Roger Barkley

If you heard a KIMN jock from the “Fabulous 95” days who later ended up with a Walk of Fame star, it may have been “Jolly” Roger Barkley. He was on the air at KIMN in Denver in 1960, years before he and Al Lohman became one of the most famous morning teams in Los Angeles radio.

Before and during Denver

Roger was born September 11, 1936, in Odebolt, Iowa, and left home at 17 to pursue broadcasting. His first job was page at WCCO in Minneapolis, and the Army claimed some of his time too. Along the way he worked as announcer and program director at KYSM in Mankato, KSUM in Fairmont and KALL in Salt Lake City. KBOX in Dallas and KIMN in Denver were on his resume too. A restored KIMN aircheck from September 4, 1960, captures him on the air there.

Lohman and Barkley

Roger headed to Los Angeles in 1961 and was at KLAC through 1967, where he teamed up with Al Lohman. The pair spent 1967 and 1968 at KFWB, then moved to KFI, where The Lohman and Barkley Show ran from 1968 to 1986. Roger handled the interviews and narration and played the straight man to Lohman. They hosted two short-lived network TV shows that won Emmys, turned up on Hollywood Squares and The Ed Sullivan Show, and got a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

After the split

Roger left KFI in May 1986 and took the morning slot at KJOI. In 1990 he joined Ken Minyard on KABC for The Ken and Barkley Company, which lasted until about 1996. Nearly 200 charity events a year had him as emcee, and he co-founded The Barkley, an upscale restaurant chain. He died December 21, 1997, in Duarte, California, at 61. Today the Roger Barkley Community Foundation still pays for hospitals, youth groups and scholarships.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Roger Barkley
• Reel Radio: Roger Barkley, KIMN Denver, September 4, 1960

Did you hear Roger on KIMN? We’d love to hear your memories.

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