Radio Talk Shows (1969)

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• UPBEAT - teen music/dance program on Channel 13. Upbeat was a syndicated musical variety show produced in Cleveland at WEWS-TV (ABC) that aired from 1964 to 1971 which spotlighted on the performers and their hit songs of the 1960s Top 40 pop music.
  This is an edited version of Upbeat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DHZjrOZMj4

  • Upbeat host Don Webster -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTrLlilr8uI

• Irving Clark Jr's crazy talk show kept me awake late on school nights, especially when the subject was UFOs or assassination conspiracies.

  • While living in S.F., I would listen to Al Jazzbone Collans on KSFO once in a while and he would discuss U.F.O.,s One listener saw one in the north bay and my dad was in the next room listening. I asked him where this place is and he described it. Then I asked if I can borrow the car and he responded with "if you think I,m going to let you borrow the car so you can go chasing flying saucers at 11.p.m. on a school night, you got another thing coming"

  • There were a few very entertaining talk shows. Joe Pyne and Irving Clark Jr. Then there was KGO, San Francisco, which we listened to in the evening and overnight.

    • Ira Blue and Les Crane live from the Hungry i. More schmaltzy, or salt-of-the-earth if you prefer, was Herb Jepko and the Night Owls on KSL. Long before the one and only Art Bell went Coast to Coast from Parumph Nevada, in the Kingdom of Nye.

      Here's a memory that stayed with me from Herb Jepko. One of his many regulars got on the air using the First Time Caller Line, and Herb was chiding her, "Now Mabel, we all must follow the rules." She said, "But Herb, it was the only way I could get through to tell you that Martha passed away today." Herb paused and replied, "Well, I'm sure all the Night Owls join me in saying you did the right thing under the circumstances."

• There was a time not to long ago that radio and tv host had to be polite. We spent most of our lives in the Puget Sound. My mother liked KIRO because of the music, Jim French and the CBS programs. Then we moved to California and mom listened to KCBS-AM and other then the CBS programs, the rest of the airtime was filled with talk shows and she was never so disgusted. There were three 24 hr. talkers and crazy senior citizens voicing their opinions and even screaming and crying. Now that,s entertainment.

• A lot of the other stories on this page are also interesting. I never knew ch.13 had reruns of Jack Benny or 11 had Steve Allen. ch.9 was strictly education and Buffy St. Marie was on the Virginian. A lot of interesting crime stories as well.