A couple of days ago, somebody posted on Facebook that 54 years ago that the famous 56, WFIL was launched in Philadelphia. At the helm of that great radio station was my longtime friend and mentor, Jim Hilliard. (pictured above)
Jim disposed of his main competitor, WIBG, rather quickly but unfortunately, he not only killed Wibbage, but he also killed his dream.
When Jim was a young Dee-Jay in Boise, Idaho he got a job offer from a radio station in Wichita Falls, Texas and as he blew into town in his brand new T-Bird with the top down, he spotted a beautiful girl’s picture on a billboard and said to himself, “I’m gonna marry her.”
Not long after hiring Chuck Dann (Riley) out of broadcasting school, he tracked the girl down. Her name was Barbara Goforth and she worked at a local department store which used her photo on a lot of their advertizing. Soon they were dating and before long they were married which soon produced “Little Jim.” (Jim and Barb pictured below)
Right from the get-go, Jim explained to Barbara exactly how it was all going to work. His dream he told her was to end up in New York City at the #1 radio station and live in a penthouse. However, he explained, the only way to do that was by moving a lot so We don’t care about awards or titles, all we need to know is how much the next radio station was going to pay as they moved closer and closer to the Big Apple.
Soon enough, Jim gets a job offer from Amarillo, and their gypsy-like existence begins.
Two things of note that happened during their stay in Amarillo, daughter Crystal was born, and the radio station made him a vice president of the company. However, when he excitedly rushed home to share the good news with Barbara, her only comment was, “Great, how much does that pay?”
Next, they headed to Seattle to work for Pat O’Day before being sent to KNEW in Spokane as the morning man and PD. While he was there, he hired a young Dee-Jay named Larry Lujak, but unfortunately, he had to fire him.
It seems that Larry had a live spot for a Volkswagon dealership every night, and every night Larry would claim that they were using the dealership to funnel money to Hitler, who he claimed was still alive.
From Spokane, Jim went to CKY in Winnipeg as the PD and afternoon drive jock.
I was a part-time board op there at the time but had no idea that not only did he become my mentor, but also my lifelong friend.
Jim was at CKY for about a year and a half, and during that time, he influenced many people who worked there and then went on to change Canadian Radio. (Some of them are pictured below. L-R Gary Russell, J Robert Wood, George Johns, and Chuck McCoy)
When Jim left Winnipeg a year and a half later, he decided that he didn’t want the hassle of being a PD anymore so he took a job as the morning man at WIBC in Indianapolis.
Before long though, Mr. Fairbanks discovered his leadership skills so once again he became a morning man/PD. Things were going well until suddenly, Mr. Fairbanks just disappeared and finally, after zero communication, frustrated, Jim took the Program Directors’ job at WFIL.
He later found out that Mr. Fairbanks’ was flying his wife all over the world looking for a cure for her cancer.
Anyway, Jim launches WFIL and as the ratings explode, he has two job offers from New York on the table. Then suddenly, out of the blue, Mr. Fairbanks calls and offers him a piece of the rock.
In the ’60s, nobody had a shot at owning a piece of a radio station, let alone a group, so this was a huge.
When he told Barbara about the incredible offer Mr. Fairbanks made him, she said, “Jim, we’ve already done Indy, we’ve seen the race.”
GEO’S LIFE-LINERS
Commitment is what makes dreams come true.
Yep, we do lie, ladies, we only want to sleep with half of you.
I wish they’d try a different tact and give us some hope instead of always trying to scare us about the Coronavirus.
How come men don’t wear clothes that are cut down to here?
Getting your first record deal is a bitch! The next one may come more manageable, but the money remains the same.
Speaking of records, they’re forever, whereas radio only lasts until your next rating book.
The scariest thing ever may be your own thoughts.
What’s the only thing that Presidents, Prime Ministers, Dictators, Kings, Chancellors, Chairmans, Supreme Leaders, Dukes, and Duchesses have in common? They all end up millionaires.
Billy Bob Harris says, “The only people you should try to get even with are those who helped you.”
I believe that most of the products advertised on Facebook are scams, be very careful.
Creating “Magic” is what it’s all about, not the Hokey Pokey.
I’ve never liked talking on the telephone, especially my cell. However, I must admit that I enjoy talking to my daughter Candis though, because she does most of the talking.
When Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act in 1996, he created consolidation, which helped the one-percenters going from millionaires to billionaires. I wonder what other surprises the Democrats have in store for us?
The first person you need to please is yourself.
After the Beatles conquered America, a lot of guys took up guitar hoping to attract chicks, and a few of them even became “guitar gods.” The good news about that is, they attract more than their fair share of women; the bad news, it leads to inevitable turmoil at home.
I feel a backlash coming about the Coronaviris. Can you feel it?
You make more friends when you share your joy rather than your sorrows.
COMMENTS
Sandy Sims: Such a sad memory George, thanks for sharing it. I’ll share one of mine with you, my Dad died when he was 49, and my mom was left to take care of my grandfather and me and my two brothers – both younger than me. Sadly, she never remarried. She said that my Dad was the only man in her life and was not interested in anyone else. She died at 72, so I’ve outlived her so far by two years. And here’s one more, every year, my BFF comes up to our cabin and spends a few days with me. We do the girl things, shopping, eating weird food that our husbands don’t like, and enjoying each other’s company. We got home this past Wednesday, and the following morning, her husband dropped dead outside while waxing and buffing his truck; he was only 77. My heart is broken both for her, and I knew her husband from the time I was 19. I find this point in my life, and this year with the pandemic a tough one, especially when you start losing close friends. I say stay strong, George, and have some fun before it’s too late, my friend. (The Good The Bad & The Ugly)
Geo: Thank you, Sandy, unfortunately, sad news like this will begin to show up more and more, so I’m not waiting, I’m going on a 4000-mile bucket list train ride across America. Fuck the Virus!
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When Ted Rogers (pictured above) hired me in 1972 to fix CFTR in Toronto I couldn’t do whatever I wanted because CFTR’s license stipulated that the programming had to be adult-oriented.
With the recent induction of Bill Gardner into the Texas Hall Of Fame and Brent Farris into the San Francisco Hall, I was reminded once again of just how many “Hall Of Famers” I’ve been lucky enough to work with both here and in Canada. (Bill and Brent pictured above)
