Here’s one of the old KGB… you gotta go way back to hear cigarette commercials and those old jingles which all seemed to be sung to a large brass orchestra. It’s the Pre-Drake era at San Diego’s KGB, back when music radio meant much more jock talk!
Really, gang, 1963 was essentially just past the dawn of top 40 radio as we know it today. See if you can compare ANY of the on air methods and slogans used then with something you hear today. Perhaps you may want to use this to teach young people about the roots of their music on iPhones… well, this was it in a very real sense.
when this aired i was just 2 years old but i love the sound of this radio station, Very tight, was it pre drake? If so they were way ahead of there time. love to hear more thanks for posting
Sounded like KGB had a sense of humor with their contests. Pre-Drake for sure, commercial policy appears to be designed for maximum separation of clients & breaks. This was typical in Pre-Drake radio, usually this was set or controlled may be a better word by management and sales. How Drake was able to get sales to buy his concepts back in the day is amazing. Dick Drury sounds quite good here.
Thanks so much for this great old aircheck. I was 7 years old. My Dad worked at KYNO in Fresno during the Drake Days. This is such a gem, much appreciated.
This was the year before Bill Drake came to KGB. They brought him in because KCBQ was beating them. Drake did well enough that Willett Brown, KGB’s owner, who had a seat on the RKO board, recommended him for KHJ.
Dick Drury was a great jock who started at age 15 at WSRS, Cleveland. He worked in Detroit, Akron and Portland, Oregon before moving on to KQV, Pittsburgh in 1960…and then WIL, St. Louis before KGB.
Dick stayed at KGB until 1970, then moved to Los Angeles where he worked at KLOS for about a year. He did small market radio in Lompoc for a few years, and then went back to L.A., doing production for KHJ.
By 1979 he was Director of Programming for the Susquehanna Broadcasting network, then moved into station ownership. He has since died.
Thank you for this site. I don’t have any recordings of my father, Dick Drury. I do remember hearing him on the radio, in Miami, when I was a kid, in the early 70’s. It’s so good to hear one of the classics, from when he was young! He died on December 27, 1985. Way too young!
I knew your dad, Rich. Wonderful conversions over the years. Fine gentleman!