R.I.P.: Former KCOR S-A Radio Personality El Tecolote

Jose Ricardo Briones, better known as El Tecolote ("The Owl") to his fans, was a KCOR radio personality who received the nickname because he was a disc jockey in the wee hours of the morning, from midnight to 5 a.m., his son Carlos Briones said.

He played traditional Spanish music on the show, romantic ballads and trios from Mexico, his son said.

Briones died at home Dec. 28 at the age of 89, according to the Express-News.

Searching for a better life, Briones left San Luis Potosi, Mexico, in his late 20s to make a home in San Antonio.

Briones worked odd jobs, mostly in sales, until he got a break in the communications business.

It came through a radio announcer friend who invited him to broadcast a singer over the air, Carlos Briones said.  Managers liked his voice and hired him to be a part-time DJ for KUBO, Carlos Briones said.

He left the station three years later to start a career at KCOR and worked there from 1969 to 1990, Carlos Briones said. After he had left the radio business, he changed careers and went to work for Southern Life Insurance.”