Vol_ III No_ 3 Los Angeles Courity's Only Radio Mogi:emir-se 1998 ILBroa1casitsAmerica.011kAcrossWorks-TIN 4m es It ir 1997KIEARTH'sImmortalized in RearMorgan View 101P 0 Fall Ratings Robot W,,thanks for "Morpoilio'us 101 FM Contents Volume 3, Number 3 February 1998 Listings Talk 21 Sports 22 Soft Hits 22 Adult Standards 23 Classical 23 Public 23 Children's 25 Oldies 26 Features COVER STORY: L.A. Theatre Works 5 KUSC's New Leading Lady 5 Radio Movie 12 lum roles from the pantheon of lit- 14 Robert W. Morgan's retirement rary and theatrical immortals 1997 in L.A. Radio's rear view -mirror 16 continue to attract top Hollywood talents to L.A. Theatre Works 'The 111 Play's the Thing" series. Sparked Depts. 12 years ago by actor Richard Dreyfuss' sugges- tion to founder Susan Loewenberg to put great SOUNDING OFF 4 plays and literature on the radio, the award -win- RADIO ROUNDUP 6 ning series has produced 350 hours of plays, RATINGS 27 novels and short stories. Numerous marquee names are deeply involved, such as Annete Ben- LOONEY POINT OF VIEW 13 ing, John Lithgow, JoBeth Williams, Amy Irving 28 PLAYERS and Alan Alda. Los Angeles Radio Guide Cover design & production by Ben Jacoby 61 Dave White P.O. Box 3680 Publishers Ben Jacoby & Shireen Alafi Santa Monica CA. 90408 Editor -in -Chief Shireen Alafi Voice: (310) 828-7530 Editorial Coordinator/Photographer Sandy Wells Fax (310) 828-0526 Production Director/Photographer Ben Jacoby Subscriptions: $12 Contributing Writers Thom Looney Production Associate Dave White e-mail: [email protected] www. radicoguide.ccom General Consultant Ira Jeffrey Rosen © 1998 by AlJay Publishing. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval sys- tem, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of the publisher. Los Angeles Radio Guide -3 SOUNDING OFF Radio Guide Rides the New Radiohead good radio market such as Southern Cali- Boston MTA I have several radios of various kinds but fornia. It's basically all syndication of vari- I sent a check for a subscription to L.A. no superstars. What can I do to enhance ous types (and not very good services). At Radio Guide. The reason I'm writing is that my reception? Or is it just a matter of limit- one time there were complaints in your I saw someone on the Boston subway ed signal regardless of radio used? magazine that KRTH only played 300 or so reading what has to be a later copy. (You Now just a comment from a new sub- oldies. The two stations they have here do get around!) Would you please check scriber: NPR now has as many commer- that have that format sound like they play my subscription? Thank you! cials as commercial radio, yet all need fund only 30. We can get Don Imus out of Fres- Peter E. Skinner of Boston, Mass. drives and federal subsidies. Can any sta- no, but not Howard Stern. After dark, it's Fun to See Faces tion, for example, KPFK, get by on sub- KNBR, KCBS and KGO out of San Francis- I've been an avid reader of your maga- scribers alone? co, as well as numerous other up and zine for the past two years (when I can I'd like to see a column of "Whatever down the coast. I try and catch Phil Hen- drie most of the time and can't stop find it on the newsstand!) I find something happened to ."I have listened to parts laughing at some of the "callers." interesting in every issue, and it's great to of the Art Bell network and he must have see the faces that go with the voices I've One of your recent letters echoed what I more radio outlets than anyone else.I been listening to for years! Keep up the had suggested some time ago. This could don't believe his audience is all UFO peo- good work! be a one -time -only thing. List the stations by ple but [rather], people who can't stand Brian McKown of Riverside frequency, then show: ownership, address, politics from Leykis to Michael Reagan to P.S. Kudos on the new, large format! phone number, power and antenna site. Bless NPR Ea KPFK Bernie [Ward] to [Toni] Grant. With owners now allowed numerous Jerry Davis of Port Hueneme Thank you for publishing the letters stations in a market, we would be able to about KABC and the ratings. The radio sta- So Cal Vs.Central Coast ascertain who owns what. (I'm still trying tions' attitude is difficult to understand. Since arriving here last May, and having to figure out Vol. III, No. 2, page 12, Bless NPR and KPFK for being there. to listen to various stations here on the "KBIG and KZLA Trade Places.") Lois Thorne of Los Angeles Central Coast, it makes one long for a Mitchell D. Johnson of Lompoc 40 Years in the Makin 400 pages, .500 photos, 3,000 personalities No one has done a better job at chronicling local radio than Don Barrett. Ills first.)