February 17 In Radio History

In 1908...Hall of Fame baseball announcer Red Barber was born. He died Oct. 22, 1992 at 84.

In 1947...VOA begins transmissions to Soviet Union

In 1967...At EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London, the Beatles began recording a new John Lennon composition "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite." The track was completed on March 31. It was one of three songs from the "Sgt. Pepper" album banned from airplay on the BBC, supposedly because the phrase "Henry the horse" combined two words that were individually known as slang for heroin. Lennon denied the connection.

In 1972...After obtaining tapes of unreleased material stolen from producer Marshall Chess' home, KDAY-Radio in Los Angeles played two new Rolling Stones tracks non-stop for 18 hours.

In 1979…Garrison Keillor's radio variety show "Prairie Home Companion" was first broadcast nationally as part of National Public Radio's "Folk Festival America."

In 1986...Howard Stern's radio show returned to morning Radio in New York City on WXRK-FM.



In 1991…DJ/personality Gary Gears (KQV-Pittsburgh, WCFL-Chicago, WLS-Chicago, WDAI-Chicago, CHUM-Toronto, AFVN South Vietnam 1968)/commercial voiceover announcer died after a heart attack at 46.



In 1994...Radio personality Barney Pip, WCFL Chicago, WGLI Long Island WPIX FM NYC, died at the age of 57 in Indianapolis

In 2004...Syndicated Radio personalities, Don and Mike, returned to the airwaves after a two-week unpaid suspension. They apologized for saying the word "Bullshit".