John McLeod’s long Bay Area radio career began in 1965. As a student at Foothill College, he joined the staff of KFJC. McLeod’s family had moved from Lockport, NY to the Bay Area. After his 1965 graduation from St. Francis High School in Mountain View, McLeod’s enrollment at Foothill started his radio career.
Two years later, McLeod was hired by KLIV (he recalled being the only person in the building on July 1, 1967 when new owner Bob Kieve showed up to take possession) Â and he was there until the station went off the air in 2019–a 52-year run which surely ranks McLeod as among the longest-tenured single-station personalities in Bay Area radio history.
Over the years, McLeod filled a variety of roles at the station from disc jockey to music and program director to news anchor to traffic reporter. KLIV changed formats many times in the course of McLeod’s half-century at the station.
Legendary KLIV owner Kieve rewarded McLeod with a seat on the Board of Directors of Empire Broadcasting in 2003; the following year saw McLeod given the title of vice president of the company, a position he maintained until Kieve’s 2020 death.
McLeod served as vice president of programming for all of Empire’s stations, which at times included KLIV, KARA, KRTY, KHYL (Auburn, CA), KAHI (Auburn, CA) and KATR (Springfield, OR).