Michael Jackson, is a radio talk-show host based in the Los Angeles, California area. Jackson is best known for his radio show which covered the arts, politics and human interest subjects, particularly in the Los Angeles and greater Southern California area. The show originally aired on L.A. radio station KABC and briefly aired on KGIL.

Jackson was born in England and experienced the Blitz as a child. After the war, during which his father served in the RAF as a navigator trainer, his family moved to South Africa where he became a radio disc jockey. The Jacksons were appalled by the apartheid then dominant in South Africa, and they moved to the United States in 1958. Michael had always wanted to be on the radio in Los Angeles, but first, he worked in cities like San Francisco, where he did a top-40 show for station KYA. Listeners loved his British accent, but he didn’t especially enjoy being a rock deejay. In fact,he hated rock music and ended up getting fired. When he was hired in the early 60s at KEWB to do an overnight shift, he gradually phased out playing records, and began chatting with callers. He got the reputation of being a problem-solver, and comedian Mort Sahl, a big fan of his, jokingly called him the “All Night Psychiatrist.”. In that article, it noted that the police regularly monitored his show, with his permission, so they could trace the calls of the occasional listener who expressed suicidal thoughts and make sure the person was okay. And Time Magazine praised him for his ability to maintain a calm demeanor no matter what the subject might be.

The Time article and other favorable publicity earned him some offers, and he finally fulfilled his dream, getting hired in Los Angeles, where he briefly did the 7 p.m. to midnight shift at KHJ. Radio/TV critic Don Page of the Los Angeles Times took notice of him almost immediately, saying he was a “good talker and a patient listener”, with an “elegant and flexible” command of the language. But when his ratings weren’t what KHJ hoped, they fired him. Fortunately, the CBS affiliate KNX quickly picked him up, but he found their format very confining. Finally, in 1966, heritage talk station KABC hired him, and it was a perfect fit. They were having great success with their talk radio format, and they gave him the 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. spot. Michael remained with them for the next three decades, with critics continuing to compliment him for being “cultivated and enlightened”. At that time, KABC also broadcast the Joe Pyne show, and in the mid 1970s, when Michael beat him in the ratings, he told a reporter that this proved “you do not have to be rude to be successful.”. Nobody ever accused Michael of being rude.

He liked to book his own guests, and he became well-known for talking to interesting news makers from all around the world, ranging from Richard Nixon’s former counsel Charles Colson to economist Milton Friedman to Israeli military leader Moshe Dayan. He also talked to celebrities, psychologists and comedians, but he seemed to enjoy talking about current events. On the other hand, he was sometimes criticized for being too nice with his guests and not asking enough tough questions.

Robert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1958. The cast recording of The Music Man won the first Grammy Award given for best cast album, and its 1962 film adaptation was a success.

Starting in the 1920s as a member of John Philip Sousa’s band and then the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Willson became a radio music director in the 1930s. He then worked on films and was nominated for two Academy Awards; in 1940 and in 1941. After more radio work during World War II, he worked on the Burns and Allen and Jack Benny radio programs, among others. Willson’s second Broadway musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, was a success in 1960. He also composed symphonies and a number of popular songs.

Born Robert Meredith Willson in Mason City, Iowa, Willson attended Frank Damrosch’s Institute of Musical Art in New York City. In August 1920 he married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth “Peggy” Wilson. A flute and piccolo player, Willson was a member of John Philip Sousa’s band and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini. Willson then moved to San Francisco, California as the concert director for KFRC, and then as a musical director for the NBC radio network in Hollywood.

His work for films included writing the music for Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator and William Wyler’s The Little Foxes, both of which garnered him Academy Award nominations. During World War II, he worked for the United States’ Armed Forces Radio Service. His work with the AFRS teamed him with George Burns, Gracie Allen and Bill Goodwin. He would work with all three as the bandleader, and a regular character, on the Burns and Allen radio program. He played a shy man, always trying to get advice on women. His character was dizzy as well, basically a male version of Gracie Allen’s character.