Normally things that are news on Christian radio are not news much of anywhere else. It's demographics. Being a big fish in a little bowl does not make you a big fish among other fish. Frank Pastore was a former Baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds and went on to become a popular Christian-radio host. So in that small bowl, he was a big fish indeed. What nobody knew was that he would be the only radio host to prophesize his own demise.
To corroborate this fact we have actual audio of his fateful program on 99.5 KKLA-FM in Los Angeles. On November 19, 2012 Pastore said the following:
"You guys know I ride a motorcycle, right? At any moment, especially with the idiot people who cross the diamond lane into my lane, without any blinkers, not that I'm angry about it, at any minute, I could be spread all over the 210."The quote starts at about 00:20 into the clip below:
About three hours after Pastore said those lines on air he was headed home on his motorcycle rolling down a stretch of I-210 called the Foothill Freeway in Duarte, California. There 56-year-old woman driving a Hyundai Sonata changed lanes and veered into his bike. Pastore didn't' die immediately, he lingered for almost a month, expiring of pneumonia and other complications on December 17th.
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Two small pieces of trivia to add to this one...
ReplyDeletePastore once held the record for eating The Big Texan 72-ounce steak at The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, a long-time Route 66 landmark. He did it in 9 1/2 minutes (no way to properly enjoy a steak IMO). After standing for 21 years, it was finally beaten by professional competitive eater, Joey Chestnut.
KKLA under previous call letters KHOF (King's House of Faith) was the long-time radio home of one of the country's most unusual religious characters, Dr. Gene Scott. Known more to television night owls, Mean Gene's sermons and "Festival of Faith" rant shows were broadcast 24/7 and simulcast live when he was actually in the studio. Selling KHOF to Salem was part of Scott's lengthy battle with the FCC that also eventually cost him all three of his TV stations as well.
You know...Dr. Gene Scott is certainly worthy of a post. I should get on that.
ReplyDeleteThat might indeed be interesting. I'd like to know how Scott got his hands on the shortwave station he had in the Caribbean in addition to any of his other radio history...although radio never did him full justice on simulcasts when he was doing things like putting one of LA's famous Original Tommy's chili burgers right in front of the camera or, in an ultimate radio sin, just sitting there saying nothing for minutes on end while pouting over nobody calling his phone bank.
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