Rick Shaw was a popular disc jockey on three major San Francisco stations before his death at age 53.
Born Hugh Silvis in Riverside, Shaw was heard on some powerhouse stations before arriving in the Bay Area in 1975: KLIF in Dallas, KIMN in Denver, and WOR in New York City.
Shaw handled a variety of air shifts at KFRC after joining the station in 1975. He moved to KYUU in 1982 as NBC was launching a new “Hot A/C (Adult Contemporary)” format on its San Francisco FM station. When new ownership meant a format change, Shaw decamped for K-101.
During his decade at K-101, Shaw manned the midday shift, handled production duties, and spent time as assistant program director. Shaw’s sudden death of a heart attack came just after the most recent Arbitron ratings had given K-101 the number one ranking during Shaw’s time slot.
Shaw is fondly remembered at the University of San Francisco, where he was a popular instructor in the Media Studies program.