Rick Minerd - Life Is A Jukebox

Since the passing of former WCOL morning Disc Jockey, Wes Hopkins last week I have been hearing from people who are saddened by the news both in and out of the broadcast industry.

It's no exageration that most people who grew up in this area during the 1960's and 70's listened to WCOL during it's amazing rock era, and most of them remember getting up with Wes and listening to him as they went through their morning routines.

Some have asked about his "partner"  Keemosabe, or as Wes often called him, "Keem"  believing that there really was someone in the studio with him.

A few thought they were actually a team.

"Wes and Keemo"  was often mentioned on the air.

In an unrelated piece of mail I was asked about the whereabouts of Jack Evans, the other half of the Jack And Dick Show on 1460 WBNS during the "Saddle Shoe Radio" era when the station was into it's "Oldies" format.

That actually was two people,  forerunners to what has become common morning radio teams. 

Most stations can't seem to function with just one these days. 

But Hopkins didn't need a real partner,  he was crafty enough to make some actually believe that he had some shy sidekick with an Indian name sitting beside him every morning.

Keemosabe was merly his alter ego, a sounding board for a man who was talking to himself.

I say that with love.

I used to wonder  if his success might have caused the  WBNS programmers and planners to sit down one day  and discuss the notion that if Wes and Keemo are doing so well over at WCOL,  maybe if we put together a real duo we can better compete.

But what I do remember about the  Jack and Dick Show  was that Jack Evans was a gifted  DJ  on the station and Dick Zipf was their agriculture reporter, and when the two were on together doing their separate routines the chemistry was perfect.

Putting them together as a regular morning team was probably the best move WBNS ever made, before or since.

They were like hand and glove.

Even though John Fraim was a morning king-pin at WTVN in terms of overall listeners, Jack and Dick were more famous.

More people were talking about them than any other morning show when they were on together.

Dick's signature  "Yeah Boy!" became an iconic statement repeated around Columbus.

The town of Obetz was made famous by Jack and Dick with their frequent references to the  "Obetz Arms Hotel" a fictional hostelry that like Keemosabe didn't exist.

Because  so many people believed there was such a place, a bar on Alum Creek Drive down there actually changed it's name to "Obetz Arms."

Even years after Jack and Dick left the air-waves people in Obetz still remembered the reference.

In the late 1990's when the town got it's first hotel,  the Comfort Inn,  people were saying, "we finally got our  "Obetz Arms."

Dick Zipf has passed away and I haven't known Jack's whereabouts for quite some time, but given the interest in Columbus radio history that I have found through this journal maybe someone can shine some light.

Imjustrick@aol.com

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