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Talk 106.9's First On-Air Hire?

I'm sure someone hated her that much. When you're that unstable, people get sick of you in a hurry. I've never worked with her but know a couple of folks who have. Not good...

> > Part of the hair cover up was a wig, she'd had some kind
> of
> > cancer, and lost hair. That said, the assessment of her
> > above is generally correct (although she was a reasonable
> > softball interviewer of some guests.) After Big 98, she
> was
> > eaten alive in NY- on air a few weeks, off to "retool the
> > show," back a couple weeks then blown out. She was
> > underwhelming at KSAN, and ended up in Spokane for a
> while.
> > The ink in the paper definately has her fingerprints on
> it.
> > Unlikely that Ken Kohl would put up with her.
>
> Indeed, "attitude" sometimes triumphs over talent in the
> radio biz. I had liked her at BIG, she struck me as the only
> outsized (no pun) "personality" on a station full of
> liner-readers. But then I thought that format was
> mis-managed from Day One. Around mid-'97 there was this big
> article about her in the Chron -- big color picture of her
> surrounded by muscle boys -- and she made all sorts of weird
> accusations about Live 105's Alex Bennett (her
> then-competitor in the morning slot). Said he'd made
> threatening obscene phone calls to her, which he vehemently
> denied. Seemed she thought stirring up an old-fashioned
> "radio feud" would be good press. But within a couple of
> months, BIG had switched formats and KITS had fired Bennett.
>
>
> She obviously convinced *someone* that she was going to be
> the next big thing/"female Stern"; she was off to NYC where
> she did indeed crash & burn. She seemed humbled when she
> returned to SF, and sounded pretty good on KSAN, I thought.
> But the rumor about her dying on 9/11 -- THAT was weird. Did
> someone really hate her *that* much?
>
 
> In the mid 90s, I worked in an office managed by a K-Big fan and O'Toole devotee. Though the inferior 70s music and tiny playlist drove me nuts, I thought Darian was funny. She definitely suffered from the morning drive ego syndrome afflicting Alex Bennett, the Dog House, and others...but that seems to be common in the radio biz. I remember Bennett repeatedly blathering on at length about how Stern copied his act. But with the current er...talent deficit in SF morning radio (think Cammy) - I'd be happy to have her back. Bennett too, for that matter. Maybe she's a little more humble after New York and K-San. As for her looks, remember it's radio - if you find her physically unattractive, you don't have to look at her pic on the station's website. Last comment - K-Big also had John Mack Flanagan and a couple of other talented personalities. But management didn't leave them much room to do anything but read liner slogans.


I'm sure someone hated her that much. When you're that
> unstable, people get sick of you in a hurry. I've never
> worked with her but know a couple of folks who have. Not
> good...
>
> > > Part of the hair cover up was a wig, she'd had some kind
>
> > of
> > > cancer, and lost hair. That said, the assessment of her
> > > above is generally correct (although she was a
> reasonable
> > > softball interviewer of some guests.) After Big 98, she
> > was
> > > eaten alive in NY- on air a few weeks, off to "retool
> the
> > > show," back a couple weeks then blown out. She was
> > > underwhelming at KSAN, and ended up in Spokane for a
> > while.
> > > The ink in the paper definately has her fingerprints on
> > it.
> > > Unlikely that Ken Kohl would put up with her.
> >
> > Indeed, "attitude" sometimes triumphs over talent in the
> > radio biz. I had liked her at BIG, she struck me as the
> only
> > outsized (no pun) "personality" on a station full of
> > liner-readers. But then I thought that format was
> > mis-managed from Day One. Around mid-'97 there was this
> big
> > article about her in the Chron -- big color picture of her
>
> > surrounded by muscle boys -- and she made all sorts of
> weird
> > accusations about Live 105's Alex Bennett (her
> > then-competitor in the morning slot). Said he'd made
> > threatening obscene phone calls to her, which he
> vehemently
> > denied. Seemed she thought stirring up an old-fashioned
> > "radio feud" would be good press. But within a couple of
> > months, BIG had switched formats and KITS had fired
> Bennett.
> >
> >
> > She obviously convinced *someone* that she was going to be
>
> > the next big thing/"female Stern"; she was off to NYC
> where
> > she did indeed crash & burn. She seemed humbled when she
> > returned to SF, and sounded pretty good on KSAN, I
> thought.
> > But the rumor about her dying on 9/11 -- THAT was weird.
> Did
> > someone really hate her *that* much?
> >
>
 
> > KPIX-FM started as an all-news staton, and it was probably the most embarassing, most amateurishly done all-news format in history. They ended up spending about 50% of their airtime on traffic reports. I remember thinking this was odd, because Westinghouse (then owners of Channel 5) bought 95.7 and flipped it to news, and they probably had more all-news experience than any company outside CBS - they also owned KFWB Los Angeles, and 1010/WINS in New York. Even Channel 5 tried to help by flipping their branding from "Channel 5" to "KPIX-5" to give the call letters some cache. It didn't work - so the OJ trial was a godsend for them. After that, they switched to all-talk, virtually identical in programming to the later KYCY debacle (Imus, Leykis).

KPIX radio broadcasted OJ'S trial? I didn't even know
> there
> > was a KPIX-FM back then.
>
> I think the problem was that none of the radio listeners did
> either.
>
> The calls were on 95.7 for exactly three years (6/1/94 to
> 6/2/97).
>
 
> Trust me Infinity isn't interested in any talk stations
> simply because there is a glut of talk stations. Besides the
> Modesto station is coming.
>
>
Huh?

Infinity has already announced it's going ahead with FM talk once the sale of KEAR closes. Doug Harvill hired Ken Kohl away from the CC talk combos in Sacto-SF to run the new operation and all-news KCBS.
 
seaqkumba wrote:

> She's also often wrong, but never a doubt.
>
> I've also gotta say that her Big 98.1 billboard photos had
> to be one of the greatest misrepresentations of reality.
> When I actually met her, I was not prepared for a wandering
> eye (hence the hair cover-up) and someone as big as a
> castle.


I believe that there may have been circumstances beyond Darian's control that were involved in this situation. And if looks were important on radio, there would be a heck of a lot more dead air, because there'd be a lot of folks out of work...

From what I've seen, she's in terrific shape now (yes, the Wonder Woman shot on her website is kitbashed) and is working hard at trying to land the gig at 106.9.

Also, keep in mind that the people you hear on the radio are often playing a character -- they aren't always like that in "real life." From what I understand, Michael Savage is a great guy and lots of fun to be around off the air.

DJ (a/k/a "Old Radio Face")<P ID="signature">______________

<center>
Bay Area Radio Museum | Bay Area Radio Digest
</center></P>
 
Well...check your sources on that. I imagine he's been nice to somebody
in his lifetime...But it's not like it's a habit.

DJ...what do you hear about the FM talker? About the mornings? You seem to
have some sort of info that you're not sharing with the rest of the class. :)



>> > Also, keep in mind that the people you hear on the radio are
> often playing a character -- they aren't always like that in
> "real life." From what I understand, Michael Savage is a
> great guy and lots of fun to be around off the air.
>
> DJ (a/k/a "Old Radio Face")
>
 
Re: Michael Savage; Talk 106 Info

DyingMedium wrote:

> Well...check your sources on that. I imagine he's been nice to somebody in his lifetime...But it's not like it's a habit.
>
> DJ...what do you hear about the FM talker? About the mornings? You seem to have some sort of info that you're not sharing with the rest of the class. :)


Regarding Michael (The Savage) Wiener -- remember that there are two people here: the man, and the character he plays on the radio and in books. The same with the actress who plays "Melanie Morgan" on KSFO. There's the *real life* Melanie Morgan, and the one who plays the ultra-conservative, farther-to-the-right-than-Hitler character on the radio. Keep in mind that people had trouble believing that Carroll O'Connor wasn't like Archie Bunker in real life.

