R.I.P.: LA Radio Newscaster Liz Fulton

Liz Fulton

Liz Fulton, former newscaster, news director and sidekick to Rick Dees on KIIS 102.7 FM, died of natural causes May 7.

She was 61, according to Richard Wagoner at the LA Daily News.

In 1979, while Dees was just beginning his time at KHJ 930 AM, Fulton started at KIIS as a news reporter, and was later made the station’s news director.

In 1981, under new management, Fulton was paired with Dees, who was pushed out of KHJ when that station changed to country music in November 1980. And it may have been Fulton who helped Dees make his mark in Los Angeles at KIIS after a lackluster debut on KHJ. Within months on KIIS, Dees — along with Fulton and the rest of the staff — were setting ratings records not seen on an FM station before. Fulton also kept her job as news director, and was the voice of the station’s hourly public affairs segments.

In 1990, represented by attorney Gloria Allred, she filed a sex discrimination suit, seeking judgment on specified damages and charged Rick Dees and Gannett with breach of contract and invasion of privacy. She contended that she was often the object of Dees’ on-air sexual jokes while employed at the station. Liz went on to say that she and Rick hardly spoke to each other unless they were on the air. She said she didn’t complain to Dees or station management about the sexual jokes because she feared she would be fired. Rick referred to her as Liz “Rugburns” Fulton. In the mid-1990s Liz worked at KTMS-Santa Barbara and later moved to Lake Tahoe to work news at KRLT/KOWL, according to LA Radio.