Ray Briem, late-night radio host was 82

Ray Briem was the overnight mostly conservative talker on KABC-AM from 1967-1994 and kind of pioneered the form here in Los Angeles. That made him the welcomed late-night companion to thousands, and columnist Gary Lycan in the Register says that more than 1,000 listeners attended his retirement party "where artists such as Frankie Laine, Tony Martin and the Mills Brothers performed." Briem, who also was on the air at KLAC and KIEV, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His daughter announced his death on Wednesday.

KABC host Doug McIntyre posted last night: "A great broadcaster has died. Ray Briem owned overnights in Southern California for nearly 30 years. He was the guy who gave me my first taste of radio and it was an incredible honor to have inherited overnights at KABC after he retired. In addition to his brilliant broadcasting career he was a man of great personal integrity. I miss him already."

Television writer and broadcaster Ken Levine adds on Facebook, "I was his engineer for many nights and always marveled at how compelling he was on the air and with callers."