Les Sarnoff is personally responsible for making Portland the great place to live that it is today. He singlehandedly took on the responsibility of getting people up every morning with great care. When you have the ears of a quarter million people every morning, you can make a seismic shift in consciousness just by being positive. He knew this; he brought a peaceful, easy feeling to the mornings of his listeners. He did it so well. I understood his mission. Les Sarnoff and I were kindred spirits. We both spent many years waking up radio listeners. He did it for 22 years in Portland and I was on the radio in the morning for 17 years in Denver.
There are two schools to waking people up in the morning: one is that you need loud noises and alarms to wake them from a deep sleep; the other is to gently rouse people from sleep. Les was from the latter school of thought. This gentle approach put people in a good frame of mind. When over ten percent of the city is waking up gently, it affects the overall consciousness of the city. No wonder Portland has become known as the city where drivers don’t honk their horns. They were listening to the smooth dulcet, melodious tones of Les Sarnoff’s voice playing music that was positive and comforting.
There goes the last dj, who plays what he wants to play and says what he wants to say.
And there goes your freedom of choice, there goes the last human voice, there goes the last dj.
Les Sarnoff, more than anyone else, was the man who made Portland great. We will miss his enthusiastic, positive attitude. He always had a good thing to say about everyone and everything. His mark on the world will live on. May his memory be eternal.
Dennis Constantine
KINK Program Director
