Bill Keene
Encyclopedia
Bill Keene was a television and radio personality who became famous in the Los Angeles, California
market as a traffic
and weather announcer. He was particularly known for his colorful humorous traffic reports which included numerous pun
s and he became a fixture in Los Angeles broadcasting.
His Los Angeles broadcasting career began in 1957 at KNXT-TV (now KCBS-TV
) as a weather reporter. He is credited with helping pioneer the station's hourlong news format. During the same period he also reported the weather on the sister radio operation KNX (AM)
. Later he hosted the daytime television variety show "Keene at Noon" which was later called "The Bill Keene Show."
In 1976 he started working full-time at KNX where he became one of the first regular radio reporters in Los Angeles.
Puns became a regular part of his broadcasts. For example, when a ladder was reported on the freeway he would announce “Watch out for rung way drivers” and “Don’t worry, the highway patrol will be taking steps to remove that ladder.”
Keene retired in 1993. He died in his sleep in Tucson, Arizona
in 2000, months after suffering a stroke.
. In 2006, the California Department of Transportation
officially named the Four Level Interchange
in Downtown Los Angeles
the Bill Keene Memorial Interchange in Keene's honor.
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
market as a traffic
Traffic reporting
Traffic reporting is the distribution of information about road conditions such as traffic congestion, detours, and traffic accidents, generally as part of a radio or television broadcast program. The reports help commuters anticipate and avoid traffic problems. Many reports mention alternate...
and weather announcer. He was particularly known for his colorful humorous traffic reports which included numerous pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
s and he became a fixture in Los Angeles broadcasting.
His Los Angeles broadcasting career began in 1957 at KNXT-TV (now KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
) as a weather reporter. He is credited with helping pioneer the station's hourlong news format. During the same period he also reported the weather on the sister radio operation KNX (AM)
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
. Later he hosted the daytime television variety show "Keene at Noon" which was later called "The Bill Keene Show."
In 1976 he started working full-time at KNX where he became one of the first regular radio reporters in Los Angeles.
Puns became a regular part of his broadcasts. For example, when a ladder was reported on the freeway he would announce “Watch out for rung way drivers” and “Don’t worry, the highway patrol will be taking steps to remove that ladder.”
Keene retired in 1993. He died in his sleep in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
in 2000, months after suffering a stroke.
Honors
In 1992 Keene was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
. In 2006, the California Department of Transportation
California Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation is a government department in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state...
officially named the Four Level Interchange
Four Level Interchange
The Four Level Interchange was the first stack interchange in the world. Completed in 1949 and fully opened in 1953 at the northern edge of downtown Los Angeles, California, USA, it connects U.S...
in Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles
Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, United States, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area...
the Bill Keene Memorial Interchange in Keene's honor.