In regard to "Talk 106.9," I get the most interesting e-mails nearly every day on this subject, but it's difficult to tell the difference between Truth and Wishful Thinking -- and Expectation. I've heard two rumors from two different people that I consider extremely reliable that have shared with me information that they claim is what will happen at the station.

The problem? One of them is wrong. Which one? We'll find out a day or so before "Talk 106.9" goes on the air, when Ken Kohl decides to leak the info to entertainment writers to get some press.

Does everyone remember the buzz in this group before KFRC changed from Oldies to Seventies/Jack Junior? Many of us had high expectations (myself included) that it would be a return to 610/KFRC as it sounded during the mid-1970s. As it turned out, there was a significant difference between the station we were hearing in our heads and the station we actually ended up with.

I get the feeling that we'll go through the same thing with "Talk 106.9" when Infinity flips the switch on it in October. Not that it will be bad; it just won't be the station that we're imagining it will be.

DJ<P ID="signature">______________

<center>
Bay Area Radio Museum | Bay Area Radio Digest
</center></P>
 
Re: Michael Savage; Talk 106 Info

> As far as the Savage Weiner being a nice guy in person - I've heard otherwise. Jim Eason absolutely despised Savage, and would make cutting remarks about him on KSFO. If you remember, Eason's show was on KSFO middays, right before Savage. Or course, Eason was more than a little prickly himself, and used to put down Ronn Owens regularly, as well.

DyingMedium wrote:
>
> > Well...check your sources on that. I imagine he's been
> nice to somebody in his lifetime...But it's not like it's a
> habit.
> >
> > DJ...what do you hear about the FM talker? About the
> mornings? You seem to have some sort of info that you're
> not sharing with the rest of the class. :)
>
>
> Regarding Michael (The Savage) Wiener -- remember that there
> are two people here: the man, and the character he plays on
> the radio and in books. The same with the actress who plays
> "Melanie Morgan" on KSFO. There's the *real life* Melanie
> Morgan, and the one who plays the ultra-conservative,
> farther-to-the-right-than-Hitler character on the radio.
> Keep in mind that people had trouble believing that Carroll
> O'Connor wasn't like Archie Bunker in real life.
>
> In regard to "Talk 106.9," I get the most interesting
> e-mails nearly every day on this subject, but it's difficult
> to tell the difference between Truth and Wishful Thinking --
> and Expectation. I've heard two rumors from two different
> people that I consider extremely reliable that have shared
> with me information that they claim is what will happen at
> the station.
>
> The problem? One of them is wrong. Which one? We'll find out
> a day or so before "Talk 106.9" goes on the air, when Ken
> Kohl decides to leak the info to entertainment writers to
> get some press.
>
> Does everyone remember the buzz in this group before KFRC
> changed from Oldies to Seventies/Jack Junior? Many of us had
> high expectations (myself included) that it would be a
> return to 610/KFRC as it sounded during the mid-1970s. As it
> turned out, there was a significant difference between the
> station we were hearing in our heads and the station we
> actually ended up with.
>
> I get the feeling that we'll go through the same thing with
> "Talk 106.9" when Infinity flips the switch on it in
> October. Not that it will be bad; it just won't be the
> station that we're imagining it will be.
>
> DJ
>
 
> Then I remember hearing on KFOG, Scoop Nister, announced
> that Darian O'Toole was working at a radio station in New
> York and was killed in the 9/11 attacks.
>
> As I was sad to hear about that, then I read that she was
> working in Seattle!

Yeah, the 911 story was an unfortunate attempt at getting some publicity. She quickly retracted it and apologized. I knew that she went to Spokane after that but I never herad about Seattle.
 
Re: Michael Savage; Talk 106 Info

First hand knowledge. Michael Savage is not a nice person off the air.
If anything, he's worse...His insecurity is overwhelming...And I, among
several others, have witnessed his tirades...Savage doesn't do a character.
He is what he is.

