Michael Jackson (radio commentator)
Encyclopedia
Michael Jackson is an American
talk radio
host based in the Los Angeles, California
area. Jackson is best known for his radio show which covered arts, politics
, and human interest subjects, particularly in the Los Angeles and greater Southern California area in the era before "shock jocks." His show originally aired on L.A. radio station KABC
and briefly aired on KGIL.
and experienced the Blitz
as a child. After the war, during which his father served in the RAF
as a navigator trainer, his family moved to South Africa
where he became a radio disc jockey
. The Jacksons were appalled by the apartheid then dominant in South Africa, and they moved to the United States in 1958. Michael had always wanted to be on the radio in Los Angeles
, but first, he worked in cities like San Francisco, where he did a Top-40 show for station KYA. Listeners loved his British accent, but he didn't especially enjoy being a rock deejay. In fact, he hated rock music and ended up getting fired. When he was hired in the early '60s at KEWB
to do an overnight shift, he gradually phased out playing records, and began chatting with callers. He got the reputation of being a problem-solver, and comedian Mort Sahl
, a big fan of his, jokingly called him the "All Night Psychiatrist." The police regularly monitored his show, with his permission, so they could trace the calls of the occasional listener who expressed suicidal thoughts and make sure the person was okay. Time Magazine praised him for his ability to maintain a calm demeanor no matter what the subject turned out to be.
. Radio and TV critic Don Page of the Los Angeles Times
took notice of him almost immediately, saying he was a "good talker and a patient listener," with an "elegant and flexible" command of the language. But when his ratings weren't what KHJ hoped, he was fired. Fortunately, the CBS affiliate KNX
picked him up, but he found their format very confining. Finally, in 1966, heritage talk station KABC
hired him, and it was a perfect fit. The station was having great success with their talk radio format, and they gave Jackson the 9 a.m.-to-1 p.m. spot. Michael remained with them for the next three decades, with critics continuing to compliment him for being "cultivated and enlightened." At that time, KABC also broadcast the Joe Pyne
show, and in the mid-1970s, when Jackson beat him in the ratings, he told a reporter that this proved "you do not have to be rude to be successful."
Jackson liked to book his own guests, and he became well-known for talking to interesting news makers from all around the world, ranging from Richard Nixon's former counsel Charles Colson
to economist Milton Friedman
to Israeli military leader Moshe Dayan
. He also talked to celebrities, psychologists and comedians, but he seemed to enjoy talking about current events. On the other hand, he was sometimes criticized for being too nice with his guests and not asking enough tough questions.
, but radio was changing. Although regarded by many as a liberal, he was not alone in that point of view: KABC had several liberal hosts, as well as several who were conservative. Rush Limbaugh
was Michael's competitor, on the air at crosstown KFI
, and Rush had little difficulty defeating the veteran KABC talk show host. KABC's management ultimately felt Michael's style no longer fit with the modern "in your face" talk shows, the vast majority of which were conservative. On July 3, 1997, Michael did his last daily talk show for KABC, to the chagrin of his fans and a number of critics. Said one, "Jackson has served as one of the radio dial's last passionate voices of liberal politics…." The timing was especially bad given that Michael had just won an award as "Radio Talk Show Host of the Year" from the Los Angeles Times. He was moved to weekends and ultimately let go in November 1998, after more than 32 years with KABC.
; he was still a talented announcer, but at that point, he had no station to work for.
The Englishman did some freelance work, producing interviews for all-news radio
station KNX
and doing some work as a news analyst. But he chose not to renew his contract, citing a lack of a regular time-slot as well as frustration when his long and thorough interviews were edited down into two-minute snippets.
Jackson would join the new KGIL 1260 AM; it had been playing classical music
, but now the owner, Saul Levine, wanted to change formats, and Jackson was one of the talk-show hosts he hired. His first show for KGIL was on October 29, 2007, and he remained there for almost a year. His show was two hours in length, and his interviews of political guests with frequent call-ins were highly respected. Still courteous, still non-combative, Michael Jackson was then 73 and as he told Steve Carney of the Los Angeles Times, he hoped that this time, he could settle in and work till whenever he chose to retire. That was not to be, as he was let go without explanation on Friday, September 12, 2008 upon his return from vacation two days earlier. He was not allowed to say a final farewell to his long-time listeners. The station reportedly decided to switch to syndicated programming.
