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Ramona Palmer was married for seven years to Philip Yarbrough, also known as Bill Drake. These are her memories in her own words: I He was attending classes and also doing the 9:00 PM to midnight shift at WWNS, the local radio station. His sign-off song was Hugo Winterhalter’s “Canadian Sunset.” If you were a freshman girl and were off campus somewhere and heard that, you knew you were in deep trouble unless you could get back to the college before the song was over! No, I was not preparing for a radio career; I was going to be a teacher--never made it! Actually, Philip’s radio career had started prior to Statesboro. He had an afternoon teen show at WMGR in Bainbridge, Georgia. They had a small studio in Donalsonville where he lived and he worked out of there. I think he was about 16 when he started in radio. We both ended up in Atlanta in the summer of 1958. I started work for the State of Georgia and he had gotten a job at WAKE doing the midnight shift. We got married in February of 1959 and were married for seven years. We did not have any children and divorces happen to the best of people. Everyone wants to know about the famous name. “Bill Drake” was created so that his name would rhyme with WAKE – and it is his mother’s maiden name so it seemed appropriate. It was not long before the station manager, Jayne Swain, realized that she just might have something in this young kid from South Georgia. I don’t remember the timetable exactly, but eventually, he became Program Director and did the 9:00 AM to Noon shift, plus a week-end shift. WAKE was a remarkable radio station, considering it was only 1000 watts during the day (I think) and I know it was cut to 250 watts at night. When Philip started programming, it took the city by storm, and as you know, 250 watts will not go very far! The station was number one in a short period of time and stayed there throughout his time in Atlanta. WAKE had an incredible sound, of course. I would say this was really the starting point for “boss” radio. He just kept honing and improving the format so that when he hit other markets like San Francisco, Fresno, San Diego, etc., there was no turning back. And when he got to Los Angeles and KHJ, he was ready! Bartell moved us to San Francisco in October of 1961, and he was program director and also did the morning drive shift at KYA. This was the first time I could listen to him driving to work! There were some great jocks at KYA also – Peter Tripp, Bobby Mitchell (later Bobby Tripp at KHJ) and “Big Daddy” Tom Donahue. Johnny Hayes from WAKE also came with us and he is still in LA radio. Of course, he is remembered for doin a long stint at KRLA and has been at KRTH for a long time. San Francisco was a totally new experience for both of us. At the time, Atlanta was just a small southern city, and San Francisco was so different from anything either of us had ever known. What an impression it made. I will always remember going to The Purple Onion and The Hungry Eye. We had a great time during the couple of years we were there. Next came Fresno and KYNO, and Gene Chenault and the forming of Drake-Chenault. This time was the first I had ever heard of Robert W. Morgan and Ron Jacobs. They were the competition and what a battle that was even in a small market like Fresno. I think everyone knows the story from here on – San Diego and other RKO stations and then it was “big time” – Los Angeles and KHJ.
