Gary Bryan (born January 15, 1952) is an American radio DJ, currently on the air in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

KRTH KRTH (101.1 FM broadcasting, FM, "K-Earth 101") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States and serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts a classic hits ...

(K-Earth 101). With more than 30 years in broadcasting, Bryan's career includes major-market program director and

morning show Breakfast television (Europe and Australia) or morning show (Canada and the United States) is a type of news broadcasting, news or infotainment television programme that broadcasts Live television, live in the morning (typically broadcast pro ...

duties, serving as host and producer of several syndicated programs, and ventures online and in television.

Career

Early years

At age 17, while visiting family near

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, Gary Bryan heard a horrible broadcaster and believed he could do a better job as a radio personality. He met with the station manager at WTWA in

Thomson, Georgia Thomson (originally called Slashes) is a city and the county seat of McDuffie County, Georgia, McDuffie County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 6,814 at the 2020 census. Thomson's nickname is "The Camellia City of ...

and began working the following day. Bryan is a veteran broadcaster, having served as program director at such stations as

KKRZ KKRZ (100.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Portland, Oregon, known as Z100. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a Top 40 (CHR) radio format. The studios and offices are on SW 68th Parkway in Tigard. Z100 carries 2 syndicated sho ...

(Z100) in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, which he put on the air in 1984, and KUBE in his hometown of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. Under his guidance, KUBE achieved all-time record FM ratings for the Seattle market in 1988. Bryan programmed ABC Radio's flagship FM station in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

WPLJ WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station, licensed to New York, New York. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), based in Franklin, Tennessee, it broadcasts EMF's Christian adult contemporary formatted p ...

, while also serving as morning host. He then shifted his focus exclusively to performing morning hosting duties, appearing on-air at

WHTZ WHTZ (100.3 FM) is a commercial contemporary hit radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and broadcasting to the New York metropolitan area. It is owned by iHeartMedia. WHTZ is the flagship station for ''Elvis Duran and the Morning Show' ...

in New York, the most-listened-to station in the United States at the time, and KFRC in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. In early 1995, while at KFRC, Bryan drew national attention and controversy when he rewrote "

Iko Iko "Iko Iko" () is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two tribes of Mardi Gras Indians and the traditional confrontation. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written and released in 1953 as a si ...

" into a parody called "Ito Ito", mocking Lance Ito, the judge presiding over the O.J. Simpson murder trial. After protests by several interest groups, Bryan was brought up on charges before the city of San Francisco's Human Rights Commission. He was found "guilty" but, as Bryan told the press, "they recommended I be demoted and take a cut in pay. Fortunately, they have no authority, so I told them to screw off". Bryan made his first feature film appearance in ''

Metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

'', a 1997 release starring

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

. In 1998, Bryan assumed morning host duties on

KJR-FM KJR-FM (93.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Seattle, Washington. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. The studios and offices are on Elliott Avenue West in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood northwest of downtown. T ...

in Seattle.

K-Earth 101

Bryan joined the staff of

(K-Earth 101) in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in June 2002 and began hosting the morning show. He moved to afternoon drive in February 2005 and returned to the morning shift in May 2006. From May 2003 to October 2008, Bryan and KRTH raised more than $1 million in support of the Bob Hope Hollywood

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

LAX A lax is a salmon. LAX as an acronym most commonly refers to Los Angeles International Airport in Southern California, United States. LAX or Lax may also refer to: Places Within Los Angeles * Union Station (Los Angeles), Los Angeles' main tr ...

through three

radiothon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause. Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...

s, a golf tournament, and a raffle featuring a

Jeep Wrangler The Jeep Wrangler is a series of compact and mid-size four-wheel drive off-road SUVs manufactured by Jeep since 1986, and currently in its fourth generation. The Wrangler JL, the most recent generation, was unveiled in late 2017 and is produced ...

customized by

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...

. In July 2008, Bryan announced a joint venture with Blueprint Entertainment, a Canadian television company, to produce a TV show highlighting selected morning shows from radio stations throughout the country. Bryan is currently partnering with Lou Pizarro from ''

Operation Repo ''Operation Repo'' (formerly known as ''Operación Repo'') is an American reality television series that depicts the world of car repossession with a team that portrays repossessions from California's San Fernando Valley. Re-enactment and aut ...

'' and EGA Productions to develop reality TV concepts for cable and video streaming. He also produces a podcast called ''Mobshot'' featuring former mafia tough-guy Vince Ciacci. In addition to hosting the K-Earth 101 morning show, Bryan serves as the announcer on the annual

Creative Arts Emmy Awards The Creative Arts Emmys are a class of Emmy Awards presented in recognition of technical and other similar achievements in American television programming. They are commonly awarded to behind-the-scenes personnel such as production designers, ...

''Rewind with Gary Bryan''

''Rewind with Gary Bryan'' is a weekly

nationally syndicated Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...

radio program A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...

hosted by Gary Bryan. Originally an

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...

-oriented show, it has shifted to a classic hits format centered on music from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The show, originating from KRTH, is produced through Bryan's production company, Radio Genius Productions, LLC and syndicated via

United Stations Radio Networks United Stations Radio Networks (United Stations) is a radio network that provides a variety of radio programs and programming services for radio stations throughout the United States and elsewhere. It is based in New York City. History The comp ...

. In 2009, ''Rewind'' combined its production efforts and affiliate network with those of oldies program '' Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember'', which was also distributed by United Stations. The show became known as ''Dick Clark Presents Rewind with Gary Bryan'' for several years before dropping Clark's name and adjusting its format from oldies to classic hits.

Awards and honors

Bryan was named a "Legend of Radio" at the

National Association of Broadcasters The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a Industry trade group, trade association and lobbying, lobby group representing the interests of commercial and non-commercial over-the-air radio and television broadcasting, broadcasters in th ...

convention in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

, in 1998. He was named "Patriot of the Year" by the Bob Hope Hollywood USO in June 2005.

Personal life

Bryan's birth date is January 15. Born at the Navy Hospital in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Bryan grew up as Navy brat, moving around the country with his family. By the time he graduated high school, Bryan had lived in Philadelphia,

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

Bath, Maine Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. Bath is included in the Brunswick, Maine, Brunswick Micropolitan statistical area, micropolitan area. Bath has a 2024 population of 8,870. It is also the county seat of Sagadahoc County ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, Los Angeles and

Gray, Georgia Gray is a city in Jones County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,276 at the 2010 census, up from 1,811 at the 2000 census. In 2020, its population was 3,436. The city is the county seat of Jones County. It is part of the Macon metro ...

. He graduated from Cascade High School in

Everett, Washington Everett (; ) is the county seat and most populous city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the Seattle metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett ...

. He has been married since the age of 19 to his wife, June. They have 4 children, Jack, Kate, Marie and Grace and 4 grandchildren, Eva, Jesse, Zoey and John.

References

External links

K-EARTH 101 Morning Show with Gary Bryan

K-EARTH 101 Bryan's Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryan, Gary American radio DJs Living people Radio personalities from Philadelphia 1952 births