In fall of 2009 Jackson returned to KABC-AM as the co-host of an investment-oriented show called "The Financial Insider with Michael Jackson" airing Sundays from 11 AM to noon. As of February 2010 the program was still on the air. Jackson filled in for regular host Patt Morrison on her KPCC
(National Public Radio, Pasadena CA) show on 18 and 19 July, 2011.
on June 25, 2009, the singer's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
was blocked off due to the premiere of the film Brüno
at nearby Grauman's Chinese Theatre
. Fans of the late singer started a makeshift memorial at the star belonging to Jackson the radio personality instead. In response, the commentator stated on his website: "I am willingly loan[ing] it to him and, if it would bring him back, he can have it. He was a real star. Sinatra
, Presley
, The Beatles
and Michael Jackson
."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host based in the Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area. Jackson is best known for his radio show which covered arts, politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, and human interest subjects, particularly in the Los Angeles and greater Southern California area in the era before "shock jocks." His show originally aired on L.A. radio station KABC
KABC (AM)
KABC is a Los Angeles radio station, and a West Coast flagship station for the Cumulus Media company. A pioneer of the talk radio format, the station went "all-talk" in 1960 and was one of the first stations to do so...
and briefly aired on KGIL.
Early life
Jackson was born in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and experienced the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
as a child. After the war, during which his father served in the RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as a navigator trainer, his family moved to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
where he became a radio disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
. The Jacksons were appalled by the apartheid then dominant in South Africa, and they moved to the United States in 1958. Michael had always wanted to be on the radio in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, but first, he worked in cities like San Francisco, where he did a Top-40 show for station KYA. Listeners loved his British accent, but he didn't especially enjoy being a rock deejay. In fact, he hated rock music and ended up getting fired. When he was hired in the early '60s at KEWB
KNEW (AM)
KNEW is a radio station in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, CA, USA. The station is owned by Clear Channel. Prior to the format change, the station operated as CNET Radio, offering business and technology news 24 hours a day...
to do an overnight shift, he gradually phased out playing records, and began chatting with callers. He got the reputation of being a problem-solver, and comedian Mort Sahl
Mort Sahl
Morton Lyon "Mort" Sahl is a Canadian-born American comedian and actor. He occasionally wrote jokes for speeches delivered by President John F. Kennedy. He was the first comedian to record a live album and the first to perform on college campuses...
, a big fan of his, jokingly called him the "All Night Psychiatrist." The police regularly monitored his show, with his permission, so they could trace the calls of the occasional listener who expressed suicidal thoughts and make sure the person was okay. Time Magazine praised him for his ability to maintain a calm demeanor no matter what the subject turned out to be.
Career
The Time article and other favorable publicity earned him some offers, and Jackson was finally hired in Los Angeles, where he briefly did the 7 p.m.-to-midnight shift at KHJKHJ (AM)
KHJ Radio in Los Angeles, California broadcasts Spanish-language entertainment programming as La Ranchera. It was also one of America's most formidable Top 40 radio stations in the 1960s and 1970s as 93 KHJ before changing its format in 1980....
. Radio and TV critic Don Page of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
took notice of him almost immediately, saying he was a "good talker and a patient listener," with an "elegant and flexible" command of the language. But when his ratings weren't what KHJ hoped, he was fired. Fortunately, the CBS affiliate KNX
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
picked him up, but he found their format very confining. Finally, in 1966, heritage talk station KABC
KABC (AM)
KABC is a Los Angeles radio station, and a West Coast flagship station for the Cumulus Media company. A pioneer of the talk radio format, the station went "all-talk" in 1960 and was one of the first stations to do so...
hired him, and it was a perfect fit. The station was having great success with their talk radio format, and they gave Jackson the 9 a.m.-to-1 p.m. spot. Michael remained with them for the next three decades, with critics continuing to compliment him for being "cultivated and enlightened." At that time, KABC also broadcast the Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne was an American radio and television talk show host, who pioneered the confrontational style in which the host advocates a viewpoint and argues with guests and audience members...
show, and in the mid-1970s, when Jackson beat him in the ratings, he told a reporter that this proved "you do not have to be rude to be successful."
Jackson liked to book his own guests, and he became well-known for talking to interesting news makers from all around the world, ranging from Richard Nixon's former counsel Charles Colson
Charles Colson
Charles Wendell "Chuck" Colson is a Christian leader, cultural commentator, and former Special Counsel for President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1973....
to economist Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades...
to Israeli military leader Moshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan was an Israeli military leader and politician. The fourth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces , he became a fighting symbol to the world of the new State of Israel...
. He also talked to celebrities, psychologists and comedians, but he seemed to enjoy talking about current events. On the other hand, he was sometimes criticized for being too nice with his guests and not asking enough tough questions.
