{"id":463454,"date":"2025-12-22T02:45:27","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T02:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/463454\/"},"modified":"2025-12-22T02:45:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T02:45:27","slug":"san-diego-celebrated-in-radio-man-bobby-richs-biography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/463454\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego celebrated in radio man Bobby Rich\u2019s biography"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bobby<\/a>Bobby Rich early in his career. Photo courtesy Rick Griffin\/Marketink<\/p>\n

The book took only 12 years to write.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur wives couldn\u2019t understand why we didn\u2019t wrap this thing up in a couple of days,\u201d said Bobby Rich, retired legendary radio on-air personality, programmer and the subject of a new book, titled, \u201cBobby Rich, My Life in Your Radio.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MarketInk<\/a><\/p>\n

The biography\u00a0is authored by Pat Gaffey<\/a>, a former broadcast journalist who worked in radio and television in San Diego with Rich. The 310-page book covers Rich\u2019s 60-year career of working at 24 stations in 11\u00a0states in 15 cities, including Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, Seattle, San Diego and Tucson.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlus, I was fired seven or eight times, maybe nine,\u201d Rich said.<\/p>\n

The book covers Rich\u2019s on-air stunts, celebrity antics, community involvement and historical events enjoyed by his listeners in small and large markets. His career took him from Spokane to Toledo, Iowa to Miami, Los Angeles to San Diego, New York to Philadelphia, and the past 33 years spent in Tucson.<\/p>\n

\u201cI started spinning records on the radio before the Beatles first performed on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. I was still on the air in 2023,\u201d said Rich. \u201cThat pretty much makes me a DJ dinosaur who played all the pop, rock, Top 40, adult contemporary, Hot AC and timeless music superstars and one-hit wonders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Cover<\/a>Cover of Pat Gaffney\u2019s book about Bobby Rich called \u201cMy Life in Your Radio.\u201d (Photo courtesy Rick Griffin\/Marketink)<\/p>\n

Rich was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Ephrata, Wash. Using a homemade radio kit and records borrowed from his older sisters, Rich broadcast a nightly music show from his bedroom to the dining room of the family home in Ephrata.<\/p>\n

During his career, Rich was known for his out-of-the-box approach to programming and on-air stunts. During the height of the disco craze in the late 1970s, Rich ran a \u201cNo Bee Gees Weekend\u201d in New York. Years later, he ran a similar \u201cNo Michael Jackson Weekend\u201d in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cRadio has been my first love \u2014 it never gets old and it\u2019s rewarding beyond words\u201d said Rich. \u201cMy philosophy has always been to have fun, play great music and give people something to smile about whenever they tune in.\u201d<\/p>\n

After on-air roles in Miami, New Haven, Los Angeles and San Diego in the 1970s, Rich went to program WXLO-FM in New York, KHTZ-FM in Los Angeles and WWSH-FM in Philadelphia in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

In 1992, Rich arrived in Tucson, where he anchored\u00a0mornings at KMXZ-FM for nearly 25 years. He worked at three Tucson stations, including having an ownership interest at KTZN-FM and KDRI-FM. In 2013, he was elected<\/a> to the Arizona Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

Rich retired in May 2023, following the purchase of KDRI-FM to Bustos Media for $800,000. Today, the 80-year-old Tucson resident consults with radio stations offering programming assistance and specializing in the over-50 demographic.<\/p>\n

When he retired, radio industry trade publications called him an \u201cicon,\u201d \u201ca legendary programmer and air talent\u201d and \u201cprominent radio industry figure since the 1970s with a legacy of unmatched success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ramp magazine wrote, \u201cRich\u2019s retirement marks the end of an era, but his influence will continue to be felt for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Radio<\/a>Radio personality Bobby Rich (left) and radio personality turned writer Pat Gaffney (right) in 2025. (Photo courtesy Rick Griffin\/MarketInk)<\/p>\n

Inside Radio said, \u201cHis stunts tapped into listeners\u2019 emotions by delivering something unexpected.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the 1970s and 1980s, Rich was considered king of San Diego\u2019s radio industry. He arrived in San Diego in 1975 after working at KHJ-AM in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

