Shock Theater
In 1971, WKEF management began looking for a gimmick to garner ratings on Saturday nights. When Hobart suggested a late-night horror movie show, station management accepted the idea; encouraged by colleagues, Hobart himself auditioned for the hosting job by donning a monk's robe, fangs and skull-like make-up, initially calling himself "Dr. Death". After Hobart was given the job the fangs were abandoned and the skull face motif toned down for being too fearsome, and the character's name was changed to "Dr. Creep".
Shock Theater premiered on Saturday, January 1, 1972 and was a fixture on WKEF for thirteen years. During that time, Dr. Creep co-hosted Clubhouse 22, a popular weekday afternoon kids show, adding to his local star power.
Like many other late-night horror shows, Shock Theater played classic "B" horror films, with bumpers and breaks featuring the host, leaning more toward the humorous than the horrific.
By the mid-to-late 1970s, Shock Theater had moved to Saturday afternoons, garnering a younger following. But by the early 1980s, the show's humor had become more risqué, causing increasing clashes with station management. Consequently, Shock Theater ended its run in March 1985, but Hobart remained a Master Control Operator at WKEF for six more years.
Read more about this topic: Dr. Creep