Weekend Post - RIP Chuck Blore

One of my radio idols has passed away.  Chuck Blore.  Quite simply he was a creative genius.  He was the architect of KFWB Color Radio in 1958 that took Los Angeles by storm.  There had been Top 40 stations in LA but nothing like KFWB.  Anyone who lived in Los Angeles from 1958-1964 can sing the KFWB Channel 98 jingle.   They were getting 50 share ratings.  Successful stations in LA today get 3 shares.

Chuck Blore was a showman and every moment you listened to KFWB was filled with excitement, personality, and fun.  Each disc jockey had a distinctive style.  Elliott Field (who God bless him, is still with us), Bill Ballance, B. Mitchell Reed, Gary Owens, Wink Martindale, Don McKinnon, Jim Hawthorne, Ted Quillan, Gene Weed, Joe Yokum — these were just a few of the larger-than-life DJ’s on KFWB.  

As a kid I was mesmerized by the station.  You never knew what was going to happen next and you didn’t want to miss a minute.  The promotions were wild, the jocks were hilarious, oh… and the music was good too.  

The meteoric success of the station was all built on ideas.  And they were Chuck Blore’s ideas.  

When Chuck left KFWB he started an ad agency designed to create novel campaigns meant to get your attention, sell the product, and of course — entertain.  You would go up to his offices and every square inch of wall space was covered with awards.  He must’ve won thousands of them.  

Ideas.

But he was also a true gentleman.  Very kind, very supportive, and one of those few people in your life who actually inspires you.   Chuck had this infectious energy — he made you feel good about whatever his latest idea was, and he made you feel good about yourself.   

I had the pleasure of knowing him the last thirty years of his life.  We’d go to lunch and he’d tell me amazing stories, all the while teaching me how to think creatively.  We’d email back and forth. At one time we considered doing a project together.  I cherish those emails.

There are very few times in your life when you know you’re in the presence of greatness.  I felt that way about Chuck Blore.  It was hard not to be in awe sitting across the table at Off Vine from Chuck.  And yet, he made you feel so comfortable and was so genuinely interested in what you what were doing, that you couldn’t believe he was talking to you.  

He lived a long life and brought joy to hundreds of thousands of people.  I am so blessed that I was one of them.  I hope to continue in his tradition.  He lived to be 92.  He should have lived to be 98.

from By Ken Levine