98.5 KOME – Fan Blog

Caught this post in the online version of the San Francisco Chronicle – SF Gate ~ Radio Waves written by Ben Fong-Torres:

Congrats to Laurie Roberts, observing her 30th anniversary on the air in the South Bay, on KOME, KSJO and, since 1985, on KUFX (KFOX at 98.5 FM), where she’s also PD. See? Not everybody gets fired after a year or two .

Now I can honestly say I have been listening to Laurie on the air now since 1979…. I prefer to think of these last 29 years as a blip on my mental radar but if you see Laurie she does not look like she could possibly have been on air that long. Laurie Roberts is a special on air personality, at least to me because she has a mind like a steel trap. She has limitless knowledge about bands, not just some bands or specific bands but it seems like she knows all bands! Case in point, after she did the shout out and played the ACDC Song Thunderstruck for the Jericho Rangers DVD for the Troops program
( thank you again Laurie!) she added that the band had been on a plane and that the plane was struck by lightening, hence the song THUNDERSTRUCK!

I also love that she is exactly the type of smart business woman a girl can emulate, she is strong, and witty but also personally easy to talk to. She has made the last 30 years of rock in the Bay Area a joy to listen to.

Thanks Laurie for all the great tunes and may you have thirty more!

Sunday Ramblings ~

I am the type of blogger who loves to report on what other folks are writing about, a habit I formed from my Jericho Campaign Days. I would run around for the three weeks we were at war with CBS ( yes, I said damn it, WAR ) and visit hundreds of posts, websites news organizations you name it, and grab the info on what was being said and done to save Jericho.It was nuts! Ewwwww, bad one I know

Now doing this blog is a bit harder, folks who run music sites seem more into videos ( and I am guilty as charged ) but once in a while I am introduced to a blog that feels like home, full of great information given like a friend telling you a story, today that blog is Classic Video Jukebox.

His post today is about the Steve Miller Band * Gangster of Love *, and as soon as your a third the way through this post, you have the urge to get the SMB tunes into the trusty MP3 player and rock away.
I suggest if your into the history of the classic Rock Bands, that you keep this blog high on your list of daily reads, you can expect great things no matter what Chili writes about! And check this out — Steve Miller’s God Father is Les Paul!!!!! Want more tidbits? Head on over to Classic Video Jukebox

In other news…….
I found the most amazing stuff on the WayBackMachine site…. yep KOME fans, the station website from 1997 through to 1998. Not every month mind ya, but enough to see how the station kind of sank like a freaking stone during those years. I could not believe what they had done to my station. * like how I have purloined the awesome KOME, I did the same thing with Brad Beyer of Jericho, he will forever be MY Brad * yeah, uh anyways……… I am so glad that I was gone for the demise of what was the BEST station in the West if not in the entire US. I left CA in 1994 about August so what ever happened, who ever did it I can only say what the hell were ya thinking?
Oh well, crying over spilled milk, kicking a dead horse, I can’t help myself.

It’s just that if one thinks about it, do you realize how many people were influenced by KOME over the years? The station and its peeps were responsible for many decisions in so many peoples lives.
I never for one moment considered the station being taken down, it just never crossed my mind. Ludicrous thoughts never do for me.

Now because of Jericho I get the whole ratings, money grubbing, big headed executives with no care or thought for what listeners/viewers want thing. It is a bottom line, and I respect that – because money makes this world go round, right? But I don’t like it, what happened to customer loyalty to a brand actually mattering to a business owner ?

When I was at RadioandRecords.com looking at the ratings, * another piccadillo I have from Jericho – thanks CBS * I see that there are only 2 Classic Rock Stations in San Jose/Bay Area !!!

The spring ratings are down across the board for KUFX, from 3.6 (SP07) 3.4 (Su07) 3.7 (FA07)3.5(WI08) and 2.9 (SP08), the only other Classic Rock ( and only ROCK) station in the Bay Area is KSAN whose ratings were 2.0, 1.2, 1.7, 1.4, 1.4 for the same time periods.

Is Rock and Roll dying? Does anyone notice this happening? The Bay Area with out rock , unimaginable.
well… here are a few Steve Miller Band Vids……… let’s hope I am totally wrong about the demise of Rock Radio.

The Joker ~