The Voice of Civility Is Back, With More to Say

For the six months he was off the air, L.A. radio institution Michael Jackson was as a lion in winter, caged and muffled while other talking heads deconstructed a political junkie’s dream story.

“It was frustrating, to put it mildly,” said Jackson of his unplanned hiatus, which began Dec. 1, right in the middle of the disputed 2000 presidential election, when KRLA-AM (1110) went to an all-sports format. He’d been there since January 1999.

Before that Jackson had spent 32 years at KABC-AM (790), mostly on weekday mornings, but toward the end confined to weekends. Indeed, in recent years he has become something of an AM vagabond, victimized by falling ratings, management changes and format shifts.

It was the latter that brought him back behind the mike Tuesday as KLAC-AM (570) made its maiden sojourn into talk radio, billing itself as a kinder, gentler alternative to sister station KFI-AM (640).

In the process, KLAC discarded a pop nostalgia format to make room for Jackson, whose soothing British accent is as familiar to longtime Angelenos as the voices of Vin Scully and Chick Hearn. There were no calls requesting Wayne Newton’s “Danke Schoen,” or any outraged listeners clamoring for a “two for Tuesday” set of Helen Reddy songs, staples of KLAC’s past. Instead, a veritable welcome wagon of local newsmakers--including actor Robert Blake’s attorney, Harland Braun, and mayoral candidates Antonio Villaraigosa and James K. Hahn--joined Jackson’s loyal cadre of listeners in cheering his return.

“It was almost overwhelming emotionally,” Jackson said after his first day back on the air. The warm response should not have come as a surprise to Jackson. His longtime wife, Alana (daughter of actor Alan Ladd), said fans continually approached the couple during her husband’s time off the air.

“People couldn’t have been more supportive,” she said. “It’s a delight to hear him back on the radio, but I must admit I miss having him around.”

Besides spending time with his family, Jackson kept busy working on two television pilots (their status remains undecided). He did not listen to much talk radio. “I didn’t feel like I could listen to people doing what I thought I should be doing,” Jackson said.

Not that there weren’t offers, some coming from as far away as New York and Pittsburgh. “I invested my whole life in L.A., and there wasn’t any chance of me leaving,” he said. There was, however, a chance of a reunion with KABC, which Jackson said made an “insulting” offer of a daily show--at night. “They wanted to bury me in the evening, and that didn’t interest me in the least,” he said.

KABC program director Erik Braverman confirms an offer was made, one he classifies as “informal. We extended overtures, but we never got to the point of making a formal presentation.”

In stepped KLAC station manager David Hall, who had been corresponding via e-mail with Jackson since the first of the year. “I had always wanted to work with him, but frankly I thought it was a longshot,” said Hall, vice president of programming and operations for KLAC and KFI. “Why he’s not at KABC now is beyond me.”

Hall finally made an offer to Jackson last Friday. “I didn’t hesitate,” Jackson said. “I feel immediately at home here.”

Jackson is an unrepentant KLAC booster, even coming up with a slogan for his new employers: “If you liked KABC, the old KABC, I think you will love KLAC.”

Braverman isn’t concerned about the swipe, saying he doesn’t anticipate that his station will lose many listeners to Jackson. “I expect most of those listeners have already left us,” he said.

Those who rediscover Jackson will find that little has changed. Although a KLAC biography of Jackson describes him as “provocative, controversial and entertaining,” some of those adjectives may not be the first descriptions that leap to one’s mind when reflecting on the native South African’s style.

To most, Jackson’s civility remains his trademark, particularly as it contrasts with his cohorts on the dial. An unwillingness to be more confrontational may have hurt him in the past, but Jackson believes courtesy is making a comeback.

“I totally believe we’re nearing the end of that combative trend,” he said. “It’s run its course, and I think people are once again searching for more civilized discourse.”

Jackson’s show continues to be interview-driven, although he has become more willing to inject his opinion, providing a rare progressive voice in a market dominated by conservative voices. “Rush Limbaugh taught me one thing, and that was to be myself,” said Jackson of his onetime competitor. “Remember, I came from a school where you were taught to hide your views.”

Jackson, who gives his age as “mid-60s,” said he is unconcerned about his demographics, which tend to skew older. “The people with the money are generally over 24,” he said.

His time away from his audience was, in retrospect, a positive experience. “It put the fire back in my belly, that’s for sure,” he said. “Working on the TV pilots was challenging, but I was reminded once again that although I like television, I love radio.”

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* Michael Jackson can be heard weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on KLAC-AM (570). Dr. Dean Edell follows weekdays from 2 to 3 p.m., with consumer talk host Clark Howard in the 3-to-7 p.m. slot.