WKLO DJs and Newspeople
This page updated Monday, May 05, 2008

On this page we'll list all of the WKLO DJs and news people we know about, plus their current whereabouts. If you can help us flesh out this list or have corrections, please e-mail us. We're constantly updating this page as information comes in...so check back every few days to see how we're progressing.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

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Keith Adams WKLO DJ circa 1971. Do you know where he is today?

Omar Andeel WKLO newsperson in the early-to-mid '60s. Later worked for many years as a morning broadcaster on the Family Radio Network, plus spent many years on TV in San Francisco. Passed away in the 1990s due to colon cancer.

Johnny "Alligator" Argo Mid '60s WKLO nighttime DJ. Previously worked at WPOP in Hartford and KUDL in Kansas City. Later worked at WAKY. Deceased.

B

 

Larry Baker WKLO DJ in 1963 and 1964. Departed WKLO to go to WIFE in Indianapolis. He had a long successful career as Jerry Baker doing play-by-play for the Indiana Pacers, broadcasting Indiana High School games, and working on the Indy 500 network radio broadcasts. In the past few years he had worked for the Indiana High School Athletic Association as Director of Communications. He left the IHSAA in 2004. As recently as June 10, 2005 he was listed on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway website as a turn reporter for the Speedway's radio network.

Bill Bailey WKLO morning known as "The Duke of Louisville." Bill joined WKLO in 1965 from Winston-Salem, North Carolina and ruled the AM drivetime there through 1969, when he left to do mornings WLS in Chicago. He returned to Louisville six months later for morning drive at WAKY, where he stayed until 1981. Bill left WAKY for country-formatted WCII (the former WKLO) but returned to WAKY for another stint in 1985 and 1986. After leaving WAKY the second time, Bill did some airwork for Louisville's WTMT. In 1987 former WAKY PD Bob Moody asked Bill to join him at WPOC in Baltimore to team up with Laurie DeYoung for mornings, but after a few months, it was agreed that it wasn't a good fit. Bill retired from radio -- until being coaxed out in 1989 to do PM drive at WVLK-AM in Lexington where he remained until 1994. Bill is now in a Louisville-area nursing home recovering from a 2003 stroke. His mind is still sharp and old Bill Bailey wit remains. [Real Name: William Clyde Boahn]

Closed circuit message to WKLO alumni that worked with Bill Bailey
Contact the Webmaster for Bill's phone number. Bill would love to hear from you!
Or, write: Bill Boahn c/o Friendship Manor, 7400 La Grange Road, Pewee Valley, KY 40056

Ted Barbone WKLO morning drive DJ in the early '60s. Did a brief stint as Program Director. Do you know where he is today?

Steve Baron WKLO DJ and newsperson in the 1960s. Jocked the overnight show in 1965. Later worked at WAKY. Do you know where he is today?

Ed Bowman WKLO overnight and early afternoon jock in the late '50s and early '60s. Used to do remotes from the Parkmore Bowling Lanes. Left WKLO to take a job with the Chamber of Commerce in a Southern Indiana town. Do you know where he is today?

Bo Brady WKLO DJ in the 1970s. [Real name: Tad Murray] Tad writes: "I was at 'KLO from April (tornado week) 1973 till mid-1978. Bullitt County was my home but I was working at KSO, Des Moines before coming to WKLO. After leaving 'KLO I went to WNUU/WRKA. Today Tom Leech (voice of the UK Wildcats) and I do mornings on News-Talk-Sports WLAP in Lexington, Kentucky." Kentucky Radiomeister Rob Calhoun adds: "Tad also was PD and afternoon drive at WVLK-FM (K-93) for a couple of years in the eighties and at WAMZ before that. Tad (or Bo) was the jock who awarded Johnny Randolph a cash prize, discussed on the 1984 WHAS aircheck. Tad told me he caught hell. He defended himself by telling management Johnny used his real last name and he had no way of knowing who it was. A copy of the WKLO check made out to Johnny was proudly displayed in the WAKY break room for years." 

Chuck Brady WKLO PM Drive jock 1971-1973. Chuck writes, "It was one of the best times of my 40-year career." He's known as Jim Brady at WRQN-FM in Toledo, Ohio where he does PM drive as well as APD/MD duties. [Real name: Jim Felton]

Dick Braun WKLO midday DJ (circa 1971) from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Also worked at New Orleans' WTIX, Buffalo's WKBW, Cincinnati's WSAI. Louisville's WINN (under the names Dick Wagner and Wretched Richard) and WAMZ. Dick passed away on July 28, 2006 at the age of 77.

Chuck Browning WKLO late-morning jock in 1965. Chuck worked in Philadelphia, Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco after WKLO. Deceased. A May 1965 WKLO survey says of Chuck: "Memphis-born and raised. Quite active in theatrical work. Fractures the staff with his comic impersonations. Married and has a small daughter, Laura Denise."

Allen Bryan WKLO jock, newsman and later News Director. He jocked 9 a.m.-12 noon in the early '60s, 7 p.m.-12 midnight between 1964 and 1965, and the Hi-Fi Club in 1961 and in 1964. Allen writes: "During the years I was with WKLO, I started as the 6p-12m newsman, moved to doing afternoon drive news and 9a -12n DJ show at the same time, then to night time teen DJ, then back to news, then appointed news director, worked morning drive doing news with Bill Bailey for a couple of years, then off the air as Sales Marketing Manager, then a dual role and Manager of News and Information which included the news department. I finally left in December of 1973 to go to work for the Mayor of Louisville. I never went back to radio after that. In the news department we generally had about 4-5 full timers and 1-2 part timers, but at times we had as many as six full time news people. From 1964 on we always had at least one full times newsperson on the street, not doing regular newscasts. I'm retired...still living in Louisville. I've been here since 1960 except for my two years in the Army." Check out the Allen Bryan Audio Interview and the Allen Bryan Q & A.


Allen Bryan (April 2007)

C

Dave Carson WKLO DJ 1969-1970.
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Dave writes on September 15, 2007:

"Stumbled onto your site a while back and really enjoyed navigating my way through all the nostalgia. It was so eerie seeing my name listed, and here I am just down the road in Nashville. Although my time at WKLO was rather brief (fall  '69 – late spring '70), my memories of the station and of Louisville are quite vivid. Carl Wigglesworth hired me from WLAV, a Mike Joseph consulted Top 40 operation in Grand Rapids for 10p - 1a Monday -Friday, Mid. - 2am Saturday night (taped), and 2 -7 Sunday afternoon. Shortly after my arrival, Jack Sorbi left for I believe WNDE in Indianapolis and Mike Smith from WAKY replaced him in the 1-3 PM slot. It sounded cool having a two hour shift but as I recall, Mike wound up a slave to the sales department, locked in the production studio cutting and/or carting spots all day.

 
"I remember letting out a silent groan after entering the control room for the first time and laying eyes on that clunky push-button Gates console that I had suffered while working overnights at country formatted WEXL in Detroit a year or so earlier. At ‘KLO I wound up slip cueing the records to ensure fast starts. Technology was decidedly better in the brand new state-of-the-art-recording studio downstairs, outfitted with Scully 280 series 4-track, 2-track and 1-track decks along with a console featuring slide controls. I had never seen anything like it in a radio station. Sadly, all my production duties were carried out in the old studio upstairs.
 
"Preceding me on the air every evening from 6 to 10 was Carl Strandell who did a big personality show directed at teens with features such as 'Voice Your Choice', and his 'Crystal Ball' predictions. He would also banter with his grunting sidekick 'Muttley the Wonder-Dog.'  Carl also had a 1st class ticket and would hang around for meter readings until 'Big' Joe London arrived for his all-night gig. There were many nights when at the end of my shift, Strandell, newsman John Irwin, and I would head out into the night for some beer and conversation. First stop of course, was the Carnival Bar, a somewhat seedy establishment across the street from the station where the waitresses hustled lonely guys for drinks, in the days before the practice was outlawed. They seemed to know the ‘KLO crowd and put their efforts elsewhere. As you can imagine, 90% of what we talked about had to do with radio: stations, formats, jocks etc. – where we’d been and where we were going. On and on it went until we wound up at the 'White Swan,' a great workingman’s 24 - hour downtown restaurant where we’d each consume a massive T-bone steak, mashed potatoes, veggies and more for about $3.50. Well, coming up on 4 a.m. – time to head home and get to bed.  I also recall good times at the 'Office' club on Bardstown Rd. and at Masterson’s Restaurant in Old Louisville. Oh – can’t forget Lentini’s Italian.
 
