One of my favorite radio personalities, whose daily program helped show me you could be a “DJ” and still be “real,” was Geoff Edwards.
Geoff Edwards told me not to get into radio. Or something equally flippant; my memory of my on-air conversation with Radio’s Answer Lady is foggy.
What I do recall, however, is something I haven’t seen mentioned in any of the media coverage attendant to Geoff’s death last month at the age of 83.
Almost everyone mentioned his popular feature, “Radio’s Answer Lady,” which was simply Geoff answering questions from listeners over the phone during his show on KMPC/Los Angeles.
I myself had called in to ask — although even then I knew what a silly question it was — “How can I get into radio?”
Geoff answered flippantly. Something like “Don’t” or “Why would you?” or “Beats me.” But even then I knew it was a silly question and one that he no doubt often heard.
But none of the media coverage I saw explained why Geoff, speaking in his own, obviously male voice, referred to himself as the Answer Lady.
Probably none of them knew.
But I know. Because I remember the day he introduced the character.
Geoff had been doing his Q&A shtick as “Radio’s Answer Man.”
One day, however, he received a Cease & Desist order from Shell Oil, accusing him of infringing on their trademarked “Shell Answer Man,” which was featured in their television ads for nearly 30 years.
Geoff read the C&D on his show and promptly changed the name to “Radio’s Answer Lady.”
So long Geoff. Thanks for giving me a glimpse of what was possible beyond “disc jockey, good pipes, tight board.”
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Best early radio advice I got: “It’s too bad most DJ’s spend their first five years in radio learning to talk like a Disk Jockey, and their next ten learning to speak like a human being.”