Miami-born Johnny Holliday (John Holliday Bobbitt) began his career at WBBN/Perry, GA and progressed to WFEC in his Florida hometown, followed by stays at WVRM/Rochester, NY; WHK/Cleveland; and WINS/New York. Following Johnny’s WINS gig, he accepted an offer to go west. The move proved fruitful for KYA and also for Johnny, as he was named America’s Number One Top 40 Disc Jockey and the station enjoyed its greatest popularity during his time there.
During his more than four years at KYA in San Francisco (1965-1969), Johnny was a fan favorite on the air and off, hosting record hops, concerts and other station events. Along the way, he served as the announcer for “Hullabaloo” and “The Roger Miller Show” on NBC-TV. He anchored the station’s celebrity basketball team, the “KYA Oneders”, which featured future NBA Hall of Famer (and Bay Area radio personality) Rick Barry on the roster during one amazing season. Johnny met Barry while the former worked courtside as public address announcer for Warriors home games. Moving from the arena to the stadium, Johnny also handled public address vocals at the Coliseum for the Oakland Raiders.
Johnny Holliday’s voice is well-known in the Washington, D.C. area as the longtime voice of University of Maryland football and basketball broadcasts.