Shakeup in Fresno radio as KMJ host retires, public radio host dies
E. Curtis Johnson is a stalwart of local radio.
For nearly five decades he's been on the air and behind the scenes at some of Fresno's most popular and innovative stations, including news talk station KMJ, where he co-hosts the Afternoon Drive.
Johnson retires on Friday, after two years with the station.
'There are many places in the Valley where E. made his mark,' co-host Philip Teresi said, in a statement announcing the retirement.
'The entire industry is better for his contributions.'
Johnson came to Fresno radio in the late 1980s and launched well-known rock station KRZR. While at the station, he hired several long-time radio personalities, including Teresi and Chris Daniel (who hosted KMJ's afternoon show for nearly a decade).
Johnson also helped break a then-unknown metal band named Tool in the Fresno market and was also on hand for some of the station's wilder promotional stunts — like offering a free trip to Bagdad (Arizona) at the start of the Gulf War and having its morning DJ make 'irreverent, on-the-air calls to the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, D.C.,' according to a story in The Bee.
In 1994, a woman tried to win a $10,000 radio contest by riding a white horse along Blackstone and Shaw avenues in a G-string and cowboy hat, with two KRZR bumper stickers across her breasts. She was arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure, but remained eligible for the prize money, pending the outcome of the case.
'KRZR was an outrageous part of Fresno's radio history: a party that spilled into the streets and refused to quiet down for 21 years,' Johnson told the newspaper in 2010 when the station underwent a format change.
At the time, he was program director at K-Jewel and KYNO, where he hosted his 'Daily Rant' segment.
Johnson said his retirement cuts short his stint with KMJ.
'I thought I'd be here longer, but some unexpected health issues made the decision to retire the right choice for me.'
News of Johnson's departure comes as another host announces his return to KMJ.
Ray Appleton has been on hiatus from the show since late April.
According to posts on his social media, Appleton spent his 75th birthday in the hospital, where he was admitted with an immune condition known as CVID. He also had pneumonia and a heart issue that required surgery.
KMJ' program director Blake Taylor has been filling in for the first hour of Appleton's show, with the syndicated Fox News host Guy Benson running from noon to 2 p.m.
Appleton teased his return in a Facebook post on Wednesday. The post shows a steaming cup of coffee with a caption overlay: 'Monday, June 2. Me! Where? KMJ!!!'
But Appleton's return to the airwaves was never in question.
'He will return to KMJ,' Taylor said on the show in mid-May.
'He's on the mend. He's getting better every day. He's getting stronger every day.'
On Tuesday, KVPR announced the death of longtime show host Marv Allen Moore.
Known as Marv Allen to listeners, Moore joined the public radio station in 2005 and became the voice of several of its signature shows, including Morning Edition, Clearly Classical and, most recently, All Things Considered.
Moore had been dealing with health issues for several years, according to the station, but continued to work until his retirement on May 18.
Four days later, Moore died from complications from bone marrow cancer, according to KVPR. He was 80.
Moore started his career in radio following his military service in Vietnam and worked at several Fresno stations, including KFIG (now ESPN Radio).
But for years, he was a well-known advertising rep with a successful production company called Studio B. He did voice work on advertisements for La-Z-Boy Furniture Gallery and Gibbs International Trucking, among others. In 2010, he narrated the New Testament for the online Bible study Logos.
Moore was inducted into the Central California Advertising and Marketing Hall of Fame in 2000.
'Marv was truly one-of-a-kind, and a local broadcasting legend,' said KVPR President and General Manager Joe Moore.
'His voice will be missed by thousands.'
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