KFRC Gets "Backstage" With Ben Fong-Torres

Bulking up its weekend bill of fare, Classic Hits KFRC (106.9) is debuting "Backstage," a new two-hour program starring everybody's favorite "Radio Waves" columnist, Ben Fong-Torres.

Ben tells me "I'll recount past interviews and adventures, play some excloo sound bites from my chats with the likes of Marvin Gaye, Paul McCartney and Jim Morrison, come up with themes and sub-themes for each show, toss in some short subjects, and shout 'K-F-R-C!' at every opportunity. Gonna be fun."

"Backstage" runs each Sunday morning from 7 to 9 a.m., and again from 7 to 9 p.m.

"If we do it right, it'll sound pretty much like a KFRC show, only with more music info between records," Ben says. "I'm kicking off with ‘Light My Fire,’ but, before that, I have Ray Manzarek explaining how the intro came into his head — from his classical music lessons as a kid — and with music not usually heard on the station, like ‘Joltin' Joe DiMaggio’ by Les Brown and his orchestra, or ‘Memo from Turner’ by Mick Jagger."

And yes, rest assured that "Radio Waves" will continue under B-FT's able stewardship.

KFRC: Flanagan To Begin Again

The jubilant cheers heard from the second floor of 865 Battery Street in the city today were prompted by the presence of one John Mack Flanagan, who will be jumping back into radio with both feet -- although only ankle-deep (for now) -- in the cozy confines of the station that made him a local legend, KFRC (106.9).

Already having added Dave Sholin (mornings) and Celeste Perry (middays) to their roster, KFRC major domos Tim Jordan and Mike Preston invited longtime Big 610 star Flanagan back, and he accepted. This afternoon's not-for-broadcast test drive was a chance for John Mack to get back behind the mike in advance of his re-debut as host of KFRC's Sunday morning "Beatles Brunch" show, and the reviews were glowing.

Due to other commitments, Flanagan's Fab Four foray back into the broadcast booth at KFRC will begin with the one-hour Sunday program, but the door has been left open by station management to an expanded role in the future.

John Mack was a vital cog in KFRC's success in the 1970s as part of the all-star lineup that included Dr. Don Rose, Marvelous Mark McKay, Don Sainte-Johnn, Bobby Ocean, Chuck Buell and Rick Shaw.

"Beatles Brunch" debuts this Sunday (July 15) at 9 a.m.

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Sholin's KFRC Debut Moved Back

Contrary to previous reports, the debut date for Dave Sholin and the rest of the new KFRC-FM (106.9) air team has been moved to Monday, July 9.

The original press release from KFRC, excerpted elsewhere here in ye Digest, announced the start date for Sholin as this coming Monday, July 2.

The new midday personality at KFRC will be scintillating Celeste Perry (ex-KSFO/KYA, KYCY), who won't join in the fun until later in the week of July 9; she's reportedly vacationing in Hawaii.

No confirmation from KFRC World Headquarters, but I'm supposing that having the Fourth of July holiday falling in the middle of Sholin's original debut week made moving the start date back a smart move.

RIP: Frank Terry

Not a lot of details are currently available, but Frank Terry has died. The pioneering Boss Jock had been battling cancer for many years, and passed away on Wednesday (June 20) at his home in Sonora. He was 68.

Born Terrence Francis Crilly in Rapid City, S.D., on July 5, 1938, he moved with his family to Southern California when he was four years old, where his father became a sales manager at KFXM in San Bernardino.

In an unpublished interview for the book "KHJ: Inside Boss Radio," Terry said he got into radio because "I thought it might be a wonderful way to meet good-looking women, girls. And when I was in high school I actually got my first job."

That job, at KCSB in San Bernardino, began humbly — emptying waste baskets and mowing the station's front lawn — but led to an on-air gig as the teenaged host of a Saturday night show in which he played nothing but Elvis Presley records.

Following a three-year hitch in the Navy (as a telegrapher), he bided his time working for the Santa Fe Railroad (also as a telegrapher — although the railroad no longer employed Morse Code to communicate with trains) while waiting to enter college.

Fate stepped in, however, as a law requiring employers to hold jobs for returning veterans meant that his old position at KCSB had been vacant, awaiting his return.

