A couple of months ago, I woke up with another Ephinay. “Hey, why not sell my condo and live in a luxury apartment for the rest of my days?”
Selling now, I figure, would spare my kids, Candis, Curtis, and Camera, from getting ripped off by the condo commando’s exorbitant HOA fees after I passed.

Tiring of resort living back in 2008, I asked Rhys Hollyman, a fellow Canadian who had just gotten his real estate license, if he could help me find a cool place.
What I was looking for was something that overlooked either a golf course, a lake, the intercoastal, or the ocean.

When Rhys showed me my place, he said, “Sorry about the intercoastal, Man, but three outta four ain’t bad.”
What I overlook from my nineteenth-floor apartment is a brand-new Jack Nicklaus golf course and a beautiful lake. Plus, I can see cruise ships going by on the ocean.

Time to get hold of Rhys, who now owns his own real estate company called Logan Reality, and get things rolling.
As I said, I like doing business with Rhys because he’s a Canadian, so because I’m comfortable with how he does things, we put my place on the market.

Before long, Rhys and his trustworthy side-kick Heather Hatt had a few folks taking a peek at it. Now, the best thing about my place is the million-dollar view. (See on top)
The other good thing is my apartment is on the northeast corner of the building, so it only gets the morning sun, resulting in much lower AC bills than my neighbors.

The bad things are it needs to be completely remodeled, and it looks like a clothing store.
My daughter, who lives with me while getting her master’s, also works at O’Neill’s and loves clothes, so they are everywhere.

My plan is to put the money from the sale into a trust fund, which my kids and I will share each year until it runs out.

Okay, now flash forward a couple of months, and I finally get a decent offer, which luckily fell through a few weeks later.
Now, the reason I say, luckily, is because after signing all the documents, I began stressing out.

Most of the stress was coming from the fact that all the rental places I found that I thought would be cool to live in had gone up in price by several hundred dollars.
Not only was that bumming me out, but I also realized that even though I’ve lived in 20 different places, I’ve never moved.

Whenever I got a new job at a radio station in a new city, my wife Lana took care of everything.
My job was to go to work, and when I got home that evening, everything was hooked up and in its place, and dinner was on the table.

So, my only question now is… “How the hell do you move?”

COMMENTS

David Langford: Great Blog, George. I really enjoyed this. Those were the days when radio was creative, as young minds came up with great promotions. The Millionaire gag was brilliant. (The Greatest Promotion)
Geo: Thanks for the read, David. Unfortunately, I don’t think those days will ever return.

Craig Walker: George, What a great story. Not only is it true, but other developments made it even stranger. However, it turned out to be the most important career decision I ever made. I did mornings at k103 for almost 20 years, and we had extraordinary success from start to finish. I didn’t do it alone. My on-air partner was John Erickson, who was not only our news director but also a major contributor to the numbers.

I was blessed to be on the air in this market for over 30 years with only one job change. I wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks for sharing the story, George.

Ps. I thought of including a photo of the napkin, but I decided to keep it between us. I will say that we ended up about three times higher than that original offer. (K103 Craig Walker)
Geo: Unfortunately for me, Craig, my wanting you and only you caused us to sell the station. It all began to spiral down when the money guys refused to guarantee your salary, and the only way we could rid ourselves of them was by selling. 🙁 Lucky for you, though, because I’d have never let you retire when you did. 🙂

The countdown of my ten most read blogs in 2023 begins New Years Eve

Radio Geo’s Media Blog is a politically incorrect inside look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, Religion, and Life, primarily written with men in mind.
For a peek at upcoming Blogs or to see some you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.
If you’d like to subscribe, email your address to radiogeo@gmail.com.

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Recently, somebody posted on Facebook a composite of the launch of The All New WIBG from 1976, which brought back a ton of memories. (You can hear what I heard by clicking on the link at the bottom of this tale.)

It all started back at CKY in Winnipeg in 1963, when I was a board op, and my boss, Jimmy Darin (Hilliard), was the program director.
Shortly after leaving Winnipeg, Jim became the PD of WFIL in Philadelphia, where he completely demolished WIBG, which the legendary Paul Drew was programming.

Okay, fast forward ten years to when Jim is the CEO of Fairbanks Broadcasting, and I’m his National PD.
Now, what I’ve always known about Jim is that even though he loves radio, he’s always been a businessman first.

So, with that in mind, and even though Fairbanks was mostly an FM company, when Jim was offered WIBG for pennies on the dollar, he couldn’t resist.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t gonna be a walk in the park, which I blame on Hilliard because back in the day, he’d scorched Wibbage so badly that they barely made the rating book anymore.

