Charles Karel Bouley

Last updated

Charles Karel Bouley, known on-the-air as Karel, is an American talk radio host, singer, TV personality, and author.

Contents

He began his career as a comedian and singer. Karel released one album and multiple singles in the 1990s, including the album Dance... Or Else. While promoting a record, he was signed to do a radio show on KYPA Los Angeles called "Different After Dark." After that show Karel and his now co-host and domestic partner Andrew Howard became morning drive at Triangle Broadcasting in Palm Springs, heard in the Seattle area [1] . Then they went on to become the first openly gay radio talk show hosts on KFI in Los Angeles. [2] [3]

Andrew Howard died unexpectedly in 2001 [4] and Karel stayed on KFI for two years solo. After a shift in management at KFI, Karel was let go; he subsequently hosted a show on San Francisco-based KGO. He was fired from KGO in November 2008 when his profane off-air comments about Joe the Plumber were inadvertently broadcast live. [5] He would then regain his job in 2010 and stay at KGO until 2015. [6] After being let go he began The Karel Cast as well as performing his stage show Karel Stands Up nationally. [7]

Bouley subsequently has hosted a show on Free Speech TV, in 2014. He is also a writer.

Early life

Karel was born Charles Raymond Bouley II in Miami Beach, Florida, in 1962. His family moved to California in 1975 where he stayed until 2015 before moving to Las Vegas. He has had one domestic partner, Andrew Lee Howard, who died in 2001. He began performing in college, did drag in the early 1980s as The Divine Miss Mess (impersonating Bette Midler) and began singing in LGBTQ clubs. He entered radio in the late 90s along with recording singles and an album. He has written for the media since 1978. His early life is chronicled in his semi-autobiographical 2004 release "You Can't Say That". [8]

Career

Musical career

In 1993 Karel recorded "Everybody Get On Up". Billboard reviewed the single April 3, 1993. In 1994 he released "Turn It Up" produced by Sabby Reyes and Thea Austin [9] Karel did a cover of the Madonna hit "Live to Tell" in August 1995. [10] In 1995 he released the album "Dance...Or Else"; Larry Flick named the it one of the Top 10 Dance Albums of 1995. [11] [12] In 1996 he was nominated for a Gay And Lesbian American Music Award (GLAMA). [13] In 1996 he recorded a remake of the late Sylvester hit "Don't Stop" produced by Steve Bronski of Bronski Beat and remixed by the Factory Team. [14] [15] In 1997, Karel signed with Jellybean Recordings and recorded "I Am" and "Take Your Heartache Away" both produced by Jellybean. [16] [17] [18]

In 2018, he released "Stronger Together" co-written by himself and Morgan Mallory and featuring himself, Mallory, Thea Austin (from Snap!) and Daniel Charleston on vocals. [19] In 2020 and 2021, Karel co-wrote "Toast" performed by the Black Donnelys, [20] "Flickering Life" [21] and "Look In To the Light" [22] for the Dorian Awards 2020 and 2021, the latter two performed by Morgan Mallory on the show. [23]

Hosting

Bouley, along with his domestic partner, Andrew Lee Howard, started in radio at KYPA Los Angeles doing the weekend show "Different After Dark". They then did a morning program, "Good Morning Gay America". [1] Professionally known as "Karel and Andrew", Bouley and Howard became the first openly gay radio talk-show hosts on a US major-market radio station with their move to KFI AM 640 in 1998. [24]

In March 2000, "Karel & Andrew" was moved from the afternoon-drive slot into the evening-drive slot to accommodate the nationally syndicated Phil Hendrie Show. [24] The show followed Hendrie's until April 2001 when the station again went through changes. Andrew Howard, who had AIDS, died unexpectedly of a pulmonary embolism on May 21, 2001. [4] [25]

Following his partner's death, Bouley returned to KFI and hosted a talk show there until station management changed and he and others were dismissed in April 2002. [26] [ better source needed ] [27] Seven months later, Karel was hired as an on-air host by San Francisco radio station KGO for the weekend evening time slot. [26] [ better source needed ] [28]

Bouley hosted a Free Speech TV series called Life in Segments, described as a "reality talk show", in 2014. [29] In 2020 and 2021, Karel hosted the Dorian Awards both film and television awards. [30]

Books

In 2004, Bouley authored a book of essays titled, You Can't Say That. The book was published by the LGBT publishing house, Alyson Press. [31] [32] [ better source needed ] Karel also contributed to "When I Knew" by Robert Trachtenberg, stories of "coming out" directed at Gay and Lesbian youth. [33] Bouley's second book, Shouting at Windmills, BS From Bush to Obama was released in June 2011 [28]

Appellate court battle

Following the sudden death of his domestic partner, Andrew Howard, in 2001, Bouley went on to file and win a lawsuit in the Court of Appeal of the State of California in Los Angeles County to establish the rights of domestic partners to be recognized as such and giving them the right to sue for wrongful death. This decision, handed down in 2005, meant that domestic partnerships were retroactively recognized in the State of California. [34]