In the early 1960s, Terry became Boss Radio architect Ron Jacobs' early partner in crime in the development of the format in San Bernardino (KMEN), Fresno (KMAK) and L.A. (KHJ), before moving to the Bay Area as a first-generation Big 610 Man (famously appearing in the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" documentary about the infamous Altamont concert) and a Country jock here at KNEW and KSAN, and at Froggy 92.9 (KFGY) in Santa Rosa.

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Dave Sholin: KFRC Morning Man

The bubbling rumors that Dave Sholin would become the new program director at rebuilding Classic Hits KFRC/106.9 were proved false earlier this week when Tim Jordan got the job.

So, instead, Sholin -- that's right, "Your Duke" -- will become KFRC's morning man beginning Monday, July 2.

Sholin graduated from San Francisco State University and jumped straight over to San Jose's popular Top 40 outlet, KLIV/1590. Proving his skills as KLIV's music director (in addition to holding down an on-air shift), he began building his reputation for having two of the best ears in the business.

He moved to KARA/105.7 in Santa Clara as program director before getting called up to the big leagues at 610/KFRC for the first time, rising to national music director from then-station owner RKO General. He later became Top 40 editor for The Gavin Report, the industry tipsheet that he eventually co-owned and ran as executive director.

On the afternoon of December 8, 1980, Sholin conducted a lengthy, in-depth interview with John Lennon and Yoko One at their Manhattan home in the Dakota. It would be Lennon's last interview; arriving back in San Francisco, Sholin was informed that the former Beatle had been murdered.

More recently, Sholin served as vice president and columnist for MusicBiz.com and as director of adult formats promotion for EMI's Caroline Distribution and Astralwerks Records.

In a prepared statement, KFRC GM Steve DiNardo said "Dave's past experience at KFRC came at a time when the station was in the forefront of popular culture in the Bay Area. He has retained that sense of relevance throughout his career, and we're excited to unleash it on the new 106.9, KFRC."

Free FM Folds; KFRC Resuscitated

The buzz began building before noon today with a news tip that CBS Radio was reviving the venerable KFRC call letters and a Classic Hits format on 106.9 FM later this afternoon, ending a year and a half of moribund "Free FM" programming on the frequency.

With confirmation in the form of an official press release from deep within CBS Radio's San Francisco headquarters, the wait was on, goosed along by regular mentions by Ken Korach during the Oakland A's broadcast that an exciting announcement was coming following the game at about 4 p.m.

The change came abruptly, however, when Robert Buan — ostensibly hosting the team-produced "Extra Innings" postgame show — decided to read from the CBS press release, apparently trumping the company's hoped-for dramatic debut. Buan's show on 106.9 FM was quickly cut off, and the KFRC Classic Hits "Magical Mystery Tour" stunting began.

Following a recorded "Winds Of Change" announcement by former 610/KFRC personality Beau Weaver, the music began with Free's "Alright Now," kicking off an A-Z jukeboxing of classic hits, heavily weighted toward Seventies tunes, with a smattering of Sixties and Eighties.

Meanwhile, according to comments I've heard from a CBS/SF insider, plans are in the works to hire an air staff that features several well-known voices, although the announcement may be weeks away. One name to scratch off the list: Bobby Ocean, who was reportedly courted for an on-air shift and to do the station's imaging, but respectfully declined. He'll stay with Entercom's Lite Rock KOIT/96.5 and continue doing afternoons on XM Radio's 70s on 7 channel.

Several Free FM talk programs will be switched over to co-owned KYCY/1550 (KYOU), including the Adam Carolla and Danny Bonaduce morning show and the Tom Leykis afternoon show. With additional brokered programming on KYCY, it may mean that the vaunted podcasting format pioneered by the station may be pushed even farther into the background.

Bernie On KNBR; Cammy On The Sidelines

KNBR's Gary Radnich mentioned this morning that the caller that identified himself as "Mr. K-Go" on yesterday's show was, in fact, Bernie Ward. Bernie must have found the bill of fare at KNBR more palatable than listening to Ronn.

Bernie had given Uncle Gary several clues as to his identity, but Gary never quite caught on.

The podcast is downloadable (at least as I write this) on the Radnich page at KNBR.com.

(It's the Wednesday March 21 offering, about nine minutes into the recording.)

Meanwhile, Leah Garchik notes in today's Chron that "Cammy Blackstone, bumped from KFRC radio when the station went to its Movin' format, has landed a job as sideline reporter for Fox Sports Net."