Unlike in Dallas, where we slowly built KVIL into a powerhouse, we decided to go full-throttle in Philadelphia.
Figuring that the call letters may still have some value, we freshened them up a little by adding “All-New” to them.”.

The first thing we did was get Hugh Heller in LA to create a bunch of new jingles and then in Indy, we produced some great promos using one of the best voices in America, Chuck Riley.

Next, we gathered together some of the talent from the Fairbanks stable: Bill Gardner and Larry Dixon from KVIL in Dallas, The Magic Christian from F105 in Boston, Chuck Riley from WIBC in Indianapolis, and old pal, Chuck Knapp from KSTP in Minneapolis.

Lord knows what went on in that huge suite that we stuffed them in, but whatever it was, I wish I could have bottled it because, for the next five days, they pounded Philly unmercifully with some great radio.
Oh, and did I mention how hilarious the dinners were every night at the Hungry Pilgrim?

When the dust finally settled and most of the guys headed home, Bill Gardner and Chuck Knapp stayed behind as Co-Program Directors.
We also hung on to Don Cannon, featured in the first Rocky movie, and then hired a couple of talented folks that Bill and Chuck knew to round out the air staff.

Speaking of talent, we had Ken Matz, Richard Hunt, Mary Margarite Myers, and Don Henderson doing news you could dance to.
And speaking of news, the good news was, with some help from the Phillies, our first book came in at a 6.9.,

Unfortunately, though, the bad news was we were living in an FM world. Oh, what I wouldn’t have given to have “All New” on an FM signal; it would have melted Philadelphia.
However, today, I’m very proud to say that it was some of the finest radio I’ve ever heard or been associated with.

(Click the link below to hear how great those guys sounded even though the engineers were still crawling around wiring stuff.)

Audio: https://app.box.com/s/ikh34k9p9hfmlsz0mr6ufk8it45hdzsc

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

All we have left is the rest of our days, and what we do with them is entirely up to us.

I find it interesting that most women have spent their lives training to be mothers, but men who haven’t even trained for a day are expected to pick up half the workload.

Almost everyone likes progress; however, most folks dislike change but one without the other is almost impossible.

I’ve worked with a lot of good air talent over the years, and one of the best was Bill Gardner. Whenever I hired a new Jock, and they’d ask me what I wanted them to do, I would answer, “Just copy Bill.”

Women forgive, but they never forget. Men forget, but they never forgive.

After retiring from Rogers Broadcasting, CEO Gary Miles said, “Those return calls just don’t come as quick anymore.”

I find waiting for permission much too time-consuming.

A person’s name is their most prized possession, so if you spell it or say it wrong, you are in deep doo-doo, my friend.

My Daughter Candis recently told me, “Dad, I no longer listen to the words; I need action.”

When I was the National PD of Fairbanks Broadcasting, all my ideas got on the air. Unfortunately, when I became a radio consultant, I was lucky if a third of them did.

In order for radio to stay alive, it needs to do two things: move some product and prove they moved it.

Jim Hilliard had a standing order at Fairbanks, “Only George Johns gets to see the new rating book before I do because if anyone can find some good news in it, it’s gonna be him.

Has anybody ever seen any government worker who appears overworked?

So in a gay relationship, who gets fucked over?

Am I the only one who’s noticed that the girly guys only compete in non-contact female sports?

The first step is always the hardest.

The only way to skip having to say you’re sorry is by not doing what you’re sorry for.

COMMENTS

Steve Eberhart: “If you can see it, you can be it.” I paused when reading that this morning. When I was at my first radio station at the age of 16, a co-worker and I visited KVIL in Dallas. It was thee station I aspired to work for.  They let us see the control room, and we stood there and admired the guys on the air. It was almost noon, so we saw Bill Gardner do his last break, and Jack Schell do his first break of the day. Behind us in an office, Ron Chapman walked out and said hello.  He couldn’t have been nicer and said, “Well, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like; just stay out of the way.”  I stood there mesmerized.  It was a funky old control room with a huge Gates board, and they even still played records on turntables. I watched and could figure out what knob controlled what and envisioned myself there being on the air.  A few years later, I was hired at KVIL, and my first night stood there, where I watched Bill and Jack.  I felt perfectly comfortable operating that board my first night because, in my mind, I had already done it over and over. I could see it, and I did it. (To Play or Not to Play)
Geo: You understood visualization early on, Steve, and it’s probably why you own a radio station today. 

Radio Geo’s Media Blog is a politically incorrect inside look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, Religion, and Life, primarily written with men in mind.
For a peek at upcoming Blogs or to see some you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.
If you’d like to subscribe, email your address to radiogeo@gmail.com.