> > As far as the Savage Weiner being a nice guy in person -
> I've heard otherwise. Jim Eason absolutely despised Savage,
> and would make cutting remarks about him on KSFO. If you
> remember, Eason's show was on KSFO middays, right before
> Savage. Or course, Eason was more than a little prickly
> himself, and used to put down Ronn Owens regularly, as well.
>
>
> DyingMedium wrote:
> >
> > > Well...check your sources on that. I imagine he's been
> > nice to somebody in his lifetime...But it's not like it's
> a
> > habit.
> > >
> > > DJ...what do you hear about the FM talker? About the
> > mornings? You seem to have some sort of info that you're
> > not sharing with the rest of the class. :)
> >
> >
> > Regarding Michael (The Savage) Wiener -- remember that
> there
> > are two people here: the man, and the character he plays
> on
> > the radio and in books. The same with the actress who
> plays
> > "Melanie Morgan" on KSFO. There's the *real life* Melanie
> > Morgan, and the one who plays the ultra-conservative,
> > farther-to-the-right-than-Hitler character on the radio.
> > Keep in mind that people had trouble believing that
> Carroll
> > O'Connor wasn't like Archie Bunker in real life.
> >
> > In regard to "Talk 106.9," I get the most interesting
> > e-mails nearly every day on this subject, but it's
> difficult
> > to tell the difference between Truth and Wishful Thinking
> --
> > and Expectation. I've heard two rumors from two different
> > people that I consider extremely reliable that have shared
>
> > with me information that they claim is what will happen at
>
> > the station.
> >
> > The problem? One of them is wrong. Which one? We'll find
> out
> > a day or so before "Talk 106.9" goes on the air, when Ken
> > Kohl decides to leak the info to entertainment writers to
> > get some press.
> >
> > Does everyone remember the buzz in this group before KFRC
> > changed from Oldies to Seventies/Jack Junior? Many of us
> had
> > high expectations (myself included) that it would be a
> > return to 610/KFRC as it sounded during the mid-1970s. As
> it
> > turned out, there was a significant difference between the
>
> > station we were hearing in our heads and the station we
> > actually ended up with.
> >
> > I get the feeling that we'll go through the same thing
> with
> > "Talk 106.9" when Infinity flips the switch on it in
> > October. Not that it will be bad; it just won't be the
> > station that we're imagining it will be.
> >
> > DJ
> >
>
 
Re: Michael Savage; Talk 106 Info

> Regarding Michael (The Savage) Wiener -- remember that there
> are two people here: the man, and the character he plays on
> the radio and in books. The same with the actress who plays
> "Melanie Morgan" on KSFO. There's the *real life* Melanie
> Morgan, and the one who plays the ultra-conservative,
> farther-to-the-right-than-Hitler character on the radio.
> Keep in mind that people had trouble believing that Carroll
> O'Connor wasn't like Archie Bunker in real life.

I'd say that playing a character on a sitcom -- which is more clearly "artifice" since TV is a visual medium -- is not quite the same as "playing" one on a radio talk show, which is all about expressing opinions and interacting with callers. And to wax philosophical... does it matter whether you're expressing "real" or "fake" opinions if the end result is that you're inciting hate?

I wonder how much "fun" the Savage Weiner has with his gay, feminist, and immigrant best friends. Maybe he uses his millions to buy them dinners at really nice restaurants?
 
> > Then I remember hearing on KFOG, Scoop Nister, announced
> > that Darian O'Toole was working at a radio station in New
> > York and was killed in the 9/11 attacks.
> >
> > As I was sad to hear about that, then I read that she was
> > working in Seattle!
>
> Yeah, the 911 story was an unfortunate attempt at getting
> some publicity. She quickly retracted it and apologized. I
> knew that she went to Spokane after that but I never herad
> about Seattle.
>

So... you're saying the 9/11 story was planted by Darian herself? Not some prankster who didn't like her? If true... that's REALLY sick.
 
Re: Michael Savage (Segue To Limbaugh)

> First hand knowledge. Michael Savage is not a nice person off the air. If anything, he's worse...His insecurity is overwhelming...And I, among several others, have witnessed his tirades...Savage doesn't do a character. He is what he is.


Medium, I'll take you at your word! My minimal experience was different, however. That being said, I'll add a disclaimer: I am not a fan of "Savage" or the message he spews. If you go back through the history of radio (and politics, for that matter), there has always been an audience for that brand of vitriol. "Savage" found a similar vein and tapped into it.

