John Rook 1965

            

 John Rook bio

   Read  from "Passing Thru"

           "Before I Begin"

          "The Presidents"

         "Burt Lancaster"

         "In Like Flynn"

    "Andy, David & June"

            

  Eddie  Cochran

     Here's "More Eddie Photo's"

My friend Eddie Cochran, an early inductee into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, was an extraordinarily talented guitarist, singer and songwriter who influenced later artists such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and many others.

Read Graham Pugh's  "The Truth About Eddie Cochran"


              

                             "Elvis"

        

            KTLN/KTLK here   

                                                           

"A Slice of Pie & Howard's"     Pie Traynor, Howard K. Smith,   Howard Cosell   

        

   "Mick & The Rolling Stones"

 

  "Thanks for theMemory "                Bob Hope, Nat King Cole                  

                "Astronaut"

               "WLS Bound"  and the WABC strike of 1967.


         "The Big 89 - WLS"

 

             

Cecil Heftel bought it, Buzz Bennett gave birth to it,  John Rook consulted it and hired Bill Tanner to create Miami's legendary Y-100  

       

          

             "I love LA - 64 KFI"  

         

        "KABC  - Talk Radio's First

"For More Than A Decade"  it was top rated in Tucson. One of my most successful station's in a favorite city

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A stage for many of the nations most celebrated radio star�s, it became "Super CFL" in the early 70�s in one of radio�s great battles when Super Jock Larry Lujack, Big Ron O�Brien, Paul Kirby, Kris Erik Stevens and a few others joined me at Super CFL

  

My little slice of Paradise

 

VOTE NOW here

 

 John's Poetry Page

Here

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A Tribute to Bill Gavin here

My wise friend Bill said, "Sharing           life's experiences with the generations  that follow is probably the most important thing we can do."

I think of him often when writing on these pages.

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Web Radio

Click on to enjoy

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Radio's Rich "Brother" Robbin  creates oldies radio like it should be. Streaming on the web here

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Rewind with Jimmy Jay as he interviews and features recent photos of the Superstars of early rock here

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If you have an RV you've gotta hear  RV Dream Radio  

           

  Southern California beach conditions

Click For The Correct Time

"One of the great programmers, honest, passionate and powerful.   John has never pulled any punches." -

 Chuck Blore

 

"John Rook was absolutely instrumental in my career. I think of him as my radio "Dad". He was more than a great programmer, he was a great teacher, and remains a great friend"  -  Tim Kelly
Founder
The Premiere Radio Networks 

 

 

It pleases me the rest of the country thinks as highly of you as I do� �  Bill Drake

 

One of  "Most Influential Programmers of the Past 20 Years"  -  Radio & Records

 

Honored as one of

"Radio's Legends"

Radio & Record Convention - (1998)

 

Radio Programmer of the Year

Gavin Convention - (1969)

 

Radio's Man of the Year

Variety Magazine - (1969) 

 

Radio Consultant of the Year

Poe Convention (1977)

 

�John Rook�s talent caused me to get him hired out of the market. A classy guy with an abundance of ability, he�s a jewel�. Ken Palmer - KIMN, Denver  (1965)

 

Broadcasters have named John Rook Program Director of the Year, he�s considered the architect of WLS�s slick image. � Variety (1969)

 

�If we could find a dozen more John Rook�s, we would hire them�

Hal Neal Jr., President ABC radio.

 

�What a true professional John Rook is�

 Walter A. Schwartz, VP WABC

 

Yes, that�s John Rook you are hearing on WABC.  Besides being a great director, he�s also a pretty darn good air talent.� 

Bill Gavin (1967)

 

�And then there�s John Rook at WCFL.  After a five year stint at ABC�s KQV-Pittsburgh, Mr. Rook was brought to WLS in early 1967 as Program Director.  By mid 1968 WLS�s audience had risen to 4.2 million listeners each week and was #1 across the board. Mr. Rook was approached by Lew Witz of WCFL with an offer to counsel WCFL, and hopefully to bring the station in contention with WLS. Six weeks later Super � CFL knocked WLS out of the top position in the ratings war�.      Broadcasting (1972)

 

John Rook  pulled off a miracle in Chicago with WCFL and he did it in just 22 days.

Meaning, he was only in Chicago personally for 22 days.  This is actually better than WCFL has ever done in it�s many years of trying to beat WLS.  -  Billboard (1972)


 �Very few programmers have your natural ability of knowing what the audience wants before they do.�  

Jack Thayer, WNBC � New York

 

�Please accept this token of ABC�s appreciation for a job well done.�

Leonard Goldenson,

President ABC, Inc.

