November 26 Radio History

Eric Sevareid

➦In 1912...CBS newsman & commentator Eric Sevareid was born in Velva, North Dakota.

At the age of 18, Sevareid entered journalism as a reporter for the Minneapolis Journal, while a student at the University of Minnesota in political science. He continued his studies abroad, first in London and later in Paris at the Sorbonne, where he also worked as an editor for United Press. He then became city editor of the Paris Herald Tribune. He left that post to join CBS as a foreign correspondent, based in Paris; he broadcast the fall of Paris, and followed the French government from there to Bordeaux and then Vichy, before leaving France for London and finally Washington.

He was one of a group of elite war correspondents dubbed “Murrow’s boys” because they were hired by pioneering broadcast newsman Edward R. Murrow. Sevareid was with CBS for 38 years.

He died of stomach cancer July 9, 1992 at age 79.

➦In 1913...actor/announcer Bill Baldwin was born in Pueblo Colorado. He became the radio and television voice of hundreds of products, and was a war correspondent for the NBC Blue network in WWII.   He served as national president of the American Federation of Radio & TV Artists (AFTRA) in the early 70’s. As an actor he appeared in a number of TV series, including ‘Hawaii Five-O,’ ‘Ironside,’ ‘The Beverly Hillbillies,’ and ‘Marcus Welby, M.D.’  He succumbed to cancer Nov. 17 1982, nine days short of his 69th birthday.


➦In 1933...singer Robert Goulet was born Stanley Applebaum  in Lawrence, Mass,  but within months his family moved to Northern Alberta.

He worked as disk jockey on Edmonton’s CKUA for two years and was a semi-finalist on CBC TV’s “Pick the Stars” in 1952.  He spent a summer at Vancouver’s Theatre Under the Stars.  In 1955 he became a regular on CBC TV’s Cross Canada Hit Parade. He was awarded a Grammy as the best new artist of 1962.  His best-selling album was the million-selling 1964 release “My Love Forgive Me,” which reached No. 5.

Goulet died awaiting a lung transplant Oct. 30 2007 at age 73.

➦In 1945...the daily radio program, “Bride and Groom”, debuted on the NBC Blue network. It is estimated that 1,000 newly-wed couples were interviewed on the program before it left the airwaves in 1950.



➦In 1962…At EMI's Abbey Road studios in London, the Beatles recorded "Please Please Me" and "Ask Me Why." "Please Please Me" was a re-recording of the song in a more uptempo style after producer George Martin told the band that their original ballad version was "too bloody boring for words."  Also on this day in 1994, the first Beatles record ever to be played on radio fetched more than $23K at an auction in London. It was a world record price for a commercially produced record. The recording of “Love Me Do” was played by Radio Luxembourg in 1963.

➦In 1969…At EMI's Abbey Road studios in London, John Lennon spent the afternoon mixing the Beatles songs "What's The New Mary Jane" and "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" with the intention of releasing them as the two sides of a Plastic Ono Band single. When this plan fell through, "Number" was released as the b-side of the Beatles' "Let It Be" single, making this the last time John Lennon was in the studio working on a Beatles song.

➦In 1970...George Harrison became the first Beatle to earn a #1 solo hit as "My Sweet Lord" climbed to the top.  The 5th Dimension was second with "One Less Bell to Answer".  The previous #1 "The Tears of a Clown" from Smokey Robinson & the Miracles was third, followed by Dawn's "Knock Three Times" and "Black Magic Woman" from Santana.

The rest of the Top 10:  The former #1 "I Think I Love You" from the Partridge Family, the Supremes remained at #7 with "Stoned Love", Chicago wouldn't budge with "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", Brian Hyland was still at #9 after 17 weeks with "Gypsy Woman" and Badfinger finished the list with "No Matter What".

➦In 1973…Elton John released the single "Step Into Christmas."

➦In 1979...Dan Ingram did his first morning show at 77 WABC after many years as the afternoon drive personality.

➦In 2003...longtime Washington, D.C. Radio broadcaster, Eddie Gallaher, died at age 89. He worked at stations including WTOP-AM, WASH-FM, and WWDC-AM.

Gallaher (dcrtv photo)

Gallaher's career in Washington began on WTOP-AM in 1947. Gallaher stayed on the air in one market for 53 years, working at two other stations before retiring in 2000.

"Eddie Gallaher was certainly one of the premier, if not the premier disc jockey, here in Washington," said Ed Walker. Walker and "Today"show weatherman Willard Scott were the "Joy Boys" on a rival morning program that ran on WRC-AM in Washington from 1955-1972.

Gallaher spent 21 years at WTOP, where celebrities passing through the  nation's capital made sure to stop by his studio.

When WTOP switched to a news and talk format in 1968, Gallaher moved to WASH-FM, then, in 1982, to WWDC-AM where he stayed until retiring in December 2000.

➦In 2009…Paul McCartney told a BBC interviewer that his concerts are a way of helping him "revisit" other members of the Beatles and his late wife Linda. "If I'm doing songs by the Beatles, I obviously remember the sessions when we recorded. Similarly with John and Linda - in a way you're kind of in contact with them again and it's sad, it's emotional."

Jian Ghomeshi

➦In 2014…After surrendering to Toronto police, former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi was charged with four counts of sexual assault and one of choking in a sexual assault investigation. The CBC had fired the 47-year-old broadcaster a month earlier amid sexual misconduct allegations against him and what the company termed  "graphic evidence" that he had physically injured a woman.

After a trial in February 2016, the judge acquitted Ghomeshi of all charges saying there was insufficient evidence to establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt.