Tom Campbell (radio personality)
Encyclopedia
Tom Campbell is an American radio
announcer and commercial voiceover talent.
After serving in the United States Air Force
, Campbell was hired for his first radio job, at KEEL
in Shreveport, La., by Al Hart, who would later become a newscaster and radio personality in San Francisco.
Campbell subsequently worked in Minneapolis, Minnesota
and at WONE
in Dayton, Ohio
before his move to KYA 1260 AM San Francisco
in 1967. He was known to loan his personal phonograph
, record collection
and even his car to individual listeners under the caveat that they simply return them, which they apparently did. His home and car phone
(yes, he had one of the rare car phones in 1967) numbers were publicly listed in the white and yellow pages of most Bay Area phone books, and he would receive calls from listeners at home.
Some of his devoted listeners and regular callers included "The Queen of Darkness" and "The Queen of Lightness" of Oakland
, "The Mad Bomber" of Berkeley
, and "The Wizard" of San Francisco
.
On September 9, 1968, Campbell pulled a notable publicity stunt on KYA, claiming that a listener to another program, the Sunday-night phone-in program known as "The Action Line," had disparaged Campbell's accessibility to his fans. Campbell opened his program that evening with a phone call, during which he booked a one-way ticket to New York. Later in the program, he noted that he had been offered jobs in both New York and Chicago, and that if his listeners felt the same way about him, he would simply leave San Francisco and take a job elsewhere.
Phone calls, telegrams and petitions reportedly flooded into the station, and Campbell kept himself off the air until all of the "votes" for or against him were counted. In the end, it was announced that sufficient pro-Campbell votes had been received, and he triumphantly returned to the broadcast booth the next night.
Campbell remained at KYA until 1970, then moved to KLOK in San Jose and KNEW
in Oakland. Among his best-known advertising clients were Mathew's TV & Stereo ("6400 Mission Street, Top of the hill, Daly City"), Motor Music, Goodies Speed Shops and The Comfort Zone waterbed stores. He would also make public appearances to promote local Pizza Hut
restaurants before relocating to Southern California
in the mid-1970s, becoming a ubiquitous commercial voiceover artist.
Campbell also did weekly broadcasts through the Armed Forces Radio Network and visited troops stationed overseas and emceed concerts at Bay Area venues such as the Circle Star Theater
in San Carlos, California
(Tom Jones
/Engelbert Humperdinck
), Sandcastle nightclub in Los Altos (Zola Taylor and the Platters, The Coasters and Clyde McPhatter), and several Oldies
Rock and Roll concerts with scores of headliners. He also briefly hosted a game show in 1980, Camouflage, which was produced by Chuck Barris
and taped in Hollywood.
Radio in the United States
Radio is one of the major mass media of the United States.-History:The beginning of regular commercially licensed sound broadcasting in the United States in 1920 ended the print monopoly over the media and opened the doors to the more immediate and pervasive electronic media...
announcer and commercial voiceover talent.
After serving in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, Campbell was hired for his first radio job, at KEEL
KEEL
KEEL is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Shreveport, Louisiana, USA, the station serves the Shreveport area. The station is currently owned by Townsquare Media and features programing from ABC Radio and airs Louisiana Tech games.From 9 to 11 a.m. weekdays,...
in Shreveport, La., by Al Hart, who would later become a newscaster and radio personality in San Francisco.
Campbell subsequently worked in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
and at WONE
WONE (AM)
WONE is an AM radio station in Dayton, Ohio operating on 980 kHz with a Sports Talk format. It carries programming from Fox Sports Radio, as well as the Jim Rome Show and the Dan Patrick Show .-History:The station took the air in 1949, licensed to Skyland Broadcasting Corp...
in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
before his move to KYA 1260 AM San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in 1967. He was known to loan his personal phonograph
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
, record collection
Record collecting
Record collecting is the hobby of collecting music. Although the main focus is on vinyl records, all formats of recorded music are collected.-History:Record collecting has been around probably nearly as long as recorded sound...
and even his car to individual listeners under the caveat that they simply return them, which they apparently did. His home and car phone
Car phone
A car phone is a mobile phone device specifically designed for and fitted into an automobile.In the late 1970s and 1980s, the car phone was more popular than the regular mobile phone...
(yes, he had one of the rare car phones in 1967) numbers were publicly listed in the white and yellow pages of most Bay Area phone books, and he would receive calls from listeners at home.
Some of his devoted listeners and regular callers included "The Queen of Darkness" and "The Queen of Lightness" of Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, "The Mad Bomber" of Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, and "The Wizard" of San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
On September 9, 1968, Campbell pulled a notable publicity stunt on KYA, claiming that a listener to another program, the Sunday-night phone-in program known as "The Action Line," had disparaged Campbell's accessibility to his fans. Campbell opened his program that evening with a phone call, during which he booked a one-way ticket to New York. Later in the program, he noted that he had been offered jobs in both New York and Chicago, and that if his listeners felt the same way about him, he would simply leave San Francisco and take a job elsewhere.
Phone calls, telegrams and petitions reportedly flooded into the station, and Campbell kept himself off the air until all of the "votes" for or against him were counted. In the end, it was announced that sufficient pro-Campbell votes had been received, and he triumphantly returned to the broadcast booth the next night.
Campbell remained at KYA until 1970, then moved to KLOK in San Jose and KNEW
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...
in Oakland. Among his best-known advertising clients were Mathew's TV & Stereo ("6400 Mission Street, Top of the hill, Daly City"), Motor Music, Goodies Speed Shops and The Comfort Zone waterbed stores. He would also make public appearances to promote local Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
restaurants before relocating to Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
in the mid-1970s, becoming a ubiquitous commercial voiceover artist.
Campbell also did weekly broadcasts through the Armed Forces Radio Network and visited troops stationed overseas and emceed concerts at Bay Area venues such as the Circle Star Theater
Circle Star Theater
The Circle Star Theater was a performing arts venue in San Carlos, San Mateo County, California). Its name is based on it being a theater in the round, featuring a rotating circular stage with none of its 3,743 seats further than from the stage...
in San Carlos, California
San Carlos, California
San Carlos is a city in San Mateo County, California, USA on the San Francisco Peninsula, about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. It is an affluent small residential suburb located between Belmont to the north and Redwood City to the south. San Carlos' ZIP code is 94070, and it is within...
(Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
/Engelbert Humperdinck
Engelbert Humperdinck (singer)
Engelbert Humperdinck is a British pop singer, best known for his hits including "Release Me " and "After the Lovin'" as well as "The Last Waltz" .-Early life:...
), Sandcastle nightclub in Los Altos (Zola Taylor and the Platters, The Coasters and Clyde McPhatter), and several Oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
Rock and Roll concerts with scores of headliners. He also briefly hosted a game show in 1980, Camouflage, which was produced by Chuck Barris
Chuck Barris
Charles Hirsch "Chuck" Barris is an American game show producer, film director and presenter best known for hosting The Gong Show and creating The Dating Game. Barris, a survivor of lung cancer, is also an author and claims to have worked for the CIA.-Early career:Barris was born in Oakland, New...
and taped in Hollywood.