"As there were no FM stations programming progressive rock in Louisville, the last hour of my weekday show was dubbed 'Underground' where I dimmed the lights and played album tracks. However, it was difficult to create much of a mood because the station still required that I come out of each song with the WKLO Sonovox stab and typical exit line. However, after receiving an advance acetate of John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band’s 'Live Peace in Toronto' concert, I broke this important ‘KLO commandment and that landed me in some hot water.  
 
"After WKLO I returned to Grand Rapids working again for WLAV and then WMAX followed by gigs at WTAC and WWCK in Flint. By the mid-seventies I was out of radio save for a brief fill-in at a jazz station in San Francisco. Later while living in Houston, Texas, I finally completed my BA in Journalism at the University of Houston. However, I wound up in ad sales - and print rather than broadcast including five years in LA with the Los Angeles Business Journal. It was while working in sales for Bud Paxson’s radio networks here in Nashville back in ’95 that I wrote my first book titled Rockin’ Down the Dial: The Detroit Sound of Radio, from Jack the Bellboy to the Big 8 (Momentum Books, 2000). It was a narrative history of radio in my hometown from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. Casey Kasem, Dick Purtan, and Bill 'Wild Willy' Hennes wrote jacket notes. Later I spent six years as Associate Publisher of the US edition of Audio Media, a trade publication serving the pro audio recording industry. In 2005, my second book, Grit, Noise, and Revolution: The Birth of Detroit Rock ‘n’ Roll was published by University of Michigan Press. It won the ARSC 2006 Award for Best Research in Recorded Rock Music. The paperback edition came out in 2006.
 
"For some strange reason, Louisville, more than any other town I’ve lived has always held a special fascination. Perhaps because I crammed a whole lot of living into the short time I was there. Even today whenever we’re driving through on 65 north, I find myself pointing to the old brownstone Hampton Hall Apartments on York Street near Broadway and for the umpteenth time, announcing to my wife and daughter:  'Hey, over there! That’s where I lived, right there on the fourth floor.'"

Ron Chilton Station Manager and announcer on WKLO-FM (which became WCSN).
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Ron writes on August 8, 2006:

"WKLO General Manager Ernie Gudridge and I were working on our Master's Degrees at U. of L. in 1973 when he asked me to come to work for him as station manager of WKLO-FM. I was excited to become part of the WKLO family even though FM radio was an unknown entity in those days. Mr. Gudridge divulged his plans for a 'NEW' station and format. Soon after I arrived we changed the call letters to WCSN (in honor of Great Trails owner Charles Sawyer) and contracted with Bonneville to provide us with 'Beautiful Music.'

"For the first few months hardly anyone knew what I was doing there (including myself at times). One morning I overheard Bob Cline ask Bill Love: ' Who is that guy and what the hell does he do here?' I would arrive at 5am at the KLO studios, disappear into the DUNGEON (the WCSN studio was located in the basement), do my morning show, then attend to my managerial duties until 2 p.m. and leave the building...with the ROCK JOCKS aka Bo Brady and Gary Major asking the same question: 'Who is that guy?'

"We did everything we could think of to bolster ratings and make FM a 'viable' frequency. (Who knew what it would become?) We even sold FM converters to auto owners for $9.95 with FREE INSTALLATION. AM radio was still 'the thing' in the mid-70s and WCSN-FM was viewed mostly as an automated monster in the dungeon that needed attention (much to the chagrin of the WKLO jocks) lest it stop working altogether.

"I was offered the position of station manager and chief announcer on WUOL, the new University of Louisville radio station in 1976. I stayed in Public Broadcasting for a couple of years, but longed for the competitiveness of commercial radio and went to work for Sunnyside Communications (WXVW) in 1980 and stayed with that company for almost 20 years (a long GIG in this business). Sunnyside bought WAVG (formerly WAVE radio) in the early '90s and I retired in 1998 while serving at Operations Director and morning DJ on WAVG playing the 'Music of Your Life.'

"I am now partially retired and working as a public speaker for Louisville Technical Institute, a part of Sullivan University in Louisville."

Bill Clark WKLO overnight jock in the mid '60s. Terrell Metheny says Bill was "the first black guy on a general market radio station in America back before EEO stuff came in." Bill went to Washington DC. Last heard, he was the pool announcer for the radio and TV networks that announce the President of the United States. Do you know where he is today?

Bob Cline WKLO weekend/swing jock for a large portion of the mid-to-late '70s. Gary Major reports Bob "did every air talent's voice in the city. Don't really know what he sounded like."
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Bob Cline writes on June 3, 2005:

"I worked at WKLO beginning in December, 1973. I did (as Gary Major offered) weekends and swing shifts till January, 1975.

"I went back to WKLO in February, 1976, did news on WCSN three nights a week, and did 2 or 3 weekend shifts. Remember those FM stations back then that played 'The World's Most Beautiful Music?' WCSN was one of those (soon to become "THE NEW KJ-100" in 1979). About June, 1976, I did middays in between Lee Gray in the morning and Bo Brady (Tad Murray) in the afternoon. Rusty Rodgers (God bless his soul) did evenings at that time. I was on middays live for about 4 months and then they infiltrated an automation system that eventually was pitched. I eventually did 11p - 2a from about January - August, 1977. At that time I left and went to WLAC in Nashville.

"I returned to the same company (Great Trails Broadcasting) in the Summer, 1980, and worked on KJ-100's AM, which had switched to Country 11. I eventually did afternoons there (with Bill Bailey in the morning for a little over 2 years. The call letters eventually became WCII. The station did well till about 1983, when Coyote and crew [at WAMZ] started kicking ass.

"By the way, I started seriously listening to WAKY and WKLO on Labor Day 1960!

"Today I live in East Louisville and I'm a Alcohol/Drug Counselor for a place called Ten Broeck Hospital. I love it. I quote lines from songs sometimes in group. Some of the other employees know I used to be in radio and tell the patients, who in turn ask me about it. There have been a few that all but freaked out, 'Wow, that was you?' I just say something like, 'Yeah, that was me! And just standing next to me will be added on to your bill.' They love it when we joke around with them.

"My boss asks me why I don't do something with radio these days and I just say something like, 'It ain't what it used to be!' And it isn't. I tune around just hoping to hear some semblance of what radio was in the '60s, '70s, '80s, hell, I'll even take the 90s. I get excited when I hear Dick Clark's 'Rock, Roll & Remember' on WASE in Ft. Knox on Sunday Nights. 'Oh, Dick Baby, keep em, comin'.' I respected the hell out of the guys on WSAI from January, 2003 to January, 2005, for doing what they did. They had fun. I listened to every God blessed word.

"I can remember standing in the studio of WAKY with Jim Brand and Timothy L. Tyler. I think it was in 1964. They did this experiment to see how many people they could fit in the studio, and this friend of mine & I went down to 5th & Jefferson Streets (on the bus mind you), at like 5:30 in the morning. I remember it was wintertime, that's all. It was a blast. Ed Bowman let me 'cue up' The Beach Boys "Surfin' Safari" in the old KLO studios in the Commonwealth Building. It was probably in the Summer of 1962. I floated home.

"See that's what was so fun about it all. We, the people in live radio, 'spinnin' the platters, makin' the chatter,' did all kinds of kind of risky, interesting stuff.

"Oh, by the way, I don't remember the bit about singing along with Paul Simon's 'Kodachrome' on WKLO in '76 or '77, but I don't deny that it happened. I probably did it, knowing me."

Stan Cook WKLO newsman in the mid-to-late '70s. Also worked at WAKY as well as stations in Indiana; Elizabethtown, Kentucky; and Lexington, Kentucky. Now does news for Louisville's NPR News Station, WFPL.

