Okay. Let's hear the best radio names you've ever heard on-air. Not made-up names you'd LIKE to hear, but "real" ones.

My favourite: DB Cooper in Eugene at KBDF

Dusty Rhoads....used by Brian Burns on KYKN when it was owned by Fred Constant (along with KDUK) in Coburg back in the 80's

Robin Banks!!!

Dick Klinger.

Or the name I used at a recent gig: Dick Johnson. (I know. Kinda redundant)

Peter Galore. (Mike Phillips, R.I.P.)

Rick Shaw

Bob Trebor KGO (Robert spelled backwards)

How about BROOKS BURFORD, and, TOM PARKER!

Charlie Weakly.

DENNIS ERECTUS (KOME)
ODIE CLONEY (Denver & Chicago)

Duke Blazer.

Sandy Beach

Patty Cakes

Phil Harmonic

Skid Roadie (KCFX/Kansas City)
Slacker (KYYS/ Kansas City)
I wanted to steal that last one for my current gig, but my "new PD" shot it down. Said it sounded like an intern name. Whatev.

I actually lived next door to a Seamore Buts.
He was a real ass! (no pun intended.)

Worked with a guy who called himself Tall Paul. I felt so dorky introducing him.

Locally, here in Edmonton, all the DJs at The Bear used to have special names, like Yukon Jack, Forest Ranger, Trapper somebody. Only Yukon has survived, and he dropped the "Jack".

At the end of the '90s, I used to listen to KSAN and a Portland station interchangably via the Internet, as both played a good share of late '60s/early '70s AOR, and I think it was the Portland station that had most of their DJs with ocean-related names, including the aforementioned Sandy Beach.

Dazzling Dale Diamond was another Portland area radio name that stuck in my memory. KGAR-1550 in Vancouver, on AM Drive in 1969, when AM Drive started at 5 a.m. all year 'round with full power on a daytimer.

Overall, Charlie Tuna is probably the name that comes to mind first, as being Interesting. Great DJ, too.

Personally, the only fake name I ever used on the air was my first on-air experience at a 5 watt pirate station. George Walker sounded innocent enough in 1969, never realizing that a U.S. President would later be named that.

We had a jock who called himself "The Big Guy". This was in the early 90's not to long after WKRP. We would always get the question:

Does "The Big Guy" own the station?

Question:Ive followed Mike Phillips only on the west coast. I don't ever recall his using Peter Galore at which station did he use it?

The late great Bwanna Johnny was "Father Duffy" at KJR Seattle for not so long...I always wondered where that came from. Anyone?

Dusty Street at the first Ksan not the bone 68 thru early70s Paul Krasner AKA Rumpleforeskin. Abe Kesh AKA Vaco, The Lobster KSJO KOME KRQR

About 10 years ago, there was a pirate station here in Portland, around 97.3 or 97.5 or something like that. The guy who ran it called himself "Forrest Parker".

Hurricane Hunter (me- Miami 74) Wmyq

I think my buddy Terry Ingstad had the best moniker of all: "Shadoe Stevens"; especially considering he came up with it when he was only 10 years old!

And when I was the only white DJ at an all-soul station in Minneapolis in the late 70's, I went by "King Cracker".

And on one weekend only on KGW in 1973 during an all 1962 music special:
Fat Daddy Filbert (Phil Harper)
Craig "Fast Talker" Walker
Ed "Records" Riley

In the early 80's we had a B. Calm and A. Payne in the King Broadcasting building in Seattle.

At a station I worked at in the 70's, the PD named most of the jocks after automobiles:

Austin Healy, Mark Four....I wanted to be Toyota Celica. I ended up using my real name. Another jock was called Dr. Love

Very early in my career (I was maybe 16 at the time) I was referred to on-air by the other jocks as The Virgin Child. That changed a year or so later. :-)

In Roseburg Tom Woods breifly went by the nom d'air "Woody Buttafuco"

Seems to me in the late 70's, Mike Phillips (while PD of KGW) would do occasional fill-in and use the air name "Mr. Vicious". Anyone remember that?

Mr. Vicious was one of Mike's endearing nicknames... along with Flying Squirrel and Clouseau.

To the best of my knowledge "Peter Galore" only appeared once on a Sunday evening fill in on 62/KGW.

The jock was sick. The P.D. was sicker...

In Hilo, Hawaii, as the only white jock in town at the time I went by Haole Bill.
The locals would spot me at grocery stores etc and yell out "deres dat haole bill guy".
Worked there.

I am the real Dick Wadsworth.

Tom: That is funny!

A few years ago a student jock on the U of O's KWVA used the name, "Former Governor Tom McCall."

A. Payne's first name was Ancil, which probably lent itself to creative mispronunciation by his staff, although it was funny enough in itself (what can I say, I was eight years old then). And his middle initial was H, to boot. (What were his parents thinking??)

Qualifies as air name, as he delivered the editorials on KGW-TV during his years as GM in the late sixties.