Later years
Michael Jackson continued to be successful into the 1980s1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, but radio was changing. Although regarded by many as a liberal, he was not alone in that point of view: KABC had several liberal hosts, as well as several who were conservative. Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
was Michael's competitor, on the air at crosstown KFI
KFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
, and Rush had little difficulty defeating the veteran KABC talk show host. KABC's management ultimately felt Michael's style no longer fit with the modern "in your face" talk shows, the vast majority of which were conservative. On July 3, 1997, Michael did his last daily talk show for KABC, to the chagrin of his fans and a number of critics. Said one, "Jackson has served as one of the radio dial's last passionate voices of liberal politics…." The timing was especially bad given that Michael had just won an award as "Radio Talk Show Host of the Year" from the Los Angeles Times. He was moved to weekends and ultimately let go in November 1998, after more than 32 years with KABC.
Return
Michael Jackson would return to radio, finding employment at KRLA (1110 AM), where he secured good ratings, but was still not able to beat Limbaugh. KRLA was pleased, however, because he increased the size of their audience. They had recently changed their format from oldies to all-talk, and station management felt that because he was so well-known in Los Angeles, Michael would be able to attract new listeners. Jackson found himself out of work again when KRLA was sold in October 2000. In addition to changing hands, KRLA would also change its programming, becoming a sports station. He was then hired at KLAC, only to be placed out of work again in 2002 when the station changed its format back to music. In 2003, Jackson was inducted into the Radio Hall of FameRadio Hall of Fame
The National Radio Hall of Fame is a project of the Museum of Broadcast Communications.Although no physical building currently exists to house it, the National Radio Hall of Fame is a project of Bruce DuMont, CEO of the currently homeless Museum of Broadcast Communications, and is purported to be a...
; he was still a talented announcer, but at that point, he had no station to work for.
The Englishman did some freelance work, producing interviews for all-news radio
All-news radio
All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks...
station KNX
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
and doing some work as a news analyst. But he chose not to renew his contract, citing a lack of a regular time-slot as well as frustration when his long and thorough interviews were edited down into two-minute snippets.
Jackson would join the new KGIL 1260 AM; it had been playing classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, but now the owner, Saul Levine, wanted to change formats, and Jackson was one of the talk-show hosts he hired. His first show for KGIL was on October 29, 2007, and he remained there for almost a year. His show was two hours in length, and his interviews of political guests with frequent call-ins were highly respected. Still courteous, still non-combative, Michael Jackson was then 73 and as he told Steve Carney of the Los Angeles Times, he hoped that this time, he could settle in and work till whenever he chose to retire. That was not to be, as he was let go without explanation on Friday, September 12, 2008 upon his return from vacation two days earlier. He was not allowed to say a final farewell to his long-time listeners. The station reportedly decided to switch to syndicated programming.
In fall of 2009 Jackson returned to KABC-AM as the co-host of an investment-oriented show called "The Financial Insider with Michael Jackson" airing Sundays from 11 AM to noon. As of February 2010 the program was still on the air. Jackson filled in for regular host Patt Morrison on her KPCC
KPCC
KPCC is a public radio based in Pasadena, California. The station has among the widest-reaching broadcast areas of all public radio stations in Southern California, with a signal that reaches through most of Los Angeles and Orange County...
(National Public Radio, Pasadena CA) show on 18 and 19 July, 2011.
Family
Jackson is married to Alana Ladd Jackson (the daughter of the actor Alan Ladd) and they have three children, Alan Jackson, Alisa Lipton, and Devon Jackson, and five grandchildren: Lucky Jackson, Adeline Jackson, Taylor Lipton, Emily Lipton and Amelia Jackson.Death of Michael Jackson, the recording artist
Shortly after the death of the pop star of the same nameDeath of Michael Jackson
On June 25, 2009, American singer Michael Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication after he suffered a respiratory arrest at his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, said he found Jackson in his room, not breathing, but with a faint pulse,...
on June 25, 2009, the singer's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
was blocked off due to the premiere of the film Brüno
Brüno (film)
Brüno is a 2009 British mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles and starring Sacha Baron Cohen, who produced, co-wrote, and starred as the gay Austrian fashion journalist Brüno...
at nearby Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie theater at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood. It is on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame.The Chinese Theatre was commissioned following the success of the nearby Grauman's Egyptian Theatre which opened in 1922...
. Fans of the late singer started a makeshift memorial at the star belonging to Jackson the radio personality instead. In response, the commentator stated on his website: "I am willingly loan[ing] it to him and, if it would bring him back, he can have it. He was a real star. Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
."