# Captain Mikey > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Captain_Mikey > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Captain_Mikey.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Mikey > Source revision: 1328938627 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American disc jockey and voice over announcer}} {{Infobox person | name = Captain Mikey | image = | imagesize = | caption = | birth_name = Marion Elbridge Herrington | birth_date = {{birth date|1935|7|18|mf=y}} | birth_place = [Florence, South Carolina](/source/Florence%2C_South_Carolina), U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1997|11|16|1935|7|18|mf=y}} | death_place = [Fremont, California](/source/Fremont%2C_California), U.S. | occupation = Radio program director, disc jockey, voice-over actor | years_active = ca. 1960–1997 | spouse = Barbara Ann Allen (1953- )
Miss Haro
Janet Eileen Rew (1984–1997) | domesticpartner = | website = }} '''Marion Elbridge Herrington''' (July 18, 1935 – November 16, 1997) (also known as Mikel Hunter Herrington), best known as '''Captain Mikey''' (and also known by the [air names](/source/stage_name) ''Mikel Hunter'', ''Motorcycle Mikel'', ''Lefty'', ''Hot Rocks Hunter'', and ''Oil Can Harry''), was an American [disc jockey](/source/disc_jockey); [voice-over](/source/voice-over) actor, who was the national voice for [Sears](/source/Sears); and innovative radio [program director](/source/program_director), who "pioneered [album-oriented rock](/source/album-oriented_rock) formats at San Jose's [KOME](/source/KOME) and Los Angeles' [KMET](/source/KMET_(defunct))","KLIV Radio 1590: The Top 40 Years: San Jose, California", http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kliv/index.shtml {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916131443/http://bayarearadio.org/audio/kliv/index.shtml |date=2010-09-16 }} and was described as "one of the very best programmers in [Top 40 radio](/source/Top_40_radio) as well as what we called [progressive rock](/source/progressive_rock) on FM."Claude Hall, "Gone and Also: A Work in Progress", http://www.firststrategy.com/claudehall1.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927074429/http://www.firststrategy.com/claudehall1.htm |date=2009-09-27 }} In October 2007 he was inducted into the San Jose Rocks Hall of Fame,"2007 Inductees", http://www.sanjoserocks.org/inductees.htm and was inducted into the [Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame](/source/Bay_Area_Radio_Hall_of_Fame)"Celebrating the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2008!", http://www.bayarearadio.org/hof/2008/index.shtml {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515045812/http://www.bayarearadio.org/hof/2008/index.shtml |date=2010-05-15 }}; "Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame", https://kavasradiosoup.blogspot.com/2008/07/great-list-of-bay-area-radio-hall-of.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708045107/http://kavasradiosoup.blogspot.com/2008/07/great-list-of-bay-area-radio-hall-of.html |date=2011-07-08 }}; Ben Fong-Torres, "Radio Waves", (7 September 2008), http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-09-07/entertainment/17161134_1_radio-waves-satellite-radio-abc-radio-s-fm {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120708093315/http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-09-07/entertainment/17161134_1_radio-waves-satellite-radio-abc-radio-s-fm |date=2012-07-08 }} on October 1, 2008.