Just who was that "Carol Tree" they kept yammering about on KISN every winter? For some reason I can't remember her voice...

Dodger, In Hilo, was your transmitter in a room at an apartment complex and the antenna on the roof of the apartments?

skybill: nope, I really don't know where it was but the station was kwxx in Hilo, nice market as it is about the only one that the big Honolulu station's signals couldn't penetrate, so it made it much easier to work with.
Memo to anyone thinking of going there: it is about the wettest place on earth. After three weeks of non stop rain other than every afternoon at about 3, I finally asked the front receptionist when does it become "Hawaii"? They all had a good laugh at "haole Bill" they all said in unison: "this is Hilo bra".
I moved to Maui about 4 months later, much more sun.
BTW, in Maui I worked for Dale Parsons who was the PD of WNNNNNNBC in New York, he was the one that was portrayed as the little weasel pd in howard sterns movie. His airstaff consisted of: Soupy Sales, Howard Stern, Don Imus and Wolfman Jack. Pretty heavy lineup. He retired at an early age, cashed out and bought this little station in Lahaina and never worked another day. His stories about his "programming" meetings with his airstaff, and how each would come to the meeting in a limo, with their agent and usually a lawyer was pretty hair raising stuff!
So, does that answer your question?

Dodger, you worked for Pig Vomit? That's freakin' rad!

Kevin Metheny was "Pig Vomit".

Had a engineer named Ivan Yakinoff.

Somebody mentioned college radio....

at KPSU, there's names such as:

Captain Sassypants
DJ Celery Stick & DJ Peanut Butter
The Goa Constrictor

And Kevin Metheny (pig vomit) was also Kevin O'Brien at KJR Seattle in the early 70's. I believe he was about 19 at the time.

(BTW, played beautifully by Paul Giamatti, in the Howard Stern movie, "Private Parts"...I will watch this movie just for that performance!)

Kevin Metheny was not the pd of wnnnnnnbc at the time I am speaking of.
Dale Parsons was, and according to him, he was the "basis" for the PD in the movie.
Thats what I was told.
Look up wnbc mid 70's to 80's and see the airstaff and OM and PD.

Dodger, gonna have to disaqree. Kevin Metheny was PD when Howard was on the air at 'NNNNNBC, (although Dale Parsons might have been there at the start)...but anyone who knows of Kevin, will recognize his southern drawl (native Oklahoman), in this portrayal. Regardless, a fine movie that almost everyone in radio loves, and probably a lot outside the biz as well!

Sorry dodger, parsons was padding his resume. I've known Kevin since the late 70's.

imdb.com/title/tt0119951/trivia

tdanner, I am not doubting you, parsons was not padding his resume, he was paid several million dollars in severance when he left nbc and that is how he bought and retired to KLHI in Lahaina.
I saw the pictures he had as well of staff meetings and station functions.
So perhaps the pd in the movie was not dale, but he was the pd during that time period or at least darn close to it, because the pictures of his airstaff meeting, with him right there show Wolfman, Imus, Soupy Sales and Stern.
Quite the stories too.
Sorry Paulwalker and tdanner if I mispoke I respect you both greatly. I was just going with the information I had. I don't think he was padding his resume, he owned the station. I also was privvy to his bank account and that was some severance he got!

RON "UGLY" THOMPSON

WNEW FM NY late 60's into the 70's (they just don't make stations like that anymore).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNEW-FM

If you had grown up with WNEW FM like I did, you'd know why I feel radio today just isn't worth much at all.

Rosco (Bill Mercer, dec.) well ahead of the one name trend that followed in the 70's and 80's.

Allison Steele aka The Night Bird (dec.) Sounds way cool when you say it ... try it!

http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/eccentric/alison.htm

I was Peter Gozinya for one show. Uh, the boss said no way.

Here's one I always wondered about. Back in the 70's, KUJ Walla Walla was a small market Top40 trying oh so hard to sound big-time. But I recall the manager (can't think of his name), insisted all his jocks had outrageous names. I want to say "Wee Willie Winkle", but I may be confusing that with another station. Anybody have first hand knowledge about this station, it's crazy manager, and some of the names???

Can't help you on the KUJ "Wee Willie Winkle", but you reminded me that WIP in Philadelphia (back in the 60s and 70s) had a jock, Bill Weber, who used to use the name "Wee Willie Weber".

I worked at KUJ a few years ago... in fact still work for the guy that owns it... he once told me that when he started there they all had to have weird names like that his was Tommy Heart! I gotta call him tomorrow will try to ask for further clarification...

When Working at KVAN AM 1550 Jonathan Lang once pulled a shift as Richard Tater... and every other break he would refer to himself as Dick!

Tommy Boye

I'm thinking KISN's Chuck(Steve)Webber was at KUJ for awhile afterwards.

Paulwalker:
Even I know this one! A friend of mine who later became Sonny Joe Fox at KITS and KMEL in San Francisco once worked at KUJ as Bobby Dancer. Oh, and the GM's name was Jim Nelly.

