharing & commenting appreciated.

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

Geo’s Media Blog. An inside look at music movies radio & life. (Ben T) 8/20/18

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One of my all-time favorite consulting gigs was in Riverside/San Bernadino at a Joe Amaturo owned radio station called KFROG. Every jock had a frog name making an already amazing station very unusual, but what I liked most was hooking up with my old pal Tom Hoyt who was the station’s longtime GM. (pictured above) Tom has always been a classy guy who likes to do neat things like when he renovated and expanded the KFROG facility; he had Bishop Gerald Barnes bless the new digs. This Dude was all decked out in the usual exotic robes for the occasion, but check this out; he was also wearing cowboy boots, how cool was that. Of course, we were #1, how could we not be.
Occasionally, Tom and I would go into LA for dinner, and I’ll never forget the time we hooked up with my beautiful friend, Joasia who was originally from West Palm Beach. Joasia and I had worked together at WRMF, but now she was working in LA and hanging with Hef at the mansion. Anyway, Joasia and one of her girlfriends joined Tom and me for a fun dinner at Spago in Beverly Hills. Our dinner was great, and Wolfgang Puck even stopped by our table to chat with us about our mutual friend Charlie Minor. As we got ready to leave, Tom’s date asked for a to-go bag, and while waiting for it, Joasia says, “Hey there’s a hot new club just down the street, let’s check it out.” When our dates went through the front door before we could follow, two big bouncer types stepped in front of us and asked, “Where do you two clowns think you’re going?” As we tried to explain that we are with the two young ladies who just went in, their only response while staring at Tom who was standing there holding the doggy bag was, “This is a private club, you need a membership to get in here, they don’t.”
Part of the reason that we went to LA for that particular weekend was that Tom had two special invitations to the Halloween party David Saperstein was throwing at his home on the beach in Malibu. The party was the next night, so we invited the girls to join us, and they promised that they’d be at our hotel by 7:00. However, when they hadn’t arrived by eight, we said the hell with it and left for the party. It was a madhouse when we arrived, they even had police directing traffic and also showing us where to park right there on highway 1. Although, before letting us proceed any further, they double checked our invitations along with our IDs which they did once again as we entered the property. On our way to the bar which was up near the mansion, we stopped into a tent to watch Frankie Valli and the 4 seasons sing a few of their hits, then worked our way through the celebrities to the bar. All of a sudden out of nowhere, there are our dates. (pictured on top with Tom and me) Shocked, Tom asked how the hell they managed to get in, and Joasia said, “Well after a nice policeman parked our car for us, he also escorted us here because we told him that we needed a cocktail.” Beauty does have its privileges.

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

POLITICAL & POLITICALLY INCORRECT.
Who was the best president ever? I would think that it would have to be a non-warring president. I’ve got one in mind, who you got?

My liberal friends think of right wingers as mostly dumb out of work rednecks. I don’t know many rednecks, but I sure know a lot of right-wingers who are not only not out of work, they’re also very rich and very smart.

More freedom does not lead to safer streets.

RANDOM THOUGHTS & QUESTIONS.
Why does my gas gauge seem to take forever to go from full to half and then from there to empty in a flash?

If asked by aliens from outer space why half of our people paint their face, what would your answer be?

MOTIVATIONAL PHILOSOPHICAL & INSPIRATIONAL.
Wisdom is the occupational hazard of a bartender.

You only get one second chance.

I’m not sure any of us can change, but we can evolve to a better version of ourselves.

I have a lot easier time believing in God than the people who claim to speak for him.

You’ll never see the future if you’re living in the past.

 

REALITY
I love when American Airlines claims they are changing their rewards program so I can get free flights quicker but in actuality, it takes twice as long now.

I have equal love for Duffy’s new menu which even though it has some newer meals on it, it’s really trying to hide the fact that they’ve increased the price of my favorite dishes.

What I’ll never understand is why the fu#ked up people who cause nothing but heartache, get most of the love?

Why do so many people have to die to protect the rights of so few?

The scariest stories are usually true. I was congratulating myself the other day about how calm I’ve been lately until I realized that I haven’t been flying as much lately.

MOVIES MUSIC & RADIO
When I was a kid, the Dee-Jay on the radio was much bigger than any of the records he played. The Beatles changed all that when they became the first musicians who didn’t suck up to them.

Listen up, radio! Henry Ford and Steve Jobs were right; it’s not necessary to give the people what they want, just give them what you want them to have and then figure out how to make them like it.

