R.I.P.: Edward Bear, Former SoCal Radio Personality

Edward Bear (1938-2023)

Radio personality Edward Bear passed away February 10, 2023,  Bear, whose given name was Stephen Hirsch, was born on May 30, 1938, in Manhattan and was raised in Brooklyn.

According to Neil Resnick at the Santa Barbara Reigster, Bear found himself in San Francisco at a critical and transformative time in the 1960s. His prior experience and passion for radio evolved into a position as the mid-day deejay at KMPX. Through some twists and turns, Bear became the all-night deejay at KSAN, the forerunner to what was later called progressive rock radio and on May 21, 1968, he began broadcasting a “Freeform” radio on May 21, 1968, the same open and free format that he and the other deejays had been doing at KMPX.

In 1973 a former assistant of his at KSAN, Laurie Cobb, became music director of a new freeform radio station, KTYD-FM, that was about to go on the air in Santa Barbara. Cobb invited Bear to be on the air for the debut of KYTD which, unknowingly at the time, evolved into a major turning point in Bear’s life. That first week turned into additional invitations to be a guest deejay for another week at Christmas, and again for a week that included Valentine’s Day.

What followed was a full-time offer to remain at KTYD to do the shift of his choice. Bear moved to Santa Barbara in March 1974 and chose the afternoon drive shift, 2 to 6 p.m. Soon thereafter, Bear became one of the most recognizable voices in the Santa Barbara tri-counties area. His mellifluous voice was heard over the airwaves on KTYD from 1973 to 1978, and on KDB from 1980 to 2002.

In early 1979, Bear was offered the position of programming, writing, and announcing an internationally syndicated three-hour weekly program called Jazz Album Concert. It was recorded in Los Angeles and was distributed to 143 radio stations nationwide and on 23 national broadcasting systems worldwide, as well as on Armed Forces Radio.