Michael Jackson (radio commentator)
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Michael Jackson is a radio talk show host based in the Los Angeles area. Jackson is best known for his radio show which covered the arts, politics and human interest subjects, particularly in the Los Angeles and greater Southern California area. The show originally aired on L.A. radio station KABC and currently airs on KGIL.
He was born in England, experiencing the blitz (German bombing) of London during World War II. After the war, in which his father served in the RAF as a navigator trainer, his family moved to South Africa where he became a radio deejay. The Jacksons were appalled by the apartheid then dominant in South Africa, and they moved to the United States in 1958. Michael had always wanted to be on the radio in Los Angeles, but first, he worked in cities like San Francisco, where he did a top-40 show for station KYA. (Rose, 1978, p. 56) Listeners loved his British accent, but he didn't especially enjoy being a rock deejay. In fact,he hated rock music and ended up getting fired. When he was hired in the early 60s at KEWB to do an overnight shift, he gradually phased out playing records, and began chatting with callers. He got the reputation of being a problem-solver, and comedian Mort Sahl, a big fan of his, jokingly called him the "All Night Psychiatrist." (Time magazine, 21 September 1962.) [1] In that article, it noted that the police regularly monitored his show, with his permission, so they could trace the calls of the occasional listener who expressed suicidal thoughts and make sure the person was okay. And Time praised him for his ability to maintain a calm demeanor no matter what the subject might be.
The Time article and other favorable publicity earned him some offers, and he finally fulfilled his dream, getting hired in Los Angeles, where he briefly did the 7 pm to midnight shift at KHJ. Radio/TV critic Don Page of the Los Angeles Times took notice of him almost immediately, saying he was a "good talker and a patient listener", with an "elegant and flexible" command of the language. (Page, 1964, p. B1) But when his ratings weren't what KHJ hoped, they fired him. Fortunately, the CBS affiliate KNX-AM quickly picked him up, but he found their format very confining. (Rose, 1978, p. 56) Finally, in 1966, heritage talk station KABC hired him, and it was a perfect fit. They were having great success with their talk radio format, and they gave him the 9 am to 1 pm spot. Michael remained with them for the next three decades, with critics continuing to compliment him for being "cultivated and enlightened". (Roberts, 1967, p. C7) At that time, KABC also broadcast the Joe Pyne show, and in the mid 1970s, when Michael beat him in the ratings, he told a reporter that this proved "you do not have to be rude to be successful." (Trombley, 1975, p. A3) Nobody ever accused Michael of being rude.
He liked to book his own guests, and he became well-know for talking to interesting newsmakers from all around the world, ranging from Richard Nixon's former counsel Charles Colson to economist Milton Friedman to Israeli military leader Moshe Dayan. He also talked to celebrities, psychologists and comedians, but he seemed to enjoy talking about current events. On the other hand, he was sometimes criticised for being too nice with his guests and not asking enough tough questions. (Brown, 1979, p. H1)
Michael Jackson continued to be successful during the 80s, but radio was changing. Regarded by many as a liberal, he was not alone in that point of view: KABC had several liberal hosts, as well as several who were conservative. But in the late 1980s, with the demise of the Fairness Doctrine, stations began to abandon balance. Conservative programs like The Rush Limbaugh Show began to predominate. Limbaugh was Michael's competitor, on the air at crosstown KFI, and Rush had little difficulty defeating the veteran KABC talk show host. KABC's management ultimately felt Michael's style no longer fit with the modern "in your face" talk shows, the vast majority of which were conservative. On 3 July 1997, Michael did his last daily talk show for KABC, to the chagrin his fans and a number of critics. Said one, "Jackson has served as one of the radio dial's last passionate voices of liberal politics..." (Richmond, 1997, p.1) The timing was especially bad given that Michael had just won an award as "Radio Talk Show Host of the Year" from the Los Angeles Times. He was moved to weekends and ultimately let go in November 1998, after more than 32 years with KABC.
Michael Jackson came back to radio He found work at KRLA (1110), where he got some good ratings, but was still not able to beat Limbaugh. KRLA was pleased, however, because he increased the size of their audience -- they had recently changed their format from oldies to all-talk, and station management felt that because he was so well-known in Los Angeles, Michael would be able to attract new listeners. (Littleton, 1999, p. 3) But just when things looked promising, KRLA was sold in October 2000 and the new format was going to be sports. Michael was out of work again, this time through no fault of his own. He landed at KLAC but there too, the station changed format, going back to music in 2002. Ironically, in 2003, he was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame; he was still a talented announcer, but at that point, he had no station to work for.
He did some free-lance work, producing interviews for all-news radio station KNX and doing some work as a news analyst. But he chose not to renew his contract, citing a lack of a regular time slot as well as frustration when his long and thorough interviews were edited down into two minute snippets. (Carney, 2007, p. E2)
Some good news occurred for him in late 2007. He joined the new KGIL 1260 AM; it had been playing classical music, but now the owner, Saul Levine, wanted to do a talk radio station, and Michael was one of the announcers he hired. His first show for KGIL was on October 29, 2007, and he remains there to this day. His show is from 9 AM to 11 AM every weekday. Still courteous, still non-combative, Michael Jackson is now 73 and as he told Steve Carney of the Los Angeles Times, he hoped that this time, he could settle in and work till whenever he chooses to retire.
Works cited:
James Brown. "Talk of the Town." Los Angeles Times, 4 December 1979, p. H1.
Steve Carney. "Jackson Seeks to Reclaim his Place." Los Angeles Times, 29 October 2007, p. E2.
Cynthia Littleton. "Jackson's ratings good at KRLA-AM." Daily Variety, May 18, 1999, p 3
Don Page. "Radio Too Talky? It's Debatable." Los Angeles Times, 25 October 1964, p. B1.
Ray Richmond. "Jackson Exits KABC Slot." Daily Variety, July 3, 1997 Thursday p.1
Myron Roberts. "Yackity Yackity Yack About Talk Shows." Los Angeles Times, 25 July 1967, p. C7.
Hilly Rose. "But That's Not What I Called About." Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1978.
William Trombley. "LA Turns On to Talk Shows." Los Angeles Times, 25 August 1975, p. A3.
