Highest debut Family Affair-Sly & The Family Stone
NewI Know I'm Losing You-Rod Stewart
Theme From Shaft-Isaac Hayes #1highest debut #22 Sly & The Family Stone again
Sorry about the quality of the K/mentertainer. the colors even make the original hard to read.
NewCherish-David Cassidy
Hello J. Monty Lang, Buddy Scott and Gene Lane pictures
Hello J. Monty Lang, Buddy Scott and Gene Lane picturesGoodbye Dave Sebastion, Bruce Chandler, Scott Seagraves
8 comments:
Yikes!!!!!!!!!!!!
That hurts the eyes.
That KMEN tune sheet is
a bad choice of colors.
It's the changes they're
going through with new
owners. Bad choices in
many ways and the start
of the downfall of KMEN
as we knew it.
By 1974 they wouldn't even
play TSOP because it was
toooo repetitive.
Guess they'll never play
THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT by
KC+++
actually, KMEN's soon-to-be-coming new "Rock of the Inland Empire" would herald a new incarnation for a tired, old and outdated station image from the 1960's -- goodbye, 'Bernard'! for the next two years, Radio 129 would return to competiveness and match or beat rival KF many times over in the all-important morning and afternoon drive-time slots -- not to mention the increased billing profits and renewed public relations presence with local communities.
can't really speak on whether KMEN played "TSOP" or not, let alone music by "K.C. (& The Sunshine Band)"; however, it's a safe bet that certain record rotations may have depended on the estimated number of "I Hate Disco" poster people in the listening audience at that time. i certainly came to know them quite well during my days in the business!
I believe the "I hate Disco"
phenomenon came in the late 70s.
In full swing early 80s when
they started calling it "Dance Music". Semantics.
When TSOP was out, KMEN was in
a change to not play hard rock or
obnoxious tunes. They were getting
mellow. Bill Rhodes was PD there
at the time. KFXM welcomed their
change but it didn't matter as KMEN
would never again be what it was.
of course, when something changes like a radio station's image and music policies, it is NEVER the same: a different look, a different feel for an evolving audience. also, FM broadcasters (e.g., KOLA and KMET) were just beginning to make inroads to the Top 30 hegemony of the AM giants; changes instituted at KMEN were intended to focus on the remaining audience cume left on that waveband.
i remember Bill Rhodes quite well at "The Rock"... i had heard that he had died in some sort of tragic accident during this period -- anyone know something about it???
Didn't know Bill had died
Anyone with further info?
I never got into his brain about
the changes going on at KMEN.
But I think you're right about
picking up the pieces that were
left as AM radio started a
downhill road.
as to the changes which you could not get into Bill's "brain", the problem may have been likely two-fold:
1) the change in ownership to Lincoln Dellar Enterprises and his millionaire's way of doing things -- "hands-on"; and
2) the subsequent departure of Buddy Scott (programming) and Pat Shaughnessy (station management) which left poor Bill in the middle paddling without the actual backing for "picking up the pieces" afterwards in a meaningful direction.
as to Bill Rhodes' apparent demise, what i heard on the DJ circuit was that he died as a result of some sort of horrible accident: "the house he was building fell in on him and crushed him to death." no one to date has ever disputed that bit of sad news although i sure wish the info about this had been wrong all along, know what i mean?
After KMEN Bill Rhoades worked for Pacific Stereo. He was a manager at the North Hollywood store in February 1978 when he was the inspecting the roof after a bad storm. He fell suffering severe injuries. He passed away March 4, 1978. At the time of his death he was married and had a young son. He is buried at Green Acres Memorial Park in Bloomington, CA. His marker includes the inscription “The song has ended but the melody lingers on”.
I was Bill’s CSUN college roommate and lost touch with him after graduation. I only found out about his passing many years later.
John from Fontana (back then)
grateful thanks to John from Fontana for finally confirming how and when Bill Rhodes died. alas, another good guy passed far before his time. i had previously asked a few others in the radio biz about this tragic incident and had only been told the same story as before, so now we can all put it to rest... and Bill, R.I.P.
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