The magic of John Rook & Associates is being heard on more and more stations. John has added  Paul Kirby from WRKO to help him with his latest additions, KRBE-Houston, WIFI-Philadelphia, WZGC-Cleveland,  KDON-Salinas/Montery, KTLK-Denver, KAFY-Bakersfield, Z-93-Atlanta, KTKT-Tucson, KENO-Las Vegas, KRUX-Phoenix, KROY-Sacramento and WGNG in Providence. -  Gavin Report - 1974 

Superjock Larry LuJack described John Rook as �the greatest program director of our time or any other time.�  ABC executive Bob Henabery is quoted as saying that �Rook understood the importance of doing everything right. He was a masterful Top 40 programmer.�


Source: ReelRadio.com
            Rook's Radiography

 

rookflag.gif (7195 bytes)

Click on any below to visit them

        Where Are They ?         

    440: Satisfaction gives a complete rundown on those who made contributions to radio over the years.

Judicial Watch advocates high standards of ethics and morality in our nation�s public life and seeks to ensure that political and judicial officials do not abuse the powers entrusted to them by the American people. 

Spotlight on....

A salute to those who deserve recognition

        

     If a major disaster hits        Are you ready?

Click here to find out

 

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San Francisco Radio History

 

St.Louis Radio

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff Roteman's Radioville

Award winning website

Pittsburgh/Chicago radio

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Brian Maloney's "Radio Equalizer"

Radio-Info.com

Jerry Del Colliano, founder of  "Inside Radio" continues to speak out at "Inside Music Media" here

Read Lee Abrams here

 with George Noory

Jerry Doyle

Rollye James

Michael Savage

Bill Press

Museum of Broadcast Communications

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        Some friends....           

Now in the Radio Hall of Fame, my good friend Larry Lujack gave fuel to my own radio career.   

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Radio for Chuck Blore began at KTKT in Tucson, a decade or so before I became the stations consultant. Gordon McLendon hired Blore to program KTSA in San Antonio and then KELP in El Paso.  His arrival at KFWB-Los Angeles created the highest rated major market radio station ever.  Forming The Chuck Blore Company brought over 500 major awards for commercial excellence.  Chuck is one of a kind � the most creative source in the history of radio.  No one motivates better than Chuck Blore.  Visit him here

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Bobby Cochran, following in the footsteps of his uncle, Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame star Eddie Cochran, writes of those early days when my friend Eddie and I roamed southern California as teenagers. "Three Steps to Heaven" is available at Amazon.com 

Visit Bobby Cochran and taste his music here.

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Wink Martindale is a master entertainer of radio and TV game shows.

"Winking at Life" is Wink's life story available at Amazon.com or at his website here.

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It's where Rock n' Roll began, a combination of white and black gospel, old and new country, doo-wop, blues,  western cowboy and pop music at Shelby Singleton's Sun Records.   

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Bill Young made his mark as one of America's top programmers in radio who now creates great video commercials. Visit him here

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A trademark voice of radio and  commercials, Kris Erik Stevens delivers. Always energetic, always positive and always a friend. Visit him here

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The Pew Research Center

    Share The Truth   

Truth or Fiction  

Urban Legends

Hoax Busters

Contact Links
e-mail FCC Commissioners
e-mail U.S. House Members
e-mail U.S. Senate Members

File FCC Indecency Complaint here

 

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Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr 2008

 

 

 

 

Locations of visitors to this page

 
 

    

 

         

 Passing Thru ...
 
"Astronaut"

In the summer of 1965, a business trip to Dallas to produce new jingles for KQV called for me to also travel on to Denver where my friend Ken Palmer, owner of KIMN, asked me to provide consultation.  Departing Love Field, I was seated in an isle seat on the plane, next to a gentleman in the window seat.  His wife and small son were seated behind us and as the flight progressed, our conversation turned to the fact we both had lived in Ohio and he had attended college at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where a year earlier I had attended a football game between the wolverines and arch rival Michigan State. 

As our flight approached the southern foothills of the Rocky Mountains, I noticed both of his hands tightly grasping the arms of his seat as the ever present winds created a turbulence that began to vibrate our plane. Seeking to comfort him, I said, �Nothing to worry about, it always happens as we pick up those winds off the Rockies�.  

He smiled, seeming somewhat assured as he turned and winked to his son in the seat behind me.  The flight continued with very little communication between us as we landed in Denver at Stapleton Field.  When the plane came to a complete stop at the gate, the pilot announced that we had a special guest on board and asked us to remain seated as I noticed Colorado Governor Steve McNichols enter the plane accompanied by a cameraman from the Denver Post.  

The stewardess was walking straight toward me smiling as she asked, �Colonel�?   �Not me� I replied as the gentleman next to me stood up and began to move in front of me to the isle. At the same time his family joined him toward the awaiting Governor�s handshake of welcome. 

Once off the plane, I hurried to the baggage claim.  Catching a cab to my hotel where I  rushed to my room and turned on the TV in time to see Astronaut Edward White and his family welcomed to a Colorado vacation by the Governor.  He had just completed man's first walk in space. 

                                

                           EDWARD H. WHITE II

NASA astronauts Edward H. White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee died on January 27, 2023 in the Apollo spacecraft flash fire while on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  

 

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