Robert W. Morgan
Encyclopedia
Robert Wilbur Morgan was an award-winning morning radio personality best known for his work at several stations in Los Angeles, California
, in particular KHJ-AM
.
Morgan also did morning drive at KMPC
-AM, KIQQ-FM
and KMGG-FM, and finished his career at KRTH-FM, where he retired for health reasons in 1997. He died from lung cancer on May 22, 1998.
, Morgan's interest was peaked while listening to his favorite DJ's on Cleveland’s top forty
giant KYW
which would eventually lead to his first on-air job was at Wooster College in 1955 on WWST & WWST-FM, for an initial salary of $1 per hour.
In 1959 Morgan moved from college radio to KACY
Port Hueneme, California
where he hosted the over night show called Kegler’s Spare Time with Bob Morgan live from the Wagon Wheel Bowl before moving on to a succession of brief stints beginning in 1961 at KTEE Carmel
as the second half of a two-man classical music announcer on KTEE with Bob Elliott, a Marine Corps Heavyweight Champion who later went onto radio fame as "K.O. Bailey," then a short time later as the morning drive DJ and mid-day board op for the Arthur Godfrey Show at KMBY, Monterey, then a jump to KOMY Watsonville, then back to KMBYMonterey followed in 1962 at "K-MAKE", KMAK
, Fresno
where he first worked with program director
Ron Jacobs
. This was followed in 1963 by an eight month stay at KROY Sacramento
before finally landing his first major-market job in 1964 at KEWB
, San Francisco. It was here that he meet and work with his life long friend "The Real" Don Steele
.
On April 27, 1965 the careers of Morgan, Steele and programer Ron Jacobs would gain super star status when they joinded the staff of KHJ
-AM, Los Angeles
almost overnight. Programming genius Bill Drake
along with a staff of talented DJ's called "Boss Jocks" had transformed a sleepy giant into the city's most dominate radio station. It was here that Morgan enjoyed his greatest on-air success as one of the original "Boss Jocks" on 93/KHJ which dominated the Top 40 radio market in Southern California
from 1965 to 1973. Morgan's signature, "Good Morgan Boss Angeles!" to his devoted morning drive time audience would stay with him until the end of his career. It was also Morgan that voiced much of the "Boss Radio/93 KHJ station promos and imagery. It was also during this time that Morgan co-produced and narrated the 48-hour History of Rock and Roll in 1969, a definitive on-air encyclopedia of Rock ‘N Roll. It was the first-ever "rock-umentary" aired worldwide is a definitive history of the Rock and Roll genre, a "rockumentary," as producers Drake and Gene Chenault would call it that would stretch from the early 1950s to 1989.
In 1970 Morgan made a surprise move from Los Angeles to WIND
Radio
Chicago
where he remained in the morning slot until finally being enticed back to his KHJ
morning show in 1972.
Until his departue from KHJ
in October 1970, Morgan had commanded unparalleled Radio
ratings
in Los Angeles
. Morgan's return to his former time slot in L.A. saw a significant spike upward for KHJ until he departed just a year later.
Los Angeles. He did that for four years before legendary morning man Dick Whittinghill retired in 1979, allowing Morgan to go back to mornings. He stayed at KMPC until 1984. After a short stint at KMGG before returning to KMPC
. Morgan appeared on television as host of several variety shows including Morgan’s Alley, ABC
’s In Concert, NBC
’s The Helen Reddy Show, and KHJ-TV
’s Groovy Show
, which he hosted with teen model Kam Nelson. He was also the announcer for Solid Gold
throughout most of the 1980s.
Morgan was heard in 1973 on Saturday night segments of the long-running NBC Radio program Monitor, an attempt to freshen that program's image. While with KMGG, he was at one time heard as a substitute host of American Top 40
.
. According to L.A. radio personality Bob Shannon, Morgan told his listeners, "It could have something to do with the two packs a day cigarette habit I had for the last 35 years,". In an emotional on-air statement, he said he was taking some time off to fight the disease full time. His friend and colleague Don Steele died, also of lung cancer, in August 1997. Morgan continued to do broadcasts from his home studio until 1998.
On January 9, 1998, K-EARTH 101 held a retirement tribute for Morgan at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills. The tribute included a re-dedication of his Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame
, and a three hour broadcast from the museum’s theater, hosted by Gary Owens
and Morgan's KRTH co-host, Joni Caryl. It concluded with a thirty minute retrospective on Morgan’s career, narrated by Dick Clark. Morgan passed away on May 22, 1998, He was 60 years old. Morgan was married twice, and is survived by a daughter.
magazine's Air Personality of the Year award in 1967, Morgan was awarded the Gavin Professional Programmer's Man of the Year Award, a citation from the National Association of Broadcasters
for "Significant Achievement in American Broadcasting," and unanimous election to the Ohio Broadcasters' Hall of Fame. Samples of his work are on permanent display at the Museum of Broadcasting
in New York
, the Museum of Television & Radio
in Beverly Hills and the International Broadcasting Congress archives in Brussels
. He also has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
, just outside the Kodak Theater complex on the corner of Hollywood and Highland.