Very sad about one of the greatest singers ever passing away. RIP Aretha Franklin, thanks for leaving all your great music behind.

When my buddy Reid Reker who oversees 1000 or more billboard locations throughout the Midwest, recently claimed that he missed radio. I answered with, “No you don’t Reid, what you miss is how radio used to be.

The short story above is about a couple of beautiful women who don’t need or want #Equality. Next up, #Geo’sLifeLiners about #ThePresident, #God, #Duffy’s and #Wisdom. Even more is at GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. If you would like to subscribe to Geo’s Media Blog, put your email address in the comment section below. Sharing and commenting appreciated.

Geo’s Media Blog. (The birth of K103 Part I ) 8/27/18

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While writing about the owner of Fairbanks Broadcasting the other day, I couldn’t help but think about when I first became involved in radio station ownership. Our company which was called Fairwest was having a great run but it was time to turn that success into some brick and mortar.

The first radio deal we put together was for KKCW, (K-103) which was a brand new facility in Portland Oregon. In no time, it became a great radio station, especially when the legendary Craig Walker joined us for mornings. (I’ll tell his story next week) When Craig retired years later, some classy friends of mine, Bruce, John, & Janine not only continued the tradition, but I believe they may have even turned it up a notch. Now some thirty years later, not only is K-103 still great, it’s still #1.
Back when I was involved with K-103, I had no idea that all of my radio dreams had already come true. I should have hung it up then rather than flying all over the country consulting. I mean, what more could one want than owning a radio station that not only went  #1 in its first year of existence but was also located in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
While we were growing K-103, I got to make a lot of pleasurable visits to Portland which wasn’t tough as most seeing as I lived just down the road in San Diego. However, I soon discovered that how I visualized ownership worked, wasn’t how it worked. On one of my station visits, our sales manager was the designated driver who got to pick me up at the airport.The station was located on the other side of town and as we crossed the bridge that leads into the downtown area, I noticed that the whole riverfront was being restored. It looked like they were building several new shops, some restaurants, and even a beautiful boutique hotel right on the riverbank. When I asked the SM if he knew when the hotel was due to open, he said, “It’s already open and in fact, we have trade there.” I, of course, couldn’t help but ask, “Then why am I not staying there?” His answer which froze me was, “Oh, that’s just for clients.”
A few days later, I got to ask my old boss Jim Hilliard what I was doing wrong? Jim, I said, “In this deal, I’m Mr. Fairbanks, but as I recall, Mr. F always stayed at the Ritz or the 4 Seasons. Jim responded, “George, your problem is you don’t have me, If I left it up to any of the staff to book Mr. Fairbanks a hotel room, he’d be lucky if he got to stay at a Motel 6.”

 

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS.

MONEY & BUSINESS.
If anybody’s begging for a real estate crash, it’s California.

You know you’re gonna have a bad year when even the people who never planned on paying you, aren’t buying.

At his worst, in one year, Tiger can make more money than he’ll ever need.

Isn’t it crazy how many theories there are about what the Beatles should have done but none on how you become as good as them?

Its always been about the Game Of Thrones its never been about how to sell it.

MOTIVATIONAL PHILOSOPHICAL & INSPIRATIONAL
Worrying’s fixed nothin’.

The truth always shows up when you’re finally willing to walk.

Salespeople are very good at selling what they consume.

You can run from your responsibilities but you can’t hide from the consequences.

When the big go small it’s time to go big. Right, Bruce?

Making good decisions comes from the experience of making bad ones first.

What if Mother Nature intended for global warming to show up so she can get on with what’s next?

MUSIC MOVIES & RADIO.
If morning folks had the ability to interrupt themselves, I believe a lot of them would.

Do you remember when the airways used to belong to the people?

I’ve never seen or heard a success story where the radio station was led by the sales folks.

I love humorous radio but hate jokes.

MARS & VENUS LOVE & MARRIAGE.
Sometimes the lady wears the dress sometimes the dress wears the lady.

POLITICAL & POLITICALLY INCORRECT.
I’m not sure that Justin’s daddy was a good Prime Minister but he sure was cool.

I bet my grandparents wish that all they had to do was bitch like they do in America about the conditions instead of having to leave Great Britain.

If mother nature intended us to end up brown, why didn’t she start us out that way?

So Canada, what do you think about the fact that the Saudis kicked your Ambassador out of Saudi Arabia because the Canadian government criticized the arrest of women’s rights activists? I’m feelin’ proud.