Controversy

In November 2008, while Bouley was hosting on KGO, a sound engineer failed to mute Bouley's microphone during the national news break. When a reference to Joe the Plumber came up during the news, Bouley was heard on-air ranting: "Fuck goddamn Joe the goddamn mother-fucking Plumber! I want mother-fucking Joe the Plumber dead!" [5] KGO issued a news release on November 11, 2008 stating that he had been terminated. [5] He was then rehired by KGO in 2010 and remained until 2015. [35]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFI</span> Radio station in Los Angeles, California

KFI is a radio station in Los Angeles, California, owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. It began operations in 1922 and became one of the first high-powered, clear-channel Class A stations. It was the first U.S. station west of Chicago to broadcast at 50,000 watts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGO (AM)</span> Clear-channel sports betting radio station in San Francisco

KGO is a commercial AM radio station in San Francisco, California. It airs a sports betting format and is owned by Cumulus Media. Its offices and studios are on Battery Street in the SoMa portion of San Francisco's Financial District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The John and Ken Show</span> American talk radio show

The John and Ken Show was an American talk radio show, hosted by John Chester Kobylt and Kenneth Robertson Chiampou. The show aired Monday thru Friday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Time on KFI AM 640, a local Southern California talk radio station. The program is one of the most listened to local talk radio programs in the United States and draws an estimated weekly audience of approximately 1.2 million listeners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Handel</span> American attorney and radio personality (born 1951)

William Wolf Handel is a Brazilian-born American radio host and attorney.

KABC is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, and serving the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a conservative talk radio format. The studios are located in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City. The transmitter is off West Martin Luther King Boulevard in the Crenshaw District, shared with KWKW and KFOX. KABC’s power is 6,600 watts daytime and 7,900 watts nighttime, using a directional antenna. The station is the Los Angeles affiliate of Armstrong & Getty, The Ben Shapiro Show, The Dan Bongino Show, The Michael Knowles Show, America in the Morning and Red Eye Radio. Local shows are hosted by John Phillips, Frank Mottek and Randy Wang. National news from NBC News Radio and local news updates begin each hour's broadcast. Former sister station KABC-TV simulcasts the 4-6:00 part of the morning newscast weekdays on KABC (AM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKSF</span> Black Information Network radio station in San Francisco

KKSF is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Oakland, California and serving the San Francisco Bay Area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and has an all-news radio format, with programming from the co-owned Black Information Network (BIN). The studios are located on Townsend Street in San Francisco's SoMa district.

Hilly Rose was an American radio personality and a pioneer of the talk radio format. His professional career has spanned seven decades. He was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame as a "Living Legend" pioneer broadcaster in 2016.

Bill Carroll is a Canadian radio personality who has hosted talk radio shows in both Canada and the United States. He has been the host of The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll on CFRA in Ottawa since March 7, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KOST</span> Adult contemporary radio station in Los Angeles

KOST is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, United States. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music in early November and ending on Christmas Day. Its studios are co-located with its sister stations on West Olive Avenue in Burbank. KOST is the home of Ellen K, segments of whose morning show are syndicated to other iHeart AC stations on Saturday mornings.

Marc Germain is an American radio talk show host. He was previously known as Mr. KFI and Mr. KABC on his radio shows on their respective stations. He currently hosts his own internet radio show, The Marc Germain Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie Miller</span> American comedian and political commentator (born 1961)

Stephanie Catherine Miller is an American political commentator, comedian, and host of The Stephanie Miller Show, a Progressive talk radio program produced in Los Angeles, California, by WYD Media Management and syndicated nationally by Westwood One. In 2017, Talkers Magazine ranked her the 23rd-most important radio talk show host in the U.S. Miller has leveraged her talk show via various platforms including online, as well as via her Sexy Liberal Tour live comedy show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLAC</span> Radio station in California, United States

KLAC is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by a joint venture between iHeartMedia, Inc. and the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball club, KLAC serves as the Los Angeles affiliate for Fox Sports Radio; the flagship station for the Los Angeles Dodgers Radio Network, the Los Angeles Clippers, UCLA Bruins football and basketball; and the home of radio personalities Fred Roggin, Rodney Peete, Petros Papadakis and Matt "Money" Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Speech TV</span> Progressive-leaning television network

Free Speech TV (FSTV) is an American progressive news and opinion network. It was launched in 1995 and is owned and operated by Public Communicators Incorporated, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization founded in 1974. Distributed principally by Dish Network, DirecTV, and the network's live stream at freespeech.org and on Roku, Free Speech TV has run commercial free since 1995 with support from viewers and foundations. The network claims to "amplify underrepresented voices and those working on the front lines of social, economic and environmental justice," predominantly from a progressive perspective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRCD (FM)</span> Spanish-language radio station in West Covina, California, United States

KRCD is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Inglewood, California, and broadcasting to Greater Los Angeles Area.

Mark Thompson is an American newscaster and a two-time Emmy award winner for writing, hosting and producing specials for the Fox Broadcasting Company stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CRN Digital Talk Radio Networks</span> American radio programming distributor

CRN Digital Talk Radio Networks, sometimes simply referred to as CRN or CRN Digital Talk, is a syndicator and distributor of radio programs and talk radio networks.

