Reading about radio's bad-boy genius

Today, a disc jockey's banter with the newsman, an airborne traffic reporter and improvised characters augmented by sound effects are old enough to be considered RADIO MORNING SHOW cliches.

I'm reading about the man who launched those elements as a trail-blazing radio announcer in the 1950s.

DON SHERWOOD was the original bad boy of radio, a "shock jock" decades before the term would gain traction in popular culture.

From his studio at SAN FRANCISCO'S KSFO RADIO, Sherwood captivated a region.

I'm currently reading "DON SHERWOOD: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF 'THE WORLD'S GREATEST DISC JOCKEY'" by LAURIE HARPER.

It details his fascinating career, including the alcoholism and rebellious spirit that prevented him from taking his pioneering approach to a national stage.

The smartest general managers gave Sherwood free rein. The results were hilarious man-on-the-street bits, mangled commercial endorsements that somehow suited the advertisers just fine and shows-within-shows, such as "Just Plain Rosita," a recurring skit in which Sherwood played a Spanish-language instruction tape and "translated" the phrases into the offbeat scenes of a faux soap opera.
Standard stuff, now, but revolutionary in its day.

However, general managers who gave Sherwood free rein also risked filling the air on the days when he simply wouldn't show up for work, or risked having to apologize when "Donnie Babe" ruffled too many important feathers.

There are a few online resources boasting recorded moments of Sherwood's radio brilliance. Sadly, it's all we have left to hear from him.