Big news for Johnson

J.J. Johnson got some big news this week: his book, Aircheck: Life in Music Radio, was selected for and is now included in the archives of both the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio and the Paley Center for Media in New York City. 

Aircheck is quite a read, and paints a vivid picture of Johnson’s experience in the radio — and music — industry. Reviews on Amazon.Com, where the book is available in both soft cover and Kindle editions, use words like “must-read,” and I agree. It has an obvious appeal to those in the industry, but Johnson’s writing is interesting, fast-paced, and accessible to all.

Johnson’s radio career spans over five decades and started when he was just 17 when he went on the air at Clevelend’s WABQ; he eventually moved to the West Coast and worked at such legendary stations as KFRC/San Francisco. Locally he was heard on such stations as the late, great (original) KDAY (now KBLA, 1580 AM), KJLH (102.3 FM) and KACE (now KRCD, 103.9 FM). At KJLH, he acted as an on-air first-hand reporter during the Los Angeles riots via the station’s street-level studios that included a huge looking-glass window facing the street.

I asked Johnson of his reaction to being selected in not just one but two prestigious archives. “Having my book included in these archives is, obviously, an honor,” he told me. “It’s also a sort of immortality. Future generations will be able to glimpse our world and get a clue as to how we thought and lived. Actual audio tells a story. This takes people behind that  audio. Naturally, I’m beyond pleased. I’m trying to contain myself!” 

Will he ever do a followup? “Probably. I have a ton of stuff to clear off the proverbial table, first. As I stated in the book, it was one guy’s picture of this life. I was not attempting to work in everything that happened. So, there’s plenty more to tell.”

Happenings at KFI

KFI (640 AM) evening host Tim Conway and his staff got a surprise recently from morning man Bill Handel and crew: cookies.

But not just any cookies. The Conway group thought they were special teddy-grahams; turns out they were — unknown to the night crew — Grandma Lucy’s Organic Oven Baked Dog Treats. Yes, dog treats. See the reaction at http://tinyurl.com/ConwayTreats.

Neil Saavadra, host of the KFI weekend Fork Report (Saturdays, 2-5 p.m.) wants to be known as Orange County’s favorite “food influencer” as part of the 2017 Golden Foodie Awards. Voting takes place now through August 21; vote for your favorite via the Golden Foodie website at http://www.goldenfoodieawards.com/vote.html.

Satellite Golf

Through August 13th, SiriusXM is offering hole-by-hole coverage of the PGA Championship from the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The programming will air on Sirius channel 208 and XM channel 92 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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