{{cite web |url=http://www.bayarearadio.org/hof/barhof_2008_vote.shtml |title=Hall Of Fame 2008 |publisher=Bay Area Radio |accessdate=2010-08-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306075052/http://www.bayarearadio.org/hof/barhof_2008_vote.shtml |archive-date=2012-03-06 |url-status=dead }} Herrington inspired the fictional characters of program director Jeff Dugan in the 1978 movie ''[FM](/source/FM_(film))'', and program director [Andy Travis](/source/Andy_Travis) on the 1980s television [sitcom](/source/sitcom) ''[WKRP in Cincinnati](/source/WKRP_in_Cincinnati)''."Deaths", ''Billboard'' (6 December 1997):64. Herrington also managed and promoted a San Jose rock band [People!](/source/People!), and produced a hit record for them, People!'s cover of [the Zombies](/source/the_Zombies)' "[I Love You](/source/I_Love_You_(The_Zombies_song))," which reached #14 on the [Billboard charts](/source/Billboard_charts) in June 1968. Despite popular misconceptions, he has no known connection to the "Captain Mikey" of [WPNR](/source/WPNR) 90.7FM at [Utica College](/source/Utica_College) who hosted shows regularly from 1995 to 1999, and returned to those airwaves again regularly in 2012. ==Personal life== '''Captain Mikey''' was born on July 18, 1935, as '''Marion Elbridge Herrington''' in [Florence, South Carolina](/source/Florence%2C_South_Carolina), the son of Carl Elbridge Herrington (born July 27, 1900, in [Carteret County, North Carolina](/source/Carteret_County%2C_North_Carolina); died November 3, 1950, in [New Bern, North Carolina](/source/New_Bern%2C_North_Carolina)),North Carolina Death Certificates, 1909-1975 Record for Carl Elbridge Herrington a [brakeman](/source/brakeman) for the [Atlantic & East Carolina Railroad](/source/Atlantic_Coast_Line_Railroad), who was killed after being run over by a freight car in an accident at the New Bern rail yards in November 1950,Ancestry.com. North Carolina Death Certificates, 1909-1975 and Margaret Lucile Edmondson (born April 24, 1903; died December 2, 1988, in [New Bern, North Carolina](/source/New_Bern%2C_North_Carolina)),Source Citation: Number: 241-48-1505; Issue State: North Carolina;Issue Date: 1951. Social Security Death Index: Source Vendor: NC Department of Health. North Carolina Deaths, 1988-92; Ancestry.com. California Death Index, 1940-1997; Source Citation: Place: Alameda; Date: 16 Nov 1997 and the younger brother of Robert Carl Herrington (born January 25, 1928, in South Carolina; died June 4, 2005, in [St. Augustine, Florida](/source/St._Augustine%2C_Florida)).Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Florence, Florence, South Carolina; Roll 2196; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 13; Image: 903.0; Ancestry.com. United States Obituary Collection, ''St. Augustine Record'' (9 June 2005); Social Security Death Index: Source Citation: Number: 242-32-4795; Issue State: North Carolina; Issue Date: Before 1951. In 1953 Herrington married Barbara Ann Allen in Florence, South Carolina. They had three children: Jeffrey Allen Herrington (born December 27, 1954, in New Bern, North Carolina), Michael Craig Herrington (born June 27, 1958, in [Dallas, Texas](/source/Dallas%2C_Texas)),Ancestry.com. Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997. and Tracey Diane Herrington (born April 14, 1962, in [Nashville, Tennessee](/source/Nashville%2C_Tennessee)). His next marriage was to a Miss Haro, and they had two children: Jeremy Joseph Herrington (born October 9, 1963, in [San Diego, California](/source/San_Diego%2C_California)) and Brooke M. Herrington Killian (born May 6, 1966, in [Santa Clara, California](/source/Santa_Clara%2C_California)).Ancestry.com. California Birth Index, 1905-1995 On June 24, 1984, Herrington married Janet Eileen Rew (born December 2, 1954, in [Whittier, California](/source/Whittier%2C_California))Ancestry.com. California Birth Index, 1905-1995; http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/r/e/w/Scott-A-Rew/GENE6-0017.html in [Dublin, California](/source/Dublin%2C_California),Ancestry.com. California Marriage Index, 1960-1985 with whom he had two children: Trent Elbridge Herrington, (born October 6, 1989, in [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia), [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania)) and Kelsey Rose Herrington (born January 25, 1993, in [Vallejo, California](/source/Vallejo%2C_California)).[http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/r/e/w/Scott-A-Rew/GENE5-0005.html Family Tree Maker] Captain Mikey died on November 16, 1997, of leukemia at age 62 in [Fremont, California](/source/Fremont%2C_California).Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index; Ancestry.com. California Death Index, 1940-1997; Source Citation: Place: Alameda; Date: 16 Nov 1997; Social Security: 238485188; http://www.sanjoserocks.org/i_mikel_hunter.htm San Jose Rocks bio; "Mikel Herrington (Hunter)", Variety (3 December 1997), http://www.variety.com/article/VR1116678714.html?categoryid=25&cs=1 Herrington was described as "a handsome guy with a very ballsy voice that women loved. Michael was about five foot ten, with brown hair, and he wore round, wireless glasses like [John Lennon](/source/John_Lennon). ... He was strikingly handsome, with big, warm blue eyes, and when he spoke, a rich, friendly person, took command."Claude "Hoot" Hooten, ''Drunk & Disorderly, Again: My Name Is Hoot, I'm an Alcoholic'' (Wordclay, 2009):114. ==Career== ===Disc Jockey and Program Director=== Under various names, Herrington worked as a disc jockey and later as a program director at radio stations in [New Bern, North Carolina](/source/New_Bern%2C_North_Carolina); [Jackson, Mississippi](/source/Jackson%2C_Mississippi); [Dallas](/source/Dallas); [Boston](/source/Boston); [Tucson](/source/Tucson); [San Diego](/source/San_Diego); [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles); [Phoenix](/source/Phoenix%2C_Arizona); [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia) and even an ill-fated journey to [Iran](/source/Iran). Other stations included [KLIF](/source/KLIF_(AM)), [Dallas Texas](/source/Dallas_Texas); [KELP](/source/KELP_(AM)), [El Paso, Texas](/source/El_Paso%2C_Texas); and [KSRO](/source/KSRO), [Santa Rosa, California](/source/Santa_Rosa%2C_California).Duane Wadsworth, "Anyone know where Mikel Hunter a.k.a. Mikel Harrington is?", (12 September 1994), rec.radio.broadcasting; Duane Wadsworth, "Where is Mikel Hunter?", (23 January 1996), rec.radio.broadcasting Herrington was described as one of those "people who made the station click" in Tucson,Claude Hall and Barbara Hall, ''This Business of Radio Programming: A Comprehensive Look at Modern Programming Techniques Used Throughout the Radio World'' (Billboard Publications, 1977):32. and "a walking almanac of rock and roll". ====San Diego==== Herrington was working in San Diego in 1963. ====San Jose (1966–1969)==== Herrington was both program director and a disc jockey (as Captain Mikey) at radio station [KLIV](/source/KLIV) in [San Jose, California](/source/San_Jose%2C_California) from 1966 to 1969, making Top 40 KLIV (1590) the first San Jose station to beat its San Francisco competitors".Brad Kava, "Mikel Hunter Herrington", http://www.sanjoserocks.org/i_mikel_hunter.htm Herrington positioned the station as a "[surfer](/source/surfer) station", featuring the music of such musicians as [The Beach Boys](/source/The_Beach_Boys), [Jan and Dean](/source/Jan_and_Dean), and [The Surfaris](/source/The_Surfaris)."KLIV Radio 1590: The Top 40 Years San Jose", http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kliv/index.shtml {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916131443/http://bayarearadio.org/audio/kliv/index.shtml |date=2010-09-16 }} Working as the nighttime DJ at [KLIV](/source/KLIV),{{Cite web |url=http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kliv/index.shtml |title=Bay Area radio |access-date=2010-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916131443/http://bayarearadio.org/audio/kliv/index.shtml |archive-date=2010-09-16 |url-status=dead }} Herrington's wild antics, promotions, pranks and in-studio guests brought the small San Jose station into leadership in the competitive San Francisco Bay Area radio market during the heyday of the late 1960s—the [Summer of Love](/source/Summer_of_Love) era when San Francisco was a cultural center. Among his promotional activities was "providing listeners with hot dogs, buns, and soft drinks for weekend caravans over [Highway 17](/source/Highway_17) to the beach at [Santa Cruz](/source/Santa_Cruz%2C_California), and the creation of the station's [mascot](/source/mascot) Norman, "a snooty surfer boy".http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kliv/index.shtml {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100916131443/http://bayarearadio.org/audio/kliv/index.shtml |date=2010-09-16 }}. For view of the logo, see "KLIV's 'Norman', 1960s", (April 27, 2009), https://classicdjradioscrapbook.blogspot.com/2009/04/oldies-plus.html( While working at KLIV, Herrington also managed and promoted the band [People!](/source/People!), producing their 1968 hit ''[I Love You](/source/I_Love_You_(The_Zombies_song))'' and the [Syndicate of Sound](/source/Syndicate_of_Sound) with their hit ''[Little Girl](/source/Little_Girl_(Syndicate_of_Sound_song))''.[http://www.discogs.com/artist/Captain+Mikey Discogs] Both bands and Herrington himself are members of the San Jose Rocks! Hall of Fame.[http://www.sanjoserocks.org/inductees.htm San Jose Rock Music Hall of Fame] ====Los Angeles (1969–1976)==== Herrington was a disc jockey on the following Los Angeles radio stations: [KFI](/source/KFI), 1969; [KLAC](/source/KLAC), 1970; [KRLA](/source/KRLA), 1971–72; [KMET](/source/KMET_(defunct)), 1972–74; and [KGBS](/source/KTNQ), 1975–76.Don Barrett, "Where Are They Now? Los Angeles Radio People: H", http://www.laradio.com/whereh.htm =====KFI (1969)===== By January 1969 Herrington was recruited to radio [KFI](/source/KFI) in Los Angeles by Dave Moorhead,''Los Angeles Times'' (January 8, 1969):K18. where he was on air from 6-9pm. However, Moorhead accepted a position at rival [KLAC](/source/KLAC) by March 1969."Vox Jox", ''Billboard'' 1(5 March 1969):37. =====KLAC (1970)===== Herrington was at KLAC in 1970 during the ultraconservative "chicken rock" format,Don Barrett, "Where Are They Now? Los Angeles Radio People: H", http://www.laradio.com/whereh.htm; Donald G. Godfrey and Frederic A. Leigh, eds., ''Historical Dictionary of American Radio''(Greenwood Publishing Group):241. which was the antithesis of "[hard rock](/source/hard_rock)" and a forerunner of the Mellow and Soft Rock stations of the 1970s.Michael C. Keith, ''Radio Programming: Consultancy and Formatics'' (Focal Press, 1987):45. =====KRLA (1971–1972)===== After being recruited by program director [Shadoe Stevens](/source/Shadoe_Stevens),Claude Hall, "Vox Jox", ''Billboard'' (12 February 1972):16; "KRLA Strives for Entertainment", ''Billboard'' (11 December 1971):26, 28. Herrington moved to [KRLA](/source/KRLA) by January 1971,Claude Hall, "Vox Jox",'' Billboard'' (23 January 1971):29. for the [progressive rock](/source/progressive_rock) "[underground](/source/Underground_music)" format, where he called himself "Hot Rocks Hunter", (and later "Motorcycle Mikel"), and worked the 9.00pm to midnight shift."KRLA's Dave Diamond (Late 1971)", (21 October 2008), https://classicdjradioscrapbook.blogspot.com/2008/10/krlas-dave-diamond-late-1971.html; "KRLA's Mikel Hunter (1972)", (October 19, 2008), https://classicdjradioscrapbook.blogspot.com/2008/10/krlas-mikel-hunter-1972.html =====KMET (1972–1974)===== In late 1972 Herrington (as Mikel Hunter) became the director of operations and programming at [KMET-FM](/source/KMET_(defunct)) in Los Angeles,''Billboard'' (11 August 1973):43; ''Broadcasting Yearbook'' (Broadcasting Publications, 1974):B-23. and as a disc jockey (as "Motorcycle Mikel") from 7am to 11am,{{cite web|url=http://www.posterscene.com/html_index.cfm?page=item_page&itemoid=20063 |title=Rock Music Posters - Memorabilia, Concert Poster, Silkscreen, Poster Art |publisher=PosterScene |date= |accessdate=2010-08-30}} positions he held until at least September 1974."KMET-FM's Turner: She's 'Spontaneous'", ''Billboard'' (28 September 1974):24. Herrington carried, what one might consider [http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/59/messages/671.html "the lunatics in charge of the asylum,"], attitude to Los Angeles radio station [KMET](/source/KMET_(defunct)).