Roy Cooper WKLO PM Drive DJ in 1964. Also worked at WISH in Indianapolis, WPLO in Atlanta, WSAI in Cincinnati, WPOP in Hartford and WIBC in Indianapolis. The WPOP tribute site said that as of 1998, Roy was believed to be retired from radio in Indianapolis. Do you know where he is today?

Paul Cowley WKLO 6 p.m.-9 p.m. jock from the mid '50s to the early '60s. Previously worked at WLW in Cincinnati and WLEX in Lexington. Hired to replace Beecher Frank. Known for doing Coca-Cola Hi-Fi Club remotes from area high schools. Left WKLO to work for Chicago-based Polaris Broadcasting Company. Now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he works in the tourism industry. More about Paul Cowley

Jack Crawford WKLO DJ in the early '70s. On January 2, 2001 he became a regional sales executive with AP Radio, based in Los Angeles. Prior to that, he spent seven years with Westwood One, including time as a regional format manager. Before his time at Westwood One, Jack worked in Nashville as the general manager of WGFX-FM. Do you know where he is today?

Paul Crawford WKLO 9 a.m.-12 noon jock in the early '60s. Do you know where he is today?

Bill Crisp Morning DJ in 1964 and 1965. Known as "The Emperor." Left for WAKY when Terrell Metheny hired Bill Bailey to be WKLO's morning man. After leaving WAKY, Bill became PD and morning man at WLAP in Lexington, Kentucky. He later went to work as News Director and Anchor at WTVQ-TV in Lexington, plus did a morning slot at WKXO in Berea, Kentucky. Bill also co-owned radio stations in Delaware. He retired in 1993 and lives in Millsboro, Delaware. A May 1965 WKLO survey says of Bill: "Fourteen years professional experience. Tennessee native whose father was also in radio. Married and the father of two little Crispies. Enjoys playing, of all things, the flugelhorn!"

D

Chuck Diamond WKLO DJ who came from Peoria and worked for Robin Walker there. He did late nights in either '74 or early '75. In recent years, he has been in Rockford, IL, at WKMQ, and at WNTA, which he left in January, 2004. Do you know where he is today?

Mason Lee Dixon Late-night DJ for a short time in 1977 or 1978. He worked at WAKY from 1969 to 1972, then left for St. Louis and later, California. When he returned from California, Mason came to work at WKLO. He is currently employed at the Holiday Manor BP on US 42 (Brownsboro Road) in Louisville. [Real name: David Bratcher]

Eileen Douglas WKLO anchor/reporter and talk program host/producer (November 1970-June 1974) and News Director (June 1974-February 1976). Left WKLO for New York. She worked in WAKY's news department (September 1970-November 1970) before moving to WKLO. Eileen most recently worked as a correspondent on ABC TV's Lifetime Magazine. Before that she spent nearly 18 years at all-news WINS Radio, where she was the midday anchor for ten years, as well as a reporter, editor and writer. During those years she also worked as a weekend reporter for WNEW-TV, and as a news anchor for the ABC Radio network. While in Louisville, she was also co-host & producer of "NOW," a TV show on WHAS-TV. Today Eileen works in New York City as a partner at Steinman-Douglas Productions.


Eileen Douglas Today
WKLO

From a James Doussard Courier-Journal Column (June 1974):

Eileen Douglas has been named news director of WKLO Radio 1080 and WCSN-FM (99.7).

She will supervise and direct a staff of nine newscasters and reporters.

In making the appointment, the stations' president and general manager, E.A. Gudridge, said that, to his knowledge, Ms. Douglas "becomes the only woman now in charge of a separately staffed broadcast news department."

The selection was made, Gudridge said, based on "experience, preparation and journalistic perception."

Ms. Douglas joined WKLO News in November 1970 as a part-time reporter. For the past two years, she has been assignment editor and has produced a public-affairs program called "The News Special" broadcast at 8:30 a.m. Sundays on both stations.

She was graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University in 1968, earning election to Phi Beta Kappa.

A Syracuse, New York native, Ms. Douglas is married to Jeff Douglas, a WHAS Radio 840 broadcast personality. They have a daughter, Rachel, 3.

She is co-producer with Jeff of WHAS-11's weekly half hour show, "Now."

Before coming to Louisville, Ms. Douglas reported news for FM radio and TV stations in Syracuse and was a reporter and feature writer for The Syracuse Herald-Journal.

Ken Douglas Haberdashery employee-turned-WKLO personality during the British Invasion years. A native Englander, his British accent and knowledge of the Beatles and other English acts took the WKLO airwaves by storm in 1965. He normally was on during the 6 p.m. hour and his segment was initially called "Anglo-Mania." Toured with the Beatles and filed reports on WKLO. Friend of Davy Jones of the Monkees, with whom he went into the haberdashery business in California after leaving Louisville. Worked at WINN and WAKY after he and WKLO parted company. Now works in the retail clothing business in the Los Angeles area and lives in Marina del Ray, California. A May 1965 WKLO survey says of Ken: "Kentuckiana's only live in-person disc jockey hailing from London, England. Has seen many of the top English groups in person. Much in demand for personal appearances." Ken Douglas Audio Interview 1965 Ken Douglas Article

Tommy Downs WKLO country DJ in the 1950s. Fern Creek, Kentucky record collector Marty Childress reports that "Tommy Downs died in 1976. He had relocated to Nashville where he owned a recording studio. He also worked as a producer."

Jim Driskill WKLO part-time jock in the early to mid '60s. Do you know where he is today?

E

John Egan WKLO weekend and overnight DJ between April and October 1975. Previously did PM drive at WLAP in Lexington, Kentucky. Retired from radio after WKLO. Now lives in Orlando, Florida.

Mark Elliot WKLO DJ in the early '70s. [Real name: Rufus C. Hurt] Last known to be doing production work in the Johnson City, Tennessee area. Do you know where he is today?

Tim England WKLO-WCSN DJ and newsperson in the late '70s.
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Tim England (August 2006)

Tim England writes:

"I worked at WKLO-WCSN from May 1977 to May 1979. Initially, I was a jock for WKLO working weekends and then overnights. During the summer of 1978, I became a weekday announcer (middays) before making the leap to news during the winter of '78, and that's where I remained until May 1979.

"I left Louisville for graduate school at Indiana University in 1979 but continued working in radio news in Bloomington. After earning a master's degree in 1982, I worked briefly at WHAS before leaving for Richmond, Virginia, to work at the Virginia News Network. Three years later, in 1986, I returned to my native state to work as news director of WKYU-FM in Bowling Green and to teach at Western Kentucky University. Then in 1990 I went back to graduate school at the University of Tennessee where I earned a doctorate in 1994. For the past 12 years, I have been a professor at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, where I teach Mass Communication and serve as coordinator of the electronic media sequence.

 
"My first shifts at WKLO were quite memorable. The big news that first night in May 1977 was the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire. Also, there was a shooting that night down the street at Louisville Gardens. So, we had chaos up and down Walnut Street (Muhammad Ali Blvd.) which I observed through the storefront window.   For a small town boy from Eighty Eight, KY, life in the big city seemed action packed. 
 
"Another memory that sticks with me is pulling split shifts -- three hours as a rock jock on 'KLO and three hours as a low-key, soft-voiced beautiful music announcer on WCSN. I became quite the coffee drinker just to get through the latter half of my day.
 
"I worked with some wonderful people at WKLO -- Rip Rinehart, Steve Parker, Rusty Rodgers, Tad Murray (a.k.a. Bo Brady) -- but always lived in fear of aircheck reviews with Lee Gray and later Gary Major. 

"Nonetheless, they taught me a lot."

F

Ed Farron WKLO announcer between 1949 and 1953. [Real name: Edmund Futterman]
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Ed Farron writes on February 1, 2006:

"For old times sake I just checked the WKLO 'roster.' The only name I recognized was Beecher Frank; that's because I used to work with him between 1949 and 1953. Does anyone remember the mini music boxes he played on the air back then? He was a very talented, articulate guy!

