While this ad from an Indiana beeper salesmen is amusing, it really just makes me miss JJ, the King of Beepers, who was unavoidable for a stretch in the 90’s before cell phones obliterated the pager market. While the Phoenix New Times ran a feature on the guy during his heyday and there’s a Flickr set of images of a store from a former employee, it seems weird how little there is out there about the guy. What’s he doing now? Where can I listen to recordings of his old ads? This is Arizona history that needs to be preserved, people.
This article appears in Dec 8-14, 2011.
Im JJ and Im the KING OF BEEPERS!!!!!!!!” ACTIVATION REQUIRED”
So my friend in the industry told me “JJ” went to the pokey for crimes unrelated to the beeper industry. Family member took over business and ran it into ground. Who really knows. I loved the Jingle that went along with it smooth sounding females in the background of the king.
He’s not in jail. I just had dinner with him last night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYTlODIdkTU