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George Johns, an innovator of Adult Contemporary radio, has passed away. Praised as a “colorful content creator,” he revolutionized the way audiences engage with music and entertainment.
McVay Media President Mike McVay said, “In the days long before the Internet, long before you could stream a radio station, I would fly into San Diego and stay at one of the two hotels by the airport. I would listen to Classy and focus on what he was doing. Not only to learn but to compete with his stations. I wrote down the songs that played, the way the talent approached breaks and the way his stations developed and created amazing promotions. I learned much by observing him at his best… I will miss him and our exchanges.”
Gary Berkowitz, AC specialist of Berkowitz Broadcast Consulting, told Barrett Media, “I did not personally know George, but I certainly knew of his tremendous influence on AC radio. George was a pioneer in the development of AC on FM radio, most notably at KVIL in Dallas. The team of George Johns and Ron Chapman created the playbook for AC that can still be heard in the format across the US. I for one, learned a tremendous amount from listening to KVIL and other George Johns consulted radio stations.
Johns began his career in Canada. By the late 1970s, he had ascended to the role of National Program Director at Fairbanks Broadcasting, where he supervised WIBC and WNAP in Indianapolis, KVIL in Dallas/Ft. Worth, WVBF, and WKOX in Boston, WIBG in Philadelphia, and WRMF and WJNO in Palm Beach.
Johns played a key role in developing “Magic Ticket,” one of the initial nationally syndicated promotions. He was also pivotal in establishing Boston country station WKLB.
The Johns Company consulted radio stations in the US and Canada before merging with Fairwest. Through this merger, they syndicated continuous Country programming and the Class format.
Radio shared memories and thoughts.
