What a Ride! Literally!

September 21st, the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame inducted Boss Boss Radio Boss Jock Bob Ray at a wonderful luncheon ceremony. In attendance were Bob’s family, his sister, daughter and son-in-law and girlfriend. John Van Camp and Matt Collier took a trip to San Francisco for the ceremony as well. And so did a piece of San Francisco radio history.

Bob was only given a few moments to give his acceptance speech (awards shows always go long) unfortunately, but it was heartfelt and appreciative. Bob is such a major talent and we’re so blessed to have him on the air every day here at Boss Boss Radio.

Also on the day of the inductions, a fully restored mobile studio that was built and used by legendary San Francisco radio station KFRC in the 1980s returned home for the first time in 30 years! The mobile “Sturgeon” (named by radio legends Broadway Bill Lee and Harry Nelson) was front and center at the ceremony. Owned by Chris Sharp and Brian Ratvasky, and lovingly restored to her 1981 pristine glory by former owner Wild Bill Shakespeare, The Sturgeon has a storied past, as one of the first functional live studios that was completely mobile while driving in and around the Bay Area at a time when it required an airplane to chase the vehicle to receive the signal and beam if back to the studio on Washington St. in San Francisco (remember there was no internet in 1981).

So, eight of us took the Sturgeon for a “joyride” around San Francisco that night for a couple of hours, we pulled up and parked in front of the original location of KFRC at 415 Bush Street and we even happened on one of the Sturgeon’s previous owners quite by chance, but that’s another story!

The looks we received as we drove down The Embarcadero and up the hill on Pine Street and down the steep hill of Stockton St. We’re pretty sure most folks tried to tune in KFRC (long gone, now a religious station) after seeing us!

Many of us have stood at the controls of the legendary studio, if for only a wish to have been on the air there in the day! KFRC was chosen as Billboard’s Station of the Year for multiple years in the 70s. The photos don’t do it justice. So we’ll be announcing when Boss Boss Radio will broadcast live from the Sturgeon coming in 2020! And you’ll have a chance to see it in person as well at some pretty big events in Northern California next season.

Thanks to Boss Boss Radio Street Team Boss Desmond Crisis for giving tours and filming and telling the story of both the Sturgeon and the history of the GMC Motor Coach that is was built on, fascinating stuff!

So a great day all around, and again, a Big BOSS salute to Hall of Fame Program Host Bob Ray!

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