[https://books.google.com/books?id=1ycEAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22mikel+hunter%22+radio&pg=PA26] ''[Billboard Magazine](/source/Billboard_Magazine)'' (February 9, 1974) During his stint as program director of KMET, "the Mighty Met," the environment was as irreverent as the music. The KMET [jocks](/source/disc_jockey) had a wall full of "nude" pictures of listeners, and the ceiling of the studio was a mural with the moon and stars on it. The 1978 film ''[FM](/source/FM_(film))'', written by Ezra Sacks who had worked at KMET. about Jeff Dugan, who led the resistance to corporate takeover at a fictitious radio station, was based on Herrington and his times at KMET,"Deaths", ''Billboard'' (6 December 1997):64; Michael Learmonth, "Kingdom KOME: Less than two weeks remain until the letters fade away", Metro (June 4–10, 1998), http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/06.04.98/cover/radio2-9822.html; Don Barrett, "Where Are They Now? Los Angeles Radio People, H", http://www.laradio.com/whereh.htm as was the character of program director [Andy Travis](/source/Andy_Travis) on the popular 1978 [sitcom](/source/sitcom) ''[WKRP in Cincinnati](/source/WKRP_in_Cincinnati)''. Among the on air talent Herrington recruited while program director at KMET was [Dr. Demento](/source/Dr._Demento), who moved from Pasadena station [KPPC](/source/KPPC_(defunct)) at the end of 1971, and from 1972 to 1983 he performed a four-hour live radio show, which was syndicated nationally from 1974;"About the Dr.". The Online Internet Site For Information on Dr. Demento music, songs, lyrics, and chat. 2005. (3 March 2006), http://www.drdemento.com/dr-bio.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100926130915/http://drdemento.com/dr-bio.html |date=2010-09-26 }}. and [freeform](/source/Freeform_(radio_format)) format pioneering disc jockey [Jim Ladd](/source/Jim_Ladd), whom Herrington recruited in 1974 from rival [KLOS](/source/KLOS). In 1991 Ladd released a semi-autobiographical book ''Radio Waves: Life and Revolution on the FM Dial'', which featured his colleagues at KMET (disguised as KAOS), including Herrington.See Jim Ladd, ''Radio Waves: Life and Revolution on the FM Dial'' (St. Martins Press, 1991). By September 1974 Herrington had been replaced by Cathy Kenyon. ====Oakland, California==== By September 1974 Herrington (as Mikel Hunter) was the operations director at [KNEW](/source/KNEW_(AM)),James Brown, "KLAC to Mark 4th Year of C&W Format", ''Los Angeles Times'' (September 6, 1974):F24. a radio station based in [Oakland, California](/source/Oakland%2C_California)"Vox Jox", ''Billboard'' (9 November 1974):11. which had switched to a [country music](/source/country_music) format in July 1974. ====Los Angeles (1975–1976)==== In 1975, Herrington moved to [KGBS](/source/KTNQ), then a country music radio station in Los Angeles."In L.A. Turnabout KGBS-AM Modulates From Gab to Country", ''Billboard'' (26 October 1974):26; Claude Hall, "Free Albums for Stations a 'Can of Worms'", ''Billboard'' (15 November 1975):31. After the station changed its name to KTNQ in September 1976, and subsequently format,"L.A.'s KGBS is Now Rocking KTNQ", ''Billboard'' (25 December 1976):16. about Christmas 1976 Herrington left KGBS to accept a lucrative position in Iran.Claude "Hoot" Hooten, ''Drunk & Disorderly, Again: My Name Is Hoot, I'm an Alcoholic'' (Wordclay, 2009):113. ====Iran (1977)==== Herrington, along with two other American radio personalities, Ted Anthony and Claude "Hoot" Hooten (known on air as Brad Edwards), was recommended by ''[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))'' radio and television editor Claude Hall to work for [NIRT](/source/National_Iranian_Radio_and_Television), the "American radio station" in [Tehran, Iran](/source/Tehran%2C_Iran), during the reign of the last shah, [Mohammad-Rezā Shāh Pahlavi](/source/Mohammad-Rez%C4%81_Sh%C4%81h_Pahlavi). Recruited by Kamron Mashayekhi,Derek Olson, "Did Crimes Kamran Mashayekhi Witnessed Put His Life in Danger?", ''The OC Weekly'' (21 February 2008), http://www.ocweekly.com/2008-02-21/features/taken-for-a-ride/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100727171516/http://www.ocweekly.com/2008-02-21/features/taken-for-a-ride |date=2010-07-27 }}; Derek Olson, "Did Alleged Attack on Self-Described