Healy’s Not Ready to Say: ‘I’ve Got to Get Off the Air’

Is it true?

Jim Healy, a Los Angeles institution for 43 years, might have done his last live radio show Thursday.

KMPC’s new owners take over the station Monday, and Healy isn’t part of their plans.

Healy, a listening habit for so many people over the years, is still holding out hope for somewhere else, however.

“I have a meeting early next week that could lead to something,” he said. “I’d rather not discuss it because it’s rather sensitive right now.”

Healy started at KMPC in 1951, writing for the late Bob Kelley, and was there for 10 years. He returned in 1985.

The side trips in between included two stints at KLAC and seven years in television with Channel 7 in the ‘60s.

For his last KMPC show, Healy didn’t get overly nostalgic. He simply played some memorable tapes, and then signed off by saying:

“Ladies and gentlemen, effective Monday, KMPC will have new ownership, management, and programming. So in signing off tonight, I want to say what a delight it’s been to work with Bill Ward, Gene and Jackie Autry and so many other really class people here at KMPC for the past nearly 10 years.”

And then he played a song by Vera Lynn that was featured in the movie, “Dr. Strangelove,” entitled “We’ll Meet Again.”

Let’s hope so.

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Add KMPC: The station has carried the Rams since 1946, the year they moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland, and probably will continue to do so.

The Rams were close to announcing a deal last week with Capital Cities, KMPC’s new owners, before negotiations hit a snag.

One problem might be money. According to sources, the Rams got $2.5 million for last season from KMPC, which lost about $2 million on the deal. Capital Cities reportedly is willing to pay only about $500,000.

Now word is that Niederlander Sports Marketing, which holds the radio rights to the Raiders, has become involved and will share in some of the losses or profits. But still no announcement from the Rams.

The Clippers, meanwhile, expect to stay on KMPC. Their contract with the station has two years left.

UCLA is leaving KMPC and is expected to announce a deal with XTRA.

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The highlight of ESPN’s NFL draft coverage last Sunday was Bill Tobin lighting into “expert” Mel Kiper Jr.

Among other things, Tobin, the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, said, “Who is Mel Kiper?”

Actually, that isn’t a bad question.

Kiper is a 33-year-old football fanatic who grew up in the Baltimore area. By the time he was 14, he figured he would someday be a coach or scout. He played baseball in high school, but was always obsessed with football.

At 18, he began putting out a newsletter about draft prospects. Today, he has a small publishing company in the Baltimore suburb of Jarrettsville, Md., that consists of himself, his wife, Kim, and a secretary. Kiper puts out seven annual publications--a draft preview, a draft report, a draft review, three newsletters and his newest one, a free-agent report.

Kiper first became nationally known in 1984 when, at 23, he was hired by ESPN as a researcher, but ended up on the air. He has worked every draft since.

Sunday wasn’t the first time he has drawn the ire of NFL types. Mike Hickey, former player personnel director for the New York Jets, wasn’t too pleased with Kiper in 1989 when Kiper criticized the Jets for making linebacker Jeff Lageman the 14th selection overall, rather than trading down to pick up additional draft choices.

But Sunday’s outburst by Tobin, prompted by Kiper’s criticism of the Colts for bypassing quarterback Trent Dilfer, was the topper.

“What Bill Tobin did was let me get under his skin,” Kiper said. “He showed a lot of insecurity.

“All I was saying was that the Colts made the move to get in position to take Dilfer, then fumbled the ball.

“If Tobin had class, he should have said, ‘He’s entitled to his opinion.’ ”

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Recommended viewing: Sometimes it is possible to turn back the clock. And what a great idea to bring back “Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf.”

The second installment of the new show will be on Channel 7 and most other ABC stations Saturday at 1 p.m. (San Diego’s Channel 10 will show it at noon.) It features Jack Nicklaus against Arnold Palmer in a medal-play round taped this month at the Pinehurst No. 2 course in North Carolina, site of this summer’s U.S. Senior Open.

In the old shows, the participants shared a purse of $7,000. But now the winner gets $100,000, the loser $50,000. That’s not a lot of money by today’s standards, but producer Terry Jastrow of Jack Nicklaus Productions has had no problem lining up players.

Fred Couples and Raymond Floyd played in the first segment, which was shown April 9. This year’s third and final show will pit Greg Norman against Nick Faldo at Sunningdale outside London. It will be shown July 16.

Jastrow said the plan, beginning next year, is to do seven or eight shows a year.

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Good idea: Turner Broadcasting and the NBA have gone to a new format in which both TBS and TNT are televising weeknight playoff games.

“We used to decide when to switch from game to game,” said Don McGuire, senior vice president and executive producer for Turner Sports. “Now viewers make the choice.”

CBS and the NCAA should try such a system with the early rounds of the NCAA tournament.