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Read from "Passing Thru"
Eddie Cochran 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"
KTLN/KTLK here
"A Slice of Pie & Howard's" Pie Traynor, Howard K. Smith, Howard Cosell
"Thanks for theMemory " Bob Hope, Nat King Cole "WLS Bound" and the WABC strike of 1967.
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
"For More Than A Decade" it was top rated in Tucson. One of my most successful station's in a favorite city
. 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
VOTE NOW here
John's Poetry Page =========
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. ========= 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 = = = = = = = = =
Rewind with Jimmy Jay as he interviews and features recent photos of the Superstars of early rock here = = = = = = = = =
If you have an RV you've gotta hear RV Dream Radio
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
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
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
Meaning,
he was only in
Jack
Thayer, WNBC �
�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.�
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.
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 =============
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
= = = = = = Some friends.... Now in the Radio Hall of Fame, my good friend Larry Lujack gave fuel to my own radio career.
= = = = = = 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. = = = = = 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.
= = = = = =
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. = = = = = = Bill Young made his mark as one of America's top programmers in radio who now creates great video commercials. Visit him here
= = = = = = 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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Links
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Southern California beach conditions
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IN LIKE FLYNN
From PASSING THRU
by John Rook
While attending the Pasadena Playhouse in 1957 I met Rex Rand.
A rather eccentric fellow, Rex was dressed in a style you might expect from
a Hollywood producer, red satin shirt, white cotton trousers, and white
shoes. With him were two beautiful starlets, barely out of their teens, who
were giggling at almost every comment Rex made. His meeting with a friend
led to our chance introduction and he was returning to his suite at the
Beverly Hilton Hotel. Offering me a lift, the first time I had ever ridden
in a Rolls-Royce, I appreciated the ride to Beverly Hills. From there I
could catch the inter-city bus to my apartment in Santa Monica.
On the way to the Hilton, Rex stopped at a friend�s house handing one of the
girls a large envelope asking her to deliver it to the door. Within a few
minutes, the young lady returned to the car, followed by a man wearing a
housecoat. He and Rex exchanged a few words before Rex motioned to me in
the back seat, �Errol, this is Johnny Rowe.� I leaned and shook his hand
thru Rex�s open window. I don�t remember saying anything as the stranger
turned to return to the house. Not sure who I just met, I inquired, �Who was
he?� Rex looked at me in his rear view mirror and said, �Someday you could
be an Errol Flynn.�
I then realized I had just met one of Hollywood�s biggest stars. A few
minutes later, I was dropped off at the bus stop on Santa Monica Boulevard,
with Mr. Rand wishing me luck in my acting career, I said goodbye.
-------
Twenty years later, my acting career had long since been transformed into a
radio career. By the mid-1970�s, I was a programming consultant and added
KROY in Sacramento to my client list. The owner of KROY was Ralph Guild,
of the McGavren-Guild advertising agency. After a particularly good ratings
period, Mr. Guild introduced me to �crazy Rex Rand,� owner of WINZ in
Miami. The name didn�t ring a bell, but the motion picture producer would
re-enter my life.
A limo picked me up at the Miami airport and took me to an island home in
Biscayne Bay where a beautiful, deeply-tanned young lady met me at the door
in her bikini. She led me into a large, elaborately-decorated sunken living
room, and as my eyes became accustomed to the dark, I found myself in front
of a life-size portrait of Errol Flynn. Almost immediately, with another
young lady on his arm, Rex Rand, twenty years older but still dapper,
appeared in a white dinner jacket. Staring at me as he approached with his
hand extended, saying, �Where do I know you from?� I reminded him of our
earlier meeting in California as he led me outside patio for lunch. We
talked of my career switch, of Miami, and finally about Errol Flynn who had
died in 1959, not long after I had met him.
Errol Flynn
As it turns
out, Errol Flynn and Rex Rand had been very close friends over the years and
I learned a lot about the Hollywood heart throb, reputedly a real party
animal addicted to sex. According to Rex, Errol Flynn was a swashbuckling
romantic lead in person as well as on screen. He explained the term, �In
Like Flynn,� which I had often used without knowing its real meaning, was a
result of Errol Flynn�s ability to lure hundreds of young ladies into his
bedroom. According to Rex, Errol Flynn�s sexual appetite also included
affairs with Howard Hughes and Cary Grant.
After spending a few days in his beachfront guest home and touring the coast
by yacht and his private seaplane, I refused his offer to move to Miami and
be responsible for his WINZ-am and his Tampa fm station. I could live in the
guest house, have full use of the second yacht, and would receive a sizeable
ownership stake in Mr. Rand�s Tampa Bay FM station. I stupidly dismissed
ownership of his Tampa FM as insignificant and told him my consulting
commitments nationally, plus my home in California were more than I could
give up for a life in humid Florida.
Moments before I departed, Rex handing me a note of introduction to a California lady friend of his who would be happy to take me to visit Errol Flynn�s grave at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale. Rex explained that most people were not permitted to visit the grave and asked me to deliver a small bouquet on his behalf. Explaining he seldom returned to California, he would appreciate my paying his respects in person. A few weeks later I did as he had asked.
Shortly
afterwards, Rex Rand died in the crash of his private seaplane on a
Caribbean island.
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The opinions & commentary posted on this website are
those of John Rook, unless otherwise noted