SAUL LEVINE

, 80

President and General Manager

Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters

Saul Levine has been working for seven decades.

“I started working when I was 10 years old and haven’t stopped since,” he said. “I have worked, worked, worked and I enjoy it.”

Levine said the secret of success is hard work, and lots of it. His family-owned radio station has found a prosperous niche in Los Angeles, despite competing stations that can draw on the resources of their corporate parents.

His station, KKGO (105.1 FM), made headlines when it switched formats from classical to country music almost two years ago and has had high ratings since then.

For his first 20 years in broadcasting, Levine practiced law by day to support his hobby of owning a radio station. When the station finally turned a profit in the late 1970s, Levine quit law.

He still goes to the KKGO offices five days a week. He usually leaves by 5:30 p.m., and drives 10 minutes to his home in West Los Angeles. After dinner with his wife, he reads business trade publications until bedtime.

“I’m up to nearly midnight because there’s just so much going on,” he said.

Levine says he maintains his health by avoiding red meat. His diet consists of fish, chicken, turkey, vegetables and fruits. He has a gym at home with a treadmill and exercise bike, and he works out four or five days a week.

He also owns vineyards in Napa and Monterey counties. He takes an active role in his wine-making business, too. He surprised himself with his latest move as a vintner.

“I bought a vineyard in New Zealand,” he said. “My goal is to produce one of the finest pinot noirs in the world.”

For other people who want to keep active into their eighth decade, Levine has some simple career advice.

“Don’t even think about retiring,” he said. “I’m amazed at people who retire in their 50s to play golf every day. I don’t consider that a meaningful or challenging life. And in many instances, they have not survived very long.”