Pat O'Day

Paul W. Berg[1] (1934 – August 4, 2020), known professionally as Pat O'Day, was an American broadcaster and concert promoter in the Pacific Northwest.[2] O'Day, born in Norfolk, Nebraska,[1] is probably best known as the afternoon drive personality at Seattle's KJR 950 in the 1960s;[3] he would eventually become program director and general manager. O'Day is responsible for bringing the Seattle music scene to national prominence.[4]

For the Australian-American football player, see Pat O'Dea.

Career

O'Day owned KYYX – FM 96.5 Radio in Seattle[5] in the mid-1970s and early 1980s. (This frequency is now occupied by KJAQ. The current KYYX station in another city has no connection.)

Starting in 1967, O'Day served as race announcer and commentator during Seafair for various radio and TV stations, most recently KIRO-TV. The television station, however, announced it was parting ways with O'Day in 2013 and he would not return to broadcast the race.[6]

In 1998, a plaquette featuring O'Day with a photograph of him was added to the permanent disc jockey exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.[7]

O'Day co-authored It Was All Just Rock 'n' Roll with Jim Ojala, detailing his work in radio and the concert promotion company, Concerts West. (First edition published October 18, 2002; second edition, It Was All Just Rock-'n'-Roll II: A Return to the Center of the Radio & Concert Universe, published Dec 2003; ISBN 978-0970626486)

More recently, O'Day has been Schick Shadel's spokesman in both radio and television advertisements.[2] In 2007, O'Day joined more than two dozen other radio and music industry leaders as a member of the nominating committee of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

His story was featured in a 2015 documentary about radio DJs called I Am What I Play, directed by Roger King.[8]

Personal life and death

O'Day had three sons (Garry, Jerry, and Jeff) and one daughter (Kelsey).[2] Although a reputation for excessive drinking hurt him early in his career, he entered Schick Shadel Hospital in 1986 for treatment. He had lived in the San Juan Islands where he sold real estate.[9]

O'Day set the Guinness world record for water skiing non-stop (on Lake Washington) for 4 hours 52 minutes, in 1959.[7]

O'Day died on August 4, 2020 at the age of 85.[1]

References
  1. Lacitis, Erik (August 6, 2020). Pat O’Day, when at KJR, ‘creator of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll radio station in the Northwest,’ dies at 85. Seattle Times. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  2. "Pat O'Day". KISW Hall of Fame. October 30, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Blecha, Peter (April 3, 2001). "the Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History". HistoryLink.org. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 13, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2007.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. Lacitis, Erik (June 20, 2013). "KIRO-TV ends Pat O'Day's long run as voice of hydros". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  7. It Was All Just Rock-'n'-Roll II: A Return to the Center of the Radio & Concert Universe, by Pat O'Day and Jim Ojala, published by Ballard Publishing, December 2003. ISBN 978-0970626486
  8. Seventh Art Releasing, I Am What I Play. Retrieved April 14, 2017
  9. "To Acquaint You With Pat O'Day". patodayrealestate.com. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
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