I did go down to LA when it hit the air and talk about excitement! I was amazed at the sound. I thought the other stations that he had programmed had sounded good, but nothing like this. It was unbelievable. Everything just melded together perfectly. The jocks were awesome, the jingles were perfect, the newsmen were great. I was so proud of all of them. The rest is history! I do not think there will ever be another station like it. It was, indeed, the best ever. We divorced in 1966 and I moved to Dallas for almost two years. I moved back to California and to Los Angeles in September 1968 and it was after this that I actually became friends with the radio personalities, as well as lots of record people. My best friends were Bernie Torres and his wife and family and through them I met lots of people in the industry. I spent a lot of time in Martoni’s as well as a couple of other places where the industry people frequented – like The LaBrea Inn and the Villa Capri. The staff of KHJ spent a lot of time at Nickodell’s next door to KHJ. None of these places exist any longer, unfortunately. Phil and I remain good friends and I would run into him from time to time. It was always a pleasure to see him. I think the group of jocks that were at KHJ is probably the best that will ever be assembled in the same place at the same time. Morgan and Steele were a tandem that will never be equaled in my humble opinion (and I know it is shared by lots of people.) They were the very, very best at what they did. I loved listening to both of them. I loved listening to the station – my dial never changed – was there another station in Los Angeles??? I did not know Ron Jacobs very well. I do know, however, that he was bright and creative and that he and Phil were also a team that would be hard to duplicate in this day and age. The complemented each other so well. It was really amazing what they did. The 25th Anniversary of Boss Radio in 1990 was a trip. Sharon Nelson (who worked at KHJ during these glory days) had been invited and I wanted to go. It was by invitation only! I was not to be outdone. I called Betty Brenneman (I knew her) and said I wanted to be included – no problem – just send $93! It was in the mail the next day. As the plans progressed, Shelly Morgan called Sharon and asked if she would be willing to give out tickets. Sharon said yes and could I help? So, we gave out tickets at the door and I got to see so many people that I had not seen in years and years. It was like a class reunion! And the program was terrific – lots of laughs and memories and more laughs and more memories. It brought back so many happy things for me that I had not thought about for years. Spent some time with Philip and joined him and several other people the next day at the Century Plaza Hotel for drinks. During the ten years, more or less, covered here, I had more fun, met more interesting people, got to do so many things that I otherwise would have missed – and always had great seats at shows, concerts and in Vegas, plus I never had to buy an LP! I certainly look back and say yeah--it was quite a trip! How women have increased their participation in the radio broadcasting industry over the years is one subject that people like Ramona Palmer think about. She was there with Bill Drake, who was her husband during the early days of top-40 radio. Those where times when men held most, if not all, of the important career positions in the industry. Ramona Palmer offers her observations today on this subject: There were not many women in radio back in the “old days.” Jayne Swain was the general manager of WAKE, Atlanta and she also was in San Francisco in the same capacity when Philip and I were there. I know Betty Brenneman was essential to KHJ, as was Sharon Nelson. I have tried to think of any other women back then who had any role at all in radio. At the station in San Diego, Les Turpin’s wife did the radio logs for the station. Other than that, the only roles women played were receptionists, answering request lines, and so forth. But when you think about it, that was true in almost any business other than teaching, nursing, secretarial work, and similar trades. Women did not have much choice. At least we thought we did not have much choice in getting jobs that were then traditionally thought be be “men’s professions.” I think the first time I realized that women had arrived in the radio and the record business was one year when I went to one of the conventions (probably Radio & Records or the National Association of Broadcasters) at the Century Plaza Hotel. I remember sitting in the lobby with “old” friends and as I looked out over the place. I saw women--lots of young women, and they were doing jobs that had previously always belonged to the “good old boys.” I was thrilled to see that the field had finally opened up to us. Today, we all know now there are lots of women in “high places” and doing a damn good job I might add. In the 1950s and 1960s, women were conditioned to just being able to accomplish certain things, and unfortunately we accepted that. I know that I was always impressed with people like Jayne Swain and Betty Brenneman because they had broken the mold. I am glad the attitudes have changed and women can do anything a man can do. Talk radio has certainly changed the face of radio. I am not fond of Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Are you? And of course, television has as many women as men on the air now for news, talk shows, and the like. I remembering watched a biography of Barbara Walters and it was amazing to me to learn what she endured when she was co-anchor of the news with Harry Reasoner. I know if a man pulled some of those things on the air with any woman today, he would be really, really sorry. Thank goodness times change. I was always impressed with any women that did something we were not supposed to be able to do. If I were young now, I certainly would take advantage of the many opportunities for women and even make a few waves if need be. |
met Philip at Georgia Teachers College (now Georgia Southern) in Statesboro, Georgia, in the fall of 1956. We went out on a blind date and took it from there. (Pictured: Ramona and Philip in 1960.)
Phil and I still lived in Fresno (where this photograph was taken) when this “project” started but I remember the conversations, the plans, the negotiations, etc.
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