Labor Day, is a legal holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Canal Zone, and the Virgin Islands.
Canada also celebrates Labour Day on the same day.
What Labor Day Means
For most people, Labor Day means two things: a day off and a chance to say goodbye to the summer. But why is it called Labor Day? Labor Day is a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women. It has been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States and Canada since 1894.
"Labor Day differs in every essential way from the other holidays of the year in any country," said Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor. "All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man's prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day...is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation."
Who started Labor Day?
Like most cultural events, there is still some doubt over its origination. Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor working men and women. But many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday.
Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear however is that the Central Labor Union adopted the Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.
The First Labor Day
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union.
In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
In the USA, governmental recognition first came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year,
Still, it wasn't until the May 1894 strike by employees of the Pullman Palace Car Company and the subsequent deadly violence related to it that President Grover Cleveland suggested making Labor Day a national holiday. On June 28th 1894, as a way of mending fences with workers, he signed an act making the first Monday in September a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
There is a tradition of not wearing white after Labor Day. This fashion faux pas dates back to the late Victorian era. The Emily Post Institute explains that white indicated you were still in vacation mode, so naturally when summer ended so did wearing white.
➦In 1896...Amanda Randolph born (Died from a stroke at age 70 – August 24, 1967). She was the first African-American performer to star in a regularly scheduled network television show, appearing in DuMont's The Laytons.
She is best remembered as Kingfish’s mother-in-law in Amos & Andy, both radio & TV. In the late 1930’s she had been featured on the radio soaps Young Dr. Malone, Romance of Helen Trent and Big Sister. She was one of several actresses to play Beulah on TV, and was a cast member on The Danny Thomas Show.
➦In 1906...Radio actress Barbara Jo Allen was born in NYC.
Barbara Jo Allen
In 1933, Allen (left) joined the cast of NBC's One Man's Family as Beth Holly, followed by roles on Death Valley Days, I Love a Mystery and other radio series. According to Allen, her Vera Vague character was “sort of a frustrated female, dumb, always ambitious and overzealous… a spouting Bureau of Misinformation.”
After Vera was introduced in 1939 on NBC Matinee, she became a regular with Bob Hope beginning in 1941. In the early 1940s, she was a regular on Signal Carnival, a weekly program on NBC-Pacific Red stations.
Allen appeared in at least 60 movies and TV series between 1938 and 1963, often credited as Vera Vague rather than her own name.
She died Sept. 14 1974, just 12 days after turning 68.
➦In 1929...WOR (NYC) ends affiliation with CBS radio network.
➦In 1931...Crosby made his solo radio debut on the radio show, "15 Minutes with Bing Crosby", on CBS Radio Network.
Bing Crosby
In 1923, Crosby had been invited to join a new band composed of high school students a few years younger than himself. Al Rinker, Miles Rinker, James Heaton, Claire Pritchard and Robert Pritchard, along with drummer Crosby, formed the Musicaladers, who performed at dances both for high school students and club-goers. The group did perform on Spokane radio station KHQ, but disbanded after two years.
By 1925, Crosby had formed a vocal duo with partner Al Rinker, brother of singer Mildred Bailey. Bailey introduced Rinker and Crosby to Paul Whiteman, who was at that time America's most famous bandleader. Hired for $150 a week in 1926, they made their debut on December 6 at the Tivoli Theatre in Chicago. Their first recording was "I've Got The Girl", with Don Clark's Orchestra, but the Columbia-issued record did them no vocal favors, as it was inadvertently recorded at a speed slower than it should have been, which increased the singers' pitch when played at 78 rpm. Throughout his career, Crosby often credited Mildred Bailey for getting him his first important job in the entertainment business.
Even as the Crosby and Rinker duo was increasing in popularity, Whiteman added a third member to the group. The threesome, now includdc pianist and aspiring songwriter Harry Barris and were dubbed "The Rhythm Boys". They joined the Whiteman touring act, performing and recording with musicians Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Eddie Lang and Hoagy Carmichael, also appearing together in a Whiteman movie.
