God made DJs....

...so even the ugliest man could get laid! 

Some of my most favorite radio days were at the Mighty 1290 KOIL, the first fulltime Top 40 station in America.  It was my dream job once I knew I wanted to be in radio.  I paid my dues and learned alot in my three years in Scottsbluff.  When Jimmy O'Neill called me and offered me afternoons on KOIL, in Omaha, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  This was the BIG TIME!

I had grown up listening to the Mighty 1290.  The KOIL Christmas tree, the KOIL Haunted House, Roger W. Morgan, John Erling, Joe Light, Bob Dean, Gene Shaw and all the others.  This is my KOIL story.

The KOIL building was built in the late 60's or early 70's, I don't really remember.  But it was one of a kind.  All the studios faced out onto the large patio area where listeners could come and watch the KOIL Good Guys work.  The windows were floor to ceiling and let the listeners see all the action.  Unless the action was private in nature, then the curtains were drawn.  Most of the time the best action was on the outside of the windows.  It wasn't unusual to get flashed, mooned, streaked of even propositioned.  We even got shot at with a bullet hole in the window to prove it.

Sometimes, the persistent (good looking) listeners would get in the building and get to witness the live radio operation.  My all time favorite were the dancing lesbians.  They actually danced on the countertop.  There were quite a few folks in the studio that night.  We just had to be careful that the GM at the time wasn't entertaining in his office after hours.  We watched old Larry leave one night.  After throwing up out the window of his Cadillac, he pulled out onto Indian Hills Drive and his trunk flew open and stayed that way until he was out of sight.  Like I said, this was the BIG TIME!

My favorite radio person of all time was Jimmy O'Neill.  He was the number one jock in Los Angeles in the early 60's making well into six figures.  That was alot of money in those days.  He hired me, trained me and taught me how to be a morning personality.  He was the best..  Some of the older folks may remember him from his days hosting Shindig on network tv.  He was also featured in a Flintstone's episode as Jimmy O'Neillstone , the host of Shinrock.  Jimmy always said his son admired his Flintstone work the most. I exchanged emails with Jimmy right after Terry Mason's funeral.  I'm going to call him soon and have a great chat.  Jimmy is retired and living in Hollywood with his son.

The other KOIL Good Guys I am pictured with included Steve Lundy, now doing mornings on 103.7 The Kat in Omaha.  He is nominated for medium market country personality of the year.  Then there is Mark Todd who made it big programming radio stations with the likes of Scott Shannon and others.  He is a big shot with NRG/Waitt radio in Omaha.  He sent me the original sales brochure that the building picture and jock pics came from.  It is framed on the wall of my home recording studio.  I am still available for voicework, Mark.  Bill Mattson is pictured here.  Bill does afternoons on 103.7 The Kat in Omaha.  Quite possibly the funniest person on the radio.  He could make everyone laugh with a single line over the intro of a song.  Also pictured is Terry Mason.  Terry died suddenly last year.  But his death brought together one of the most amazing collections of radio talent ever assembled.  We all miss Terry. I also want to mention Dennis Anderson, A.K.A Aku Head PouPoule.  A very funny man. And last of all Chris Moreau.  The King of Sprite Nite at Peony Park. I don't know what really happened to Chris.  I think I heard he landed a job as a TV anchorman in Milwaukee.  These are some of the people I will think of and smile for the rest of my life...

KOIL was a once in a lifetime event.  It was the biggest time radio I ever worked in.  Even though I am now in a bigger market, it's just not the same.  The people are different, the passion is different. Check it out at http://nebradio.tripod.com/koil.html