From what I understand -- and I don't have first-hand experience -- is that the arch-conservative "character" Rush Limbaugh originally played, after shedding the persona of disc jockey "Jeff Christie," was actually just that: a character.

After all the hype, the evolving circle of high-level political contacts and the increasing level of fame and fortune, Rush Limbaugh (the person) and "Rush Limbaugh" (the radio character) became one and the same.

I think that this is the same symptom we see in Savage/Wiener and, perhaps, in Melanie Morgan, too.<P ID="signature">______________

<center>
Bay Area Radio Museum | Bay Area Radio Digest
</center></P>
 
Those pesky IP numbers

The death rumor was posted on All Access. Later denials came from the same user name.

> So... you're saying the 9/11 story was planted by Darian
> herself? Not some prankster who didn't like her? If true...
> that's REALLY sick.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Roger Wilco on 09/14/05 06:08 PM.</FONT></P>
 
Re: Michael Savage; Talk 106 Info

Whatt happens if the A's go the World Series?

> DyingMedium wrote:
>
> > Well...check your sources on that. I imagine he's been
> nice to somebody in his lifetime...But it's not like it's a
> habit.
> >
> > DJ...what do you hear about the FM talker? About the
> mornings? You seem to have some sort of info that you're
> not sharing with the rest of the class. :)
>
>
> Regarding Michael (The Savage) Wiener -- remember that there
> are two people here: the man, and the character he plays on
> the radio and in books. The same with the actress who plays
> "Melanie Morgan" on KSFO. There's the *real life* Melanie
> Morgan, and the one who plays the ultra-conservative,
> farther-to-the-right-than-Hitler character on the radio.
> Keep in mind that people had trouble believing that Carroll
> O'Connor wasn't like Archie Bunker in real life.
>
> In regard to "Talk 106.9," I get the most interesting
> e-mails nearly every day on this subject, but it's difficult
> to tell the difference between Truth and Wishful Thinking --
> and Expectation. I've heard two rumors from two different
> people that I consider extremely reliable that have shared
> with me information that they claim is what will happen at
> the station.
>
> The problem? One of them is wrong. Which one? We'll find out
> a day or so before "Talk 106.9" goes on the air, when Ken
> Kohl decides to leak the info to entertainment writers to
> get some press.
>
> Does everyone remember the buzz in this group before KFRC
> changed from Oldies to Seventies/Jack Junior? Many of us had
> high expectations (myself included) that it would be a
> return to 610/KFRC as it sounded during the mid-1970s. As it
> turned out, there was a significant difference between the
> station we were hearing in our heads and the station we
> actually ended up with.
>
> I get the feeling that we'll go through the same thing with
> "Talk 106.9" when Infinity flips the switch on it in
> October. Not that it will be bad; it just won't be the
> station that we're imagining it will be.
>
> DJ
>
 
Re: Talk 106 Info

paulsecic wrote

> Whatt happens if the A's go the World Series?

Let's all yell this together: nothing happens!

...until the A's season is over, whether or not they make it to the playoffs or the World Series.

When their season is over --even if it's in the World Series -- the people with the nice offices at InfinityViacomCBS and Family Stations will phone each other and say "Howzabout Tuesday (or Thursday, or Saturday)?" and the engineers will head over to the transmitter and Do What Engineers Do, and -- shazam! -- 106.9 stops being KEAR and 610 starts being KEAR.

Unless something else happens. (Mwah-hah-hah!!!)

DJ<P ID="signature">______________
<center>
Bay Area Radio Museum | Bay Area Radio Digest
</center></P>
 
> From this morning's Leah Garchik column in the Chronicle:
>
> Darian O'Toole, "beloved morning radio goddess" (a friend's
> description) or "caustic Canadian swamp bitch" (her own
> description) on KBGG and KSAN until being fired five years
> ago, may be getting ready for a Bay Area radio comeback.
> She's auditioning on-air at KLSX "Hot Talk" in Los Angeles
> today and Friday (stream-able on the Net), and Infinity
> Radio, which is buying KEAR in San Francisco, is said to be
> considering her for a possible FM talk show here. All she
> would say is, "I miss home, and I'm coming home to roost.
> Somewhere."
>
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/ar> ticle.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/09/08/DDG11DCBBQ1.DTL
>
>
> DJ
>
Does it mention she was banished to Spokane long ago?
 
