Being hired at 62 KGW was a big deal, even though I was only part-time, I was the first female ever hired to be a disc jockey on the iconic #1 station in Portland for years. I worked alongside Craig Walker, John Erickson, John Williams, who 29-years later I'd share mornings with at KOOL FM in Portland, Glynn Shannon, Loveable Dave Hood, Jim Donovan, and Scott Tom, who was also a weekender at the time. I honestly didn't get the job because I was so talented, I'd only been on-air part-time as a disc jockey at KYTE for a short time. I got the job because of EEO, Equal Employment Opportunity, who came down on KGW because they had no women in their disc jockey lineup. The funny thing was that I had been out of work for a few weeks and had literally applied at every station in Portland, except KGW, because I knew they didn't hire women. Then Mike Phillips, the program director at the time, called me and said he'd heard I was available, would I come in to talk. It was between me and another woman, but Mike said I won out because I had a college degree, and she didn't. College degrees for disc jockeys back in those days was rare. After I was hired, people would literally stand outside the control room and stare at me through the window because they couldn't believe what they were seeing. One night, Cheryl Hansen, who did PM Magazine on KGW TV with my current co-worker and friend, Paul Linnman, dropped in and said, "It's about time". Cheryl was so encouraging, and years later in 2009 or so, I had the opportunity to work with her through a non-profit I was associated with. Being a jock at KGW was being a celebrity, we'd be driven to events in limos, and people would crowd around to see us and meet us. I only worked at KGW for about nine months because I was offered my first full-time job at KWJJ AM, Portland's country powerhouse. I was hesitant to take the job because I thought I was a Top 40 jock and it would ruin my career, which is funny since I barely had a career at the time. I confided in Glynn Shannon about the offer and my concern, and he said, "If you don't take it, I will", meaning, "don't be stupid"...he was right!
Janine Wolf