"In the early 50's we did one of the very early 2-man disc shows: the Farron-Bright Show (Ed Farron and Robin Bright). Does someone know where Robin might be? I also did the Night Shift: a late night record show that followed the Foster Brooks Show. In the mornings, Jimmie Osborne and his little group would get the station rolling. Charlie Farmer did Farm News (surprise!). Mary Lou Moore wrote copy, D.C. Summerfield was the Chief Engineer and Joe Eaton the General Manager. Plus Randy Atcher...big time country player!

"...and I turned down WAVE when they offered me the first TV host spot in town, because they offered 5 bucks a week less than I was making at WKLO! Well, I was young in those days!

"I was reading a couple of letters from guys talking about the 50's. The early 50's was a great period in KLO history. Beecher Frank was certainly a big part of it. And Foster Brooks! He wasn't there long, but made lots of friends while he was around. Then he went on to national fame.

"Jean Clos; News Director. I wonder how many remember him and his 'Clos Look at the News.' He'd come in about 9:45 pm (or later) to do a 15-minute 10:00 o'clock newscast (a bit worse for the wear). He'd rip the news off the machine, put it together in some sort of fashion, and ad lib around the stories...making this his 'Clos Look at the News.'

"In the afternoon, a genial record shop owner on Louisville's main street would do a live, remote 15-minute record show from behind his store-front window. The theme song was Glenn Miller's 'String of Pearls.' Afterwards, the 2-hour Farron-Bright Show...which featured a constant flow of doughnuts, chocolates, ice cream, etc...provided by our sponsors, and wolfed down during the show by the two of us while plugging the contributors. Great fun.

"Someone mentioned Jack Bendt. He arrived at KLO about 1951. I don't know how long he stayed. Jack Everbach (a local boy!) was one of the announcers. It would be great to hear from him. And I wonder if the station is still doing the live Organ Show from the bar of the Henry Clay Hotel. (I doubt it).

"I left WKLO in '53 to go to WBBM, Chicago. Would really enjoy hearing from anyone who recalls that era. Anyone still around?

"I'm retired. The last gig for me was 'Swingin' the Blues' at the local University radio station (KCSN). Did this for a couple of years, on Saturdays, and gave it up a few years ago. Now I'm just a listener."

Jim Fletcher WKLO jock and newsman during the 1960s from Guthrie, Oklahoma. Later went to work at WAKY. Deceased. A May 1965 WKLO survey says of Jim: "Six year veteran of our Air Force. Hails from Guthrie, Oklahoma. Responsible for much of the production you hear on the air. Member of the Clarksville Little Theatre Board of Directors."
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Allen Bryan writes:

"I worked with Jim in Lawton, Oklahoma before we both joined WKLO. Jim came to Louisville first, probably in late 1959, and I followed in May of 1960. He recommended me to Barney Groven.

"Jim was a very quiet and self-contained intelligent guy and was an excellent production person. He loved producing commercials and promos and was an artist with splicing audiotape. He was a DJ, but he preferred production. His most unique quality as a DJ was that you could walk into the control room while he was talking on the air, and you couldn’t actually hear what he was saying. He always used a very low volume voice level, and he always sounded great. I finally learned to appreciate his approach and in my later years at WKLO lowered by voice projection level considerably. Jim used to tell me, 'You don’t have to shout. That’s what the microphone and amplifiers are for.'

"On a personal level, Jim was well read, liked classical music and was active in amateur theatre. Unfortunately we lost touch with each other after he went to WAKY and I went into government."

Joe Fletcher WKLO overnight jock in the early-to-mid 1960s. Also worked at WAKY. Later worked at WAVE/WAVG for many years. Now retired in Louisville.

Tom Foerster WKLO sports reporter in the mid '70s. He subsequently went to work at an ad agency in Louisville. Do you know where he is today?

Beecher Frank WKLO night jock in the mid '50s who played pop music while the rest of the DJs played country (and thus had a large teenaged audience). Left WKLO to work for WGRC (which became WAKY) and was replaced by Paul Cowley. Also did radio in Miami, Florida and Lexington, Kentucky. He died in 1994 in his hometown of Somerset, Kentucky.
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Bernice Apte-Plante of Ennis, Montana writes:

"Beecher was my ex-husband's uncle. After he left radio, Beecher took over his mother's business and retired...just dinked around with antiques, etc. His wife Gloria is still living in Somerset. Beecher was a real character, curious about everything and everyone -- and very well read. He was one of my favorite people. He marched to his own drummer!"

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Jack Gallo WKLO night jock for about a year in 1964 and 1965. He also did some newscaster duties. Jack previously worked with Bill Crisp, Chuck Browning, and Charlie Fletcher at WKGN in Knoxville, Tennessee. He left WKLO to go to WAVE where he remained for over a decade, and departed WAVE for a two year stint at WMT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Today Jack does mornings at WAMB in Nashville, Tennessee where he's been since the early '90s. A May 1965 WKLO survey says of Jacks: "Handsome and personable with a large following. His position as Music Director keeps him on top of the record business. Another of our airmen who received his radio baptism in Memphis."

Mike Gavin WKLO DJ in the early '60s. After WKLO, Mike was half of the morning team (when that was unheard of) at WCPO 1230 Radio in Cincy (the "Shad & Mike Show"). Prior to 'KLO, he was on the air at WMNI in Columbus, Ohio. Bob Shannon reports in July 2006 that Mike came out of a nine-year retirement to become Sales Manager at Cincinnati oldies outlet WDJO (1160 AM).

Lee Gray WKLO jock in 1967-1968, 1970-1973 and 1973-1978. Previous on-air stints included gigs in Albany, Milwaukee, Chicago and Cleveland. Also worked at WMCA in New York City and WBBF in Rochester, New York. He began his career in Germany in the early '60s while in the Army. Worked at WAKY between his second and third stints at WKLO. Enjoyed flying. Became Program Director during his last tour at WKLO. Left WKLO to begin a Christian ministry at KGOL in Houston, Texas. Continued working in Christian radio at in KSBJ in Humble, Texas for the last seven years of his life. Passed away in 1996 in Kingswood, Texas. [Real name: Royce Lee Darling] Official Lee Gray Website
WKLO

Tim England writes: "I was a deejay and program director in Bowling Green before I came to Louisville. My girlfriend graduated from college and got a job in the River City, so I put together a decent resume and tape and headed there to look for a job. I called ahead, and the program directors of WAVE (don't remember his name), WHAS (Jerry David Malloy) and WAKY (Johnny Randolph) were all very gracious and agreed to see me on the same day, but when I called Lee Gray he was very gruff and said 'No, I don't want to see you. I don't want to listen to your aircheck. Don't bother. Heck, I might like you, and I have a full staff. If I liked you, I might have to fire somebody, and I don't want to fire anybody right now.'

"Well, awrighty then. I'll skip that interview, thank you very much. So, I went to Louisville in mid-May 1977 and saw Randolph and Malloy and a couple of others. Then I was about ready to go home and was walking down the street toward my car when, lo and behold, I found myself in front of the storefront studios of WKLO. I thought, 'What the hell, I've got this extra tape and resume. I'll just leave it at the desk.'

"I went in and told the receptionist what I wanted to do, and she said, 'Mr. Gray is here. Do you want to see him?' I said, 'Oh no. I don't want to do that.' And I turned around and left the station and left Louisville. Would you believe he called me the next day and offered me a job? He told me someone on his staff quit the day I showed up. I guess I was at the right place at the right time on that particular day.

"I asked him once why he used the 'stage' name, Lee Gray, and not his real name, Lee Darling. He replied, 'We're in the South, son. You don't go on the air and call yourself "Darling"!!'"

_________________________

Former WKLO and WAKY newsman Reed Yadon, when asked if it was true if Lee Gray was his flight instructor, replied: "Lee did check me out in several different airplanes. I was already licensed, but he did serve as the check-out pilot for retractable GA airplanes and did some work on me on multi-engine aircraft.

"Lee and I used to take friends and fly to Florida for the weekend. Once we went down to Florida and back in the same day just for the heck of it. Lee had to get back to do a Coke Hi-Fi club remote that night. We brought some sand back to prove our trip.

