WELCOME TO JIM ROSE REMEMBERS RADIO
March 21, 2008 [Friday]
Issue #480

PASS IT ON! SIGN UP!
Send Your Comments And Radio Stories
Please Include Your Full Name, City, State And Country
rosekkkj@earthlink.net

GARY DELAUNE (San Antonio, TX) The date of Easter this year is Sunday, March 23, 2008. As you may know, Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar. Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22), but that is pretty rare. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here are the facts: The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are among the only ones that were around for that!). The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year! May your EASTER be a time for rejoicing!

TOM ASWELL (Denham Springs, LA) Subject: Danny Boy. Jim, the most beautiful version of Danny Boy I ever heard was done by Roy Orbison on his Memphis album. That album is difficult to find, but worth the hunt.

ROY ORBISON's Memphis album from 1972 is one of many of his in my vast record collection of LPs and singles. A couple of other great ballads in Roy's wonderful Memphis album are the Classic I Can't Stop Loving You and the Browns' #1 hit from the summer of 1959, The Three Bells. Have most of Roy Orbison's LPs in my treasury vault of Gold.

DON LOGAN (Shreveport-Benton,LA) Subject: Jim Rose Remembers Radio (#468-40) February 22, 2008 [Friday] Hi Jim...I enjoyed Jay Weaver's bit on Morgan Choate. Morgan was at KCUL when I was there and had been there long before I came. Good to catch up on his life. The last time I saw him was in Nashville during convention time many years ago and we went through the CMA Museum. Again, your JRRR, makes a connection and brings back good RADIO memories. Don Logan

CHARLES GEORGE (Dallas, TX) Hi, The story about the guy at KFMK reminds me of when I was at ETSU. I was taking a course in broadcasting in the speech department. At the time they did not have a station so they would send a signal over the cable. A friend let me be in studio to take requests. Anyway the story breaks that the Sheriff has been busted for Narcotics. I had a request for Magic Carpet Ride which I handed my friend telling him it was song two which was actually on track one. Anyway he starts the song and it starts to play and he goes I don't think that is the song we were going to play. It turned out to be the Pusher... The station manager to change to the more sedate tunes in the library for the evening. Charles George P. S. When KPCN would go off the air I then would hear XEX in Mexico City. At night even when KKDA is on the air it still will come in at times.

TRIVIA ANSWER: The Dixie Chicks astonish almost everyone when they win the Vocal Group of the Year award in 1998.

ANDY WALDROP (Houston, TX) Jim, What a pleasant surprise it was to see the E-mail from Charlie Ochs. Charlie came to KIKK a couple years after your departure from the station. He hired me to do some part-time stuff on both the AM and FM in 1980. He was a peach to work for and one of the nicest, if not THE nicest, PD's I ever worked for. I had the opportunity to visit with Charlie several years later when he was in San Diego. Though we haven't seen or talked-to each other in over 20 years now, I still consider Charlie a friend. It's good to see that he is doing well...and still gracing this business with his talents. Andy

IN AUGUST 1977 Chris Collier hires me as a DJ on KIKK FM here in Houston, TX. The day Elvis dies is when I'm on the I-10 road again but this time to Houston. Charlie Ochs is Music Director. Both KIKKs are still in the moldy old hurricane tormented building in Pasadena, TX. The new 2-story building on Gulfton in SW Houston is under construction. In early 1978 both KIKKs relocate from the Pasadena ediface over to the new superstructure on Gulfton. During the transfer on a Sunday morning in early 1978, I am the very first person on the air on KIKK FM in the new control room. Next, I move down the hall and get KIKK-650 started in its new salon. Quite a thrill to be the very first voice heard on the air in both of KIKK's new studios. Radio history is underway in Houston and I'm smack dab in the middle of it all. After Chris leaves, Bob Young comes in from the outside as the new KIKK FM PD. The legendary Joe Ladd remains mid-days on KIKK-650. Joe is a wonderful person who lasts for decades on KIKK. With KIKK FM's new PD all of Chris' promises head to the back 40. So, in 1978, Larry Vance PD of KNUZ-1230 lures me over as the all night DJ. Then he quickly moves me on up to the noon-3pm DJ spot. At the time it is a totally different atmosphere between KIKK and KNUZ in every single respect.

CHARLIE OCHS (Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL) I was doing the morning show and applied for the PD job when they gave it to Bob Young. We all were scratching our heads on why they hired him…bad PD and even worse jock. Jeez he was a bad jock! He had one stock phrase he would use at least 20 times a day…"…there’s another great positive love song…" I guess some research person somewhere told him positive love songs are important to the audience. I tried to help him as much as I could because I didn’t want to see the station hurt too badly. He was there less than a year when they got rid of him and Figenshu was transferred in from DC. Fig was great and we started a fabulous run with him as the PD, then National PD when Viacom bought the stations in 1980. When he left I was named PD. Al Greenfield was made President of the radio division when Viacom bought the station. Dean Hardy who was the GSM, and I ran the station for a few months and Al hired Shelly Davis (Mel Tillis’ former manager) as the GM. Shelly was about as qualified to be a GM as Bob Young was to be a PD. After Shelly was fired Nick Trigony came in and it was the beginning of 4 of the best years I have had in my career with Nick as the GM and Figenshu as the National PD. Charlie Ochs, SrVP, CBS Radio, Tampa Manager, St. Petersburg, FL

MUHAMMAD ALI (1942-p) Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Jim Rose and Tejas
Houston, Texas
________________________________________________________________