Bio of John Bunnell

John Bunnell

“I was so proud that my father (Bob Bunnell) was the manager of the hottest radio stations in the Inland Empire, KFXM and KDUO in San Bernardino.

“In September, 1973, dad took me under his wing and I learned tons under his direction about advertising sales.

“I was born in Sidney, Nebraska and I am currently involved in administration and graphic consulting with an ad agency.

“I graduated from Riverside Poly High and in 1969, attended Riverside City College (majoring in Associate of Arts, Journalism and Criminal Justice). Other interests are amateur radio (HAM), and computer graphics.

“My outside interest is volunteering for the Red Cross.”

Bruce Chandler with John

Growing Up in a Radio Station

“Let me first say that being the Son of the General Manager of a rock n' roll radio station was a child's dream. There are so many memories of great events that happened while growing up, that I'm forever grateful. I want to say that I idolize my Dad and I was so proud of the fact that he was the manager of KFXM.

“When you are young you tend to compare yourself to your peers. It's no different than adults who compared themselves to their neighbors and co-workers. In retrospect; I think the pressures were more acute as a youngster than as an adult. Every kid strived to establish their niche among their group of friends. By the time you reach junior high school it becomes very important who you are and what your Dad and Mom does. In the 1960's it was still fairly normal to have a mom whose primary occupation was domestic engineer or housewife.

A KFXM DJ & Band for a Jr. High Dance?

“I had my first date in the sixth grade (birthday party) and by the time I reached junior high school in 1965, girls were becoming a more important part of my life. Helen Jones was a neighbor and worked for my dad at KFXM in sales. She had three daughters and a son. One of Helen's daughters was my age but nothing ever materialized.

“The very first attempt to establish my place in the group of "cool kids" was when I organized and arranged to have a band and KFXM DJ at our sock hop. We had monthly dances in the gymnasium and thus the term sock hop.  You weren't allowed to wear street shoes on the gym floor. When looking back, I actually was being a promoter -- but just on a very small scale. I got the principal and the vice principal's approval to have a real band (young and green garage band) and a real KFXM disc jockey (Barry Boyd) to appear at our dance. I went to Chemawa (She-Ma-Wah) Junior High in Arlington, a suburb of Riverside, and our dances were called Pow-Wows. Boy, those names would never fly today as they aren't very politically correct. Back to the dance, I arranged for KFXM DJ, Barry Boyd to appear at the dance and act as a emcee. Barry brought 45 rpm records, movie passes and the ever popular KFXM tune sheets to give-away at the dance.

“The dance was a huge success and they had more students attend that dance than they ever had before. I had hit a home run with my friends and I made several new friends as a result of my promotion. I think back now about how the kids were being very skeptical about me getting a DJ and band for the dance but when it really happened, I found my niche.”

A Day at the Office with Dad

“When I was fairly young, my dad would reward me for hard work at school and home. He would take me with him to work on Saturdays. I would get prepared all week for my day with Dad. I would shine my shoes; press my clothes so I looked extra sharp to go with Dad. In the morning we would stop at the radio station and pick-up spec ads and copy to present to the clients.

“Dad would go in his office and type contracts and additional copy sheets preparing to go out and see his advertisers. While he was in his office, I would venture very carefully down the hall and into the broadcast studios to watch the DJs doing their shows. I realized very early on that my going into the broadcast studios required a tremendous amount of self-discipline. I learned almost right from the start that the DJs were very conscious of my presence and I learned the ones who didn't want me in their studio. Others just wanted you to watch and not talk unless they talked to you.

“I knew that Al Anthony had a strict rule about visitors to the live broadcast studio, no visitors unless it was strictly for business. I did the sneaking just like everybody else but I was careful. Sometimes I would get in trouble because the DJ wouldn't say anything to me but would complain to Al Anthony, not my Dad.

