By John Winthrop
He’d be the first to agree that he had a face for radio. And then he’d laugh; after all, how can you be serious about being on a medium that is way older than your grandpa’s Oldsmobile, words without pictures, the theater of the mind?
And in Guy Hackman’s case, the self-deprecating humor was second nature — he LOVED radio, and was delighted to be part of it locally for over 40 years.
And what a pro he was. He could program it, schedule it, write it, voice it, and produce it, all with the ease and skill of a man who had dedicated his life to it going all the way back to when he was a teenager, a totally mesmerized young listener with a dream.
So when he finally got a chance to actually PERFORM on-air, he was hooked for good. What could be more fun than THAT? Just turn the knob, and there I am — and getting paid for it too! Hey! That’s me on the RADIO!
In the years that followed, Guy (known on-air as Guy Paul back in the day) became very good at the business of broadcasting, and pretty soon he realized that the only way to make any real money in the profession was to buy a station and run it the way he wanted.
So he did, and eventually, he and partner Kyle Ronemus, started KKJL 1400 in San Luis Obispo, programming it with a mixture of satellite-format mature music, on-the-hour network news, and a sports lineup that was the envy of the market: SF Giants, 49’ers, and LA Lakers.
K-JEWEL, it was called, and it survives to this day, along with a simulcast FM broadcast entity, 106.5, but the pair were sold about a year ago, when Guy finally realized he had had enough.
He had become tired of the daily grind, the constant hassles with equipment that had become more and more expensive to maintain; the daunting FCC rules and regulations, and the weight of being “The Man” in a business that just didn’t seem to provide the fun of earlier years.
But even after the station was no longer his, Guy maintained a presence at K-JEWEL, working with several clients he had kept on-air long-term, and continuing to write, voice and produce the ever-changing advertisements that are so important to the success of any commercial radio operation.
He wasn’t in charge after the sale, but he was involved; the difference being that once his work for the day was finished, he could walk away and not worry any more. And that he liked a great deal.
A big man with a great laugh, a wicked sense of humor, and a quick wit, Guy Hackman was welcome wherever he went. He was charming, funny, and disarming. He could put you at ease in seconds, and make you laugh out loud. And if you were his friend, you knew it — he went out of his way to make you feel special. He was also much admired, because he was a genuine professional in a business that has had more than its share of charlatans and phonies. Guy was the real deal.
On Sunday, June 21, Guy Hackman suffered a heart attack at his San Luis Obispo home, and could not be revived. He was 66.
He leaves a wife, Annette, grown children, hundreds of friends and acquaintances, and literally thousands of listeners who, even if they did not know the man, knew the voice the instant they heard it.
It was the calm, reassuring voice of a man who loved his job as a broadcaster, and did it with love and consummate skill for over four decades.
Guy Hackman truly had a face for radio, and we’re all the better for it.
