(CelebrityAccess) — Kal Rudman, the founder of Friday Morning Quarterback, the noted trade publication that covered the radio and broadcast industry, announced that the publication will be ‘retired.’
Founded in 1968, FMBQ started as a mimeographed-and-stapled journal catering to programmers in the Top-40 radio format.
The publication quickly became a staple for the broadcast industry, based largely on Rudman’s ear for future hits which he published in FMQB’s ‘Red Sheet’ front page which was literally published on red paper in order to prevent copy machine piracy.
Rudman’s Red Sheet and understanding of the radio market played a key role in the early careers of many noted artists, helping them break through to the mainstream.
One such artist is Devo, who failed to gain traction with “Girl U Want” a single advocated for by Warners, but with Rudman’s support, Devo’s hit “Whip It” helped put the bad on the map.
“Kal Rudman is a force of nature,” added veteran rock-radio programmer Charlie Kendall in a press statement announcing the publication’s end. “The two of them [Kal and his wife Lucille], turned a basement newsletter into a multi-million-dollar publication that was an asset to music and radio for 52 years. And their philanthropic efforts through the Kal and Lucille Rudman Foundation are legendary.”
Rudman sold FMQB’s assets to Cherry Hill-based Deane Media Solutions but said that while he’s done with FMQB, he’s not done with the radio biz.
“I am retiring from the music industry, but not the radio business,” Rudman said. “For a long time, I have focused much of my philanthropic efforts in the medical world, and now I am merging that with radio. For over 50 years, I have been the specialist in predicting countless hits for numerous artists, and I’ve received unique recognition by the music industry as not only a tastemaker but a star maker. However, times have changed drastically, along with the industry, and it was time for me to move on to my original passion, medicine.”
