User talk:Tedalvy/Ted Alvy

Ted Alvy, known as "Cosmos Topper", is a former radio disc jockey in Los Angeles, California.

Alvy, a native of Los Angeles, first heard KFWB at age nine soon after PD Chuck Blore debuted his entertaining Top 40 format on January 2, 1958. B. Mitchel Reed became his favorite DJ. Teenage Alvy met BMR at the June 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and became his producer and programmer at KFWB featuring album cuts and forever joining the conspiracy to improve the music on the airwaves. In Fall 1967, Alvy hosted Sunday Night Folk Festival on Stereo KVFM Van Nuys, but was fired for playing folk-rock and sets of anti-war songs. Ted accompanied B. Mitchel Reed to help pioneer Underground Rock Radio at KPPC-FM in the basement studios of the Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Exactly 10 years after KFWB went Top 40, PD Tom Donahue debuted his KPPC hipster air staff on January 2, 1968: 6AM-11AM LES CARTER (KBCA-FM); 11AM-4PM ED MITCHELL (KFRC); 4PM-9PM B. MITCHEL REED (KFWB, WMCA); 9PM-MID TOM DONAHUE (KMPX-FM, KYA); MID-6AM DON HALL (KPPC-FM)

Alvy spent 5 hours daily at the board segueing vinyl records for BMR as producer and programmer, then also substituted for Tom Donahue another 3 hours during the 2 weeks before the KMPX/KPPC Strike began on March 18, 1968. He also compiled a duplicate KPPC Record Library that was used to convert KMET-FM to Underground Rock in June 1968. Alvy covertly assembled the KMET Record Library and secretly programmed the 24/7 KMET automation system, while acting as clandestine producer and programmer for BMR. In 1968 and 1969, he was an underground record store buyer at Les Carter's Music Revolution while attending UCLA Film School. Alvy returned to KPPC in May 1970 to join creative PD Les Carter. Ted Alvy became Cosmos Topper in January 1971 at KPPC-FM during his 9AM-1PM airshift. Cosmos teamed with production wizard Zach Zenor to create cosmic KPPC station IDs and alternative commercial spots. The entire KPPC air staff was fired on Sunday Night October 24, 1971. Alvy continued as surreptitious programmer for his mentor B. Mitchel Reed until June 1976.

Career

 * KFWB, 1967
 * KVFM, 1967
 * KPPC, 1968 and 1970-71
 * KMET, 1968-70 and 1973-76.

Source from "http://www.tedalvy.com/mallard3.htm"