\u201cTurning on a microphone and connecting and communicating with listeners one-to-one is something that only happens on the radio,\u201d said Rich.<\/p>\n

From 1975 to 1978, Rich was program director at KFMB-FM, B-100. He turned a sleepy San Diego FM station with lackluster ratings into a Top-40 powerhouse that took San Diego by storm. Hiring top-notch disc jockeys and programming high-energy \u201cBetter Boogie\u201d music, Rich transformed KFMB-FM into B-100 and made it the city\u2019s number one station by 1977.<\/p>\n

He resigned from KFMB to work as program director at WXLO-FM New York, the nation\u2019s biggest broadcast market. He also worked at\u00a0WWSH-FM Philadelphia before returning to San Diego\u2019s KFMB in 1984 to head the \u201cRich Brothers\u201d morning team of five personalities until 1989.<\/p>\n

The popular \u201cB-Morning Zoo\u201d was the city\u2019s top-rated morning show in 1987, the same year that Billboard Magazine named the Rich Brothers as Air Personalities of the Year and KFMB-FM as Station of the Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have very fond memories of San Diego,\u201d Rich told Times of San Diego. \u201cEvery time I moved in my career, I found a chance to prove myself. I might be the epitome of do-what-you-love and love-what-you do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaffey, the book\u2019s author, wrote and reported the news in San Diego for KFMB-AM, KFMB-FM and KFMB-TV from 1982 to 2001. He first worked with Rich at KHTZ in Los Angeles. In San Diego, Gaffey was a co-host on the B-Morning Zoo.<\/p>\n

Gaffey\u2019s second career spanned 20 years in pharmaceutical corporate communications and included 19 winters in New England and 13 trips to Japan before returning to California. <\/p>\n

Today, Gaffey is a semi-retired, freelance writer and researcher.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it took 12 years to write the book because my writing was interrupted due to other professional obligations,\u201d Gaffey said. \u201cI wrote this book to celebrate Bobby\u2019s amazing career and the personalities and listeners who shared his passion for music and fun in the heyday of Top 40, rock-n-roll and personality radio.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank Anthony<\/a>, also a member of the Rich Brothers who later served as the public address announcer at Padres home games, said, \u201cBobby not only knew how to assemble the finest array of on air talent but how to inspire them and give them the freedom to be their absolute best. <\/p>\n

\u201cFew radio people are recognized in public. Bobby was different because he was visible in the community. embedded in the lifestyle and engaged with all who listened. He\u2019s not an on-air personality, he\u2019s genuinely one of them, a neighbor, a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gary Kelley, longtime San Diego radio DJ who stays busy today playing tunes at private events, said the book isn\u2019t just for radio people. \u201cIt\u2019s for anyone who has ever loved listening to the radio and wondered how the magic happens,\u201d he said. \u201cPat Gaffey takes you inside the brilliant mind of Bobby Rich, a one-of-a-kind talent who has always instinctively known how to make radio worth listening to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rich said: \u201cDon\u2019t ever do a book without having a real writer and journalist doing tons of work researching the background and interviewing people to confirm the quotes and facts. I\u2019m grateful for all the work Pat Gaffey did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaffey told Times of San Diego, \u201cMore than 50 DJs and radio executives were interviewed for the book, which contains in-depth research of hit songs and fun-filled stories from Rich\u2019s career as a personality and program director from the 1960s until his 2023 retirement in Tucson.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBobby Rich, My Life in Your Radio,\u201d published by Glenealy Press and available in paperback, hard cover and e-book formats on Amazon, was released in late November.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy book would be the perfect stocking stuffer,\u201d said Rich with a laugh.<\/p>\n

Marketing agency Mindgruve predicts 2026 trends in AI, DSP, IRL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mindgruve, a San Diego marketing agency, has revealed its top digital marketing predictions and trends for 2026.<\/p>\n

Among the agency\u2019s expectations for next year:<\/p>\n