“Some of the DJs became very good friends because I really worked hard at just being quiet and not bothering them. I'm surprised today looking back that I had the ability to sense that the DJs and other employees were leery of me for fear that I would snitch on them to my Dad. I quickly decided that unless somebody was doing something that was either totally illegal (drugs, etc. in front of me) that threatened the stations license or could get the cops involved, I just kept my mouth shut. Several DJs and employees tested my ability not to say anything to my Dad before they befriended me.

“When I worked at KFXM in Sales in the early 1970's, I still maintained that attitude. You can't imagine how happy I was when most DJs and employees treated me like I was part of the KFXM family. One other great experience was visiting with some of the announcers in the KDUO broadcast studio. In particular, I was very fond of Larry Shields and he was truly like an Uncle to me. Larry would let me sit and talk with him about radio, music, production and just about everything in between. I really didn't know about Larry's radio background back then, but today I realize that I was talking with a legend in radio with a strong journalism background.”

Watching Don Elliot do His Magic in Production

“Watching the DJs do commercials in the production booth was another favorite part of my Saturday morning trips with Dad. As early as I can remember was watching Don Elliot produce spots. Don was extremely talented in the production studio and I remember him doing his "magic" on those Ampex tape units. Massive rack-mounted tape transport recorder units with 12 or 14 inch reels.

“Don would do his voice-overs on the large reels of tape then it was time for him to put a single edge razor blade in his mouth. He would get to the exact spot on the tape where his voice started. He would then play out the tape (onto the floor) to the end of the segment then click -- he would stop the tape and make a cut. After several splicings he would have put together a very tight set of voice and music clips. Don would hang the voice clips around his neck and shoulders and drape them down towards the floor. I'm sure that today with computers, hard drives and software, Don appreciates the conveniences over how he used to produce audio spots and promos.

“Some of the effects like getting a voice to increase pitch or speed up were done by using the white splicing tape and wrapping it around the feed capstan. Other effects like echo were done through the control board. Today it's just as simple as feeding the digital file through the software and using various filters and plug-in features in the software.

“Most of the work done to produce promos and commercial spots was sheer talent back then. It was a manual effort and required talent and skills that were truly amazing. I think many of the former KFXM DJs would consider their days there as their first big break and that all that was required of them (on-air show, producing spots and promos, personal appearances, etc.) was a part of paying their dues.

“As a right-of-passage, KFXM and the talented people who worked there was a tremendous training ground for DJs. Most of the time the jocks shared their secrets with each other and passed on their skills to their fellow announcers. I can't begin to say enough about how pleased I am about the continued success of many of KFXM's former DJs. When I hear that someone I knew is now the head of a radio station, Program Director or one of the top on-air talents at a station in the big LA radio market, it really makes me happy for them.”

A Visit with Bill and Pete Ellis at the Ford Dealership

“When Dad was ready we would pile in the car and head out to go make sales calls to sell advertising. Some of the clients were very interesting. I remember going out to Bill Ellis Ford with Dad and seeing Bill's son Pete Ellis. Pete was high school age and he worked at the car dealership doing just about everything from what I could observe.

“Somehow we would end up out on the front car lot and Pete would be scrambling around and his Dad would yell, PETE! Get these G** D*** cars rearranged and lined up like I told you! And get that G** D*** car washed, it's filthy, get a porter out here right now and get that car washed!

“Pete would run around that car lot like a chicken with its head cut off. Ironically, Pete ended up owning a Jeep and Chrysler Plymouth dealership in Long Beach and he eventually created Autos-By-Tel that migrated to the Internet before he sold the business. I laugh today but Dad was the one who introduced Bill Ellis to Selsun Blue dandruff shampoo. Bill had a severe case of dandruff and Dad helped him get rid of it. Bill would tell everybody at the car dealership, ‘Here's the guy who helped me get rid of my snow flakes.’

“Another great treat was that while out calling on accounts, we would usually end up at a restaurant with client for lunch. I learned quickly to be a good listener and at my early age I rarely contributed to the conversation unless I was asked a question by the client. In looking back at those experiences, I am now confident that these encounters with clients had a tremendous effect on molding my character. I saw successful business people who drove nice cars and had beautiful homes, mountain cabins, beach houses and more. I saw where if you pursued your dreams and set goals and worked hard, you could have these things too. I learned how to be polite and have manners and these traits stuck with me. I managed to avoid drugs with the exception of a couple of times trying marijuana that I ironically found out that I was allergic to. I ended up being a "square peg" growing up in an experimental society.