#PoliticallyIncorrect #LifeLiner comments plus some #Radio stuff above. Much more @ GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated. If you would like to subscribe to Geo’s Blog, simply put your email address in the comment section below.

 

 

 

 

Geo’s Media Blog. (Fairbanks) Under construction.

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As my brother Reg once told me, “Everybody believes that their part is the biggest part.” Hell, even the switchboard girl at a radio station believes that the place would fall apart without her. 

Case in point, when the John Blair Company purchased WIBC/WNAP in Indianapolis, and KVIL in Dallas they paid the highest amount of money that had ever been paid for radio stations.
Now what you have to understand about the owner, Richard M Fairbanks,(pictured above) is that he can trace his family back to the Mayflower, oh and Fairbanks Alaska was named after his grandfather who was the Vice President of the United States,

Mr. Fairbanks certainly didn’t need the money, what he liked best about the whole thing was, he was making broadcasting history just by being on the upside of that record-making deal.
However, as part of that deal, he had to give up his CEO Jim Hilliard who was responsible for the stations being worth so much. Mr. Fairbanks believed though that he’d already done the hard part when he bought them.

Blair wanted Jim to be the president of their broadcast division which meant that WIBC/WNAP in Indy and KVIL in Dallas would pretty well remain the same.
The only real change would be in Indianapolis where Mr. Fairbanks would be departing.

So with that in mind, Jim asked if he would like him to put together a small farewell dinner for him? It would give some of his longtime employees an opportunity to say their goodbyes.
Mr. Fairbanks, who later in his published his memoirs didn’t remember that it was Hilliard who ran his company, not him, responded as only he could. “Jim, I’ve carried all these people for years, surely you don’t expect me to eat with them too?”

With that statement, Mr. Fairbanks proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was definitely a Dick not a Richard.

(pictured on top is those of us who owned a tiny piece of WIBC/WNAP’s soon-to-be new home in Indianapolis.)

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS.

Speaking of Mr. Fairbanks, his best line may have been when he and Jim went to lunch in Jim’s new Bentley and Jim asked if he’d ever ridden in one before. Mr. Fairbanks responded with, “Never in the front!”

One of the greatest newspaper ads ever showed a newspaper boy staring at a new Cadillac with a caption that read, “Someday, someday!” I wonder who it was that called the meeting that killed that kid’s dream?

Great rewards come from great risks, but then again, you’re not working with a net, so they’re deserved..

Now that we are all members of the “me too” society when are the gentlemen gonna serve up the names of the ladies who offered up their charms for a little boost up the ladder?

How much of, “Were only doing this for your safety” is bullshit, do you suppose?

Whatever happened to gas wars?

If LeBron would have been smart, he’d have stayed in Cleveland and lived free for the rest of his life as King James. However, nobody has ever accused a pro athlete of being smart.

Only when being in the middle of a crisis, does one discover who’s a loyal friend?

Fear and regrets are the evil twins who rob you of your happiness.

Being a Centrist I’m a little liberal about some things and a little Conservative about others, but I’m not much of a Socialist about anything.

For most of my life, political conversations never came up, now they never not come up?

Would you be more likely killed by a cop or a thug? I wonder what the Vegas oddsmakers say?

Why do the celebrities at award shows keep singing to the choir?

I’m very suspicious of all government agencies that use initials instead of their name. CIA, FBI, DEA, DOJ, IRS, DMV, USPS, DOT, EEOC, EPA, FAA, FCC, FDA, FDIC, FEC, FTC, INS, NASA, NIH, NLRB, SEC, and USIA to only mention a few. What do you suppose they’re hiding?

With all the gun controversy and how upset the people are about the school shootings, you would think the NRA would be smart enough to concede a little something?

I believe that more business is done in America at lunch than at any other time.

I don’t want my kids to have Obama care; I want them to have the same health care Obama has right now.

Implementing music at a radio station is not an art form.

Radio’s best and worst friend is the scan button.

The only thing that really counts is what’s on the radio right now?

If you don’t have anything special to say, please don’t say it on the radio.

For #LifeLiner comments about #Radio, #Reality, and #PoliticallyIncorrectStuff, see above. For comments about everything else plus a sneak peek @ upcoming #Geo Media Blogs, go to GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter@GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting appreciated. If you would like to subscribe to Geo’s Media Blog, just put your email address in the comment section below.