Julian
Breen
Julian hired me at WMGK, twice! I owe him
a debt of gratitude for his direction and patience. With
consultants & program
directors, sales & general managers being what they are,
not what I ’d
call risk takers, always going with the flow, the norm, I
don't believe someone like me would’ve made it
past the ‘round
file’. But Julian was different, he heard something & gave
me my shot. As far as I’m concerned, if it hadn’t
been for Julian Breen, I’m almost sure the Philadelphia
radio audience would’ve
never heard of Mike Bowe.
With that in mind, I'd like to
share what Tom Richards, formerly of Magic 103 and now a
voice-over talent, had to share at a recent "Air Awards"
in Philadelphia:
Julian Breen programmed radio the way he
lived: passionately and fearlessly.
Following success at WABC New York and
KYA San Francisco, Julian was largely responsible for developing
two radio formats.
First, “Back Seat Music,” established at WPEN
in 1975. It was Julian's belief that people cherished
most the music that was popular at the time that they lost
their virginity. He could never quite back it up with
research, but didn’t let that stop him.
He also developed the Magic format that
was launched at WMGK and cloned nationally. “It was beautiful
music for people who didn’t feel old,” Julian
said.
He was fiercely loyal to the people he
put on the air...and if you had an aircheck session with
him, you usually walked out feeling better than when you
went in. How many
PD's do you know who can do that? Not that he was touch-feely;
Julian didn't believe in sugar-coating. His default position
was in-your-face, and many came away feeling bruised and
intimidated. But if you could pass the test, you were
rewarded his special gift: his approval, encouragement, and
praise. And that was worth more than a 20-share.
We'll miss Julian Breen.
