San Francisco's LAST TOP 40 DISC JOCKEY

A front-row, behind-the-mic journey through the final era of true Top 40 radio in San Francisco.

eBook: Available now
Paperback: Week of December 28th

Two names. One voice. And a front-row seat to radio’s most electric era.

Before he became known to millions as Don Sainte-Johnn, he was Wilber Johnson—a determined young man growing up in the segregated South with a transistor radio, a dream, and an unshakable belief that his voice belonged on the air.

San Francisco’s Last Top 40 Disc Jockey is a vivid, behind-the-mic memoir that traces a journey from cotton fields and late-night radio drills to the powerhouse studios of KFRC San Francisco, one of the most influential Top 40 stations in America. Along the way, Johnson navigates broadcasting schools, small-market radio, racial barriers, reinvention, and the relentless pressure of staying relevant in an industry defined by constant change.

At the heart of the story is radio’s golden age—when personalities mattered, promotions were bold, and a single station could shape the sound of an entire city. From unforgettable contests and legendary colleagues to corporate takeovers and the slow fade of personality-driven radio, this memoir captures what it felt like to live inside the booth while the medium transformed around it.

Written with warmth, humor, and candor, this book is both a personal coming-of-age story and a time capsule of American radio history.

Whether you know the author as Wilber Johnson or Don Sainte-Johnn, this is the story of finding a voice—and learning when, where, and how to use it.