Departures of note

In 1971, Bill Ballance launched Feminine Forum on KGBS in Los Angeles, a provocative radio show that mixed open-topic callers with in-studio guests like psychologists and physicians. The show became one of the top-rated programs in the city, but it also drew accusations of exploiting women's rights activists who called in. Ballance's approach made him a forerunner to later shock jocks like Tom Leykis and Howard Stern, though the show was dropped in 1973.

Born Willis Bennett Ballance in Peoria, Illinois, on October 27, 1918, he studied journalism at the University of Illinois before serving in the U.S. Marines. His radio career included stints in Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, and San Diego. In the early 1950s, he hosted 'Ballance of the Night' on KNX in Los Angeles, and in the late 1950s to early '60s, he was the evening Top 40 personality on the #1-rated KFWB in Los Angeles.

After Feminine Forum ended, Ballance began the Bill Ballance Show, which he continued in Los Angeles until 1978, when he moved to KFMB in San Diego. There, he remained for fifteen years, enjoying early ratings success, though his core audience was smaller than in Los Angeles. By the late 1980s, his popularity waned as other hosts adopted and pushed the shock jock format into racier territory, making his show seem tame by comparison. He retired in 1993 after more than 50 years in radio.

In 1998, Ballance caused another stir when a judge ruled that nude images of Dr. Laura Schlessinger could remain posted on a website. Ballance had sold the pictures to Internet Entertainment Group for $50,000, claiming they were from a 1970s affair with Schlessinger while she was married. Schlessinger admitted the affair but said she was legally separated at the time. Ballance also made television appearances, including as himself in a 1973 episode of A Touch of Grace and as a fictional talk show host in a 1975 episode of Barnaby Jones. He died on September 23, 2004, after quadruple bypass surgery and a stroke.