Ron Jacobs (broadcaster)

Ron Jacobs (September 3, 1937 – March 8, 2016) was an American broadcaster, author of books and magazines, record producer and concert promoter.

Jacobs was born in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, on September 3, 1937.

His parents, Ray (a merchant) and Shirley (a homemaker) moved to the Islands from New York and New Jersey in April 1937.

Jacobs was born in The Queens Hospital in Honolulu.

Jacobs first attended Punahou school and dropped out of Roosevelt High School and began his radio career in 1953, upon receiving his FCC license.

His first job was as the all-night DJ at Honolulu's KHON.

He then went to KGU Radio, the NBC affiliate in Hawaii, as the Honolulu correspondent for the network's new program, Monitor.

The albums covered 1955 through 1969 and were titled "CRUISIN': A History of Rock 'n' Roll Radio."

Jacobs produced several other notable records at Watermark including "A Child's Garden of Grass", for Elektra Records; Key: An Album of Invisible Theater, the debut album of performance artist Meredith Monk; and, Music from Another Present Era, the first recording by the jazz ensemble, Oregon.

Jacobs then went to San Diego to program KGB AM/FM Radio.

It was there that Jacobs conceived and produced the original Home Grown album.

The KGB Chicken, later known to the nation as "The San Diego Chicken" was also hatched from Jacobs' imagination.

In 1957, Jacobs teamed with fellow KGU DJ Tom Moffatt to jump-start Henry J. Kaiser’s new KHVH Radio.

In 1958, Jacobs was the program director at KPOA Radio in Honolulu.

Then, in 1959, Jacobs launched and programmed K-POI Radio – Hawaii’s first Top 40 outlet.

During this time, Jacobs wrote and produced the first Pidgin English rock ‘n’ roll records, among them: "Da Kine," about Hawaii's delayed entrance into the US, and local Hawaii rock hits by "Lance Curtis" (real name: Dick Jensen).

At 23, Jacobs moved to the U.S. mainland.

Within six months, the Drake-Jacobs’ "Boss Radio" format was Number One in America's second largest radio market, garnering national recognition for creating pop radio's most influential sound of the 1960s.

Jacobs produced the 48-hour-long History of Rock and Roll.

Radio's first "rockumentary," which aired on KHJ and subsequently other stations in the RKO chain, and was accepted into the Library of Congress as the "first aural history of rock and roll music."

While programming the RKO radio chain from KHJ, Jacobs teamed again with Moffatt and Tom Rounds to form Charlatan Productions to produce films featuring recording artists in strange but eye-catching settings.

In 1962, he was promoted to vice president of programming for the Colgreene Corporation.

From there he programmed San Bernardino's KMEN Radio, and then, Fresno's KMAK.

In Fresno, Jacobs found himself competing head on with radio consultant Bill Drake.

They soon combined their talents to program RKO General's KHJ Radio in Los Angeles.

In 1964, the four men formed Arena Associates, staging the first rock show in the Honolulu International Center (now, the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena).

He is best known as the program director of KHJ radio in Los Angeles during its ground-breaking "Boss Radio" period (1965–1969), and as co-creator of the countdown show American Top 40, and the seminal radio program The History of Rock and Roll (1969).

In 1968, Arena Associates produced the Miami Pop Festival.

Jacobs produced concerts at the Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles Sports Arena, Orange County Fairgrounds (first US appearance of the Rolling Stones), San Diego Stadium, in conjunction with KMEN, KHJ and KGB radio stations, which he served as program director

After four years atop the L.A. radio ratings, Jacobs left KHJ to co-found and become vice president of Watermark Inc. In 1970, with Tom Rounds and veteran LA deejay Casey Kasem, Jacobs co-created the syndicated radio program American Top 40.

At Watermark, Jacobs also produced the award-winning Elvis Presley Story, written by rock author Jerry Hopkins and narrated by broadcast personality, Wink Martindale.

Next, Jacobs produced a 15-album record series of legendary top-40 DJs re-creating their station's sound with the original music, commercials and jingles.

In 1972, Ron Jacobs was honored by Billboard as Program Director of the Year.

Jacobs’ documentary about Max Yasgur, on whose farm the Woodstock festival was staged, won Program of the Year honors and two years later, Billboard named KGB Station of the Year.

During this time, Ron Jacobs continued concert promotions with Tom Moffatt, Tom Rounds and Mel Lawrence.

In July 1976, Jacobs returned to an on-air position doing morning drive on KKUA Radio, in Honolulu, as "Whodaguy Ron Jacobs."

It was at KKUA that Jacobs introduced Home Grown, a radio station promotion in which contest winners had the opportunity to record their winning songs for release on a compilation album with the proceeds being donated to Habilitat, a drug/alcohol rehabilitation facility in Honolulu.

Jacobs did three albums, Home Grown (1976), Home Grown II and Home Grown III, that featured a track named " Kona Winds " that introduced singer Marvin Franklin, while he was at KKUA.

Jacobs’ TV career began when he hosted the Coca-Cola Record Hop on KHVH-TV, owned by Henry J. Kaiser.

The young deejays brought the best young talent to perform concert dates in Honolulu; and developed relationships with the era’s best rock talent – including industry legends Elvis Presley and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (they served as honorary pallbearers at Parker’s 1997 funeral).