When I moved from Canada for a new career in the US,  I came bearing secrets.

(a) After ten years of working with the diary method of harvesting ratings, I was very hip to its bias. (The diary method was on its way to America)
(b) While at CFTR in Toronto, I stumbled on a way to attract adult women to the radio using hit records. (It was later called AC)
(c) In Indianapolis, @ WIBC/WNAP, with the help of Jack McCoy, I discovered surge hour programming.

What are surge hours, you may ask?
Surge hours are those four special hours when 85% of the listeners in any given market are listening to the radio. You win those hours, and you win the day.

The first time I put the surge hour concept on the air was at WIBC AM in Indianapolis.
Next, we created “appointment tune-in” using a contest called “The Magic Ticket.” (We only played the contest four times a day and heavily promoted those times.)

When the new rating book came out, we went from a 13.1 to a 19.4, 12+, in an FM world.
Wow, color me a believer, and of course, we immediately put the concept on in Dallas at KVIL. 

Later, when I began consulting, I met a potential client named Gordon Zlot at a radio convention. (By then, I had gotten the hours down to half hours.).
Gordon, who was the owner of KZST in Sonoma County, wanted to know how I thought I could help him.

I responded, “If you bring me your rating book, I’ll give you a free sample of my work. 
The next day, when I gave him the four times he needed to win in order to be #1, he said, “How can that possibly be true?”

“Gordon,” I said, That’s when 85% of the people who listen to the radio in your market are listening. Gordon, being skeptical, took my surge hour concept to Arbitron and got them to do a special run for him.

The next time I saw him, he said, “Hey George, Arbitron claims you’re wrong; they say it’s 87%, not 85.
(Gordon and I ended up working together for over thirty years.)

.GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

Over the years, I’ve become a lot more liberal, but I’m definitely not a liberal.

Of the top 50 most dangerous cities in the world, Mexico has 17 (6 in the top 10), Brazil has 12,  USA 5 (St. Louis, Baltimore, New Orleans, Memphis, and Detroit, in that order.) South Africa 4, Venezuela 3, and Columbia 2.

Always hang out with people smarter and better than you; it tends to rub off.

A bad day for me is a day without laughter.

Have you ever noticed that the church needs money to solve its problems but wants you to pray to solve yours?

I think the longest-running scam of all time has to be “Savings Up To % off.” (Keywords, up to).

Is Morgan Wallen’s success a backlash?

If you watch the new documentary about Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions, it completely clears up the mystery of his retirement.

Why do we have to be politically correct about what names we use to describe the Arabs who brought down the Twin Towers and the thugs who sell drugs and kill people?

What I like about vigilantes is they don’t have to read anybody their Miranda rights.

You need to continue to educate yourself because the world we were taught to deal with no longer exists.

There is no safe way to become successful.

Winning never feels as good as losing hurts.

When you’re wondering why somebody doesn’t do something about a situation, maybe you’re the somebody you were wondering about.

Sometimes, you’ve got to get out of the town you grew up in because it’s where dreams die.

Unfortunately, some things just can’t be forgiven.

Have you ever noticed that what you should have said shows up seconds after you said what you shouldn’t have?

One of the strongest weapons in your arsenal is having the right to choose.

The world owes you nothing; it was here first.

Being educated doesn’t necessarily make you smart.

Hope fuels you.

The most popular music on the planet is Christmas Music. The only people who don’t like it are those who have to play it.

After sacrificing your integrity, you get to watch your leadership disintegrate.

Make no mistake about it: if the American Indians had as much money and power as the Israelis do, they’d be taking their land back, too.

COMMENTS

John Keogh: Great read, George. Radio never did adjust to new challenges; we all know that, but here are my 5 it should have met … and never did. 1)  Solve the disconnect between the advertiser and the service provider (station). 2)  Reduce commercial load while increasing revenue.  3) Eliminate tune-out points to extend Time Spent Listening.  4)  Respond to the ever-increasing need for better signal quality.  5)  Revive its lost ability to create talk. (An Ephinay)
Geo: Well said, John. It’s also nice to hear from the folks in the Motherland.

John King: George, you’ve shared an amazing and outstanding curriculum vitae. I am honored to have been along for a small part of the ride; it was uniquely rewarding. (About George Johns)
Geo: Thanks for being on board, John.

“Doug Thompson: George, I can’t sing, and I certainly can’t draw…so I guess I’m in BIG trouble. (To play or not to play)
Geo: What you are, Dougie, is brilliantly creative, which in its own way makes you gifted. However, you weren’t born with it; you learned it.