Sad news out of South Dakota: Dave Diamond has passed away. Dave was one of the nine original “Boss Jocks” in the 1960s and early 1970s. His resume reads like a “who’s who” of AM Top 40 radio in California: KHJ/Los Angeles, KBLA/Los Angeles, KFWB/Los Angeles, KFI/Los Angeles, KRLA/Los Angeles, KDAY/Los Angeles, KIIS/Los Angeles, KCBS-FM/Los Angeles, and KFRC/San Francisco. He also worked in Hattiesburg, Lincoln, Omaha, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Denver, Knoxville, and Peoria.
In later years, Dave Diamond taught broadcasting at Buena Vista College in Storm Lake, Iowa; Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa; and Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. During his tenure at Buena Vista, I was working 50 miles away in Fort Dodge. I never met the man, but I did had the opportunity to meet some of his students. All of them said that Dave’s skills and knowledge of radio were simply amazing.
When you get a chance, read Dave’s blog “The Diamond Mine.” There are some great insights as well as classic Dave Diamond airchecks from KFRC, KIIS, and KRLA. One of radio’s true greats has passed on. The Diamond Mine is now part of Rock and Roll Heaven.