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Many know me as Jim Diamond, the Sunday morning DJ at KUZZ radio. I’ve written an autobiography called “The Diamond Mine” (or, “Confessions of a Bakersfield DJ”).

The truth is, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I got interested in radio broadcasting at a very young age. When I was 7 years old, growing up in Ontario, Calif., program director Chuck Blore launched radio station KFWB 980 on the AM dial as Color Radio Channel 98 in Los angeles Jan. 2, 1958. It was the first full-time Top 40 station in Los Angeles, which became an astounding success, bringing in a “40 share” — nearly half of the available audience in the area. The station had exciting and colorful DJs like Bruce Hayes, Al Jarvis, Joe Yocam, Elliot Field, Bill Balance, B. Mitchell Reed, Gene Weed and Gary Owens.

Later, my influences became KRLA in Pasadena, with DJs like Dave Hull (The Hullabalooer), Casey Kasem, and “Emporer” Bob Hudson. And on May 5, 1965, 93/KHJ in Los Angeles became “Boss Radio” with greats like morning man Robert W. Morgan, and afternoon drive man “The Real Don Steele.”

During this same time period (1965) a friend of mine started a bootleg (read: unlicensed) radio station in Ontario called KTXX, which was later caught by the Federall Communications Commission, or FCC. This was then followed by another two Ontario bootleg stations, one on AM and one on FM. The latter was also turned off by the FCC. The call letters of the FM station was KHWA. After this station was caught by the FCC, the Ontario paper did a feature story on us that made the front page. I was a DJ on all three of these “bootleg” stations in Ontario as a very young 16 year old.

After this came “legitimate” radio, KASK in Ontario, KSPC Claremont, KACE Riverside, KREL Corona, KYMS Santa Ana, and KUCR Riverside. After attending junior college in Rancho Cucumonga, I moved to Bakersfield in 1973 and have worked at almost every Bakersfield radio station ever since — a total of almost 36 years.

In my book, I try to show both sides of what it’s really like working in the radio business as a disc jockey. Unlike what a lot of people think, there’s not a whole lot of money to be made in radio, unless you’re one of the lucky ones to land a gig in a large market. There’s some glamour, but a whole lot more heartaches and headaches and job instability, too, to deal with. But I suppose if I had to do all over again, I’d wind up doing the same thing.

There are many stories associated with my radio career that have prompted folks to say to me, “That’s a great story, you should write a book.” So now I have.

My big inspiration to write a book about my career dates from 1976, when Dick Clark issued his autobiographical book “Rock, Roll and Remember.” Other DJ books I thought were great included Wolfman Jacks’ 1995 autobiography “Have Mercy” and Chicago DJ Larry Lujacks’ book “superjock.” Though I’m not as well known as those guys, I did feel I had a very interesting story to tell. I hope everyone will enjoy reading the book as much as I did writing it, which took me five years — a true labor of love.

“The Diamond Mine” (or “Confessions of a Bakersfield DJ”) is available through Authorhouse.com. The 255-page softback retails for $22.75.
See you at Russo’s Bookstore in The Marketplace, 9000 Ming Ave., from 1 to 3 p.m. March 29 for the booksigning.