"We landed at O'Hare Airport in a single engine plane at 3 a.m. once. We had left Louisville after our Friday evening shift to spend the weekend in Chicago. On final approach we were spaced between jets and we darn near had to maintain cruise airspeed to keep from getting run over by the jet following us. Also the controller asked if we had the runway in sight and I replied, 'Yes, the one with the lights on' and he replied, 'Sir, we have 18 runways with lights on.'

"Lee was a very good plot and loved his flying. I learned a great deal from him as flying is nothing more than a constant process of learning. He was also helicopter rated.

"Lee was a great guy who died far too young."

WKLO

UPI Wire Report: September 18, 1968

Would-be car thieves might keep this one in mind. Louisville police this afternoon spotted a 1966 blue Corvette Stingray with New York license pates traveling at high speed downtown on Ninth Street. Patrolman Alton Carr immediately telephoned the [police] station to inquire if there was an stolen car report. There was none. But a radio station newsman -- Reed Yadon of WKLO -- was monitoring the police radio...and recognized the description as a car owned by a fellow disc jockey (Lee Gray) then on the air.

It took a few minutes to convince the DJ his car had been taken from his parking spot near the radio station, but Yadon contacted the police. The stolen vehicle was stopped. One youngster ran outside and eluded officers, but the other, a 17-year old Louisville boy, was arrested. All the while the two youths had been listening to the car radio -- tuned to the newsman's account of the theft. A lesson might be: Make sure that car doesn't belong to a disc jockey.

 

Jon Grey WKLO late-morning jock that joined WKLO in 1967. Native of Owensboro, Kentucky who previously worked in Evansville, Indiana. Left WKLO to go to Pittsburgh. [Real name: Jon Fantini]
WKLO

Jon writes on April 21, 2005:

"I go by the air name Jon Summers and work in television now. I'm with WKBW-TV, Channel 7 in Buffalo, New York.

"I joined WKLO early in the year of 1967; I don't remember whether it was February or March. was only there about a year, but it was one of the most memorable years in my some 47 years in the industry.

"Perhaps the most memorable, but not the most pleasant, was the day one of the major ratings came in and apparently I kicked butt. Mitch Michael, the PD, called me into his office and told me about the ratings. However, instead of congratulating me and telling me "good job," he looked at me and said he just didn't get it, but I must be doing something right. Then he said he was busy and had to get back to work.

"Other than that, I had a great year."

Barney Groven WKLO PD 1959-1962 and in 1964. Barney went to WKLO in 1959 as program director when the station changed format to fulltime Top 40. At the time he was married to Dottie Knight (real name: Dottie Unwin) who did nights at WKLO. (They divorced in 1964.) According to Dottie, "Barney once said he got his start in radio by hanging around a station in his hometown of Piqua, Ohio until they finally gave in let him go on the air. Before WKLO, Barney worked at several radio and television stations including KEPO in El Paso, Texas. After leaving WKLO in 1962, Barney worked in New York City in radio sales. He also worked at KRIZ in Phoenix, Arizona, before his return to WKLO in 1964. Sometime in 1965, he worked briefly at WTOD in Toledo, Ohio. In 1965 he was hired to work at WLCY in Tampa, Florida as a newsman using the name J. Paul Robinson. He remained there until sometime in the mid '70s. While employed at WLCY, Barney also worked as a consultant to several radio stations including WKKE in Asheville, North Carolina. After leaving radio, Barney went into business with his second wife, Carlotta." Barney passed away in October of 1998 at the age of 62 due to lung cancer.

Fleetwood Gruver III (Yes, that was his real name and air name.) WKLO production director who tried to fill the shoes of Mike Rivers. Fleetwood left Louisville to go to Atlanta. Gary Major says Fleetwood was the "first radio guy I knew that had a BMW." Today Fleetwood is in Orlando, Florida as Operations Manager of Cox Broadcasting's WHTQ and WMMO. (He programs WMMO directly.)

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Jody Hein WKLO newsperson in the mid '70s. Now Jody Puckett, she is Acting Assistant County Administrator for James City County, Virginia.

Bill Hennes Was WKLO night jock Wild Willy 1966-1967. Later returned to WKLO as Program Director (1971-1973). Left WKLO to be PD of CLKW in Windsor-Detroit. Became a program consultant in 1981. Bill now runs AllAboutCountry.com from his home in Wilmington, North Carolina. Bill Hennes Audio Interview

Bob "Bones" Henry WKLO newsman and "Director of Special Events" in the 1960s. Retired from WKLO in 1971 He had worked at WKLO for 16 years, and previously at WINN and in Paducah. Got his start in radio in the Army Air Corps in 1941. Became a Kentucky State Representative for the 39th District (Downtown Louisville). [Real Name: Robert Henry Eicher] Died in the Early '90s at the age of 67 in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Beverly Herald The wife of Bill Love, she did news for WKLO and WCSN for about a six-month period in the mid-70s. She and Bill are still married and live in the Evansville, Indiana area.

Montgomery Hogg WKLO DJ around 1970. He was the jock who flipped the Rugbys' 45 from "Stay With Me" to "You, I" and it became a national hit. Based on that, he was offered a gig at SSS International (Shelby Singleton) in Nashville where he produced the first two "Bootleg Top 40" compilations. After that, he moved onto Elektra as National Country Promotion Director signing folks like Eddie Rabbitt. [Real Name: Mike SuttleDo you know where he is today?

Joe Holcomb WKLO morning drive DJ in the early 1960s. He later DJ-ed at WSIX in Nashville and played Bozo the Clown on WSIX-TV for several years, plus moonlighted as Santa Claus at Harding Mall. Deceased.

Jim Holton WKLO evening DJ for about three months in the '70s. Tim England writes: "Jim and I worked in radio together in Bowling Green (WBGN) and Louisville (WKLO). He then went back to Bowling Green to work as a weatherman for WBKO-TV. After that, he left broadcasting to work for the Bowling Green-Warren County Chamber of Commerce in the late 1980s. Later he became economic development director for neighboring Logan County." Today Jim is a consultant based in Somerset, Kentucky.

Jack Hood WKLO Morning DJ. He had been Assistant PD of WJR (the Great Voice of the Great Lakes) in Detroit. Gary Major says, "I hired him to come in and do mornings. He had been on a station in Flint, Michigan when I was in Saginaw...and I always liked his style. We paid him big bucks for the time. He was a good guy and would have really done well here but he was coming in just before the other shoe fell." Jack also worked at WCEN in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan and WTRX in Flint, Michigan, among other stations. He passed away at the age of 60 in March, 2002.

"Daddy" Dee Humphries WKLO nighttime DJ (6 p.m.-10 p.m.) hired by Lee Gray in the '70s. Dee had been PD at Black-formatted WLOU. Gary Major reports that Dee used to arrive about 6:15 as he had to walk down from the Greyhound bus station six blocks away where he was customer service/counter help during the day. Do you know where he is today?

"Hitman Mac" Hunter WKLO weekend and overnight DJ 1976 through 1979. Currently a traffic reporter with Metro Traffic in Louisville. He also owns a car shop where he builds and sells sports cars. [Real Name: Lloyd McKinney Hunter]

Dave Hutcheson WKLO's last morning man ("Hutch in the Morning"). Gary Major says Dave "had been doing PM Drive. When Jack Hood decided that he was seeing the other shoe fall...and got out of town...I knew I was in trouble as the PD when Jack called me and said he had returned to Michigan (after working that morning). This happened on my birthday. 'Happy Birthday Gary!'" Today Dave is the morning man of WBTM in Danville, Virginia. (More from Hutch here.)

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John Irwin WKLO newsman in 1969 and 1970. Dave Carson writes: "He came to 'KLO from WERK in his hometown of Muncie, IN. and was the evening news guy from the fall of '69 to fall of '70. In addition he deejayed the all-night show on Sunday night. After WKLO he returned to WERK. The rest is a bit foggy but eventually his career included stints as General Manager of WYNY (NBC's FM in New York) around 1986 and later as GM at WBZ in Boston during the late '80s. After that we we lost track of each other." Do you know where he is today?

