{"id":1202,"date":"2016-03-10T12:53:43","date_gmt":"2016-03-10T22:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/weblog.hawaiifiles.com\/?p=1202"},"modified":"2021-06-26T15:54:14","modified_gmt":"2021-06-27T01:54:14","slug":"who-da-guy-ron-jacobs-passed-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.hawaiifiles.com\/?p=1202","title":{"rendered":"“Who Da Guy” Ron Jacobs Passed Away"},"content":{"rendered":"

HAWAII RADIO & TELEVISION GUIDE<\/strong><\/span> | THROWBACK THURSDAY<\/strong><\/span> (#TBT)<\/p>\n

It is sad to note the passing of legendary radio disc jockey KPOI<\/a>, KHJ<\/a>, KKUA<\/a><\/strong>, and KDEO<\/strong> radio disc jockey Ron Jacobs<\/a><\/strong>. Much has been written about Mr. Jacobs in recent days and over the years.<\/p>\n

Jacobs passed away at his home of “natural causes” on Tuesday, March 8. He was 78.<\/p>\n

Ron Jacobs was born in Hawaii in 1937 and made a name for himself in the 1950s as one of Hawaii’s original “Poi Boys<\/a>” on the old KPOI radio at 1380 on the AM dial<\/a><\/strong>. He and Tom Moffatt<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and others were radio personalities that promoted rock n roll music in the islands when it was still in its infancy.<\/p>\n

In the 1960s Jacobs lived and worked mostly in California and created the highly successful KHJ 93 AM “Boss Radio”<\/a><\/strong> in Los Angeles. In 1970, he along with Tom Rounds<\/a><\/strong> and Casey Kasem<\/a><\/strong> created “American Top 40<\/a>” for the Watermark network. That program which featured Kasem counting down the weekly Top 40 Billboard<\/a><\/em> magazine hits was on the air from 1970 to the late 1980s with Kasem at the helm.<\/p>\n

By 1976 Ron Jacobs returned to Hawaii and did the morning drive show on KKUA Radio AM 690<\/strong> in Honolulu. While at KKUA Jacobs produced three “Homegrown<\/a>” albums for the station to benefit Habilitat<\/a><\/strong>. The “Homegrown” albums were showcases for up and coming local musicians. Among the talents originally found on the “Homegrown” albums included Noelani Cypriano<\/a><\/strong>, Bart Bascone<\/a><\/strong>, and Marvin Franklin<\/a><\/strong>. The album was modeled after a similar series Jacobs did while on the mainland.<\/p>\n

By 1980 Jacobs left KKUA and started KDEO “Country Radio”<\/strong> (AM 940), which billed itself as the western most country station in the U.S.A. While at KDEO Radio, Jacobs compiled a 4th Homegrown album featuring Hawaii based artists.<\/p>\n

Jacobs retired in Hawaii and authored several books and maintained an online presence<\/a>. Most recently he was posting stuff to his Facebook<\/strong> page<\/a>. Last year he asked me to “friend” him on Facebook and so I did. Must have been something I posted there for him to “friend” me since we never met.<\/p>\n

Here’s a video slideshow tribute to Ron Jacobs from Bob Meadows<\/a><\/strong> as posted to YouTube<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n