In the March 2024 edition, we get to learn about ABC-7’s Dan Ashley (pg. 19) whom we all know from watching him anchor evening news for years. During Ashley’s extensive journalism career, he has witnessed much. He discusses some of those experiences in an interview with our columnist, author Michael Barrington.
Dan serves our communities in many ways. Annually, Ashley puts on a charity fundraising concert called “Rock the Casa” at the Lesher Center for the Arts. The proceeds support local youth programs.
Each year he teams up with rock stars most of us grew up listening to on the radio. On Rockthecasa.org, Ashley posts an extraordinary photo gallery of his past Rock the Casa headliners: Eddie Money, Cheap Trick, Greg Kihn, Melissa Etheridge, Reo Speedwagon, Rick Springfield, and Patti LaBelle.
This year, Rock the Casa will be a tribute to the iconic Tina Turner with Phantom of the Opera singer, Franc D’Ambrosio.
In 1994, I met Tina when she came to K101 in San Francisco, where I worked at the time. We hung out, we were close, we smiled — all in the time it took the photographer to take this photo of us.
I had inadvertently surprised her before the shot. There was a long line of station personnel waiting to have their photo taken with Tina. When I arrived, no one was stepping forward, so I just walked up next to her and asked if I get a photo.
Known as a powerful, energetic, and iconic singer, at that moment she was a gentle, almost timid, sweet, and very polite celebrity.
I have since used this photo on more than one occasion. One year, a media buyer from a Florida advertising agency had asked all of her station representatives from around the country to send a photo of themselves so that she could visualize whom she was speaking to on the phone.
Radio is a competitive industry. In the Bay Area, I could be competing against 20 or more direct competitors. The representatives that stand out tend to have the advantage of winning a larger share of the business. I sent this picture of Tina and me. Needless to say, the buyer was thrilled and the station received the largest media contract from that client the station had ever experienced.
Now, thanks to Dan’s tribute concert in April, I get to whip this photo out again.
Thank you, Tina, I will always remember our minute together.