More about Cammy from Leah at SFgate.com.

RIP: Mike Phillips

Jay Arnold sent along word last night that former 610/KFRC morning man and program director Mike Phillips died yesterday following a two and a half year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 64.

Mike was the original afternoon guy at KFRC when the station moved to Top 40 in February 1966, then switched to mornings later in the year. He ended his career as program director at L.A.'s legendary K-Earth 101 from 1990 to 2001, helping to elevate the famed Oldies powerhouse from middle-of-the-pack status to consistent ratings in the top five.

He spent the early portion of his career in the Pacific Northwest, including stops at KAYO and KJR in Seattle, before becoming one of the KISN Good Guys at the Portland Top 40 outlet. From KISN it was on to his first stop in the Bay Area, working at KNBR/68 under program director Al Hart.

Fired by KNBR, he landed on his feet as an original member of the 610 Men at KFRC when the station switched to Top 40 early in 1966. Initially installed as the Big 610's afternoon guy, he moved to mornings later in the year.

After a return to KJR in 1968, he made subsequent stops at WXLO/New York (1973) and KGW/Portland (1975) before coming back to the Bay Area as program director at NBC-owned KYUU/99.7 in 1980. He moved over to program KIOI in 1982, then returned to KFRC as program director in 1984. He then helped create KOIT's signature "Lite Rock" sound beginning in 1986.

Mike Phillips had moved from Santa Clarita in Southern California to Portland earlier this summer to be nearer to his family.

Ron Lyons on Mike Phillips...

The one thing left off his stations slate was KNBR from February of 1965 until sometime in the Fall. Mike Phillips was a star, I believe, at KJR when he was 19, and he and I both were hired by Mike Joseph which could account for the high suicide rate in the '60s.

[Joseph] was a real con artist and had sold NBC a story on market research. We were playing "Satisfaction" and then going into Arlene Francis on "Emphasis." We were giving the time in various Bay Area locations and he had the very old NBC announcers doing (or trying) Top 40 News up to the network join and it was horrific. The whole thing was horrific.

I have an actual memo from Joseph saying "Congratulations on the birth of your daughter. You only gave the call letters 23 times; it should have been 35." NBC was run by the News Division so we had to carry everything including think pieces and press conferences. NOBODY knew what the hell we were.

Mike and I were very good friends then, and I will explain in a bit why I think we didn't stay that way. Anyway, he kept telling management, which was Al Hart, how screwed up it was and doing one liners about it on the air. We were great drinking buddies and he spent a lot of time at the house. He was a little lonely and really angry with how bad we sounded. I kept telling him that no matter how bad it was, it was theirs and he was liable to be fired ... which is what happened ... which is rather funny.

Al Hart was a great guy (still is) and gave Mike the word and said it was his choice if he wanted to work out his two week notice. (We all had great contracts then!) Mike elected to stay on the air and he was on 6 to 9PM. So he goes on the air that night and one of the commercials was for the Columbia School of Broadcasting. I remember listening to him and, really, the only thing he said, VERY tongue in cheek, was that "the security in broadcasting is fantastic." So he was gone.

Like many things in life, it was the best thing. Drake was changing KFRC and it was just the break Mike needed. I remember he was a little dubious but he ended up doing mornings and KFRC is really one of the legends. Mike was also in love with a gal named Carol and they eventually got married.

We drifted apart then. The last thing I remembered was their apartment in Marin and Elvis had just recorded "From Vegas To Memphis" and we listened to the live version of "Suspicious Minds." He and I both had just returned to the market around 1969.

Mike was a great guy who managed to conquer booze. Many don't know it but it was an awful thing for him. We reconnected in 1977, I think, when he and John Hayes were running KYUU. I was still drinking then and didn't quit until 1986. I was working weekends at KNBR and we ended up staying at the same motel. There he told me of some really horrible things he had gone through. He had become quite religious although he never hit you over the head with it. I think it was uncomfortable for him to be around me because I was still hitting it pretty good. I always admired his success as a programming guy knowing what games had to be played and how he maintained his sobriety.

Mike Phillips, as I remember him, was a gentle soul with a tremendous sense of humor.

Sometime during the KNBR/KYUU days, we were walking over to the garage together and I asked him if he missed being on the air?

"Nah," he said, "I've got nothing left to say."