The Beau Weaver Collection
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Beau Weaver, also known as Beauregard Rodriquez Weaver practiced his loose and regrettable behavior in public on top forty legends KHJ, KFRC, KCBQ, KILT, KAKC, and KNUS.
He grew up in Tulsa, and got his start hanging around KAKC the summer Bill Drake became consultant. Beau weaseled his way into the station by bringing fresh KHJ airchecks of Morgan and Steele he obtained from a family friend in California. "At fourteen, I was calling the jocks up on the hitline, telling them about format mistakes they did not know they were making," says Weaver. "Eventually PD Lee Bayley hired me, mostly to shut me up." That paved the way for later stints on sister Drake stations, in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Michael Spears, who would later take Weaver to KFRC, brought him aboard the groundbreaking team at KNUS, Dallas, the FM station Gordon McLendon kept after selling his legendary KLIF. KNUS was an AOR/Top Forty hybrid that eventually knocked off KLIF, and was one of the first major market FM's to dominate in the Arbitron. It is the marriage of Drake discipline and McLendon showmanship which would be the hallmark of Beau's style. Beau also spent many years at KILT in Houston, was one of the seven "original astronauts" on the pioneering Transtar Satellite network (now Westwood One), and did a syndicated Oldies show for Global/ABC/Watermark called "Let the Good Times Roll." In the Nineties, Beau was briefly coaxed back on the air for periodic appearances on KRTH/101. Today, Beau lives in Los Angeles, where he is a prolific voiceover talent, heard daily on network program promos, trailers for feature films, national commercials and animated cartoons. Visit Beau at www.spokenword.com. Flash! (September 27, 2000) Beau is back on the air! The Repository thanks Beau Weaver for sharing! |
This is the syndication demo for Fantasy Park, a 48 hour radio special hosted by Rod Serling and produced by my staff at KNUS, Dallas. This is theatre of the mind 1970’s style. It was our generation’s version of what Gordon McLendon used to do as he broadcast imaginary re-creations of major league baseball games on the Liberty Network. The idea came when one of our jocks blended several ‘live’ albums cuts in a way that made listeners think a real concert was being held. Fantasy Park took that idea as far as it would go!
GM Bart McLendon recruited his old teacher Rod Serling, who recorded the host segments, bumpers and custom promos and television spots.
Serling himself wrote the only disclaimer which aired each hour:
“Hello, This is Rod Serling and welcome back to Fantasy Park…..the crowds here today are unreal.”
And this one:
“This is Fantasy Park…the Greatest Live Concert….never held.”
Broadcast in nearly 200 markets, the 48 hour opus had college students hitchhiking all over America hoping to get to “Fantasy Park.” In New Orleans when the concert aired, the IRS came knocking on the doors of WNOE trying to attach the gate receipts to make sure the Feds got their cut!
In 1975 I had the honor of accepting the Billboard Magazine Award for Best Syndicated Radio Special on behalf of the McLendon Company, but complete credit belongs to Fantasy Park Producer Steve Blackson and Host Fred Kennedy, who fleshed out the concept, wrote it, and produced it on primitive equipment. This was truely the triumph of imagination over technology! Additional credit should go to Mitch Craig, Jake Roberts and Don Bishop.