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...
, in particular KHJ-AM
KHJ (AM)
KHJ Radio in Los Angeles, California broadcasts Spanish-language entertainment programming as La Ranchera. It was also one of America's most formidable Top 40 radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s as 93 KHJ before changing its format in 1980....
.
Morgan also did morning drive at KMPC
KMPC
KMPC is a radio station based in Los Angeles, California and is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Licensee, LLC. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean-language programming...
-AM, KIQQ-FM
KIQQ-FM
KIQQ-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Regional Mexican format. Licensed to Newberry Springs, California, USA, it serves the Barstow area...
and KMGG-FM, and finished his career at KRTH-FM, where he retired for health reasons in 1997. He died from lung cancer on May 22, 1998.
Early years
As a youth growing up in Galion, OhioGalion, Ohio
Settlers arrived in the area as early as 1817. The location was at the crossroads of a north-south road from Columbus to Portland , and the east-west route that later became the Lincoln Highway and subsequently the Harding Highway....
, Morgan's interest was peaked while listening to his favorite DJ's on Cleveland’s top forty
Top Forty
The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. When used without qualification, it typically refers to the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music songs of the previous week...
giant KYW
WTAM
WTAM — branded Newsradio WTAM 1100 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts primarily a news/talk format...
which would eventually lead to his first on-air job was at Wooster College in 1955 on WWST & WWST-FM, for an initial salary of $1 per hour.
In 1959 Morgan moved from college radio to KACY
KACY
KACY may refer to:* the ICAO code for Atlantic City International Airport* KACY, a radio station licensed to Arkansas City, Kansas, United States...
Port Hueneme, California
Port Hueneme, California
Port Hueneme is a small beach city in Ventura County, California surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Pacific Ocean. The name derives from the Spanish spelling of the Chumash wene me, meaning "Resting Place". The area was discovered by Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo in the mid 16th century...
where he hosted the over night show called Kegler’s Spare Time with Bob Morgan live from the Wagon Wheel Bowl before moving on to a succession of brief stints beginning in 1961 at KTEE Carmel
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a small city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated in 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, the town is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history...
as the second half of a two-man classical music announcer on KTEE with Bob Elliott, a Marine Corps Heavyweight Champion who later went onto radio fame as "K.O. Bailey," then a short time later as the morning drive DJ and mid-day board op for the Arthur Godfrey Show at KMBY, Monterey, then a jump to KOMY Watsonville, then back to KMBYMonterey followed in 1962 at "K-MAKE", KMAK
KMAK
KMAK is an American radio station licensed toserve the community of Orange Cove, California, United States. The station, established in 1990, is owned by founder Richard B...
, Fresno
Fresno
Fresno is the fifth largest city in California.Fresno may also refer to:-Places:Colombia* Fresno, TolimaSpain* Fresno, a ghost village in Nidáliga, Valle de Sedano, Burgos* Aldea del Fresno, Madrid* Fresno de la Vega, Ribera del Esla, León...
where he first worked with program director
Program director
In service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
Ron Jacobs
Ron Jacobs (broadcaster)
Ron Jacobs is an American broadcaster, author, record producer and concert promoter. He is best known as the program director of KHJ radio in Los Angeles during its ground-breaking "Boss Radio" period , and as co-creator of the countdown show American Top 40, and the seminal radio program The...
. This was followed in 1963 by an eight month stay at KROY Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
before finally landing his first major-market job in 1964 at KEWB
KNEW (AM)
KNEW is a radio station in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, CA, USA. The station is owned by Clear Channel. Prior to the format change, the station operated as CNET Radio, offering business and technology news 24 hours a day...
, San Francisco. It was here that he meet and work with his life long friend "The Real" Don Steele
Don Steele
Don Steele, born Donald Steele Revert , was one of the most popular disc jockeys in the United States, from the middle of the 1960s until his retirement in May 1997...
.
On April 27, 1965 the careers of Morgan, Steele and programer Ron Jacobs would gain super star status when they joinded the staff of KHJ
KHJ (AM)
KHJ Radio in Los Angeles, California broadcasts Spanish-language entertainment programming as La Ranchera. It was also one of America's most formidable Top 40 radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s as 93 KHJ before changing its format in 1980....
-AM, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
almost overnight. Programming genius Bill Drake
Bill Drake
Bill Drake , born Philip Yarbrough, was an American radio programmer who co-developed the Boss Radio format with Gene Chenault via their company Drake-Chenault.-Early career:...
along with a staff of talented DJ's called "Boss Jocks" had transformed a sleepy giant into the city's most dominate radio station. It was here that Morgan enjoyed his greatest on-air success as one of the original "Boss Jocks" on 93/KHJ which dominated the Top 40 radio market in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
from 1965 to 1973. Morgan's signature, "Good Morgan Boss Angeles!" to his devoted morning drive time audience would stay with him until the end of his career. It was also Morgan that voiced much of the "Boss Radio/93 KHJ station promos and imagery. It was also during this time that Morgan co-produced and narrated the 48-hour History of Rock and Roll in 1969, a definitive on-air encyclopedia of Rock ‘N Roll. It was the first-ever "rock-umentary" aired worldwide is a definitive history of the Rock and Roll genre, a "rockumentary," as producers Drake and Gene Chenault would call it that would stretch from the early 1950s to 1989.