Snitch Happen the Way He Says?", ''The OC Weekly'' (15 May 2008), http://www.ocweekly.com/2008-05-15/news/did-alleged-attack-on-self-described-snitch-happen-the-way-he-says/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408062513/http://www.ocweekly.com/2008-05-15/news/did-alleged-attack-on-self-described-snitch-happen-the-way-he-says/ |date=2010-04-08 }} the head of NIRT, who was also Washington bureau chief for [Savak](/source/Savak),Claude "Hoot" Hooten, ''Drunk & Disorderly, Again: My Name Is Hoot, I'm an Alcoholic'' (Wordclay, 2009):158. Herrington served as both program director, and also as disc jockey who played heavy rock and roll from 5-10pm each day for a month from March 1977.Claude "Hoot" Hooten, ''Drunk & Disorderly, Again: My Name Is Hoot, I'm an Alcoholic'' (Wordclay, 2009):114; http://www.mynameishoot.com/about_the_book {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804001117/http://mynameishoot.com/about_the_book |date=2010-08-04 }} Despite the promise of six-figure salaries and generous housing and travel allowances, "all they were promised didn't happen (their phones were bugged, etc., etc.) and they ended up having to literally escape the country".Claude Hall, "Gone and Also: A Work in Progress", http://www.firststrategy.com/claudehall1.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927074429/http://www.firststrategy.com/claudehall1.htm |date=2009-09-27 }}. See Claude "Hoot" Hooten, ''Drunk & Disorderly, Again: My Name Is Hoot, I'm an Alcoholic'' (Wordclay, 2009):147-158 for details of the "Great Escape". Upon his return to the US, Herrington was forced to hide out in a motel in the [San Fernando Valley](/source/San_Fernando_Valley) until Hall threatened to expose the situation in Iran in ''Billboard''.Claude Hall, "Commentary", http://www.firststrategy.com/claudehallchapter2.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091214205338/http://www.firststrategy.com/claudehallchapter2.htm |date=2009-12-14 }}; Claude "Hoot" Hooten, ''Drunk & Disorderly, Again: My Name Is Hoot, I'm an Alcoholic'' (Wordclay, 2009):147-158. ====San Jose (1977–1982)==== After his return from Iran Herrington was unemployed and advertised for work.''Broadcasting'' 92 (Cahners Pub. Co., 1977):158. In August 1977 Herrington returned to the San Jose area "bringing his programming sensibilities" into the emerging FM market at [KOME](/source/KOME)."A Tribute to the Southbay's Legendary 98.5 FM KOME Presented by the Bay Area Radio Museum", http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kome/[https://www.flickr.com/photos/habitforming/3644229295/ flickr] As program director at [KOME](/source/KOME), Herrngton, described at that time as "a decidedly non-[corporate](/source/corporate) type who is, in fact, something of a throwback to the early days of FM gurus,Jack McDonough, "KOME's Ratings Increase, But P.D. Hunter's Attitude Cavalier", ''Billboard'' (19 September 1981):28. returned the station to its [free-form](/source/Freeform_(radio_format)) roots. Herrington "discarded the card catalog playlist in favor of an eclectic library including [art rock](/source/art_rock), jazz, punk, new wave, and soul within a rock format framework".{{cite web|url=http://www.museumstuff.com/learn/topics/Dennis_Erectus::sub::History |title=Dennis Erectus : History |publisher=Museumstuff.com |date= |accessdate=2010-08-30}} Herrington was responsible for making that station number one in the [Bay Area](/source/Bay_Area) market and one of the most important stations in the country. According to Don West, former KOME announcer and assistant engineer, "Mikel was the one who put this station on the map. ... Mikel was into energy. ... There were no ballsy, deep voices. Mikel would toss aside someone with a great voice for someone with a great personality."Don West in Michael Learmonth, "Kingdom KOME: Less than two weeks remain until the letters fade away", ''Metro'' (June 4–10, 1998), http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/06.04.98/cover/radio2-9822.html Herrington is credited with coining KOME's notorious