<i>The Tech Guy</i> Technology radio program

The Tech Guy was a widely syndicated US radio show hosted by Leo Laporte, formerly of TechTV and later with TWiT.tv. The show, which was first exclusively broadcast on KFI 640 AM in Los Angeles, was picked up for syndication by Premiere Networks in February 2007. Laporte streamed video of his side of the show on TWiT Live, including caller audio. The show was available live on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time.

Leslie Marshall is a liberal radio talk host, hosting since 1988, and a commentator on national television since 2001. Leslie became the youngest person ever to be nationally syndicated on radio when she replaced Tom Snyder on the ABC Satellite Radio Network in 1992. She was also the first woman to host an issues-oriented program nationwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMEL</span> Urban contemporary radio station in San Francisco

KMEL is an urban contemporary radio station that is licensed to San Francisco, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorian Awards</span> Film, television and New York stage accolades given by GALECA

The Dorian Awards are film, television and Broadway / Off-Broadway accolades given by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, founded in 2009 as the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association. GALECA is an association of professional journalists and critics who regularly report on movies, TV and/or New York City stage productions for print, online, and broadcast outlets mainly in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. As of March 2024, GALECA listed approximately 500 members, including those on its advisory board. The awards recognize the best in film, television and New York City theater, with categories ranging from general to LGBTQ-centric.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 Anthony, James (May 11, 1999). "Queering rush-hour radio – openly gay radio talk show in Los Angeles, CA, hosted by Karel and Andrew", The Advocate.
  2. ↑ "The Rusty Humphries Show: Talk Show Host Karel Joins Rusty to Talk Sexuality – Talk Radio Network". Trn1.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  3. ↑ Calvo, Dana (2001-05-22). "Andrew Howard; Part of the First Openly Gay Radio Talk Show Duo". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  4. 1 2 Kowalski, Eileen (2001-06-05). "Andrew Howard". Variety. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  5. 1 2 3 Fong-Torres, Ben (November 30, 2008). "KGO DJ Karel loses his job". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  6. ↑ Club, San Francisco Press (2011-03-14). "Karel returning to KGO". San Francisco Press Club. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  7. ↑ Hartgrave, Buzzin’ Lee (2011-05-27). "Blue Man Group – "Remarkable!"; Karel – "A Comic for the Ages"". Beyond Chron. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  8. ↑ Bouley, Charles Karel (2004). You Can't Say That!. Alyson Books. ISBN   978-1-55583-808-9.
  9. ↑ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1993-09-04.
  10. ↑ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1995-08-05.
  11. ↑ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1995-10-21.
  12. ↑ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1995-12-23.
  13. ↑ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1996-08-24.
  14. ↑ "Karel". The Eurodance Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  15. ↑ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1995-08-12.
  16. ↑ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 26 April 1997. p. 35. Retrieved 25 June 2023– via Google Books.
  17. ↑ "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 27 June 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 25 June 2023– via Google Books.
  18. ↑ "Karel". The Eurodance Encyclopaedia. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  19. ↑ "Stronger Together Debuts". GEDmagazine. 2017-06-25. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  20. ↑ Anderson, Erik (2020-09-08). "Dan Levy, Janelle Monáe, Billy Porter, Regina King and more set to appear in first LGBTQ Entertainment Critics TV Awards special". AwardsWatch. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  21. ↑ ""The Voice" alum Morgan Mallory's "Flickering Life" premieres on Sunday's Dorians TV Toast 2021 awards special". Greginhollywood.com. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  22. ↑ Anderson, Erik (2021-04-15). "GALECA: Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics' 2021 Dorian Awards to air live on Revry April 18". AwardsWatch. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  23. ↑ "LGBTQ entertainment critics reveal their 2021 Dorian TV Award nominations". The Queer Review. 2021-07-02. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  24. 1 2 Keck, William (July 14, 2000). "They Like Things to Be Out in the Open". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  25. ↑ Sharkey, Betsy (May 2, 2001). "'John and Ken Show' Returns to Afternoon Spot on KFI". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  26. 1 2 Bouley, Charles Karel (October 10, 2006). "My Ground Zero of Fear". HuffPost. Archived from the original on April 7, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  27. ↑ "~Los Angeles Radio People, Where Are They Now, K". Laradio.com. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  28. 1 2 "Karel still shouting at windmills". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  29. ↑ Zonkel, Phillip (13 December 2014). "Radio host Karel adds TV talk show to resume with 'Life In Segments'". Press-Telegram . Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  30. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (2021-04-19). "'Nomadland' and 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' Named Top Films at Dorian Awards (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  31. ↑ "Owen Keehnen: Interviews". Queerculturalcenter.org. Archived from the original on February 27, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  32. ↑ "Charles Karel Bouley: Books". Amazon.com. Retrieved May 24, 2010.
  33. ↑ Trachtenberg, Robert; Bachtell, Tom, eds. (2005). When I Knew. New York City: Regan Books. ISBN   9780060571467.
  34. ↑ Outtraveler Staff (17 March 2005). "California man wins right to sue over partner's death". The Advocate . Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
  35. ↑ "Karel returning to KGO". San Francisco Press Club. 2011-03-14. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.