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Passage

Sports Radio's Joe McDonnell, Teamed On Air With LB's Doug Krikorian

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(March 13, 2015.) -- LBREPORT.com is saddened to report the passing of Joe McDonnell, the L.A. sports radio presence who for many years teamed with veteran sports writer-turned-radio broadcaster Doug Krikorian. Mr. McDonnell was only 58.

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Never shy about voicing his opinions, Mr. McDonnell combined a take-no-prisoners style with a big heart matching a big waistline. For a time, he weighed over 700 pounds before gastric bypass surgery. Radio was the perfect medium for him, where no one cared about his weight. Starting on the San Fernando Valley's KGIL (1260 AM) in the mid-1970s, his work wafted into L.A. and, through the force of his talent, he marched onto virtually all the major L.A. radio outlets. From the late 1980s through 2013, he was heard on (among others) KLAC, KFI, KMPC, KSPN, KABC, KFWB and most recently KNX.

Messrs. McDonnell and Krikorian teamed on-air as "The McDonnell-Douglas Show" at a number of outlets. After tiring of radio roulette, they ventured onto the internet, webcasting live for a time from Legends on 2nd St. in Belmont Shore.

In August 2010, Mr. Krikorian wrote in the PressTelegram that "during a riotous 13-year span that covered four radio stations and that was not seamless -- there were interruptions due to such vexations as format changes, suspensions and firings," Joe McDonnell was his sportstalk radio partner. "He was loud, opinionated, obnoxious, irreverent, outrageous, unpredictable, knowledgeable, brash and, most of all, entertaining," Mr. Krikorian wrote.

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Mr. McDonnell ultimately trimmed down to about 300 pounds...and became visible in roundtable discussions on Fox Sports cable TV channels.

Mr. Krikorian says he dubbed Mr. McDonnell "the Big Nasty," a moniker that "encapsulated not only his bumptious persona but also his considerable girth..."

Bill Lovelace was a long time friend of Mr. McDonnell, and with the photo below uploaded these comments on Facebook today (Mar. 13): "My old friend Joe McDonnell AKA "THE BIG NASTY" Passed away today... He was an LA Sports Icon... Spent many nights at Phil Trani's with him... RIP Brother...

Photo via Bill Lovelace Facebook page shows (left to right) Mr. Lovelace, Mr. McDonnell and Mr. Krikorian

A month ago on Feb. 13, 2015, Mr. McDonnell commented on his Facebook page about the passing of radio's Gary Owens and TV's Stan Chambers: "The way Los Angeles radio and TV legends are dying I'm going to go hide for the rest of the day. Not that I'm a legend. I'm just paranoid!"

In 2007, Mr. McDonnell fielded questions about himself for AllAccess.com (a radio industry website):

10 Questions with ... Joe McDonnell
Began my radio career on September 18, 1975 -- the day Patty Hearst was arrested! I started that morning as an intern at KGIL on the 5 am to 10 am shift. I hung around after I was done, and the bulletin came down announcing Hearst's capture. I volunteered to stay and help out, and was there until 10 pm, answering phones, cutting wire copy, doing whatever. I fell in love for the first time that day... with radio. About six months later, I starting working in the sports department and became part of the morning show, hosted by the true legend, Sweet Dick Whittington.
In 1982 I became the area correspondent for Mutual Radio Sports, and later joined up with AP Radio and UPI Radio. I stayed in the field until June of 1988, when Chris Roberts hired me to produce / report for his new sports talk show on KFI. In December of '88 I filled in for Chris, and then-GM Ken Kohl liked it and named me the permanent replacement host.
And so began a talk show career that has seen me work at 14 stations -- some of them two or three times -- along with a two-year stop at KFWB News, where I won two Golden Mic Awards. I've been named Sports Talk Host of the Year six times by the Los Angeles Daily News, and Sports Talk Host of the Decade (1990's) by the Daily News...
...What's the best advice you've ever gotten? The worst? The best advice came from Davey Lopes, the former Dodgers second baseman, who said never to listen to anyone who tells you you're not good enough to make it. "Most people will give up on you. They key is to not give up on yourself." And I never have. I can't really say anything about the worst advice... because I never paid attention to it!

Joe McDonnell was passionate about sports and loved being on the radio, where he could be heard by countless people he'd never meet. Every one of them who heard him will remember his love for sports...and for them.