“Fortunately for me I attended Riverside Poly High School (66'-69') that had student body comprised of the upper society of Riverside. Many of my friends in school had dads who were Judges, Doctors, Lawyers, and big business owners. One of my friends who I played football with was Ed Stater, son of Lavoy Stater and he was one of the original Stater Brothers. We also attended First Baptist Church together and I remember when Ed's Sister, Christie was kidnapped back in 1966-67. Fortunately, she was found alive near Universal Studios when the kidnapers attempted to collect a ransom from an undercover FBI agent.”

The Swing Auditorium - Legendary Rock Concerts

“I remembered Mom and Dad going to March of Dimes and KFXM sponsored concerts and performances when I was a kid (late 50's through Mid 60's).  I managed to get my Dad to take me to a few concerts before high school but when I got my driver's license I was ready.

“Dad had a Bell & Howell 8 millimeter camera and he would take the camera back stage during the March of Dimes performances. The camera was fairly small but the flood lights were huge. The lights were like two 500-watt floods on a hand-held mount. When Dad turned on those lights you knew you were being filmed! We had family movies of Frankie Avalon with Annette Funicello, Robert Conrad, Pat Boone, Connie Stevens and more to watch after the concerts. One very funny film was Robert Conrad planting a "wet Willie" in my Mom's ear with my Dad just filming away. Conrad in his usual humorous way asked Bob Bunnell, "Bob is this bothering you?" Bob quickly replied back, "It sure is." Conrad asked, "would you like me to stop"? Bob retorted, “I sure would." Conrad stopped the kissing and backed away from Lila, Bob's wife.

“Pat Boone had a memory like an elephant. Years later while using trade from KFXM for a vacation at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, Pat Boone walked by my mom and dad sitting in the coffee shop. He stopped and looked at my dad and said, "You're Bob Bunnell with KFXM in San Bernardino aren't you’? Dad said, ‘Yes Pat I am, how are you doing?’ He replied, ‘This is your wife Lila right?’ Dad confirmed Pat's comment and asked him how he'd remembered? Pat responded, ‘Well Bob it's pretty easy, you have five boys right?’  Well, I have four girls and there with me and their out in the pool. Are your boys here? Dad confirmed that we were out in the pool also. I didn't realize it then but I was in the pool swimming with Debbie Boone and her sisters, WOW, Debbie Boone! Well, she's much too young for me anyway, even then.

“Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, John & Bob Fogerty, Eric Burdon and More

Crowds numbering around 8-10,000 attended concerts at the Swing Auditorium at the National Orange Show Fairgrounds in San Bernardino, California. There were drugs being used in the crowd and fights were a common occurrence. My Dad made sure that I had a back-stage pass for concerts to keep me out of the crowd and the problems. It's not like I was being punished because this gave me the opportunity to meet many rock n' roll performers. After being back stage at several concerts, I learned the ropes on how to get into the dressing rooms and meet the artists. You had to know who the promoters and band managers were. You would introduce yourself and when the time was right you'd either ask the manager or just mingle with the groupies into the dressing room. Some performers were very strict about visitors in their dressing room. In that case I would meet them in the wings of the stage either before or after they performed. Ray Charles was one who didn't allow guests in his dressing room. I met him just off stage and was introduced by his assistant. Ray Charles was very cordial and polite and told me that it was a pleasure meeting me. I saw the movie Ray and now realize that Ray Charles was sweating profusely and acted very nervous and may have been loaded. I was very naive at that time and really didn't know or understand when someone was high.”

I met Jimi Hendrix Backstage Just Six Weeks Before He Died!