Crosby soon became the star attraction of the Rhythm Boys, and in 1928 he had his first number one hit with the Whiteman orchestra, a jazz-influenced rendition of "Ol' Man River".
However, Crosby's reported taste for alcohol and his growing dissatisfaction with Whiteman led to his quitting the Rhythm Boys to join the Gus Arnheim Orchestra.
During his time with Arnheim, the other two Rhythm Boys were increasingly pushed to the background as the emphasis was on Crosby. Harry Barris wrote several of Crosby's subsequent hits including "At Your Command", "I Surrender Dear", and "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams". But the members of the band had a falling out and split, setting the stage for Crosby's solo career.
From 1942...
Before the end of 1931, he signed with both Brunswick Records and CBS Radio. Doing a weekly 15-minute radio broadcast, Crosby quickly became a huge hit. His songs "Out of Nowhere", "Just One More Chance", "At Your Command" and "I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store)" were all among the best selling songs of 1931.
➦In 1945…Japan formally surrendered to the United States aboard the USS Missouri, ending World War II, six years and one day after it began.
➦In 1963..."The CBS Evening News" became the first TV network to extend the 15-minutes newscast to 30-minutes. Walter Cronkite was anchor. The program has been broadcast since July 1, 1941 as 'CBS Television News'. The competing Huntley-Brinkley Report on NBC expanded to 30 minutes exactly one week later on September 9, 1963.
➦In 1968...Music Directors at radio stations across the country received a new 45 from a new group called Creedence Clearwater Revival. They didn't know much about them other than their first single was called "Suzie Q". They played it, and the rest is history.
➦In 1974...Reunion released "Life is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)". Many custom versions were made for Top40 stations across the country. WCFL 1000 AM in Chicago had one. Here is the version for crosstown rival WLS 890 AM...
➦In 1986...WAPP changed to WQHT 103.5 FM.
The 103.5 signal became easy-listening WTFM in 1958, licensed to Lake Success, N.Y. The transmitter later was moved to the Chrysler Building in New York City, boosting its signal coverage. The easy listening format continued until 1978 when WTFM flipped to an adult contemporary format.
Doubleday Broadcasting purchased the station in 1982, renaming it WAPP-FM, and flipping to an album-oriented rock format.
WAPP flipped to a Top 40 format in the fall of 1984. After failing to dent the ratings of rivals WPLJ or Z-100, WAPP reverted to rock in 1985.
Emmis Broadcasting purchased the station in 1986, flipping to a Dance format as WQHT-FM. The change was a major ratings success.
Emmis purchased NBC’s radio stations in 1988 and moved WQHT to 97.1 FM, where it became known as “Hot 97.” WYNY moved its country format from 97.1 to 103.5. Ratings were mediocre.
Evergreen Media, which later was acquired by the company that became iHeartMedia, ended country music on 103.5 in 1996 and launched a dance-based format, renaming the station WKTU.
Jimmy Clanton is 86
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Singer Jimmy Clanton is 86.
Singer Rosalind Ashford of Martha and the Vandellas is 81.
Sportscaster Terry Bradshaw is 76.
Actor Mark Harmon is 73.
Actor Linda Purl (“Happy Days,” “Matlock”) is 69.
Drummer Jerry Augustyniak of 10,000 Maniacs is 66.
Drummer Paul Deakin of The Mavericks is 65.
Actor Keanu Reeves is 60.
Actor Salma Hayek is 58.
Actor Tuc Watkins (“One Life to Live”) is 58.
Actor Cynthia Watros (“Lost,” ″Titus”) is 56.
Singer K-Ci of K-Ci and JoJo is 55.
Actor Nicholas Pinnock (“For Life”) is 51.
Comedian Katt Williams (“Norbit”) is 51.
Actor Michael Lombardi (“Rescue Me”) is 50.
Actor Tiffany Hines (“Nikita,” “Bones”) is 47.
Bassist Sam Rivers of Limp Bizkit is 47.
Actor Jonathan Kite (“2 Broke Girls”) is 45.
