Better known to Bay Area radio listeners by his air name “Dennis Erectus”, Dennis Netto lit up the airwaves with his antics on KOME in the late ’70s and ’80s, later moving to KSJO. He was a “must listen” DJ, and earned high ratings, endearing himself to his fans by pioneering the extreme brand of “shock jock” radio that would take over the medium years later.
Netto came to KOME straight out of San Francisco State University in 1977. He had created his persona on the campus radio station KSFS. While he richly earned the “shock jock” label, Netto was also an innovator in audio imagery. He married his passion for rock music with his love of vintage comedians such as The Three Stooges, Jack Benny, and Laurel and Hardy. He would use comedy clips or audio bits from horror films to set up the lyrical content of a song he was about to play.
Though he continued working in radio until the mid-2000s, including stops at KBAY and KEZR, his brand of imaginative radio lost its lusters due to changing times and tastes. Never a stranger to fun, Dennis was also the manager of the professional wrestler “The Poontangler”.
Dennis Netto died in 2012 at the age of 71.
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