Don Rose ( born Donald Rosenberg and best known as Dr. Don Rose or just Dr. Don) July 5, 1934 – March 30, 2005) was a memorable radio personality on KFRC AM 610 in San Francisco, California from October 1973 to 1986. With earlier experience at WQXI (AM) in Atlanta, Georgia, and WFIL in Philadelphia, he was known for his corny one-liners, wacky sound effects, and kindheartedness. July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... March 30 is the 89th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (90th in Leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... KFRC is an AM and FM broadcast radio station in San Francisco, California in the United States. ... Amplitude modulation (AM) is a form of modulation in which the amplitude of a carrier wave is varied in direct proportion to that of a modulating signal. ... San Francisco skyline. ... 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... WQXI AM is a radio station in the city of Atlanta, at a frequency of 790kHz. ... Downtown Atlanta skyline Atlanta is the capital and largest city of Georgia, a state of the United States of America. ... Philadelphia is a village located in Jefferson County, New York. ... A one-liner is a joke that takes to its heart the principle that brevity is the soul of wit. ... Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of movies, video games, music, or other media. ...

"I'm married to radio," he told The Chronicle (San Francisco) in 1975, "and I'm thinking about suing it for nonsupport. I would describe my show as therapy, for myself."

With Dr. Don as anchor, KFRC was voted "Station of the Year" four times by Billboard Magazine. He was considered by many to be the king of radio in the Bay Area during the last decade of AM's musical dominance. Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... USGS Satellite photo of the San Francisco Bay Area. ...

He was also named by Billboard Magazine as Disc Jockey of the Year on both the East Coast (while with WFIL Philadelphia) and on the West Coast (while with KFRC San Francisco).

In addition to his radio broadcasting work, he hosted cartoon shows on Field Communications televison stations in Chicago (WFLD 32), Detroit (WKBD 50), Philadelphia (WKBS 48) and San Francisco (KBHK 44) for over a decade. Dr. Don Rose raised a total of over $10 million by hosting March of Dimes Superwalks for 20 years. As well, he emceed many golf tourneys, including his own, with proceeds going toward Special Olympics and special education. March of Dimes is the name of several health charities in the United States and Canada. ... Special Olympics is an international organization that helps people with Intellectual Disabilities develop self confidence and social skills through sports training and competition. ...

He was born Donald Rosenberg in North Platte, Nebraska. He started in radio in 1955 while attending the University of Nebraska. Grain elevator along the Union Pacific Railroad in downtown North Platte North Platte is a small city located in Lincoln County in southwestern Nebraska on Interstate Highway I-80 where the South Platte River and the North Platte River join to form the Platte River. ... 1955 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... University of Nebraska seal The University of Nebraska is the main public higher education outlet of the State of Nebraska in the United States. ...

Despite his cheery persona, Rose suffered over 3 decades of debilitating pain and medical problems. In 1972, he underwent a botched heart surgery, which caused chronic knee infections that required 11 more operations and led to his losing his kneecap. He broadcast his daily radio show flat on his back from his home hospital bed for months. In 1984, after a fall made the knee problesm worse, one leg was amputated.

After leaving KFRC, he went back to morning radio in 1988 on K101, but retired for good four months later after having a heart attack on the air. He died in his sleep of pneumonia at the age of 70. He was married for 45 years to his wife Kae. They had 5 children. A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Pneumonia (the ancient Greek word for lungs) is defined as an inflamation, usually caused by infection, involving the alveoli of the lungs. ...

External links

• Dr. Don Rose fan website (http://www.doctordonrose.com/index1.html)
• Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco, KFRC webpage (http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist3/kfrc.html)
• Tangent Sun San Francisco Bay Area Radio History (http://www.tangentsunset.com/sfradiohistory.htm)
• Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia, Dr. Don Rose webpage (http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/donrosebio.html)
• Reelradio website (http://www.reelradio.com/gifts/ddrwqxi022867.html#ddrwqxi022867) includes several sound files with airchecks of Dr. Don Rose