Actor Joshua Henry (“Hamilton”) is 40.
Actor Allison Miller (“A Million Little Things”) is 39.
Drummer Spencer Smith (Panic at the Disco) is 37.
DJ-music producer Zedd is 35.
✞REMEMBRANCES
In 2001..Christiaan Barnard, South African cardiac surgeon who performed the 1st heart transplant, dies from a severe asthma attack at 78
In 2001..Troy Donahue, American actor (Hawaiian Eye), dies at 65
In 2005..Bob Denver, Actor (Gilligan's Island, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis), dies of complications from treatment for cancer at 70
In 2020..Ian Mitchell, Irish rocker (Bay City Rollers), dies at 62
➦In 1887…Inventor Emile Berliner filed for a patent for the lateral-cut, flat-disk gramophone he invented, a device better known as a record player.
A year earlier Berliner began experimenting with methods of sound recording. He was granted his first patent for what he called the "Gramophone" later in 1887. The patent described recording sound using horizontal modulation of a stylus as it traced a line on a rotating cylindrical surface coated with an unresisting opaque material such as lampblack, subsequently fixed with varnish and used to photoengrave a corresponding groove into the surface of a metal playback cylinder.
In practice, Berliner opted for the disc format, which made the photoengraving step much less difficult and offered the prospect of making multiple copies of the result by some simpler process such as electrotyping, molding or stamping. In 1888 Berliner was using a more direct recording method, in which the stylus traced a line through a very thin coating of wax on a zinc disc, which was then etched in acid to convert the line of bared metal into a playable groove.
Berliner also invented what was probably the first radial aircraft engine (1908), a helicopter (1919), and acoustical tiles (1920s).
➦In 1900...Don Wilson was born (Died from a stroke at age 81 – April 25, 1982). He is remembered best as the rotund announcer and comic foil to the star of The Jack Benny Program.
Don Wilson
Wilson began his radio career as a singer over Denver radio station KFEL in 1923.By 1929, he was working at KFI, and shortly afterwards for Don Lee at KHJ, in Los Angeles. In a 1978 appearance on Tomorrow with Tom Snyder, Wilson claimed he was fired from KHJ because he had bought a Packard from Earle C. Anthony, the business arch-rival of Cadillac dealer Don Lee and owner of KFI and KECA.
Though best known for his comedy work with Benny, Wilson had a background as a sportscaster, covering the opening of the 1932 Summer Olympics. Don appeared in two Broadway shows in the 1930s, "The Passionate Pilgrim", which opened October 19, 1932, and "The First Legion", which opened October 1, 1934.
Wilson first worked with Benny on the broadcast of April 6, 1934, he possessed a resonant voice, a deep belly laugh, and a plump figure, all of which would become important parts of his character with Benny.
➦In 1934...CKLW radio Windsor moved from 840 KHz to 1030 KHz with 5000 watts.
CKLW first came on the air on June 2, 1932 as CKOK on 540 kilocycles. The Station was built by George Storer and was sold to a group of Windsor-area businessmen led by Malcolm Campbell, operating as "Essex Broadcasters, Ltd." CKOK became CKLW and moved to 840 kHz in 1933, when Essex Broadcasters, Ltd. merged with the London, ON Free Press and its station CJGC (now CFPL), and became "Western Ontario Broadcasting", which was co-owned by Essex Broadcasters, and the London Free Press. The "LW" in the callsign is said to have stood for "London, Windsor", considered to be the two chief cities in the station's listening area.
In 1934, when London Free Press's station CJGC pulled out of the agreement, the station's ownership became wholly owned by Western Ontario Broadcasters. CJGC later evolved into today's CFPL 980, while CKLW moved from 840 to 1030 kc. in 1934, before settling on its present frequency of 800 kHz in 1941, thanks to a shuffle of frequency allocations.
CKLW for most of its history had a distinct American accent to its programming, and for a number of years served as the Detroit affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting System, an affiliation that began with its switch from CBS to Mutual September 29, 1935, and which would last from then until its purchase by RKO General in 1963.
