Years ago, after the remarkable success of KFWB in Los Angeles, we brought Color Radio to San Francisco. We had a remarkable deejay line-up, beginning with Don MacKinnon in the morning and ending with Michael Jackson doing all night. Back then, the FCC carried a very big stick and a station presenting a certain amount of "conversation" while not actually required was looked upon by the commission in a very positive light.
We had pledged to do a two hour conversation block every day. Obviously that kinda slowed down our music presentation so I hid it away as best I could at 2 AM, right in the middle of Michael's all nighter. Michael really enjoyed doing the two hours of "converstation." He asked me at least one a month if he couldn't do more. My answer was "No way." Every time.
One night, during his conversation hours, Michael got a call from a person intent upon committing suicide. He called Michael to say goodbye to a very cruel world. Michael would not let him hang up, he kept him on the line and on the air, and during a commercial break, while keeping the caller on one line he got the suicide squad on the other. He kept the suicidal caller on the air till finally the SS got to the address and pounded on the door. Michael was able to talk the caller into answering the door while still on the phone and the man's life was saved.
The incident was reported in detail in Time Magazine. Michael insisted I read the article and at the same time renewed his request to do more "talk time." Well, you don't argue with Time Magazine so I said to our all night man, who was now a national hero. Talk all night if you want to. And thereby was born one of the greatest chapters in the history of Talk Radio ... the one called, Michael Jackson
