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Remembering KLOS and KMET rock radio disc jockey Damion Bragdon

April 3, 2023

Don Barrett of LARadio.Com broke the news: Damion Bragdon — though he rarely used his last name on the air — passed away from complications related to cancer on March 26th at the age of 79. Southern California listeners would have heard him on KLOS (95.5 FM), KMET (now KTWV, 94.7 FM), and KLSX (now KNX-FM, 97.1).

Prior to coming to Los Angeles to be part of the KLOS air staff in 1971, Damion was at WDAI/Chicago as the station evolved from its “free-form” progressive rock format to the more traditional album-oriented “Rock ’n Stereo” … in essence repeating exactly what he did in Chicago here in Los Angeles.

Those changes were not a coincidence, the two stations were both owned by ABC, and in 1971 ABC decided to have all of its owned and operated FM stations nationwide take on the same format, as well as take on new call letters to distinguish the FMs from the co-owned AMs.In the case of KLOS, Damion joined Jeff Gonzer, J.J. Jackson, Jim Ladd, and programmer Tom Yates to launch the new format here. By the late 1970s, he would work up to the position of station programmer himself, a position he would give up when he left to work at then-competitor KMET.

In 1986, he found himself at brand-new classic rocker KLSX, where he stayed through 1994. After that, he moved on to satellite-delivered formats with Unistar and Westwood One/Dial Global, between times doing a stint in Hawaii including programming an AM/FM combo. He finally retired in 2008 but kept busy producing a one-hour program called Rock and Roll Cowboy — modern country music mixed with classic rock — that aired on a few stations across the country.

In an interview with Barrett back in 1994, Damion spoke of some of the highlights of his career, which included partnering with Ladd to produce early InnerView programs along with interviewing Led Zeppelin and being part of the California Jam in 1973.

His wife Joy Hall shared in an email to Barrett that described Damion’s final days had been difficult. Friends and colleagues spoke highly of Damion, describing him using such words as kind, sweet, friendly, and considerate.

“He was truly one o’ the good guys — a sweet man with virtually no ego,” wrote Michael Benner in an email to Barrett, as but one example.

All of that was something you heard over the airwaves as he did his shows, no matter what station he was on. His delivery was always always smooth: the perfect album-rock DJ and someone who loved the music he played.

You can hear airchecks for yourself; search YouTube for “Damion KLOS and KMET.”

February Ratings

The February Nielsens showed a narrowing of the gap between 1st place KOST (103.5 FM) and 2nd place KRTH (101.1 FM), with only 0.1 separating the two: 5.5 to 5.4. The rest of the top 10 included KTWV (4.6), KBIG (4.5), KFI (4.1), KLVE (4.1), KIIS-FM (3.9), KRRL (3.9), KBUE (3.2) and KCBS-FM (3.1)

That Real 92.3 tied with KIIS-FM would in the past be a wake-up call to KIIS-FM, but now that both stations are owned by the same company, the beleaguered iHeart Media, it won’t be. Just shy of the top 10 tied with KRCD at 11th was KNX, still no better than it was as a standalone AM station. Now using both the 1070 AM and 97.1 FM frequencies, it earned a 2.9.

Cutting the B.S.

Bo Snerdley was conservative talker Rush Limbaugh’s longtime producer; he helped line up guests, screened calls, and most importantly helped put together the day’s news for Limbaugh to expound upon.

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Since Limbaugh’s death, Snerdley stayed busy producing shows for the replacement hosts, produced the Limbaugh Letter, started a podcast, and launched his own program on WABC/New York entitled Bo Snerdley’s Rush Hour.

He also produces a twice-daily conservative-leaning news headline email called Bo Snerdley’s Daily BS – Bo Cuts Through It. If you’re interested, subscribe at http://eepurl.com/hKLLg9

Snerdley’s on-air name was inspired by Bo Jackson; his given name is James Golden. He spent 30 years working with Limbaugh, right until the very end.

Richard Wagoner is a San Pedro freelance columnist. Email [email protected]

Orange County Register

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Remembering KLOS and KMET rock radio disc jockey Damion Bragdon

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