I always thought Bob Anchetta...The Big B.A. was a relly cool name and a great DJ!

Thanks, Bill. Hope you are hangin' in...

Jim Nelly...YES! I heard some interesting stories, but I will respect the man and not share at this time.

All in all, KUJ didn't sound bad for a micro-market in the 70's.

KUGN's Uncle Fuzzy

KFRC, San Francisco, had Russ "The Moose" Syracuse among others

In the late 70's at KSHE in St. Louis, there was a DJ named Joe Mason. He went by Joe Mama.

He would go out on the street and ask people "Who is Joe Mama?".

He got some pretty funny answers!

KUJ in Walla Walla was the station I was referring to above where almost all of the jox had funny names...several named after cars, plus
Jocky John, Little Tommy Tucker and Dr. Love.
I managed to use my real name on-air, even though I too was given a lousy name by Jim Nelly.
I just refused to use the name I was given.
Station had GREAT signal in those days. My parents were able to listen to me in suburban Seattle.

I remember years ago (About 30+) someone using "Phil Music" on the air. Can't remember who thought...

Just remembered, back in my early days, I actually worked with a guy who's real name, as well as his air name, was Dick Hoff.

The late great Dick Sheetz. It really was his name, but spelled differently.

Not only as mentioned, Dusty Street worked with me in Lake Tahoe, then later with me at KTIM in the Bay Area...but also the rarely mentioned Reno X. Nevada at KSML, his brother Buffalo Chip, Buffalo's wife Cathy Chip, Strawberry Bob, Pumpkin Bill (John Apicella), Dutch Flats, Shrimp Louie, Dumptruck O'Neil (Bill Ashford), all at KSML, Truckee...and I also worked with Pat Pending at WRPI, Troy, NY, and Skip Towne at KKSN, Portland

Question;What was Dusty Like off the air? She always sounded very hip knew the music. All those KMPX-KSAN people were great period. That's Reno Nevada and The Freaky Dude Ranch? Dusty Morgan at k108 Sacramento circa73 74. Sargent Preston in 76 at KING Radio. I think that was Dan Foley maybe Paul Walker knows.

Dusty was exactly what-ya-heard-is-what-ya-got. Very smart on the music, not as smart on diplomacy. Hard-livin', free wheelin', drinkin', snortin', and never at a loss for words. I inherited her morning show at KTIM when, after running a Coors ad which always ended with "Adolph Coors Corporation, Golden Colorado,"...Dusty cracked the mike and the first words out of her mouth was "...Coors? Hey, he's got the same first name as HITLER!" The GM and the Sales Mgr had spent MONTHS wooing the Coors account. Finally they got it. It lasted 4 days. As for Reno X. Nevada, real name Dalton Hirsch (wouldn't you change YOUR name, too?)...yes it was he and the Freaky Dude Ranch.
Good Times. Great radio.

I worked with a guy on a Lite format in MN. When pressed into service on the country station in the cluster, he went by "Buck Naked." That same country station has a guy named "Jake Brake." (It's a trucker term for something.)
And let's not forget our very own Lisa Carr.

Occasionally I would do remotes for our Country sister station. Whenever I would do that I'd use a different on-air name, like Jack Daniels, Jim Beam or Jose Cuervo.

*pokes Cyn*

99.9FM in St. Cloud?

Why yes, Kmhrbvtn, Lite 99.9. Fine little Leighton cluster in my home town in the Granite City.

....was Dick Hoff....

Hope he didn't have a brother named Jack

I figured it was. Apparently that little station that seems to be mostly on the bird is getting high ad revenue and beating out the top spots in billing.

And I didn't know your hometown was St. Cloud. Cause, honestly, that's mine as well.

So, like, where did you go to high school and who did you have for homeroom? Apollo rocks.

Lee Abrahams............when I was at KVAN in the 70's we named our night guy Lee Abrahams, consultant to KGON at the time.

Lee Abrams was the noted consultant (who may or may not have invented AOR.)

Here's a interesting profile on Lee Abrams.

http://www.celebrityaccess.com/news/profile.html?id=174

Did a guy named Kent Burkhart do weekends?

people ive worked w:

manic hispanic
robin banks
hurricane wayne
willy d. loon

Cyn:

Crosstown rival, Tech. Homeroom? Marquardt. And I used to be at what was Star 96.7 as an intern...it's now some Top-40 competitor to KCLD...

i was always partial to Westley Michaels

Mike R. Phone.

'Commander' Scott Lander......what a geek.

Jack Mehoff.

Chuck Wagon
Phil Dirt
Art Gallery

Elane Clousure

I think Dusty Rhodes is one of the more popular gimmick names. I'll bet there was a time in the cheesy old days where every market had one.

Same as with Rick O'Shay, right?

How 'bout:

Al Po

Mike Mondo Audio

Art Stanly

Johnny Quest

Bush Wacker