Frank Haines, Longtime Radio Show Host, Dies

Frank Haines, an award-winning talk show host for 26 years at Ventura’s KVEN (1450 AM) radio station, died Thursday at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura of a heart attack. He was 60.

Haines, a broadcast institution for 43 years in Ventura County, pioneered the talk-show format in the area. On his live weekday show from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., he delighted in skewering guests with pointed questions on a wide variety of social and political topics.

County Chief Administrative Officer Richard Wittenberg called Haines’ death a tremendous loss for the community.

“The public saw Frank as a curmudgeon, asking very difficult questions of elected and appointed officials, but he usually did it in a dignified manner,” Wittenberg said. “He was a fine and sensitive man who cared a lot about the human plight and people in need.”

David Loe, KVEN’s president and general manager, credited Haines with prompting the station’s change from music to an all-news, talk-radio format in 1980. “We are all in a state of shock,” Loe said.

Haines had experienced a series of health problems in recent years, most recently losing a leg to amputation from complications of childhood polio. He survived a heart attack in 1991 and underwent a quadruple bypass operation.

Scheduled to visit UCLA on Thursday for a follow-up examination of his leg, Haines instead called an ambulance from his Ventura home at 11 a.m., complaining of chest pains.

He was transported to Community Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:45 p.m.

Born in Santa Monica, Haines moved to Ventura County in 1950 to host a jazz program at KSPA, a now-defunct Santa Paula radio station. He began airing a jazz program at Ventura’s KVEN in 1952, just four years after the station went on the air, Loe said.

In 1967, Haines started Ventura County’s first talk show, initially at night, but later in the midday slot that he retained until his death. During his career, Haines was awarded six Golden Mike awards by the Radio and Television News Assn. of Southern California, three for news coverage and another three for commentary. He earned his last award in 1991 for commentary on the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.

Known for his informative and sometimes biting commentaries, Haines had cultivated the respect of numerous public officials, Loe said. “His sheer credibility and reputation earned him access to anyone in the county who was a newsmaker.”

Ventura County Supervisor John K. Flynn expressed sadness at Haines’ death. “I’ve known him for years,” Flynn said. “Ventura County lost a great commentator and newsman.”

Rich Gulano, KVEN’s news director, said Haines’ death is a great loss for the station.

“Frank was not just an institution to our listeners, but--if you’re a journalist and believe in getting at the truth--he was a standard of how to do it,” Gulano said.

“In a lot of ways, Frank Haines was our moral compass.”

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Joseph P. Reardon Funeral Chapel in Ventura.