Remembering Jerry Cesak
• Jerry Cesak, best known as half of the long-running Radio Hall of Fame morning duo Jeff & Jer, who, along with partner Jeff Detrow dominated San Diego morning radio for nearly three decades, died in the arms of his wife Pam at their home in suburban San Diego on Sunday, January 4 at the age of 74.
The artist known as Jerry St. James had been a solo act in Washington, D.C., Minneapolis and at WDRQ/Detroit when he arrived in 1977. Cesak was later paired with longtime Motor City mainstay Jim Harper at WNIC.
Cesak’s fortuitous partnership with Jeff Detrow began in 1982, when Detrow (a.k.a. “Jeff Elliott“) was doing mornings in Phoenix, and Cesak was looking for a co-host for his morning show on WMJC (Magic 95)/Detroit. The two joined forces, and the partnership clicked. After a follow-up stint at WFYR/Chicago, the guys relocated to “America’s Finest City” — San Diego, where on May 3, 1988, The Jeff and Jer Showgramdebuted on KBZT/San Diego and enjoyed immediate success.
Two years later, the Showgram crossed the street to KFMB-FM (B100), followed by a four-year run at the late KKLQ (Q106). In 1997 the guys returned to KFMB-FM (then Star 100.7), where they reigned for eight years, followed by a move to KMYI (Star 94.1), which ended on August 19, 2009, when contract negotiations broke down. After a 17-month hiatus, during which time Jeff & Jer produced an online-only show out of Cesak’s garage, the guys — accompanied by Producer “Little Tommy” Sablan and later, co-hosts Laura Cain, Randy Hoag and Emily Griffiths, were hired by CBS Radio’s KYXY in January 2011.
Cesak announced his retirement in October 2015, closing out a chapter in his life that he described by saying, “Radio was never work. We always had so much fun every single day, it’s like high school with pay.” The show was rebranded as Jeff and the Showgram and remained on KYXY until June 2017. The Jeff and Jer Showgram was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2016.
Cesak is survived by his wife, Pam Cesak, and his devoted animal family: Winston, Gigi, Savanah, and Isabella. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Rancho Coastal Humane Society, which posted its own heartfelt tribute to Cesak.
A more in-depth look at Cesak’s life and career is posted on Jeff & The Showgram‘s Facebook page.
[Special thanks to “Radio’s Best Friend,” Art Vuolo, who produced a Jeff & Jer tribute video in 1995 for Morning Show Boot Camp in Atlanta.
