Geoff Edwards does a great show. He’s a wonderful communicator, as evidenced by this recording.
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KMPC made a long and lasting impression on the radio landscape of Los Angeles. Today, the station airs a Korean-language format. Essentially, it’s irrelevant to the city of L.A. But it was once one of the very top stations in the city!
Interestingly enough, we haven’t received too many recordings like this. This was made by someone putting a table microphone in front of a radio speaker. You can hear talking in a few places, and some strange banging noises about mid-way through. Despite this, the quality of this aircheck is quite good and the extra outside noise doesn’t detract from the overall sound of KMPC through a radio speaker.
I found while listening with my better half editing this that the best part of this aircheck has to be the old commercials. You’ll find yourself singing along to the Beneficial Finance (toot toot!) spot. Many more are quite familiar, staples of radio airplay in the late 70s. Second, the KMPC jingles were unlike most other radio stations at the time. KMPC had its own unique ‘song’, as it were. The only other station I can think of which had such unique jingles, but of a different type, was WNEW-AM in New York.
I think many of you will really enjoy this – it should bring back some fond memories.
Oh wow! What a cool aircheck. This is the same Geoff Edwards that used to be a gameshow host. Remember that syndicated gameshow called Treasure Hunt?
“Treasure Hunt”? Remember “JACKPOT”???
Full-Service AC on the AM Band was a staple in the 70’s and even into the 80’s in a number of markets. KMPC (owned at the time by the singing cowboy Gene Autry) was one of the stations that “set the bar” for this format. Geoff Edwards turned 80 this year and has had quite the career in the biz—as a radio newsman in the early 60’s, he was in the basement of the Dallas Police Dept in November 1963 and witnessed Jack Ruby assassinate Lee Harvey Oswald!
This aircheck is running 1.5-2% slow. Not major, but noticeable if you’re familiar with Geoff’s voice.
Geoff was brilliant on KMPC.
And to amplify on Joe’s comments, after Dallas, Geoff was PD of KHJ….just before Drake. He went on to mornings at KFI, and posed such a threat to KMPC’s morning man, Dick Whittinghill, that in fall, 1968, KMPC offered him more money to do 9-noon than he was making doing morning drive at KFI.
Taking Geoff’s place at KFI were Lohman & Barkley…who eventually did take Whittinghill down in the ratings.
By the way, this is not your first KMPC aircheck. You have Gary Owens from August, 1969.
Correction of my own post: Lohman and Barkley replaced Geoff at KFI in the fall of ’68, but I’ve just heard an aircheck of Geoff sitting in for Whittinghill on KMPC from June 14 of that year. No mention in the short bit I heard whether Geoff had his own show at KMPC or not. This could have been his audition or introduction.
Whittinghill rarely had other fulltime KMPC personalities fill in for him. Instead, he’d get celebrities or former competitors (which Geoff was, having just left 3 years of morning drive at KFI).
Great aircheck. So few MOR/AC Full Service airchecks available as compared to Top 40. Also, If the postcard picture of Geoff was pulled from Kevin Gershon’s salute to KMPC website that is one item amongst several that I provided to Kevin for his site.
The graphic was provided to me in a package. If it is yours and you wish I will remove it.
Oh no – no need to remove it. It’s all good Steve!
Wink Martindale from 14:02 to 14:33 (first part of the Montgomery Ward commercial.
Sadly, Geoff Edwards died yesterday at 83. RIP Geoff.
THAT’S a first: a typo of my USERNAME!
May his memory be eternal!