Fritz Coleman, longtime KNBC Los Angeles weather forecaster, will be shown on Monday, October 18, 2021, at Wilcox Manor in Tustin. Fritz will host a comedy night fundraiser at Wilcox Manor for Extraordinary Lives Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Mara James and dedicated to improving lives. Children's mental health and wellbeing. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz of Orange County Register/SCNG)
Fritz Coleman is best known for his long tenure as a weather forecaster for KNBC-TV Channel 4, which spanned nearly 40 years. However, his broadcasting career began in radio, first on WBEN/Buffalo in New York state and then on WKBW in the same town.
After retiring from his job as a weather forecaster, he often made jokes based on making weather forecasts in cities with no weather, and with Louise “Weezy” Palancar he started a podcast called “The Media Pass Podcast”. A podcast has been launched and is available for viewing on iHeart. Also available on various apps and at mediapathpodcast.com. More than 100 episodes have been released to date, with guests ranging from Henry Winkler and Cindy Williams to Keith Morrison, the Cowsills, Peter Noone, Bill Medley and Gary Puckett. You could say it's “focused” on news, politics, and entertainment.
His latest project will be brought to life through a series of live performances Sunday afternoon at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood. Dates announced so far include April 26th, May 26th, June 23rd…and an extension into August…all starting at 3 p.m. The show, dubbed “Unassisted Residency,” is said to include some of his favorite stories and reflections…and will be different each time.
Favorite things
It's always fun to see what our readers like and potentially discover new shows. Here are some samples that have interested me so far…
“I love radio. I'm very old school! I still have a clock radio on my nightstand and a radio in the kitchen. I listen to the radio in the car. My favorite hometown It's the Ellen K Show on KOST (103.5 FM). Ellen, Ryan, and Darlene are doing great in the morning. But I'm not a fan of Christmas music starting in November!” — Phyllis Metzger, Long Beach
“I love listening to the Gary Bryan Morning Show on K-EARTH 101. I wake up to his and Lisa Stanley's voices Monday through Friday. The show is very It's funny and I like the daily themes like “Nostalgic Thursday.” Not for children at all. I rate it PG-17. Especially during the Christmas season, I enjoy listening to the scenes where they help families in need so that they can have a Merry Christmas. For me, it's a really great way to start the day. ” — Russell Cinque Jr., Glendale
“I try to listen to Tim Conway's show on KFI every day (640am). The guy always makes me laugh out loud! Most of the topics are local news. His quirky humor is great But the way he runs the show is also very funny. He has a strong supporting cast. John Phillips on KABC (790 AM) is very locally oriented. He's a professional interviewer and has a lot of interesting guests. He's sarcastic and bright. He always makes me think and brings a smile to my face. McDonough, Costa Mesa
Believe it or not, all of the messages below came within minutes of the column hitting the streets. I checked directly with Poor Man (Jim Trenton) and he claims he has no encouragement or knowledge of anything like this.
“Poorman, from his old KROQ days, has a morning radio show on KOCI (101.5 FM), broadcasting from Newport Beach/Costa Mesa. He has over 400 listeners daily and hosts semi-monthly concerts and We are planning a meeting with the mayors of both cities. Poorman and KOCI need to be recognized!!” — Carrie Berg
“Definitely our favorite. Poor Man's Morning Rush at KOCI here in SoCal…Newport/Costa Mesa…” — Michael Moran
“Even if we all miss The Mighty 690 and the old 91-X format, Poor Man is still around, spinning great songs and fun conversations on KOCI in the morning. His New Year’s marathon is also a fun guest ” — SCPIXX
“A very unique local show is Poor Man's Morning Rush, which runs Monday through Friday from 7am to 11am. I listen using the 'myTuner Radio' app.
“Every day brings a different spin on local radio as Poor Man takes on the challenge of engaging his audience and coming up with songs around a specific theme. A recent theme was '99,' related to the closing of the 99 Cent Store. was. The audience chooses all the songs performed except for one song, which Poorman calls the world premiere song of the day. After that song, you can text him (on his only cell phone) whether you believe the song will be a hit or not. He reads out all the opinions on the air and the viewers' nicknames. Poorman also hosts parties with live bands at a local pizzeria called Original Pizza, and most of the attendees know each other from appearing on his show. It's a very special experience. I think you'll get hooked once you start listening to it. ” — Ron Underwood
Fortunately, just as these arrived, Poorman announced that he had added another affiliate to his show. As of last week, you can hear Morning Her Rush, also known as oldies station “KOOL,” at 1280 AM on KQLL/Los Vegas, and on a low-power extender he can be simulcast on 102.3 FM.
All of the above passions prove my point. I mean, there's really great content on radio.Let’s keep going – what should we do? you like?
Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist who covers radio in Southern California. Email rwagoner@socalradiowaves.com
