Tulsa Says Goodbye To Radio Legend Phil Stone

News of the passing of long time Tulsa radio personality Phil Stone came as something of a shock last week (original posting), writes Russell Mills in a posting on the KRMG, Tulsa website.

Stone, real name Phil Riddle, had co-hosted the "Morning Zoo" show in Tulsa for some 27 years with Brent Douglas, familiar to listeners as the creator of a character named Roy D. Mercer.

Thursday evening at 5:00 p.m., Cain's Ballroom will host a memorial service for Stone who died at the age of 57 November 21.

He and Douglas had retired from their show less than six weeks prior to his death.

Dave "Wavy Davy" Michaels of KRMG sister station Rock 103 knew Phil for decades.

The two met in Fayetteville, before either of them moved to Tulsa.

Michaels tells KRMG his longtime colleague "was a great guy... he loved his kids, he was a great dad."

Michaels has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Tulsa radio, having worked in the market for decades.

He remembers how the Morning Zoo team of Phil and Brent first came together.

"Brent was calling in bits. He was a pharmacist in Broken Arrow, and he was calling in bits on the morning show, and they decided 'hey this is the guy we need to get to be Phil's partner."

The story is confirmed by a radio interview Douglas did after Stone passed away.

Michaels continued, "in '93 is when Roy D. Mercer was born, and that's when they started doing the prank calls."

That bit helped Phil and Brent become nationally known, and cemented their position on Tulsa's FM radio waves.

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