“After several rock concerts under my belt, I had mastered the art of working my way into the dressing rooms of many rockers. Previously I had met Ginger Baker, drummer of the Cream before he performed in a concert at the Swing. Baker was a little bit of a shock to me as he was tattooed and pierced on just about every part of his body. I only had experiences of seeing bikers and carnival workers who had amassed that many body markings and piercings. Don't get me wrong about my meetings with these rock n' roll stars. Many of the encounters lasted from three to five minutes as there were a lot of people wanting to meet and talk with these performers. To me it was just as great to be present when history was being made by the actual performance at the Swing Auditorium. Now, as for Jimi Hendrix and my personal visit with him in his dressing room. Hendrix was sitting on a wooden milk crate in this stark cement walled dressing room. He was like an athlete because was holding his guitar and playing it. Hendrix was literally warming his fingers up, running up and down the neck playing various notes and chords. There was no amplifier just the guitar and his fingers. If I'd known more about drugs then I probably would have realized just how loaded Jimi Hendrix was at the time. He did acknowledge my presence by saying, ‘What's up man?’ I told him I was with KFXM and that we were turned-on about him performing in San Bernardino. He replied, ‘That's cool.’ A short time later somebody came in and told Hendrix that he had five minutes until show time. I thanked him for his time with me and wished him good luck and promptly left the dressing room. I remember hearing at school about six weeks later that Jimi Hendrix had died of a drug overdose. What a shame because he was so talented and creative but, like others he drifted down a path that didn't have any u-turns. What a waste, Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison and others during this era who drifted into oblivion.”

Stumbling into Eric Burden Slammin' in a Bathroom

“Dad had a salesman, Bob Nargasen (not sure about the spelling) who became an aspiring concert promoter. He produced a few concerts and note ably his big gig was a concert with Credence Clearwater and Eric Burdon and War at the Swing Auditorium. I attended the concert backstage and went in and out of the dressing rooms before the artists performed. The backstage crowd was unusually large and rowdy, but that's alright because I had been invited to an after show private party in Riverside. After the concert we all headed to an old Victorian style mansion on a hill behind Riverside City College. When I arrived most of the performers were there sitting in the living room. I sat down on a couch next to Bob Fogerty of Credence Clearwater Revival. After talking with him I learned that John and Bob Fogerty should be named, ‘the Dynamic Duo’ because they split the band responsibilities between each other. Bob explained that he was the math guy who took care of the business arrangements including contracts, royalties, keeping track of their money and more. Bob said that his brother John was the creative side of the partnership. He praised his brother for all his talents and abilities. While talking with Bob Fogerty, I noticed this flower child like lady sitting on the arm of a couch. I asked Bob who she was and he said, ‘I think that's Eric's (Burdon) wife.’ After having few brews, I had to use the bathroom so I headed for the bathroom in the hallway. When I looked at the door to the bathroom it was open about six inches and the lights were on. I figured that the bathroom was empty so I pushed the door open. Wow, to my surprise I saw Eric Burdon sitting up on the cabinet and sink. He had a rubber tubing wrapped around his left arm and was applying tension and holding the tubing in his mouth. In his right arm was literally a gold-plated hypodermic syringe with the needle shinning in the bathroom light. I was in shock; I had never seen anybody using a hypodermic syringe on themselves. Being totally startled, I just stepped back outside the bathroom and returned to the living room. That was a great concert and even better party afterwards and I'll never forget it. Later that week at school I told my friends about the concert, the party and what I saw Eric Burdon doing in the bathroom.”

My Days as a Salesman for KFXM and KDUO

“Some KFXM people may or may not have known that I worked for the stations as an advertising salesman. What most people didn't know was that officially I worked for my Dad but unofficially I worked directly for Howard Tullis. It was kind of a well kept secret but I was Howard Tullis' pet project when it came to sales and my performance. I had known from an early age while growing up that Howard Tullis would call my Dad almost every day at six in the morning at the house. They would talk about various issues at the station and make decisions on what to do. When I went to work at KFXM it wasn't long before I was getting those early morning calls from Howard Tullis. I distinctly remember that when Howard Tullis was concerned and upset with you he would start calling you by your first name in every sentence. Like, ‘Now John, you've got to get your sales numbers up. John, do you think that this is a reasonable goal, John?’ I had several differences of opinion with Howard Tullis during my tenure at KFXM.

“One I recall was when I signed a client, Vince Davis who owned Far West Ski and Sport in Arlington, a suburb on the South side of Riverside. Where my run-in with Howard over this account was their radio spots. The client was very clever and creative and he thought doing the radio spots in a laid-back easy-going tempo was the best way to get attention. In other words, you've got KFXM playing fast paced and high tempo music with DJs announcing at a fast pace. The concept was to break that pace with a commercial that was slow and easy. The spots were produced by the up and coming Jim Zippo. They were described like this; (a background of sound effects of crickets and a mellow harmonica with a guitar playing what resembled the lead-in to Roy Roger's song, Happy Trails) the commercial starts with a guy with a deep and heavy bass voice saying, ‘Howdy... this is Bear Claw Jack and I've just come out of the Sierras to that there Far West Ski and Sport.’ The guy on the spot was Vince Davis' Assistant Manager Bruce.

“Far West had tons of co-op advertising from the sporting goods companies they sold in their store. For those of you who don't know what co-op is, it's money that a company that sells you merchandise will pay you back for mentioning their brand names in a commercial. Usually though, there were very specific terms, conditions and restrictions on co-op advertising for the advertiser to get reimbursed. Getting back to Howard Tullis, he got wind or heard the spots on-the-air and called and just raised hell. He didn't like the break in tempo with the low-key spots. As a compromise, we picked up the tempo slightly and proved to Tullis that the spots weren't affecting the numbers of the radio audience. The other thing was, that for a time Far West was and so were their suppliers, spending a lot of money on KFXM. If I remember correctly, K/men started running some Far West spots and that helped convince Howard Tullis to let them run. Vince Davis said that he had a schedule of the air-time log for when the spots were going to run. When the spots ran, he said that within 15-30 minutes the people would start trickling then flowing into the store. The ad campaign as very successful and Vince and I became very good friends.

“Note: The Tune Sheet was a printing of an original set of graphics that were done by Ricky Valencia, a high school art teacher and a very accomplished artist. The graphic at the top of the Tune Sheet is a rendering of Half-Dome in Yosemite. Ricky was able to create these two characters from descriptions from Vince Davis, owner of Far West Ski and Sport.

“Speaking of co-op and a potential advertising account that had never been signed by any veteran advertising sales person was Brewster's Drug in Riverside. Brewster's was a pharmacy, a very upscale gift shop and Hallmark greeting card store. They sold Lalique crystal, Hummel figurines, Gerber knives and other specialty items. This was a very up-scale store with an upper crust clientele. I started calling on Mr. Brewster and trying to sell him on KDUO. He was an avid listener of the station so my first hurdle was overcome. I asked him if he wouldn't mind if I had some spec. spots done for him to listen to. He said, ‘go ahead but I'm not convinced and I'm not making any promises.’ Well, I had already been thinking and planning the theme and music for the spec. spots. I explained to Larry Shields about this account and how special the store was and that we needed real classy spots. Larry understood because he too lived in Riverside ironically about a mile from Brewster Drug and he'd been in the store. I wrote the copy and included special instructions for music and the delivery tempo of the vocal portions. I asked Larry to use some music box instrumentals for background and the wording and the delivery of the ad copy was perfect. I was so pleased that I could hardly wait to get my Dad's opinion on the finished spec. spots. He was still being very pessimistic say, ‘Well John, good luck because you and fifteen other sales people have tried to sign that account.’ I (Larry Shields) did several spec spots for all the individual name brand merchandise that had co-op advertising. Armed with my ammunition, I made an appointment to meet with the client and made sure that I had his undivided attention. Well, I met with the client and he was blown away at the classy approach in the spots and I think he could envision his business name going out over the air and he was sold. Larry Shields commented later that he too was proud of the spots and that they were some of the best that he had ever heard on KDUO. I wish I still had an air-check or a copy of the spots on tape because I was very proud of the project.”