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©
2001-2024
Man From Mars Productions
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In
June, 2001, Ken
Griffin replied to a series of questions about his
radio career. |
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Q:
You spent lots of years on Hartford's airwaves. Where was
home originally?
A:
I'm from Waterbury, CT. and started at WBRY at the age of
14 in 1951; youngest DJ in station's history. (In 2001 I mark
50 years in radio.)
Q:
When you were a kid what people or stations did you listen
to? Why did you choose radio for a career?
A:
As a kid at WBRY I got to know their p.m. drive guy, Lou Dennis,
who went on to become national promotion director of Warner
Bros. Records in Burbank. Alan Freed was also a hero, and
I got to work for him in 1959 at WINS.
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Q:
You were still quite young when you hooked up with Sal Mineo doing
press work. How did that come about?
A:
Sal Mineo and I were friends since 1954 and I helped set up personal
appearances and press for him, as well as writing articles for
"teen mags" on his behalf. (Was devastated when he was murdered.)
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Billboard
Magazine - March 14, 1964 |
Q:
What were the circumstances surrounding your move from WHYN
to WPOP (were you looking or were you recruited)?
A:While
at WBRY in 1960, a Mercury promo man Hermie Dressel became
a friend. He lived in New Britain and was a former manager
for Woody Herman. He liked my act at WBRY and suggested to
Zack Land at WHYN that he hire me, which Zack did, and I did
10am-2pm daily plus weekly TV dance show on Channel 40 till
WPOP wooed me away for better money (all of $200 a week!)
in 1964 or 4, or whenever.
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Q:
Was it Jim Gearhart who hired you?
A:
I think Jim Gearhart was the P.D. then, but Phil Zoppi owned the
station which was at 410 Asylum St., downtown Hartford, where
I met Joey Reynolds who was doing nights. You said he left before
I got there, but I'm fuzzy on that. Maybe I met him before they
hired me, I forgot but we became and are still fast friends.
Q:
During your years at POP (1964-66) there was a parade of program
directors. If this order is correct I think Jim Gearhart was replaced
by Ev Wren, then Art Wander, then Sam Holman, then Woody Roberts
slid in just as you left for WDRC. How did you survive them all?
A:
You got the list of p.d.s exactly right in that order. I got along
with all of them. Actually Ev Wren was G.M., not P.D.
Q:
When did Fats and Rocky join you - in Springfield or Hartford?
And clear up the confusion…were they boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife?
A:
I created Fats & Rocky to have somebody to talk to on the air.
I think I had them married off at some point, since they had 2
kids named Pebbles and Pebblina. Never could get the baby voices
down, though.
Q:
Tell us about the Order of the Black Socks.
A:
To be honest, I can't recall what madness mentality of mine created
the Order
of the Black Socks.
Seemed like a good idea at the time. And, ironically, I heard
from a member of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra recently who
still carries his card!
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Q:
Connecticut produced some pretty decent bands. Any memories
of Big Al Anderson and the Wildweeds? Or Lance Drake and
the Bluebeats?
A:
Knew Al Anderson very well. He joined NRBQ, where he still
is, I think. And I discovered Lance Drake and The Bluebeats
at a bowling alley in Brewster, NY, got them a Columbia
record deal. Lost track of him, though he quit the group
to become Scott Morgan, WDRC DJ at one point.
Q:
In early October, 1966 you suddenly turned up in your normal
shift but on a new station. Is it true that some loyal POP
listeners took your jump to WDRC personally?
A:
I made the switch to DRC strictly for money. Charlie offered
me $350 a week, $75 more than I was making at WPOP. Never
felt the "corporate" image at DRC, since contrary to popular
belief we didn't have to wear ties and jackets.
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Q:
When Dick Robinson left DRC's daily airwaves for sales he
continued doing weekend shifts. The two of you had some
regular shtick-the Dickie/Kenny changeover….
A: DRC was only
a 7-year blip on my radar (radio!) screen, so I don't remember
the Dickie/Kenny changeover.
Q:
"Scene of the Unheard" was pretty ahead of its time. Whose
idea was the show and did you choose the tunes yourself
or did others have input?
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A: "Scene of the Unheard"
was Bertha's idea to introduce the "new age" music. I didn't care
much for it, but it seemed to work. When Charlie wanted to put
me in charge of the FM side and do it there, I was insulted, like
it was a step down from prestigious AM. What a schmuck I was.
I remember saying to him that FM would never amount to nothing
so I quit and went to LA, landing PM drive at KGOE in Thousand
Oaks, and finally meeting Chuck Southcott at KGIL, a Buckley station,
snagging the evening shift.
Stayed there 3 years,
went to KIIS, then quit altogether to open my own company, American
Media Systems in Newport Beach, where we ran radio schools at
7 California stations putting the students on air at night. Great
concept. Made a fortune, did voiceovers, an in-flight monthly
show on TWA. Got bored in 1979, came back east to DRC, WRCQ, WMJQ
(POP's FM), WWYZ. (Jeezus, what a comedown, eh?)
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Q:
Would you talk about some of your later ventures with Joey
in Los Angeles?
A: Joey in L.A.
He had a jingle company called "Up Your Ratings" in the 70s.
I worked with him on that and liaison with Drake-Chenault
stations, including KHJ. Basically we partied all the time,
but got to be friends with a lot of the Hollywood "elite."
Can I drop a few names? Dick Clark, Ed McMahon, Rod Roddy,
Frank Slay, George Carlin, Jerry Bishop, Wink Martindale,
Gary Owens, etc. That's enough.
Q:
Who were the really fun guys to work with?
A: Who was fun
to work with? All of the aforementioned guys. Especially miss
Lou Terri, Sal LaRosa, John Sherman and Tom Shovan who died.
Pretty soon you
and me will be the only ones left! Thanks for the memory trip
you took me on. I'm writing "The Radio Chronicles: (50 Years
of Broadcasting Zaniness)" which will probably be finished
on my death bed. Stay in touch.
Ken Griffin
(e-mail)
In April 2002 Ken published his autobiography, A Great
Face For Radio - The Memoirs of a Broadcasting Buffoon.
He died on September 28, 2010 at the age of 73.
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