Re: Michael Savage (Segue To Limbaugh)

> > First hand knowledge. Michael Savage is not a nice person
> off the air. If anything, he's worse...His insecurity is
> overwhelming...And I, among several others, have witnessed
> his tirades...Savage doesn't do a character. He is what he
> is.
>
>
> Medium, I'll take you at your word! My minimal experience
> was different, however. That being said, I'll add a
> disclaimer: I am not a fan of "Savage" or the message he
> spews. If you go back through the history of radio (and
> politics, for that matter), there has always been an
> audience for that brand of vitriol. "Savage" found a similar
> vein and tapped into it.
>
> From what I understand -- and I don't have first-hand
> experience -- is that the arch-conservative "character" Rush
> Limbaugh originally played, after shedding the persona of
> disc jockey "Jeff Christie," was actually just that: a
> character.
>
> After all the hype, the evolving circle of high-level
> political contacts and the increasing level of fame and
> fortune, Rush Limbaugh (the person) and "Rush Limbaugh" (the
> radio character) became one and the same.
>
> I think that this is the same symptom we see in
> Savage/Wiener and, perhaps, in Melanie Morgan, too.

He is not the same person as on the air-his views aren't quite as extreme as those he spouts. Concerning his off-air behavior, the above is correct-and put very politely...he is not a nice person off the air. Considering all the people he has gone off on, he probably has every right to be paranoid!
 
The As are 4 games back, so this new talker should be on next week.


I think you'll be surprised at the success of an FM talker
> here. The last try (KPIX) was screwed up royally. They
> had two years of OJ coverage to figure out where they were
> going after that...And they prepared nothing. So, when
> the OJ trial ended, so did their 'format'.
>
> FM talk works in a lot of places. If it's done well, it
> will succeed.
>
> Also...I think the Chronicle story was a plant from none
> other than Darian
> herself. Notice the quote from her and nobody else.
>
>
>
> > > > From this morning's Leah Garchik column in the
> > Chronicle:
> > > >
> > > > Darian O'Toole, "beloved morning radio goddess" (a
> > > friend's
> > > > description) or "caustic Canadian swamp bitch" (her
> own
> > > > description) on KBGG and KSAN until being fired five
> > years
> > >
> > > > ago, may be getting ready for a Bay Area radio
> comeback.
> >
> > > > She's auditioning on-air at KLSX "Hot Talk" in Los
> > Angeles
> > >
> > > > today and Friday (stream-able on the Net), and
> Infinity
> > > > Radio, which is buying KEAR in San Francisco, is said
> to
> >
> > > be
> > > > considering her for a possible FM talk show here. All
> > she
> > > > would say is, "I miss home, and I'm coming home to
> > roost.
> > > > Somewhere."
> > > >
> > > http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/ar>
> > >
> >
> ticle.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/09/08/DDG11DCBBQ1.DTL
>
> >
> > >
> >
> > I remember that her ratings were very good while at 98.1
> > KBIG. But when KBIG changed to KISS FM and fired everyone,
>
> > she went to KSAN. Her listeners didn't quite come with her
>
> > and she was gone.
> >
> > Then I remember hearing on KFOG, Scoop Nister, announced
> > that Darian O'Toole was working at a radio station in New
> > York and was killed in the 9/11 attacks.
> >
> > As I was sad to hear about that, then I read that she was
> > working in Seattle!
> >
> > Too bad Infinity is going to shoot themselves in the foot
> > with a FM Talker!
> >
>
 
I'd like to hear Jim Eason...broadcast fro m his outhouse in ashville NC up the road from Maybury....they should get him to do a weakend show...savage is a complete act...but so what else is new...
 
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