slogan: "The KOME ([cum](/source/Orgasm)) spot on your dial"."IF THERE'S ROCK 'N'ROLL HEAVEN, MIKEL MUST BE THERE", ''San Jose Mercury'' (21 November 1997), http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SJ&s_site=mercurynews&p_multi=SJ&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EF8577C4808002D&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Soon after his appointment, Herrington was responsible for recruiting [Dennis Erectus](/source/Dennis_Erectus) out of college and to KOME.Michael Learmonth, "Kingdom KOME: Less than two weeks remain until the letters fade away", ''Metro'' (June 4–10, 1998), http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/06.04.98/cover/radio2-9822.html By September 1981 Herrington had increased KOME's ratings from 5 to 7.6 in the previous year with a hard-rocking [AOR](/source/Album-oriented_rock) format. Herrington described the approach as "a sound based on '[hooks](/source/hook_(music)) and [boogie](/source/boogie)'", and promotions that appealed to listeners who "like rock'n'roll but also like craziness and a little bit of humor. So we offer them humor - a somewhat sarcastic and caustic view". At KOME Herrington "had chicken flying contests, with birds pushed out of mailboxes with a toilet plunger. On [April Fool's Day](/source/April_Fool's_Day) he told listeners to cover up their telephone receivers because the phone company was cleaning out the lines and would be blowing dust through them. And he led his whole staff to the homes of listeners to crash their parties". Herrington promised listeners "62 minutes of commercial-free music every hour". Under Herrington, the format was free-form. According to West, "There were walls of albums in the station color-coded by genre, and each had a sheet of paper attached that indicated which cuts were permitted for airplay. On classic albums like [the Who](/source/the_Who)'s "[Who's Next](/source/Who's_Next)," every song was on the list. "Roughly there were 5,000 songs at your fingertips at any time," West says. "Now you have stations with 300." While at KOME, Herrington was also known on air in the mornings as "Lefty","Laurie Roberts ~ Bay Area Rock Icon", http://kome-rocks.santacruzdreamz.com/tag/923-ksjo/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716004258/http://kome-rocks.santacruzdreamz.com/tag/923-ksjo/ |date=2011-07-16 }} and was responsible for creating their "Hey Lefty! What time is it?" segment, where prominent musicians (including [Van Halen](/source/Van_Halen), [Grace Slick](/source/Grace_Slick), [Hall & Oates](/source/Hall_%26_Oates), [Ian Hunter](/source/Ian_Hunter_(singer)), [the Greg Kihn Band](/source/the_Greg_Kihn_Band), [Kip Addotta](/source/Kip_Addotta), and [Chevy Chase](/source/Chevy_Chase)) would ask the question that prompted the announcement of the time."A Tribute to the Southbay's Legendary 98.5 FM KOME Presented by the Bay Area Radio Museum", http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kome/ For a seven-minute compilation of these clips, see "The KOME Smart Ass Reel", (Circa 1978); 7 minutes), [http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kome/imaging/KOME_Smart-Ass-Reel.ram] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918074129/http://bayarearadio.org/audio/kome/imaging/KOME_Smart-Ass-Reel.ram |date=2010-09-18 }} By August 1981 Herrington was promoted to operations manager at KOME."Vox Jox", ''Billboard'' (8 August 1981):28. In 1982 Herrington was still working as a disc jockey (as Mikel Hunter) at KLIV,''The Working Press of the Nation'', Part 3 (Farrell Pub. Corp., 1982). and program director at KOME,''Broadcasting Cablecasting Yearbook'' (Broadcasting Publications, 1983). however after station owners [Infinity Broadcasting Corporation](/source/Infinity_Broadcasting_Corporation) tried to bring in broadcasting consultants in 1982, Herrington left KOME by November 1982 in protest."Vox Jox", ''Billboard'' (6 November 1982):15; Michael Learmonth, "Kingdom KOME: Less than two weeks remain until the letters fade away", ''Metro'' (June 4–10, 