Born in Chicago in 59, back when tail fins touched the sky, a red transistor radio was my constant companion. This was the Golden Age of Top 40, when WCFL and WLS battled over young listeners, and DJs like John 'Records' Landecker and 'Super Jock' Larry Lujack were bigger than movie stars or prize fighters. 

 

 

 

 

Radio was not only prime entertainment during the Lombardi era, it also enlightened. Before the internet, alternative views were broadcast on AM and short-wave radio and printed in alternative magazines and newspapers, exposing the B.S. of the Vietnam War and the treatment some Americans got despite our claim that all men are created equal. After the police riot in 1968 at the Democratic National Convention, the Chicago Eight Trial, and bombings during the Days of Rage the following year, Mom retreated to her hometown in the God-forsaken hinterlands. 

 

 

 

 

 

Lonely, alone, and chilled to the bone in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, radio saved my life. After sunset, my transistor radio replaced static with Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and Pink Floyd, thanks to those 50,000-watt blowtorches back in Chicago! News, traffic reports, and Chickenman made me homesick. So did the ads for Mr. Norm's Grand-Spaulding Dodge, Dominick's Grocery Stores, and the US 30 Drag Strip. Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

My radio ad sales adventures began with a dare from the PD at a Milwaukee rock station. Success in radio led to a gig at an agency, producing and selling comedy bits to DJs and stations, along with radio ads to local businesses. Mastering radio ad sales gave me the confidence to open my own shop, again on a dare, this time from the drag strip owner who became my biggest client. Shenanigans continued in radio sales at a rock station in Key West, where I stumbled up to replace the GM and cohost the morning show. 

 

 

 

 

 

Over 100,000 hours later, only some of my sales experience was in radio, yet those adventures remain the most memorable. The Life and Times of Grizzled Adman continues to grow as statutes of limitation expire, and it's never too late to add another chapter. 

You can take the boy outta radio but you can't take radio outta the boy. Broadcasters and businesses seeking help with sales, promotion, streaming, and/or sales training are encouraged to call. The request lines are open!

Continued success until we get to speak!
--
Roger Leeper, Chief Conversation Officer
WROG.info - 954-864-6736

 

 

Telescoped Radio Ad Demo Reel:

 

 

 

Celebrate the Lombardi Era!

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