The San Diego Troubadour

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Radio Daze

Notes from a Talking Appliance

When you work as "talent" in TV or radio, you tend to think everybody within eye- or earshot knows who you are and where you work. Maybe not.

            Recently, my wife, Sandi Banister, was standing beside her car while watering some plants in front of our house. The car has personalized license plates that include the letter-number combination "B1."

            A woman strolled past while walking her dogs, saw Sandi's plates, and commented, "Did you know Jeff are Jer are back at B-100?" Sandi replied, "There's no B-100 anymore." "But I just heard Jeff and Jer on there this morning," said the woman. Sandi said, "No, that was the DSC, who are now the morning show on Jack-FM; they used to be on KGB!" "No, it was Jeff and Jer!" the stranger emphasized. Then my wife proceeded to explain that she had worked at B-100 and KFMB-AM from 1984 until 1991. She was there when Jeff and Jer were hired. The duo's show has been off the air for over a year. And KFMB-FM (JACK) used to be Star 100.7 and before that, about 17 or more years ago, it was B-100!

            After the woman's dogs finished fertilizing our neighbor's lawn, she turned to Sandi and, unswayed, and said, "I DID listen to Jeff and Jer this morning!"

            Okay.

            KGB morning show co-host (or Coe-host!) Coe Lewis told me recently about some in-house research done a few years ago (when I was the afternoon jock on the now-defunct 103.7 The Planet). She said that the majority of people who recognized my name believed that I was still on KGB, even though I'd been fired there three years earlier! The Planet's program director, Todd Little, strongly believed KGB was scoring ratings points during my show on 103.7 because I was so associated with them.

            Now I get emails from people saying they're glad I finally found a job at KFMB. I tell them thanks and that I've already worked there for almost four years! That's why I try to keep my ego from getting too big. I realize that I am just a voice from an appliance.

The Greatest Thing That Ever Happened

            ...or will happen, depending on when you read this, is the Jazz 88.3 Ocean Beach Music and Art Festival, along Newport Avenue on Saturday, September 11. This event's a must for lovers of adventurous music, whether it's jazz, funk, boogie, blues, or soul.

            The lineup is fantastic! 26 bands will play across seven stages! Performing artists include saxophonist Maceo Parker, who made his name alongside James Brown; the cheeky , trombone-heavy New Orleans funk band, Bonerama; trumpet star Gilbert Castellanos and his New Latin Jazz Quartet; the Four Queens of Boogie Woogie, featuring one of my favorite pianists, Sue Palmer, Texas blues singer Marcia Ball, and jazz piano star Geoffrey Keezer.

            Tickets are only $30, or about $1.15 per band! Get more info online at www.obmusicfest.org.

            I'll see you there!