Jim Ives WKLO overnight jock in 1966. Also worked at WKLO using the name Jim Russell. Later taught broadcasting at Jeffersonville High School. Deceased. [Real name: Jim Reuff]

Quinn Ivy WKLO PM drive DJ in 1961. Allen Bryan writes: "There was a guy named Quinn Ivy who was a DJ and a record producer that was associated with some of the recording that was done in the studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama starting in the late '60s. I have done a Google search and the majority of the hits are related to the fact that he produced 'When a Man Loves a Woman' by Percy Sledge. I think he is also credited as being one of the writers."  Do you know where he is today?

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David James Worked in the WKLO newsroom in 1978 and 1979. [Real name: David Smith]
WKLO

David writes on July 22, 2005:

"In my freshman year of college I was an intern at WHAS-TV in the fall of 1977. Jess Peterson was News Director at WKLO at the time, and was going to start an internship program there in January 1978. I saw a posting at school, applied and was his first intern! My father, Jim Smith, was an anchor/reporter at WLKY-TV 32 from 1961-69, so I always had an interest in TV and radio.

"After being at WKLO a few weeks, Bernie Thompson allowed Jess to add me to the payroll. I learned a lot back then from Jess and Dave Jacob Straub and Barry Steiger...and became friends with Bo Brady, Rusty Rodgers, Hitman Mac, Tim Hurst, Don St. John, Scott Thompson and others.

"I have fond memories of giving Bo Brady his morning 'wake-up; calls to make sure he'd roll in for his 5am show, late nights downstairs listening to new records, WKLO Pepsi Basketcases ballgames, backstage with Rusty and John Denver at Freedom Hall, Hitman's first ride in his Porsche with the headlights taped in place, Sunday night White Castle runs...the list goes on! I was like a sponge back then, soaking up everything I could from everyone willing to share and teach -- and I am to this day, grateful for all who shared their time and knowledge with me.

"I then worked a series of radio shows in smaller markets, and my last gig in radio ended in 2001 as host of 'Morning Talk with Dave James' at WULF-FM, a 50,000 FM station based in Radcliff, KY, when it was an all-talk formatted station.

"Today, I am in real estate property management and still own and operate a Mobile DJ business (At Your Service DJ's ), begun with my first gig via WKLO back in '78, thanks to Gary Major not wanting the gig! The mirror ball and motor I still use today was purchased for that first paying gig in '78 from the old Ayr-Way store at the former Bashford Manor Mall!

"My wife, Donna and I live in Crestwood, KY. She has three grown daughters and I have a son who is the Sports Editor for a weekly newspaper and a daughter attending EKU. We're going to become grandparents for the first time in October 2006. My, how times flies!

"I'd love to hear from anyone from that era and thank John Quincy for his creation and dedication to this site!"

Jack James WKLO nighttime DJ in 1964. Do you know where he is today?

Michael Jennings On-air personality in the mid '50s. His son Marc writes: "After WKLO, he left radio for a time, then returned to the air on WLIR in the Garden City Hotel, Garden City, Long Island. (Another of the hotel's claims to fame is that Charles Lindbergh stayed there before leaving for
France.) Dad's was a late-night talk show. I was on a few times. After that, Dad left live on-air, but he did make another foray into radio via tape. He created a company called Radio Upstarts. The key program was a nostalgia/history-brought-to-life show called 'Time Was...' Alas, the time wasn't right for it. He moved on to other endeavors, primarily writing and advertising. He died in 1989."

Jim Jensen Newsman in the late '70s. Died October 18, 1999.

Rex Jones WKLO afternoon drive DJ in the early '60s. Worked at KAKC in Tulsa, Oklahoma as PD in the late 1950s. Left WKLO to go to KDEO in San Diego, California and eventually became PD at KLIF in Dallas, Texas in 1963. Died in Dallas in 1998.

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Jackson Kane WKLO newsperson who was became News Director at one time. Came to Louisville from Memphis in April 1969 as a DJ at WAKY. He moved to WKLO in December 1969. Kane retired in 2002 after a long career in radio news. He produced a syndicated commentary called "Kane's World" for a number of years. He served in the United States Marine Corps, and fought in the Korean conflict. [Real name: Carl Wigley] Died October 27, 2004.

Sherrie Kendall Newsperson in 1977. Also worked at WAKY. Do you know where she is today?

Tom Kennedy WKLO jock 1972-1974. Left WKLO to go to do PM drive at WCOL in Columbus, Ohio, also owned by WKLO's parent company, Great Trails. Now works for ABC's Adult Contemporary programming service in Dallas, Texas. [Real name: James Barnes]

Dottie Knight (Groven) Barney Groven's wife; did 9 p.m.-12 midnight from 1959-1961. Native of El Paso, Texas, where she worked at KEPO. Barney and she divorced in 1964. Dottie worked in other on-air radio gigs in Louisiana, Ohio, New York, and New Jersey. Worked several years in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, as Lolita at WLCY and Jackie Lae at WFSO. Retired from broadcasting in the early '70s. Today she's remarried and living in Scottsdale, Arizona where she works part-time as a respiratory therapist specializing in asthma education. [Real name: Dorothy Unwin]


Dottie Knight (April 2007)

Ken Knight WKLO newsman for eight years in the 1960s, specializing in courts coverage. Ken was a native of Austin, Minnesota and was in Louisville radio for nearly two decades, working also at WINN and WKYW. He passed away in a Louisville hospital at the age of 47 around 1974 after a long illness. He was unmarried. [Real name: Francis Ververka] Deceased.

Charlie Knox WKLO overnight and late-morning DJ in the mid '60s. Later worked in Denver, Houston, New York and San Francisco using the airname Rick Shaw. Deceased. A May 1965 WKLO survey says of Charlie: "Youngest and tallest member of our Air Force. Possessed with a great voice. Keeps things really swinging through the wee hours of the morning."

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Ron Lake and Dan Mason (November 2007)

Ron Lake WKLO night jock in 1973 and 1974. Now lives in Nashville, Tennessee where he works as a software trainer. [Real Name: Jim Hicks] From the "If You First You Don't Succeed" Department: Ron's WKLO Rejection Letter from PD Bill Hennes.

Robert E. Lee WKLO part-time jock for about 6 months in 1975. He programmed WXVW in Jeffersontown in 1972, then moved down to Lexington to do afternoon drive at WVLK. Left WKLO to do nights at WTMA in Charleston, South Carolina, followed by afternoons at cross-town WCSC. He later came back to Charleston and worked at WKQB. Today he's a Web positioning consultant based out of California. [Real name: Gerry Cunningham]

Shotgun Sam Lee WKLO night jock in 1973/74; Gary Major says about Sam: "Mostly Native American...all crazy." Now retired and living in Seattle, Washington. Sam's Website

Sam Lee writes on March 3, 2008:

"Think I got hired by Robin Walker in mid Spring 1973, just before the April ratings were underway. I came up to KLO from putting WCGQ on the air in Columbus, GA. Robin hired me because I was a good bull rider. (That's an in joke since both he and I also rode bucking horses in rodeos from time to time.) I replaced the Rock and Roll Pig, Ron Lake. Danny Mason was in his final few weeks at KLO at the time. Big Bill Love was mornings, Gary Major was trying to do middays, Bo Brady was PM drive then me. After Ron Lake left, Robin hired Chuck Diamond from Cincy.

"Ty Meredith was news director. Mike Rivers was in production. Was there through the summer of 1974 and left to return as PD of KISN in Portland, Oregon. Following KISN I spent several more years on-air and then migrated into sales in radio and TV for about ten years, finally settling in Seattle, WA and owning a broadcast advertising agency until I retired in 2002.