(00k.I an A to Z listing of disk jockeys 1957-94. was well received and With good rens( n. It's a rich erasure oliiiiines ()I peoi)le who woke us up. kept us informed. made us latigltand smile. anti tucked us in at night. What a pleasure it was to remember wily we did "WItittinghilr each morning or why Tom Dixon made classical music so pleasurable. Barrett has tipdate(t his I )94 paperback to include news and talk radio people. Yott will re -discover an old favorite. al id then another and another. Bar- rett has painstakingly tracked down practically everyol le who \'ils in local radio. mid his attention to accuracy speaks volumes about the kind of person he is -- a true tall of radio whose books represent a labor of love. So. sit back and travel through a time tunnel of memories. Ifs one of the happiest journeys you will ever take. -Gary Lycan, radio columnist, Orange County Register l would like to order Los Angeles Radio People, blitine 2, 1957-1997 $ I 4.95+CA tax +$1.23+S/1-1 3.73=$19.93 Make check payable to: clb Marketing Company, P.O. Box 55518, Valencia, CA 91385 Corderbyphone toll -free:8138.1RADI057 Corder byFAX: S05.259.4910 Radio Peers Embrace KUSC New leader KUSC, the tion and dinner, including: 51 -year -old KUSC morning announcer public radio Alan Chapman, KUSC music station of the host and KNX film critic Jim University of Svejda, KNX President/ GM Southern Cal- George Nicholaw, KNX ifornia, feted anchor Gail Eichenthal, incoming KCRW-FM GM Ruth Sey- General Man- mour, KPCC-FM GM Rod ager Brenda Foster, KPFK-FM GM Mark Pennell at the Schubb, "Marketplace" host posh home of David Brancaccio with pro- USC Presi- ducer Jim Russell. The host Brenda Pennell dent Steven of the new KUSC-sponsored B. Sample in exclusive San Marino Jan. program "Savvy Traveler," KNX' Gail Eichenthal & KPFK GM Mark Schubb 21. Broadcasting VIPs of both public Rudy Maxa, joined the gath- and commercial ilk attended the recep- ering with show producer J.J. Yore. Armed with three degrees in music, Pennell came from WGUC-FM in Cincinnati last fall. The college president announced the unprecedent- ed collaboration between KUSC and fellow public sta- tion KCRW to produce "Fleischmann at the Philhar- monic: An Era Ends" with hosts Gail Eichenthal, Ara Guzelimian and Ernest Fleis- chmann. The program will air J.J. Yore & Rudy Maxa March 1 at 2 p.m. Columbia Dupont Award for David Brancacdo 6t Jim Russel L.A. Theatre Works Springs Forward with Fresh Drama and New Venue Emerging from under the forbidding shadows of TV and movies, L.A. Theatre Works has played a major role in the revival of a nearly lost art form: radio drama. Since 1987, the group has produced more 350 -plus hours of programming, including two full-length novels, 200 -plus plays and numerous short stories. Backed by the National Endowment for the Arts. California Arts Council. L.A. Cultural Affairs Department, L.A. County Music & Performing Arts Commission and many private foundations. corporations and individuals, the arts organization has adapted major works from America's regional theatres, making them accessible to millions of Americans via National Public Radio - and locally on KCRW 89.9 FM The plays are also broadcast internationally through NPR, BBC Radio and BBC World Service. According to founder and producing director Susan Albert Loewenberg, 95 percent of their work is dedicated to putting plays on the radio. Part of that challenge is to translate the visual effects of a stage production into sound. "We spend a lot of time and energy making that translation," Loewenberg said. "A set evokes a certain mood. An interesting example of that is Athol Fugard's "The Road to Mecca," where the central image of the play is when the stage goes dark, illumi- nated only by dozens of candles. To help the listening audience understand this potent visual image and its meaning for the play, we used music that had a swirling, spiritual quality, which perfectly evoked the moment." Actors accustomed to communicating with the help of gestures and facial expressions must follow BBC Radio director Martin Jenkins' famous dictum about using their voices: "half the volume, twice the intensity." The American premiere of "Sheindele," a rare glimpse into life in the ultra -orthodox Jewish Mea Shearim Quarter of Jerusalem, will be performed March 4, 5, 6 and 7 at the Doubletree Guest Suites in Santa Monica.