After RKO General took over the station and its FM sister (93.9) in 1963, CKLW began to shed the variety-format approach and, as "Radio Eight-Oh", began focusing more aggressively on playing contemporary hits and issuing a record survey. Davies, Knowles, Dave Shafer, Tom Clay, Tom Shannon, Larry Morrow (as "Duke Windsor"), Terry Knight, and Don Zee were among the "Radio Eight-Oh" personalities during this time. The station did well thanks to its huge signal, and beat the local competition in Cleveland, Ohio, though in the local Detroit ratings CKLW still lagged well behind competing hit outlet WKNR.
However, on April 4, 1967, CKLW got a drastic makeover with Bill Drake's "Boss Radio" format, programmed locally by Paul Drew. Initially known as "Radio 8" with PAMS jingles, within a few months the station's final transformation into "The Big 8," with new jingles sung by the Johnny Mann Singers, was complete, and the station was on a rapid ratings upswing. In July 1967, CKLW claimed the number one spot in the Detroit ratings for the first time, and WKNR was left in the dust, switching to an easy listening format as WNIC less than five years later.
➦In 1952...Art Linkletter started his daily House Party on CBS-TV. The variety show featuring ‘Kids Say the Darndest Things” had its start in 1945 on daytime radio.
➦In 1955...Legendary radio personality Alan Freed held his "First Anniversary Rock 'n Roll Party" at Brooklyn's Paramount Theater, featuring Chuck Berry, and for some reason, Tony Bennett.
➦In 1960...Boston's WXKS 107.9 FM, better known as Kiss 108, first went on the air September 1, 1960 as WHIL-FM, a simulcast of sister station WHIL 1430 AM, now WKOX, and broadcasting its own programming after sunset when WHIL signed-off. For much of the sixties, WHIL & WHIL-FM were country-music stations, but in late 1972, both stations switched to beautiful music as WWEL-AM and FM ("Well"). The Calls refer to Wellington Sq in Medford MA, where the station studios were located.
Despite moving the FM transmitter to the top of the Prudential Tower in 1972, WWEL-FM was not very successful as a beautiful-music format. In 1978, WWEL-FM broadcast the night games of the Boston Red Sox baseball team as the flagship station WITS 1510 delivered a poor night signal in much of Metro Boston.
The stations were sold to Heftel Communications, operated by U.S. Rep. Cecil Heftel (D-Hawai) in early 1979. Heftel changed the call letters to WXKS, adopted "Kiss 108" as an identity and changed to a disco format on February 10, 1979 at 12:00am. Under Heftel, the station soared to near the top of the Arbitron ratings, and forced WBOS (which had been first in Boston with a 24/7 disco sound and had a short period of huge success with it) out of the format in early 1980.
Matty In The Morning 2009
Sunny Joe White, a young programmer (who had previously programmed WILD in Boston) came aboard at Kiss-108 upon its shift to disco and had much to do with the station's early success.
At the end of 1979, WXKS dropped disco to adopt an adult standards format, while the FM slowly evolved into urban contemporary when disco's popularity crashed. By the end of 1981 and into early 1982, the station became a CHR with a heavily Rhythmic R&B/Dance direction under the guidance of White, and in turn became one of the most influential Top 40 stations in the nation, in part due to their reputation for breaking songs that did not fit the traditional Top 40/CHR model, and given that Boston lacked a Urban Contemporary FM outlet during this period, and since WILD was an AM daytimer, it wasn't afraid to play songs from that genre.
The genre would later become the format now known as Rhythmic contemporary, which is now the current format of sister station WJMN. By 1988, WXKS began to shift out of the Rhythmic direction and evolved into its current successful Top 40/CHR format. It is currently owned by iHeartMedia.
Ron Lundy
➦In 1965...Ron Lundy started at WABC 770 AM.
Lundy was born June 25, 1934 in Memphis, TN. He served as a US Marine after graduating from high school. Following the completion of his military stint, he returned to his hometown and attended a local radio broadcasting school on the G.I. Bill.