"Photos? Why heck no, I had to get rid of them when I got married. But there are tons of great stories. Stories about Bob Cline. One time I took three or four vacation days to visit Bob at his gig in Paducah. When I arrived in town, he got fired! Or the night on the air when Rusty Rodgers was trying to do a newscast and he was, as usually, murdering every pronunciation in the book. For instance he was talking about Dull-lou Airport in Washington DC. You and I knew it as Dulles. Or he was talking about the Cincinnati Red rooster. Most folks would have said ROSTER. Or the time Rusty got a job in Anchorage. Got married, got a new four-by-four and drove for a solid week to get to the new station. When they got there, the station had been sold and, you guess it, the new owners knew nothing about Rusty's hire. So we sent him gas money and home they came!

"There are a ton of them!"

John Locke WKLO DJ circa 1971. Previously worked at WAKY. Left radio in the early '70s to work in the construction of water towers, which took his life in January of 1974 at the age of 35. Last lived in New Albany, Indiana.

Jimmie Logsdon WKLO country DJ in the 1950s. Died in October of 2001.
WKLO

10/08/2001 - Jimmy L. Logsdon, 79, Louisville, died Sunday at his daughter's residence. He was born on April 1, 1922 in Panther, KY. The son of a Methodist minister, he began singing in his father's church choir at the age of 12 and first played clarinet at school before changing to guitar. Between 1944 and 1946, he served in the Air Force and on release opened a record shop in LaGrange, KY. By 1948 he was performing locally and received a break in 1950, when he won his own 15-minute country radio show, first on WLOU but later on WINN Louisville. In October 1952, Decca Records heard him singing on his own show and signed him to the label. He was also helped by his friendship with Hank Williams, by whom he was greatly influenced. At times his style was very similar and with whom he toured in 1952. In January 1953, his double-sided tribute release "The Death of Hank Williams'' and "Hank Williams Sings the Blues No More'' gained him considerable acclaim, although it failed to make the national country charts. Jimmy also had one of his songs "I've Got a Rocket in My Pocket'' used in the soundtrack of the movies "The Right Stuff'' and "The Iron Giant.'' Soon afterwards together with his band, the Golden Harvest Boys, he began his live Country & Western Show on WHAS-TV, Louisville, with his sister Martha Jean called the Bargain Ranch, as well as maintaining a country radio show on WKLO. (Courier-Journal Obituary)


Big Joe London Today

Big Joe London WKLO overnight DJ between 1969 and 1971. In 1971 he joined WRNC in Raleigh, North Carolina as AM Drive DJ, reuniting with former WKLO PD Carl Truman Wiglesworth who was PD there at the time. Joe later became Program Director at WMOH in Hamilton, Ohio from 1973-1980 with WAKY PD Johnny Randolph consulting the station. Joe is currently the Technical Operations Manager at WXIX-TV, Fox 19 in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he's been since 1981. He also does weekend airwork at Oldies 1160 WDJO in Cincinnati. Joe resides in Fairfield, Ohio. [Real Name: Joe Luebbe] Joe was featured in the Louisville's Midnight Cowboys article.

Lee London WKLO DJ circa 1971. Do you know where he is today?

Bill Love WKLO jock in the first part of the '70s who sometimes went by the name "Brother Love." He's also worked at WBKR in Owensboro, Kentucky; WPOP in Hartford/New Haven; WHK in Cleveland, Ohio; WKGN in Knoxville, Tennessee; WDOD in Chattanooga, Tennessee; WFBC in Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina; WHOO in Orlando, Florida; WSLR in Akron, Ohio; and WLAP in Lexington, Kentucky. He's been the midday personality at country-formatted WKDQ in Evansville, Indiana since 1992. [Real name: Bill Herald.] 1975 Bill Love Article
WKLO

Bill writes on March 30, 2005:

"Thanks for starting this website. It's so nice to have some way to capture those memories.

"I was at 'THE BIG 1080' from 1971 thru 1976. I started out doing 6-10 p.m., then 10 a.m-2 p.m. and then three years against 'The Duke' on morning drive.

  
"As you remember the studios during the '70s were right on Walnut Street and all us single jocks would watch the pretty ladies walk down Walnut on their way to work. I made up a sign that said 'ARE YOU MARRIED?' One particularly attractive young lady nodded 'NO' and we ended up having lunch that day (it was 1974). We'll have lunch again today and also on August 7 when we celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary!"

Bob Lyons WKLO DJ; came to WKLO from WINN. (May have gone back to WINN before going on to Cleveland.) Do you know where he is today?

Chuck Lyons Airname of WKLO engineer Pete Boyce who was pressed into service one night as an all-night jock. Here's how Pete tells it: "I was at the WKLO transmitter late one Friday night when Mitch Michael came in and asked if we still had turntables and tape machines at the transmitter site. We did. Mitch had been out doing the 'Coca-Cola Hi-fi Club of the Air' (live dance at local high school). Mitch handed me a box of 45 records from the dance kit and told me I was doing the all night show at midnight. I'm an engineer, not a jock. But in the true spirit of one who does his best -- and since the rest of the jocks were all home with the flu -- and Mitch was coming back in at 6 a.m. to do the morning show...well, Chuck Lyons was born. (My middle initials are C.L.) We had no jingles and no current hits in the dance kit...so I had the 9 to 12 jock feed jingles, liners, the stab and hits down the spare program line to me so I could record them on the Magnacord reel-to-reel recorders at the transmitter. I did the show using the Maggies as spot machines, rewinding and cuing each time I needed them. My then boss, Bruce Clark, came in at 6 a.m. and wondered what was going on. I happen to have an aircheck of that show, made by one of the jocks who taped it at home. It happened a few more times, but not on a regular basis."

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Gary Major Joined WKLO as a jock in September, 1973. He was PD from January, 1978 until the station became "The New KJ100" in late May of 1979. He still lives in Louisville, where he recently celebrated 38 years in radio. He is the Operations Manager of WJIE's international shortwave station, which broadcasts Christian programming to over 150 countries.


Gary Major (2007)

Frank Malone WKLO DJ circa 1963. Do you know where he is today?

Allen Martin WKLO newsperson in the early '70s. Do you know where he is today?

Dan Mason WKLO weekend and overnight jock in 1973 and 1974. Previously in WEKY in Richmond, Kentucky and WVLK in Lexington, Kentucky. Left WKLO for WZGC in Atlanta. Later went to WPGC in the Washington, DC market as Program Director. Eventually he got into General Management, and retired as President of Infinity Radio in 2002. Now works as a consultant. [Real Name: Danny Ray Masden] Dan Mason Audio Interview


Dan Mason (2005)

Tom Maxedon WKLO newsman in the 1960s. He left WKLO for WAKY. Now retired in Louisville.

Bob McDonald WKLO newsperson. Do you know where he is today?

Ty Meredith WKLO newsperson in the early 1970s. He succeeded Allen Bryan as News Director. Ty was the one responsible for bring Lee Gray to the Lord. He left WKLO to work at a station in Atlanta, and is believed to have later worked in Louisville at WFIA. Do you know where he is today?

Mitch Michael WKLO PM drive jock and Program Director between 1964 and 1968. Previously worked at WKDA (Nashville), WOKY (Milwaukee) and WQXI (Atlanta). He left WKLO in early 1968 to become National Program Director of Southern Broadcasting Company. Later he programmed WMCA in New York where one of his DJs was Lee Gray. Now retired in Van Buren, Arkansas and studying for ordination in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. [Real Name: Terrell L. Metheny, Jr.] A May 1965 WKLO survey says of Mitch: "'Mighty Mitch' is recognized as one of the country's top DJs. Serves as our Program Director. As energetic off the air as he is on. Wife, Carolyn, was also quite active in radio." Mitch Michael Audio Interview

Rex Miller WKLO DJ in the early '60s. He worked in at least a dozen markets during the '60s. Rex left radio in 1971 to pursue a writing career, and operated a successful mail-order business dealing in comic, stage, screen, radio, and superhero collectibles. He had a number of horror stories and books published over the years. [Real Name: Rex Miller Spangberg] He died in 2004 at the age of 65.

Rick Morgan WKLO DJ who shared the Hi-fi club with Paul Cowley in the early '60s while Allen Bryan was in the Army. Do you know where he is today?

Julian Mouton WKLO newsperson in the early '70s. Do you know where he is today?

Pat Murphy WKLO DJ that started on the all-night show. Later went to WAVE and then on to Kansas City. Deceased.

