Dr. Johnny Fever Emerges When the Easy Listening Format Changes to Rock on ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’

An iconic clip from the late 1970s/early 1980s TV show WKRP in Cincinnati pilot shows the very moment in which Easy Listening disc jockey Johnny Caravella (Howard Hesseman) turns into the enigmatic Dr. Johnny Fever after getting the okay from the new programming manager Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) to change the station format to rock and roll. This scene includes the seminal record drag that signaled the radical change to the greater Cincinnati area (and to viewers everywhere).

All right, Cincinnati, it is time for this town to get down! You’ve got Johnny—Doctor Johnny Fever, and I am burnin’ up in here! Whoa! Whoo! We all in critical condition, babies, but you can tell me where it hurts, because I got the healing prescription here from the big ‘KRP musical medicine cabinet. Now I am talking about your 50,000 watt intensive care unit, babies! So just sit right down, relax, open your ears real wide and say, “Give it to me straight, Doctor. I can take it

Sadly, Hesseman passed away at the age of 81 on January 29, 2022, leaving behind legions of fans who will always remember him as Dr. Johnny Fever, who knew what to say when given the chance.