"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen, aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017. 

Here are all 19 episodes of the show that wrapped up Red's 60-year radio career. 

Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, out now at FriesenPress, Indigo, Chapters and Coles, Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Barnes & Noble, Google Play and Apple Books.

We dedicate The Last Broadcast to the memory of a true radio legend: our friend Pat O'Day, who passed away August 4, 2020. For more on Pat's amazing career, you'll want to pick up his autobiography, "It Was All Just Rock'n'Roll" at Amazon - amzn.to/3pQKBVi

Dee Lippingwell photo

The Last Broadcast *COMPLETE*

"WKRP in Cincinnati" premiered this week in 1978 on CBS-TV, airing for four seasons and 90 episodes. My late friend Terry Moore sat down with Gordon and his wife Anna in 1981 for this CKNW interview.

The show, created by Hugh Wilson, featured the staff of a struggling radio station and was based on his experiences in sales at WQXI/Atlanta. New program director Andy Travis switches WKRP's format from easy-listening music to rock with help from deejays Dr. Johnny Fever and Venus Flytrap, station manager Arthur Carlson, sales manager Herb Tarlek, news director Les Nessman, receptionist Jennifer Marlowe and producer Bailey Quarters.

Gordon reflects on his broadcast background and the inspiration for his character; the strengths of the show's cast; the advantages of syndication; he and Anna discuss how success has changed their lives; the truth behind Hollywood's "Tinseltown" myth; the importance of good management; and how they spend their free time.  

Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson was Gordon's signature role, and he starred in a short-lived revival of the show, "The New WKRP in Cincinnati" which ran in syndication from 1991 to 1993. He also appeared in the final season of Seinfeld, in which he played George Costanza's boss at a playground equipment company. You probably also remember when he took over the Maytag repairman role from Jesse White. 

Gordon Jump died at his home in Glendale, CA on September 22, 2003. He was 71.

Legends of Comedy: Gordon Jump

Back when rock was young I had the pleasure of being the MC for The Show of Stars at Vancouver’s Georgia Auditorium on October 23, 1957. The all-star cast included Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Frankie Avalon, George Hamilton IV, Buddy Knox, The Everly Brothers, Paul Anka and Eddie Cochran. All this for three bucks!

Typical of the anti-rock attitude of the day, The Vancouver Sun’s Alan Hope wrote: “What the audience lacked in mobility they made up for in rapt attention. Occasionally the jungle beat caught them and they strained forward, hands clapping.”

Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen called their band The Rhythm Orchids. Buddy had the first rock and roll million-seller with Party Doll. He went on to record and sell millions of records. Jimmy Bowen switched from performing to become a very successful record producer. Here we are in this time capsule, young and positive. Oh, the memories!

Buddy Knox at The Show of Stars, 1957

Robinson, O’Day, and Allen banter as they consult their music sheets (each have selected their own songs to be played over the next several hours). At 10:25, Factora gives them the go ahead, and through the speakers an announcer introduces Robinson, followed by the first few bars of `Rebel Rouser’ by Duane Eddy. Effortlessly, Robinson chimes in;

“Hey, my favourite theme over the years: `Rebel Rouser’ with Duane Eddy, and that’s what I was: a rebel rouser. But it didn’t matter, I was doing what I loved. And here we are, the final show on this Sunday, and I have two very special guests here: Pat O’Day, who used to be the program director of KJR in Seattle, and we exchanged a lot of things over the years….”

“Had a lot of fun,” O’Day interjects. “And a lot of mutual respect.”

“That’s true, very much so.”

O’Day shoots his old friend a cocked eyebrow. “You tried to make inroads into my audience in Seattle, and I resented that, but forgave you.”

Robin Brunet's new book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, is available now in paperback and ebook from friesenpress.com and chaptersindigo.ca

The Last Broadcast: Episode 1

"On the hot summer morning of August 24th, 2017, 62 years and nine months after he first leaned into a radio station microphone and spoke to British Columbians as a bona fide deejay, Red Robinson is about to become unemployed – again.