In 1970 Morgan made a surprise move from Los Angeles to WIND
WIND (AM)
WIND "AM 560" is a radio station based in Chicago, Illinois, broadcasting its talk radio format on 560 kHz.Its current owner is Salem Media, a company specializing primarily in Christian radio...
Radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
where he remained in the morning slot until finally being enticed back to his KHJ
KHJ (AM)
KHJ Radio in Los Angeles, California broadcasts Spanish-language entertainment programming as La Ranchera. It was also one of America's most formidable Top 40 radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s as 93 KHJ before changing its format in 1980....
morning show in 1972.
Until his departue from KHJ
KHJ (AM)
KHJ Radio in Los Angeles, California broadcasts Spanish-language entertainment programming as La Ranchera. It was also one of America's most formidable Top 40 radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s as 93 KHJ before changing its format in 1980....
in October 1970, Morgan had commanded unparalleled Radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
ratings
Audience measurement
Audience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Morgan's return to his former time slot in L.A. saw a significant spike upward for KHJ until he departed just a year later.
Post KHJ
In 1973 Morgan and Steele walked out of KHJ and six months later joined Bill Drake at KIQQ-FM, Los Angeles. Ratings weren't good, though and Morgan left only a year and a half later for weekends and fill-ins at the prestigious KMPCKMPC
KMPC is a radio station based in Los Angeles, California and is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Licensee, LLC. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean-language programming...
Los Angeles. He did that for four years before legendary morning man Dick Whittinghill retired in 1979, allowing Morgan to go back to mornings. He stayed at KMPC until 1984. After a short stint at KMGG before returning to KMPC
KMPC
KMPC is a radio station based in Los Angeles, California and is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Licensee, LLC. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean-language programming...
. Morgan appeared on television as host of several variety shows including Morgan’s Alley, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
’s In Concert, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
’s The Helen Reddy Show, and KHJ-TV
KCAL-TV
KCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, USA, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Digital...
’s Groovy Show
Groovy Show
The Groovy Show is a half-hour live dance program aired on weekday afternoons on KHJ-TV Channel 9, in the Los Angeles, California market from 1967 to 1970.-Overview:...
, which he hosted with teen model Kam Nelson. He was also the announcer for Solid Gold
Solid Gold (TV series)
Solid Gold is an American syndicated music television series that debuted on September 13, 1980. Like many other shows of its genre, such as American Bandstand, Solid Gold featured musical performances and various other elements such as music videos...
throughout most of the 1980s.
Morgan was heard in 1973 on Saturday night segments of the long-running NBC Radio program Monitor, an attempt to freshen that program's image. While with KMGG, he was at one time heard as a substitute host of American Top 40
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
.
End of a lengendary career
1992 would signal the twilight years of Morgan's distinguished radio broadcast career when he signed on as the morning show host of "oldies" K-EARTH 101 where he again enjoyed solid rating in the Los Angeles market before announcing in May 1997 that he was suffering from lung cancerLung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. According to L.A. radio personality Bob Shannon, Morgan told his listeners, "It could have something to do with the two packs a day cigarette habit I had for the last 35 years,". In an emotional on-air statement, he said he was taking some time off to fight the disease full time. His friend and colleague Don Steele died, also of lung cancer, in August 1997. Morgan continued to do broadcasts from his home studio until 1998.
On January 9, 1998, K-EARTH 101 held a retirement tribute for Morgan at the Museum of Television and Radio in Beverly Hills. The tribute included a re-dedication of his Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame
Hollywood 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...
, and a three hour broadcast from the museum’s theater, hosted by Gary Owens
Gary Owens
Gary Owens is an American disc jockey and voice actor. His polished baritone speaking voice generally offers deadpan recitations of total nonsense, which he frequently demonstrated as the announcer on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. Owens is equally proficient in straight or silly assignments and is...
and Morgan's KRTH co-host, Joni Caryl. It concluded with a thirty minute retrospective on Morgan’s career, narrated by Dick Clark. Morgan passed away on May 22, 1998, He was 60 years old. Morgan was married twice, and is survived by a daughter.
Awards
In addition to receiving BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine's Air Personality of the Year award in 1967, Morgan was awarded the Gavin Professional Programmer's Man of the Year Award, a citation from the National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
for "Significant Achievement in American Broadcasting," and unanimous election to the Ohio Broadcasters' Hall of Fame. Samples of his work are on permanent display at the Museum of Broadcasting
Museum of broadcasting
Museum of Broadcasting may refer to:*The Paley Center for Media*Museum of Broadcast Communications*Pavek Museum of Broadcasting...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the Museum of Television & Radio
Museum of Television & Radio
The Paley Center for Media, formerly The Museum of Television & Radio and The Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S...
in Beverly Hills and the International Broadcasting Congress archives in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. He also has a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood 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...
, just outside the Kodak Theater complex on the corner of Hollywood and Highland.