(August 5, 1999) Gene Weed passed away this morning at 1 a.m. of lung cancer. He was 64.
A spokesman at Dick Clark Productions said, "Gene was one of the foundational posts here." Gene worked at KFWB during its glory Rock years and went on to an enormously successful directing and producing career with dc Productions. Fellow KFWB dj Jimmy O'Neill was "shocked" to learn of Gene's death. "I hadn't seen Gene for 30 years when we ran into each other about five years ago. I was struck by his kindness. He could not have been nicer."
Born in 1935, Gene started in Texas radio when he was 17 years old and attended North Texas State University. He went on to work in Dallas, Omaha and Miami before joining KFWB. The "Weedy One" worked weekends at KFWB at the age of 23 while assigned to Armed Forces Radio and Television Service in Hollywood.
In early 1961, Gene was made assistant pd to Jim Hawthorne. He moved to afternoon drive in 1961. Except for a month during the infamous personality strike in 1961, Gene stayed with the station until the very end, on March 10, 1968, having worked every shift. In 1966, he was voted top all-night dj in Billboard magazine's Radio Response Ratings.
He created the nationally syndicated Shivaree tv rock show which ran for three years and aired in more than 150 markets and seven countries overseas.
Before joining dick clark productions (dcp), Gene began producing and directing a new art form he called "Song Films," better known today as music videos. He produced and directed over 200 of the mini-movies for recording artists such as Glen Campbell, The Fifth Dimension, Creedence Clearwater and Debbie Boone. He has produced and directed over 300 tv commercials and numerous industrial and sales presentations.
As senior vp of television at dcp, Gene has developed, produced and directed major television series, specials and annual events. Each year he produced and/or directed the Golden Globe Awards, The Academy of Country Music Awards, The Soap Opera Digest Awards and the Sea World/Busch Gardens Party. Under his supervision the CMA Awards show has won its time slot every year since it was first televised in 1974. In 1986 he hosted the album Interviews from The Class of '55, which was awarded a Grammy as the best spoken word album. In the early 1990s, Gene produced and directed the Hot Country Nights series for NBC which continues to air on The Nashville Network. His other specials include Farm Aid III and IV, The Golden Globes 50th Anniversary Special, The Lou Rawls Parade of Stars and Prime Time Country nightly on TNN. He also directed the three-hour LiveAid concert for ABC. His work as a producer/director earned him two first place awards for creative excellence at the International Film Festival in Chicago.
Gene has four children from his first marriage: Kent,
a tv director in L.A.; Kymberli, a graphics artist in North Hollywood;
Julie, a hair dresser living in Indiana; and Adam, a highly acclaimed
video editor, living and working in Nashville. He has three children with
his second marriage.
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Los Angeles Radio People
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