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Jimmie Osborn WKLO country DJ in the 1950s. A native of Winchester, Kentucky, he was a traditional country singer, songwriter, guitarist and disc jockey famous for topical story ballads. He started on radio at WLAP in Lexington, Kentucky in 1939 and moved to KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1947. Osborn moved to Louisville in 1952, opened a record shop, and hosted a radio show on WKLO. Many of his songs dealt with death; he committed suicide on December 26, 1957.

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Steve Parker [Real name: Steve Avery; he got the last part of his airname from Spiderman's alter-ego.] Gary Major says Steve was "most noted for a punching hole in the wall when our weather service refused to update the weather forecast from 'mostly clear' even though we were under a National Weather Service severe thunderstorm warning at the time." Deceased.

Owen Patrick WKLO part-time newsperson; the son of GM Ernie Gudridge; worked while in high school. Today he is a tenured law professor at the University of Miami (Florida). [Real name: Pat Gudridge]

Jess Peterson WKLO newsperson in 1977. Do you know where he is today?

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Johnny Randolph WKLO night jock and Music Director from approximately 1965 to 1968. Later went to WAKY where he enjoyed a successful run as Program Director through 1977. In the 1980s he co-owned a station in Danville, Kentucky with the WKLO call letters. Now lives in Danville, but during the week he works in Pikeville, Kentucky as Director of Programming for Walter May's East Kentucky Broadcasting Group. [Real Name: John Randolph Aspenleiter]

Dale Reeves Overnight jock in the late '60s. He's now PD/afternoons at Gulf Coast Community College outlet WKGC-AM (1480) in Panama City, Florida, plus runs a voiceover business out of his home.
WKLO

Dale Reeves writes:

"I think it was '66 when I started at WAKY (Jim Brand hired me) and '67 or '68 when I was at WKLO (Terrell Metheny - Mighty Mitch Michaels hired me.)  On WKLO,  I worked overnight (12 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday mornings and Sunday evenings 7 p.m. to 12 midnight. I think Reed Yadon did the overnight shows starting at 12 midnight on Saturday and Sunday.  Bill Hennes (Wild Willy) did 7 p.m. to 12 midnight. Bill Bailey was mornings, Carl Truman Wiglesworth middays and Mighty Mitch did PM drive. 

"I just took over as PD/afternoon drive host of the local AM Standards station (WKGC).

"What follows is my favorite memory of working at WKLO:

"While working overnight at WKLO, one of my duties was waking up Bill Bailey with a phone call at 4:30 a.m. Bill would hang up and promptly fall asleep and would usually arrive by 6 a.m., about 30 minutes late. If an hour or 90 minutes went by with no sign of Bill, I would call Metheny and he would drive over to Bill’s house to get him to the station by 7:00 or 7:30 a.m.

"One morning Bill’s phone was off the hook so when 5:30 rolled around and he didn’t show up I decided to do my impression of Bill’s voice. I was saying things like "Radio-WKLO Bill Bailey show time: 5:45 in the mornin’. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not the real Duke of Louisville. Just a poor underpaid imitation but I’m sure the Duke will be gracing us with his magnificent presence in mere moments. Stand by Louisville." I loved Bill’s use of language and vocabulary so I was having fun improvising in his style. By 6:10 I figured I’d better call Metheny to go roust Bill. At 7:00 a.m., still no Bill or Metheny. So I call again and Metheny answers from his bed again. I asked him about Bill and he says, 'He’s on the air, isn’t he?'

"Metheny was on his way over to Bill’s house earlier when he turned on the radio and heard me doing my bit. Thinking it was Bailey he turned around and went home. By 7:30 Bailey shows up and I am out of the chair and driving home. Bailey comes on after the newscast and asks the newsman Ken Knight how old that kid on the overnight show is. Ken says I think he’s 19 or 20 years old. Bailey says: 'You think I should let him make it to 21? (Long Pause) Well, he is a talented young punk so perhaps I should overlook his impertinence. (Big Laugh) Well, good mornin’ Louisville, the Duke is here.' (Jingle to Record.)

"Bailey was pissed at me but never let it show on the air. He did his usual brilliant show and was on time for days afterward. "

Jim Reynolds WKLO newsperson in 1964. Do you know where he is today?

Rip Rinehart WKLO midday jock during the late '70s. [Real name: William Rinehart]
WKLO

Rip Rinehart writes:

"By age 10, I knew that I wanted to be in radio. And since I grew up in the Louisville area, that meant either WAKY or WKLO. In the late '60s WKLO used to sponsor an annual event called 'Other 98 Day,' to honor the '98% of kids you don't hear about' who stay out of trouble. The lucky chosen ones got to be station employees for a day, with the really lucky ones getting to go on the air. I applied in 1968 (at age 13) and was elated when I was selected. Although I didn't get to go on the air, I still got to tour the place and meet my idols.

"After that I got REALLY obsessed with radio and made an utter pest of myself by calling the DJs at all hours and peppering them with questions. Although some of them were understandably annoyed, most were very gracious, and a few went out of their way to be kind. Johnny Randolph, Weird Beard, Carl Truman Wigglesworth, and Ed Walker come to mind in the latter category as being especially encouraging and helpful.

"My first paying job was at WIEL in Elizabethtown, KY. I did some freeform FM on the side at WSAC-FM in Fort Knox before landing at WAVE in Louisville. I was about to move from evenings to middays at WAVE, but instead I got canned, for the first and last time ever. (I guess everybody should go through it at least once.) Within a few weeks I ended up at WKLO and a lifelong dream was finally fulfilled.

"By then the great Top 40 era was over. WAKY and WKLO were both struggling to find new identities and FM was moving toward dominance. WKLO was experimenting with an odd format that involved doing call-out research on oldies and placing the ones that tested well in hot rotation. Thus we ended up playing the Beatles' 'Yesterday,' among other well-worn titles, every three hours. And this was in 1978, eight years after they broke up. Fortunately, that experiment didn't last, and we evolved into a quite respectable full service operation. It wasn't the awesome Top 40 powerhouse of the 60s and early 70s, but it seemed like the station had gracefully eased itself into a successful middle age.

"I stayed busy in those days. In middays I was Rip Rinehart on WKLO, and in the mornings I was Eric Henderson, downstairs on sister station WCSN-FM, doing live drop-ins (and trying to stay awake) on what was otherwise a fully automated 'beautiful music' outlet. In between I did everything from production to winding carts with fresh tape.

"Of course, this is radio we're talking about here, and nothing lasts forever. By the following year WKLO/WCSN was a memory. The FM became WKJJ (KJ-100), and the AM became little more than something that had to be kept on the air. By then I was bored with reading liners and weather forecasts and got more into production, eventually becoming Production Director. KJ-100 did well on FM and eventually what used to be WKLO-AM became WCII, 'Country 11.' Around 1981 WCII hired the legendary Bill Bailey away from WAKY and I had the honor of working with him for several months before I left for Phoenix.

"In Phoenix I worked at KDKB and did freelance voiceover work; went back to school and got a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering; have worked in engineering ever since in Phoenix, San Diego, Austin, and now work from home here in Shelbyville, KY as a software consultant for Avaya Communications."

Al Risen WKLO jock in the late '60s. Also labored at Louisville's WAKY and WINN, as well as Lexington's WLAP. Left Louisville in the mid-70s to work at WKDA in Nashville, and later WSM, where he syndicated a country music show. He's believed to now be in Central Florida working for the Post Office. Do you know where he is today?

Jim Rivers WKLO PM Drive jock in 1970 and 1971. Jim also worked at WIBG in Philadelphia, PA; WSAI in Cincinnati, WCOL in Columbus, OH; WBBF in Rochester, NY; WBLG in Lexington, KY (where he hired your curator to do nights in 1977); and WLAN in Lancaster, PA. In the late '70s he went to work for the University of Kentucky where one of his jobs was recording agriculture radio programs that aired across the state. In the mid-80s he got into the field of academia, teaching at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois in the late '80s while working part-time at WJBC in Bloomington, Illinois. Jim eve