I grew up listening to the best radio in the world. Chick Hearn, Vin Scully, Dick Enberg, Jim Healey, Gary Owens, Jim Ladd, Machine Gun Kelly, Rodney on the ROQ, Dr. Demento. The one guy who probably broadened my horizons more than any other? Larry King.
He had this show syndicated on the Mutual Broadcasting System, came pretty late on weeknights in SoCal. I just got my brand spanking new digital clock radio--my most prized possession, by far--and this show, man, it went on for like 100 hours EVERY NIGHT.
There'd be a guest to talk for an hour or two--unless it was Danny Kaye, Sandy Koufax, or Francis Albert Sinatra; they'd get the full run. But otherwise after the guests left it was Open Phone America, where he'd do his trademark. "Dubuque! Hello!" For hours, every night.
It was news and culture that for me was from distant, exotic planets--Chicago, and especially the Brooklyn of his childhood. He might slip back to the same old neighborhood stories in Hour Four or so, but with that rasp, and especially that laugh, you wanted to hear 'em again.
There was a great generosity about the whole thing, including toward the callers. And especially toward his daughter Chaia, who was my age, and now I see that she died last year, damn. Must have broken his heart. people.com/tv/larry-king-…
He became a TV figure that generated eye-rolling, and his newspaper column was the corniest three-dot, on-my-mind column out there. But I never sneered at him, at least I hope I didn't, because of what a miraculous radio program that was for me.
A few years ago I started doing some fill-in radio work for Sirius XM. I remember well my first day, had a whole bunch of winning stuff lined up--high-profile guests & great wing-man from the jump. Nobody showed up, and it was just me, the microphone, and silence. So, so terrible
Eventually figured out how to fill programming in three-hour chunks--here's the secret: Have super great & busy producers who also double as on-air talent! But anyway, even three hours a day is a damn lot. King was doing, like 4, 5, maybe more. And it was captivating!
And sure, it's possible that I lack a critical distance, being an eager tween rube who finally has his own room & radio, open up to the world. But he was a big part of that, in an already great radio town, and I want to thank him posthumously for it.
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