Rick Chase (born George T. Fryer; June 12, 1957 in

Salinas, California Salinas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Salt pan (geology), Salt Flats") is a city in the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Monterey County, California, Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is ...

– December 12, 2002 in

Stockton Stockton may refer to: Places Australia * Stockton, New South Wales * Stockton, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region New Zealand *Stockton, New Zealand United Kingdom * Stockton, Cheshire *Stockton, Norfolk * Stockton, Chi ...

), was a disc jockey known primarily for his thirteen years as a DJ on

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 ...

radio station KMEL 106.1 FM.

Career

Chase was a disk jockey and program host with San Francisco-based KMEL from 1986 to 1999. Prior to that, he was heard on

KITS KITS (105.3 FM broadcasting, FM, "Live 105") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock radio format known as "Live 105". The studios ...

from 1983 to 1985, coming to the station as one of the original Hot Hits air personalities. He worked the overnight shift, as Flip Fryer, and eventually worked his way up to the afternoon drive time shift. He was known for sketches such as Dinner Across America and Vaughn Richards as well as for promoting listener interaction and identifying future talent.

Controversies

In May 1991, Chase, KMEL, and KMEL's parent company, Century Broadcasting, were sued over a charge of assault and battery stemming from a "legs contest" held at "Jam Zone" the previous June in

Daly City Daly City () is the second-most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, and immediately south of San Francisco (sharing its northern border with almost all of San Francisco's southern ...

. The plaintiff in the suit alleged she had been physically pushed by Chase from a stage where she was performing. KMEL program director Keith Naftaly countered that the plaintiff, Sharon Ferguson, was beginning a

striptease A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper", "exotic d ...

, a violation of the rules. In January 1993, the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

upheld a $25,000 fine levied against Century Broadcasting for material presented on Chase's "The Rick Chase Show." Broadcast between August 20 and September 16, 1991, the segment of Chase's show was called "Dinner Across America" and had Chase calling people to ask them "what was the last thing you had in your mouth?" Chase replied to the fine, saying "It seems the right of free speech doesn't apply to radio." "I only considered it entertainment," he said. Chase emceed a July 13, 1999 "motivational assembly" at Washington High School in San Francisco. The event was sponsored by Mario Murillo, a Danville Christian preacher, and featured a religious message. The religious nature of the event was in violation of the U.S. Supreme Court's interpretation of the

First Amendment to the United States Constitution The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents Federal government of the United States, Congress from making laws respecting an Establishment Clause, establishment of religion; prohibiting the Free Exercise Cla ...

, and as such the school superintendent said the group would not be permitted to return.

Death

On December 12, 2002, Chase was found dead of a heart attack in his

home. A memorial service was held in his hometown, Salinas, on December 21 at St. George's Episcopal Church.

References

External links

Audio Of Rick Chase On 106 KMEL
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, Rick 1957 births 2002 deaths American hip-hop DJs Radio personalities from San Francisco People from Salinas, California 20th-century American musicians