After as much highschool as I could stand in Harlingen, Texas, I became an interpreter and translator for the Army Security Agency in the Far East (Chinese language).

Returned to Texas after Army service and got into radio at KILE in Galveston. When the newsman became “incapacitated” I was called on to read the news. My entire radio career is based on ol’ Larry getting drunk.

KILT #1 in Houston ... with Bill Young, Chuck Dunaway, Catfish, Mac Hudson, Jim Pruett, Richard Dobbyn, Mark Stevens, Beau Weaver, Jim Carolla, Rob McLeod

Brad Messer KILT newscast 1964

and
KLIF #1 in Dallas ...with Don Keyes, Ken Dowe, Al Lurie, Bill Stewart, Jim O'Brian, Deano Day, Jimmy Rabbitt, Russ "Weird Beard" Knight, Edd Routt, Charlie Van Dyke, Michael O'Shea, Dave Ambrose, Dick Mock, Ron McAlister, Mike Hiott, Bob Knowlton, Bruce Hughes, Barry Kaye

In my 30s news director at
KYA #1 in San Francisco ... with Bwana Johnny, Tom Campbell, Tony Tremayne, Bill Holley, Howard Kester, Dick Starr, Bob Knowlton, Pete McNeal

KYA Alcatraz report by Brad Friday, May 29, 1970

One terrific thing that happened in San Francisco was meeting the wonderful woman who, several years later, became my wife. Yay Carole!

KGB was home of the world's first Charity Ball, first Homegrown album of local music, and birthplace of the KGB Chicken-- now known as the San Diego Chicken. The creative force at KGB was the legendary Ron Jacobs, co-creator of American Top 40— the programming and promotion genius who had taken KHJ to #1 in L.A. with his Boss Jocks

My pal Brent Seltzer and I migrated up Interstate 5 to Los Angeles, partly for the money, and partly because our egos had raised the question of whether we were “good enough” to make it in L.A.

and still in my 30s news director at
KMET in Los Angeles ... with “the Beamer” B. Mitchell Reed, Raechel “Miz Rae” Donahue, Billy Juggs, “the Burner” Mary Turner, Jim Ladd, Ace Young and Michael Harrison, who pioneered the news-based Talk format on his weekend show on KMET. Dr. Demento had a weekend show on the Mighty Met. Wikipedia KMET

On the day Carole and I were married, in the mountains above Palm Springs at Idylwild, snow fell in bright sunlight!

Carole and I published the daily PREP sheet for radio people from 1988 thru 2000, featuring basics such as trivia questions, celebrity birthdays, today in history and such.

We came back to Texas

My House

I was with KTSA / San Antonio on and off from 1980 to 2007. One of the offs was when Carole and I moved to the Blue Ridge mountains and lived on a play farm for several years while I was doing syndicated radio for Westwood One. At its peak, the daily "Brad Messer's Daybook" show was carried by 600+ stations.

KTSA made me a talk host in 1991. I entered retirement in July of 2007, wrapping up 16 years of Talk and 47 years in radio.

I was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame of Texas in 2002 (in the first group of inductees) in the News category, with Eddie Barker, Alex Burton, Walter Cronkite, Joe Holstead, Robert B. McEntire, Porter Randall and Bob Schieffer.

TALKERS magazine listed me among "the Heavy Hundred" for seven consecutive years. The proper designation is The 100 most important radio talk hosts in America. I withdrew my name from consideration in 2003, to make room for some new folks.

However, it should be noted that, in the manner of the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow, I do have validation on paper !

Brad Messer

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