Bill Ballance, 85, an Original Radio ‘Shock Jock’
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Bill Ballance, a radio personality whose bold 1970s talk show tackled relationships and sex and helped pave the way for today’s shock jocks, died last Thursday at age 85.
Ballance’s “Feminine Forum” became one of the most popular radio shows in Los Angeles within a year of its 1971 debut on KGBS-AM.
Racy and confessional, the show drew many listeners, both male and female, with topics such as “Where did his love go and how did you know it was gone?” and “Are you a red-hot mama?”
“Feminine Forum” provoked the ire of women’s activists, but Ballance dismissed them. The program was syndicated around the country, inspiring legions of imitators.
Ballance caused a stir in the 1990s when he sold nude photos of radio therapist Laura Schlessinger to a company that posted the photos on the Internet.