1998), http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/06.04.98/cover/radio2-9822.html According to West, "KOME's heyday came to an end in 1982". His [voiceover](/source/voiceover) career included being the national voice for [Sears](/source/Sears). ====Philadelphia (1984–1989)==== By November 1984 Herrington became program director at Metromedia's [WIP](/source/WTEL_(AM)) (610 AM) in [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania](/source/Philadelphia%2C_Pennsylvania), which was then an [Adult Contemporary](/source/Adult_Contemporary) station,"Vox Jox", ''Billboard'' (3 November 1984):20. with declining ratings.Nick Seneca, (4 February 2007), http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=61639.msg441634#msg441634 {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120707100815/http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=61639.msg441634%23msg441634 |date=2012-07-07 }} During his tenure, WIP transitioned initially toward light talk and music in the evening to become primarily a sports talk station."FEATURES TELEVISION RADIO", ''Philadelphia Inquirer'' (March 5, 1985):E07. ====Las Vegas, Nevada==== Herrington operated Mikel Hunter Broadcast Services, a radio programming consulting company from [Las Vegas](/source/Las_Vegas_Valley).Michael C. Keith, ''The Radio Station: Broadcast, Satellite & Internet'', 7th ed. (Focal Press, 2007):342. ====Napa, California==== A wine [connoisseur](/source/connoisseur), Herrington moved to the wine country, and hosted talk shows at [KVON](/source/KVON) and KVYN{{Cite web |url=http://kwine.com/mikey.php |title=Kwine |access-date=2010-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311205544/http://www.kwine.com/mikey.php |archive-date=2011-03-11 |url-status=dead }} in [Napa, California](/source/Napa%2C_California). At KVYN Herrington was program director until his resignation in September 1992.{{cite web |url=http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=117900.20;wap2 |title=Radio-Info.com Discussion Boards » San Francisco » Demographics |publisher=Boards.radio-info.com |date= |accessdate=2010-08-30 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201012552/http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=117900.20;wap2 |archive-date=2013-02-01 |url-status=dead }} ====Santa Rosa, California==== Herrington's last position in radio was as host of a [talk show](/source/talk_show) at [KSRO](/source/KSRO) in [Santa Rosa, California](/source/Santa_Rosa%2C_California). ==Postmortem developments== In 2008, he was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame.{{Cite web |url=https://kavasradiosoup.blogspot.com/2008/07/great-list-of-bay-area-radio-hall-of.html |title=Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame |access-date=2010-07-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708045107/http://kavasradiosoup.blogspot.com/2008/07/great-list-of-bay-area-radio-hall-of.html |archive-date=2011-07-08 |url-status=dead }}[https://archive.today/20120708093315/http://articles.sfgate.com/2008-09-07/entertainment/17161134_1_radio-waves-satellite-radio-abc-radio-s-fm SF Gate] ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==Further reading== * "Deaths". ''Billboard'' (6 December 1997):64. ==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100916131443/http://bayarearadio.org/audio/kliv/index.shtml Captain Mikey composite broadcast December 1966 & January 1967] {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Mikey, Captain}} Category:1935 births Category:1997 deaths Category:American radio producers Category:People from Florence, South Carolina Category:American radio DJs Category:Radio personalities from California Category:Deaths from leukemia in California Category:Record producers from California Category:20th-century American musicians Category:20th-century American businesspeople --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Captain Mikey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Mikey) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Mikey?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.