Tom Leykis, heard for years on KFI (640 AM) and KLSX (now KAMP, 97.1 FM) as well as the original KMPC (now KSPN, 710 AM) returns to the terrestrial airwaves today, just for one day. Not locally, but on KKSF/San Francisco. It’s the first time Leykis has been heard on traditional radio in more than five years.
The evolution of Leykis is interesting. On KFI, he was positioned as the balance to conservative syndicated talker Rush Limbaugh, though his show didn’t always cover politics. Leykis was always at his best when he spoke on issues personal to him, and those things were not necessarily political. One of his best shows was on buying McDonald’s french fries.
On KMPC, he stayed with issues-oriented talk as the station tried to make a dent in KFI’s success … and didn’t. So he moved on to KLSX, where he soon became the advice-giving “father figure” or experienced friend to (primarily) young men on sex and relationship issues.
Listeners responded to the show with rabid dedication, giving Leykis the power to set up a contract so solid that he was actually paid for two years to stay off the radio once KLSX dropped talk to become top 40 Amp Radio. And it showed how flexible Leykis was in radio: He could do any format, and he proved he can change with the times — and stations — as far as talk goes.
For the last few years Leykis has been hosting a live Internet show on The New Normal Network. It can be accessed via www.BlowMeUpTom.com or on the smartphone app called TuneIn. It’s another evolution in the life of Leykis, a show like the one on KLSX but in many ways better. More polished. More interesting.
Today on KKSF, he’s filling in for Gil Gross from 3 to 7 p.m.; Leykis tells me “It will be a combination of the show I do and the straight-ahead show done by Gil.” It will be simulcast on KKSF, the KKSF stream and the usual Leykis streams. Leykis also plans a half-hour before and after tailgate/postgame program to be heard on his New Normal streams. Uncensored, of course.
“I’ve known Gil for over 20 years,” Leykis told me. “This came as a total surprise.”
I predict Leykis on KKSF will be a total surprise to Bay Area listeners, too. It should be interesting.
Kelly’s anniversary
April 12 was the two-year anniversary of “The Mo’Kelly Show” on KFI; Morris O’Kelly celebrated with a low-key in-studio party at the Clear Channel complex in Burbank. His show is a bright spot on weekends and can be heard on KFI from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturdays.
“It has been incredibly humbling connecting with people on issues big and small on weekend evenings,” Kelly said. “ KFI (640 a.m.) and its listeners have been wonderful to me. The best part has been being able to slowly demonstrate that raising the caliber of talk radio conversations and decreasing incivility in our discourse, still have a place on our airwaves. You don’t have to appeal or pander to the worst of who we are to generate the best ratings.”
Hawaiian music
Quite a few letters came in regarding last week’s question on music of the Hawaiian Islands.
George Schwenk of San Pedro told of the old days: “I remember every Saturday, KHJ and the Mutual/Don Lee Broadcasting System broadcast a live musical program from Hawaii as a sustaining program. I also remember when KPAS (1110-kc) first came on the air in the early 1940s, they played Hawaiian music solidly for two weeks. And early in FM broadcasting, KCBH (Crawfords of Beverly Hills) broadcast Hawaiian records regularly once a week.”
John Hammell of Glendale probably remembers the same show heard on KHJ: “The ‘Hawaii Calls’ radio show was on the air until 1975; I definitely remember listening to the show.”
But where can we hear Hawaiian music now? Bill Lodge of Redondo Beach has a suggestion: “There are quite a few stations on the TuneIn radio app. My favorite is KINE 105 in Honolulu.”
Herb Boone of Bloomington wrote: “I don’t know of any Hawaiian music played locally, but I have Dish Network, and its music channels carry Hawaiian music 24/7 on channel 981 CD 32.”
Broadcast engineering consultant Joel Saxberg of Arcadia noted, “If you have a computer you can listen to an Internet station called AlohaJoe.Com. The programs are produced in California, but you’d never guess it … it screams of Hawaii.”
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance writer covering radio in Southern California. Send him email at rwagoner@cox.net.
