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Introduction of the Writer

I first met Woody Goulart in 1975 when I was a young assistant professor at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. Woody walked into my office with an idea that he thought would never work--a serious study of the radio programming efforts in the mid sixties in Los Angeles known as “Boss Radio.”

His proposal, which developed into his master’s thesis, was exciting to me, as I had worked as talent in radio back East, and I ultimately served as his thesis director throughout the project.

Woody managed to convince an impressive group of radio industry heavyweights (who had never before--or since--been interviewed together for one publication) to share their thoughts and insights with him. His thesis preserved and analyzed their comments, which now are an important part of radio history.

Through Woody’s efforts, those of us who lived through the era can relive and remember those “boss times.” Just as importantly, a new generation can read and learn from “the pros” Woody interviewed back then. I believe that this kind of social research enables future generations to know and understand events from that era, and the people who made them happen. I fear that without a record like this, researchers as well “radio enthusiasts” could lose a link to an exciting period of popular culture.

Which brings me to this Web site. I’m using BossRadioForever.com as a “required resource” for my broadcast history class. My students have found it to be a thorough and accurate narrative and analysis of one of the most creative and exciting times in radio’s history. I’ve managed to stay in touch with Woody all these years.

I now teach at a small, private liberal arts institution in New York. Distance and years separate Woody and me from those days at Humboldt when he first talked of this project. But, thanks to the Internet--a medium we couldn’t conceive in 1975--anybody can relive the fun, examine the radio programming, and meet the people who talked with Woody back then.

Introduction of the Writer

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