But if losing Red Rock Diner, his six-year old show on CISL, weighs heavily on him, he keeps it to himself as he drives to the Richmond station one last time from his home in Vancouver, with wife Carole in the back seat and Seattle deejay Pat O’Day beside him. The glass and metal clutter of downtown recedes in his rear view mirror as he crosses the Oak Street Bridge onto Highway 99, and he keeps the conversation breezy, tells jokes, and occasionally swears at tailgaters." 

In this episode, Red and Bruce Allen reminisce about one of Elvis' favourite artists, the late Roy Hamilton.

Robin Brunet's new book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, is available now in paperback and ebook from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com

The Last Broadcast: Episode 2

Here's another excerpt from Robin Brunet's new book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, available now from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com

"But as soon as he enters his studio and sees O’Day and Allen glance up at him, the wave of emotion settles. He’s back in his element with two old pros.

Immediately they launch into the next talk segment, on the heels of Roy Hamilton’s 'You Can Have Her' and Elvis Presley’s 'Don’t Be Cruel'. “Perfect,” Robinson intones as the last note of the Elvis song is piped through the speakers. “Bruce, I threw in Elvis because you and I and Pat worked with him. I know you booked him across the country; did you ever spend any time with him?”

In this episode, Bruce and Pat remember Elvis, the guys talk about "race music", Pat tells us about Elvis' health issues, Bruce on Colonel Parker's role in Elvis' career.

The Last Broadcast: Episode 3

Here's another excerpt from Robin Brunet's new book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, available now from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com

"Robinson’s internal clock hits zero, coinciding with the digital readout on the glass wall facing them. 'Hey, this is the Red Rock Diner, it’s the final show. My guests, Bruce Allen and Pat O’Day; I'm so happy to have them here. Coming up: Roy Orbison, after this break.'"

In this episode, Red talks about his friendship with Roy Orbison and Roy's life, Bruce salutes rock pioneer Dion DiMucci.

The Last Broadcast: Episode 4

Here's the latest from Robin Brunet's new book Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast, available now from friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com

"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017.

As the final note of 'Fortune Teller’ wafts through the speakers, Robinson tells his listeners, "I remember that record. Bobby was known in Canada and I thought this was such a hit. It was recorded in Nashville, not here. We didn’t have the infrastructure then, did we, Bruce?"

'No.'

“And so I said, 'give me a copy of that’. And I sent one to you, and Pat, you played it and it charted in Seattle.”

“Yes, it did.”

“And I sent another copy to KPOI in Hawaii, to Ron Jacobs.  And between the two of you, Curtola got on the charts in America.”

Also in this episode, Pat recalls a great story about "Wooly Bully" and the guys reminisce about one of Bruce's favourites, a one-hit wonder by the Redwoods.

The Last Broadcast: Episode 5

"The Last Broadcast" with Red's special guests Pat O'Day and Bruce Allen, aired on CISL650/Vancouver on August 27, 2017.

O’Day, who is emerging as the trio’s prime storyteller and who shares Robinson’s knack for shifting gears, interrupts. “Speaking of funny Hawaiian twists, Tom Rounds was the music director of KPOI in Honolulu,” he says in his melodious manner of speaking. “I’m over there on vacation, I think it’s ’64, and we were sitting in his office opening packages of new records, and we put on this thing from MGM and listened to it. I said, 'God, that is the strangest thing. I think it’s a hit.’  

“Tom Rounds says, 'I agree.’  So, I called the station in Seattle right away. I said, 'There’s a record on MGM, you got to get it out of the envelope, get it on the air right now. I am telling you it’s a hit.’” 

O’Day gets to the punch line: “It was Sam The Sham, 'Wooly Bully’. Not one of the greatest artistic achievements of our time, but it went to number one.” Allen and Robinson laugh.

Also in this episode, Red and Bruce talk Neil Diamond; the guys remember an appearance by Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast is out now at friesenpress.com, chaptersindigo.ca, amazon.com, amazon.ca, barnesandnoble.com, play.google.com and books.apple.com

The Last Broadcast: Episode 12

Red Robinson's Legends

Related tracks