Doctor Johnny Fever - Disc
jockey Johnny Caravella's (Howard Hesseman) on-air persona
while he worked the morning shift for the "Top 40" rock and
roll radio station WKRP IN CINCINNATI/CBS/1978-82. Johnny was
a burned-out 60s rocker who avoided responsibility, mismanaged
money and always had a glazed over look in his eyes. Before
coming to WKRP he was fired from a Los Angles radio station
for saying the word "Booger" on the air. His first day on the
radio in Cincinnati went something like this: "You've got the
Doctor, I'm burning up in here. We're all in critical
condition, babies. But you can tell me where it hurts, because
I got the healing prescription here from the big WKRP musical
medicine cabinet. Now I'm talking about a 50,000 watt
intensive care unit, babies. So just sit right down, relax,
open you ears real wide and say give it to me straight Doctor,
I can take it!" A few seconds into a rock and roll song, he
interrupted the record to say the "Oh yeah, BOOGERS!" The
Johnny Fever character returned for a few episodes as the
overnight DJ on the syndicated revival of the series THE NEW
WKRP IN CINCINNATI/SYN/1991-93. TRIVIA NOTE: The first song
played on WKRP when it switched to a rock and roll format was
"Queen of the Forest" from Stranglehold performed by Ted
Nugent.