KGO PD Kevin Metheny/ex-KJR DJ Kevin O'Brien is Dead

Includes archive of Bill Virgin's columns fromJ une 2006 - March 2009

KGO PD Kevin Metheny/ex-KJR DJ Kevin O'Brien is Dead

Postby jon » Sun Oct 05, 2014 4:31 pm

Wikipedia:

Metheny became weekend air talent at Album Rock KWHP-FM in Edmond, Oklahoma in 1970. The next year, he moved to WKY in Oklahoma City, serving as weekend and fill-in talent during his senior year at John Marshall High School. Pat O'Day, General Manager of KJR/KISW-FM, hired Metheny as evening talent at KJR. Following O'Day's 1975 departure, Metheny left KJR and became afternoon drive talent/music director at WNOE-FM, New Orleans, where he was promoted to Program Director. He next served as Program Director of KDEO in El Cajon, California, changing the AM Album Rock station to Top-40 KMJC, also known as "Majic 91".

Metheny became Director of Radio Audience Measurement (RAM) Research for DPS/Cyberdynamics,[1] working closely with its initial RAM client Fairbanks Broadcasting's Adult Contemporary WIBG in Philadelphia. He accepted the position of Program Director at WIBG (later known as WZZD, now WNTP). He went on to be named Program Director of Hearst Corporation's Top-40 WXKX, Pittsburgh, then of WEFM-FM in Chicago, followed by KSLQ-FM in St. Louis.

Metheny was named Program Director of The National Broadcasting Company's WNBC (NYC) in 1980. Around 1984, he accepted a position at Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment Company as Director of MTV Programming. Metheny led a management team secretly developing VH1 as a response to a challenge to MTV by Ted Turner's Cable Music Channel. He was subsequently promoted to vice-president of MTV/VH1 Music Programming and Production, and then to vice-president of VH1. After MTV Networks was acquired by Viacom in 1986, Metheny became Program Director of KTKS-FM (Dallas). He subsequently moved to Savannah as Vice President/General Manager at WSOK-FM/WAEV-FM. He accepted the Operations Director position of Bedford Broadcasting's San Francisco Oldies and Adult Standards stations KFRC-FM & AM followed by Oldies KQQL-FM (Minneapolis).

Metheny then moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where he combined programming and marketing operations of WQIK-FM and News/Talk WJGR with newly acquired Urban properties WSOL-FM, WJBT-FM, and WZAZ. This followed the deregulation of the broadcast industry by the FCC, allowing for unlimited national ownership and larger local station portfolios.

Metheny was transferred to head programming for Jacor Communications' Cleveland area radio group, consolidating operations at their combined six Cleveland stations, WAKS, WGAR-FM, WMJI, WMMS, WMVX, and WTAM. Following Jacor's merger with Clear Channel Communications Metheny was promoted to Regional Vice President of Programming, in which role he advised local Market Managers and Program Directors of 59 Ohio radio stations.

Simultaneously with the 2008 acquisition of Clear Channel by Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners, Metheny left Clear Channel to become Program Director of the Tribune Company's sole radio property, News/Talk WGN, where he stayed until November 2010. In January 2013, he was named program director at WJR (Detroit). In June 2014, Metheny was named operations manager at San Francisco stations KGO and KSFO owned by Cumulus Media, a position he held until his death of an apparent heart attack on October 3, 2014. He was 60 years old and is survived by two daughters.
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Re: KGO PD Kevin Metheny, ex-KJR DJ Kevin O'Brien, is Dead

Postby jon » Sun Oct 05, 2014 4:40 pm

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Re: KGO PD Kevin Metheny, ex-KJR DJ Kevin O'Brien, is Dead

Postby jon » Sun Oct 05, 2014 4:52 pm

Kevin's parents, Terrell and Carole, were on their way from their home in Fort Smith, Arkansas, to a vacation in Lake Tahoe, when they got the call, and detoured instead to San Francisco to take care of everything.

Terrell was on air for ten years, including most of the Sixties, as Ronn Terrell at WKDA in Nashville and Mitch Michael at WOKY in Milwaukee, before moving to WKLO in Lousiville, Kentucky, where he soon gave up the microphone for full-time Management. He is probably best known for his success at WMCA in New York City, despite a long career that also included Sales and Station Ownership.

He has been retired for quite a number of years now, but would get the occasional phone call asking for some Consulting expertise.
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Re: KGO PD Kevin Metheny/ex-KJR DJ Kevin O'Brien is Dead

Postby radiofan » Sun Oct 05, 2014 6:45 pm

Here's a 1973 aircheck of Kevin when he was at KJR in Seattle ...

Kevin O'Brien - Evenings at KJR Seattle

I shared this aircheck of Kevin with Kacie Sommers on the Northwest Radio Greats FB page a few years ago.

Pat O'Day's description of this aircheck ... "The tape, from the start, you hear Norm Gregory, then Frank Thompson, then the top of the hour break with the voice of Joe Long, (All time great KLIF Dallas newsman) then Kevin. Then, that cash call intro is someother guy you may remember".

"You are simply listening to real rock and roll, hit parade, radio produced as it should be produced. The jingles are fresh, there's lots of em, all different and melodic and singable. The exciting production values are created by a well trained deejay. No computer can ever fire each element with the artistry of a well trained jock! The voice is that of Kevin Obrien, (Matheny) who was in fact hired to come to kjr a week before he graduated from High School in Oklahoma City. I had heard him on WKY when in Oklahoma with Three Dog Night. I loved his air work, (He was a kid doing weekends) and the rest is history. His birthday has nothing to do with his hiring or going to work in Seattle. We only awaited his graduation from high school. Do you find excitment when listening to this???? It's that excitment, pulsing production, and non stop joy that radio is missing today. Blame todays clueless PD's Management, Consultants, and the accountant mentality that stiffles creativity, and fear the unknown of what a deejay may say or do. For shame! There are potential Kevin OBriens out there but no one sets the example, nor allows such talent to grow and produce. It really pisses me off!"
Pat.


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