At the same time, he worked across the street at WHHM-AM, where he got his first on-air experience one night when he substituted for the regular disc jockey who failed to report for his shift. This resulted in Lundy being hired as a full-time radio announcer by Hodding Carter for WDDT-AM, the latter's new station in Greenville, Mississippi.
After a stop in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at WLCS-AM, Lundy was brought to WIL-AM in St. Louis, MO in 1960 by Dan Ingram, who was the station's program director until the middle of 1971. Nicknamed the "Wil' Child", Lundy had a style which was described as a combination of "country and crawfish pie" by Bob Whitney, who also played a major role in the appointment.
Lundy was reunited with Ingram at WABC-AM in 1965.
He made his New York radio debut on September 1, working the overnight shift as "The Swingin' Nightwalker." Beginning in May 1966, he became the midday fixture at the station for the next sixteen years. With his catchphrase "Hello, Love–this is Ron Lundy from the Greatest City in the World," he usually preceded Ingram's afternoon drive time program,. Ron and Dan became best friends and hosted "The Last Show" before WABC's format conversion from music to talk radio at noon on May 10, 1982.
The following year he joined NYC Oldies WCBS 101.1 FM and retired in 1997.
Lundy was inducted the St. Louis Hall Radio Hall of Fame on January 1, 2006, with a banquet held June 10, 2006. He died of a heart attack at age 75 on March 15, 2010 in Oxford, Mississippi. He had recently been recovering from a previous heart attack after being dehydrated.
➦In 1967...Thursday Throwback with the WLS Music Survey...53-years ago today...
➦In 1975...KOL-AM in Seattle Washington changed its call letters to KMPS ("Kountry Music Puget Sound"), as a country station
➦In 1977...WNBC 660 AM switched to the “Bob Pittman” format.
Bob Pittman
Bob Pittman had been hired as WNBC's new Program Director, replacing Mel Phillips. His first decision was to lay-off all of the station's personalities, some of which were veterans (including Don Imus, Cousin Brucie, Norm N. Nite and Joe McCoy), replacing them with younger-sounding disc jockeys from medium markets.
He also shifted the format to from Adult Top 40 or Hot AC to a more aggressively current-based Top 40 format, with occasional nods to FM radio (such as commercial-free hours).
As a result of this tweaking, the station was now playing artists such as Andy Gibb, KC & the Sunshine Band, Boston, Peter Frampton, Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, Billy Joel, the Bee Gees, among others.
However, listenership did not go up, but actually went down.
By 1979, Pittman would leave WNBC. John Lund was hired back as program director (from KHOW in Denver), and Don Imus returned to the morning show. Under program director John Lund, WNBC's playlist was tweaked back to an Adult top 40 format, and ratings increased by 50% to surpass WABC by the summer of 1980..
➦In 1981…The RKO Radio Network became the first company to offer two separate live overnight services via satellite to affiliate radio stations as its "America Overnight" talk show premiered. The six-hour program featured three-hour segments hosted by Ed Busch in Dallas and Eric Tracey in Los Angeles.
Debuting eight months earlier, the RKO Radio Network's "Night Time America," based in New York City and hosted/produced by Bob Dearborn, was the first, live, daily, satellite-delivered music show in radio history. Dearborn produced and hosted the five-hour adult contemporary show from January 9, 1981 until 1984.
The RKO Radio Networks, a subsidiary of RKO General, were the first commercial radio networks to distribute programming entirely by satellite. When it began operations on October 1, 1979, the initial RKO network was the first new full-service American radio network in 40 years.
The newscasts, aimed at a young adult audience, had a conversational, high-energy style developed by co-founders Vice President and News Director Dave Cooke, and Vice President of Programming Jo Interrante.
The original network, which fed newscasts at :50 repeated at :00, became known as RKO 1 when RKO 2 debuted on September 1, 1981. RKO 2 fed newscasts at :20 repeated at :30 and was aimed at an older audience. Both networks offered sportscasts, music, public affairs programming and closed-circuit affiliate feeds of news and sports correspondent reports and news-maker actualities.
➦In 1983...WGH-AM in Newport News VA changed call letters to WNSY.
As WPAB, the station was first licensed on 940 kHz on December 6, 1926. The station took the callsign WGH and moved to 1310 kHz in 1928. Because it dates back to the early days of radio, WGH is the only station in Virginia to retain its three-letter call sign, although there were periods in its history when it used the call letters WNSY and WCMS.
The call letters for WGH and its sister station 97.3 WGH-FM stand for World's Greatest Harbor, a slogan for the Hampton Roads or Tidewater area of Virginia, where there is a large shipbuilding industry and both commercial and military ports.
For much of the 1960s and 70s, WGH was a popular top 40 station. On October 5, 2009, WGH swapped formats with WXEZ 94.1 FM and became an urban gospel station as "Star 1310". On July 28, 2017, WGH switched to a format of 1950s-60s oldies.
On February 28, 2019, WGH changed its format from oldies to urban talk and urban oldies, branded as "1310 The Power" it is owned by Maxx Media.
➦In 2001...WEVD 1050 AM NYC changed to ESPN Sports Radio.
➦In 2005...Barry Cowsill (right), bassist for the Cowsills, died in New Orleans from injuries suffered during Hurricane Katrina at the age of 51.
His body was not recovered until December 28. He had left several urgent phone messages for his sister Susan on September 1.
➦In 2008…Voice-over artist Don LaFontaine died (Born August 26, 1940). He was a voice actor who recorded more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers.
He became identified with the phrase "In a world...", used in so many movie trailers that it became a cliché. Widely known in the film industry, the man whose nicknames included "Thunder Throat" and "The Voice of God", became known to a wider audience through commercials for GEICO insurance and the Mega Millions lottery game.
LaFontaine said his voice cracked at age 13 in mid-sentence, giving him the bass tones that later brought him much fame and success.
➦In 2012...Songwriter Hal David died of a stroke at the age of 91 in Los Angeles. In 1957, David met composer Burt Bacharach at Famous Music in the Brill Building in New York. The two teamed up and wrote their first hit "The Story of My Life", recorded by Marty Robbins in 1957. Subsequently, in the 1960s and early 1970s Bacharach and David wrote some of the most enduring songs in American popular music, many for Dionne Warwick but also for The Carpenters, Dusty Springfield, B. J. Thomas, Gene Pitney, Tom Jones, Jackie DeShannon and others.
Their hits included "(They Long to Be) Close To You", "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head", "This Guy's in Love with You", "One Less Bell to Answer", "What the World Needs Now Is Love", "The Look of Love", "Do You Know the Way to San Jose", "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and "Walk On By".
David was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.
Dan Donovan and John Lennon
➤In 2014...Twin Cities and Philadelphia radio legend Dan Donovan died of a heart attack.
Dan Donovan
Born Blaine Harvey in Philadelphia, Donovan got interested in radio growing up in Gettysburg, PA. He began his career at WGET 1320 AM, later moving to WSBA 910 AM in nearby York. After studying journalism at Penn State, he moved on to WICE Radio in Providence, Rhode Island, in the early 1960s. He then moved to WMEX 1510 in Boston and WCBM 680 in Baltimore before beginning a ten-year run at WFIL 560 AM in Philadelphia.
He arrived KSTP 94.5 FM KS 95FM in the Twin Cities in 1979, and joined KQQL 107.9 FM KOOL 108 FM in 1991, bringing the enthusiasm and style that have made him one of the region’s best known and best loved DJ’s to his popular afternoon drive and Sunday oldies shows.
Donovan last worked at Clear Channel's KQQL, but was RIFFed in 2009.
In 2014...Fox News Radio White House reporter Mike Majchrowitz died, following a battle with cancer. He was 51.
Aboard Air Force 1
Mike Majchrowitz (left), the Congressional and White House reporter with the unspellable last name, joined FOX News Radio at its very beginning in 2005. Mac and Rich Johnson were the backbone of the Washington bureau.
Born in 1963 in Racine, Wisconsin, a Washington D.C. Correspondent since 1997, Mac traveled the world covering Presidential trips.
He anchored coverage of elections, conventions and debates, returning to cover the 2012 campaign while battling cancer.
“Mike was an original – a solidly tenacious reporter, a thoughtful anchor and a good man,” Mitch Davis, VP of Fox News Radio, said in a statement. ”He earned the respect of his colleagues for many things, not the least of which was his kindness. From our earliest days he helped Fox News Radio grow into what we are now. His voice was unique, as was his courage. Throughout his struggle, he remained positive and was an inspiration to us all. We will miss him.”
Barry Gibb is 78
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Comedian-actor Lily Tomlin is 85.
Singer Archie Bell of Archie Bell and the Drells is 80.
Singer Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees is 78.
Drummer Greg Errico of Sly and the Family Stone is 76.
Talk show host Dr. Phil is 74.
Singer Gloria Estefan is 67.
Jazz saxophonist Boney James is 63.
Singer-guitarist Grant Lee Phillips (“Gilmore Girls”) is 61.
Country singer-songwriter Charlie Robison is 60.
DJ Spigg Nice of Lost Boyz is 54.
Actor Ricardo Antonio Chavira (“Desperate Housewives”) is 53.
Actor Maury Sterling (“Homeland”) is 53.
Actor Scott Speedman (“Felicity”) is 49.
Singer Angaleena Presley of Pistol Annies is 48.
Actor Boyd Holbrook (“Narcos”) is 43.
Actor Zoe Lister-Jones (“Life in Pieces,” ″New Girl”) is 42.
Guitarist Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy is 40.
Actor Aisling Loftus (“Mr. Selfridge”) is 34.
✞REMEMBRANCES
In 1969..Drew Pearson, American newscaster (Drew Pearson), dies at 71
In 1983..Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson, American politician (Sen-D-Wash), dies at 71
In 1989..A. Bartlett Giamatti, American MLB commissioner (1989) and President of Yale University (1978-86), dies of a heart attack at 51
In 2014..Jimi Jamison, American rock singer (Survivor, 1984-89, 2000-06, 2011-14 - "High On You"), dies of a stroke at 63
In 2015..Dean Jones, American actor (Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, The Love Bug), dies at 84
In 2023..Jimmy Buffett, American country rock singer-songwriter ("Margaritaville") and restaurant entrepreneur (Margaritaville Cafe), dies of Merkel cell carcinoma (a rare form of skin cancer) at 76
➦In 1916...Journalist Daniel Schorr born (Died at 93 – July 23, 2010). He covered world news for more than 60 years. He was most recently a Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio (NPR). Schorr won three Emmy Awards for his television journalism. Born in the Bronx, NY, he began his journalism career at the age of 13, when he came upon a woman who had jumped or fallen from the roof of his apartment building. After calling the police, he phoned the Bronx Home News and was paid $5 for his information.
Following several years as a stringer, in 1953 he joined CBS News as one of the recruits of Edward R. Murrow (becoming part of the later generation of Murrow's Boys). Schorr died from an apparent "short illness" on July 23, 2010, at a Washington, D.C. hospital. He was 93 years old. Schorr's last broadcast commentary for NPR aired on Saturday, July 10, 2010.
➦In 1920...The first news program to be broadcast on radio was aired. The station was 8MK in Detroit, MI.
Circa 1920
8MK soon became WWJ and was founded by The Detroit News; the mixed letter/number calls were assigned to the station by the United States Department of Commerce Bureau of Navigation, the government bureau responsible for radio regulation at the time. The 8 in the call sign referred to its location in the 8th Radio Inspection District, while the M in the call sign identified that the station operated under an amateur license. It is not clear why the Detroit News applied for an amateur license instead of an experimental license. As an amateur station, it broadcast at 200 meters (the equivalent of 1500 AM).
8MK was initially licensed to Michael DeLisle Lyons, a teenager, and radio pioneer. He assembled the station in the Detroit News Building but the Scripps family asked him to register the station in his name, because they were worried this new technology might only be a fad, and wanted to keep some distance. Later that year, Michael and his brother Frank, also assembled the first radio in a police car in Toledo, Ohio (with Ed Clark who started WJR 760 AM in Detroit). They captured a prowler using the radio, making national headlines. RCA got the contract to install radios in police cars across the country.
➦In 1941... Great Gildersleeve, a spin-off of Fibber McGee & Molly debuted on NBC. The show continued to air to 1957.
➦In 1942...'The Adventures of Superman', the long-running radio serial which started in 1940 on WOR NYC, moved to the Mutual Broadcast System. It aired as a 15-minute serial, running three or, usually, five times a week. From February 7 to June 24, 1949, it ran as a thrice-weekly half-hour show. The series shifted to ABC Saturday evenings on October 29, 1949, and then returned to afternoons twice a week on June 5, 1950, continuing on ABC until March 1, 1951. In all, 2,088 original episodes of The Adventures of Superman aired on radio.
➦In 1976...a judge ruled that George Harrison was guilty of “subconcious plagiarism” from the song “He’s So Fine” (a 1963 hit by The Chiffons.) The judge said that the chorus to Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” was identical to “He’s So Fine,” and it eventually (appeals went on for about five years) cost the former Beatle more than half a million dollars.
➦In 1981...WXLO 98.7 FM (now sports WEPN) NYC adopted the “Kiss” brand as The station completed its transition to new urban contemporary format. Early on, WRKS played a great deal of R&B and dance music, and became an almost instant hit with listeners, as its ratings skyrocketed from 22nd place to third. Notable Kiss FM Mixmasters at the time were Shep Pettibone and the Latin Rascals, who relied heavily on freestyle music. Longtime urban contemporary leader WBLS was caught off-guard by the sudden rise of the new station.
➦In 1995...The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened in Cleveland, Ohio with a seven-hour concert featuring dozens of artists.
➦In 2008....CBS News radio/TV reporter Ike Pappas died of heart failure at 75. Pappas was among the throng of reporters present at the Dallas City Jail November 1963 for presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald's transfer to the County Jail.
Jack Ruby shoots Lee Harvey Oswald 11/24/63
Working for WNEW 1130 AM in New York at the time, Pappas began his report as Oswald came into view:
"Now the prisoner, wearing a black sweater, he's changed from his T-shirt, is being moved out toward an armored car. Being led out by Captain Fritz." (car horn sounds) There's the prisoner. (Pappas holds his microphone out towards Oswald) Do you have anything to say in your defense..."
As Pappas asked Oswald the question, Jack Ruby stepped out of the crowd of reporters with a pistol, moved in front of Oswald and fired one shot into Oswald's abdomen.
"There's a shot! Oswald has been shot! Oswald has been shot! A shot rang out. Mass confusion here, all the doors have been locked. Holy mackerel!"
Pappas later testified in Ruby's trial.
➦In 2011...The 1985 Dire Straits’ song “Money For Nothing,” was reinstated on Canadian radio playlists after a public outcry resulted from the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) labelling of the song as “unacceptable”. That decision was made based on onecomplaint from a radio listener, who objected to the song’s use of the word “faggot.” Said broadcaster Alan Cross, “it made us look silly in the eyes of the broadcast community around the world.”
➦In 2011...CHUM personality and manager Bob Laine died at age 72. Laine began his radio career at CFRS in Simcoe, Ont., but quickly moved to CHUM Toronto, signing on as the all-night DJ in May 1958.
He stayed there, with his signature opening, "Good morning world, this is Bob-O. Good morning Bob-O, this is world," for a decade, with one brief interruption.
"The Voice" left CHUM in March 1962 for a very short stint as CFGM's morning man but was back at the overnight show in May of that same year.
Mr. Laine moved to afternoons in 1968 and then into management in the 1970s as program director of CHUM-FM. He retired in 2003 as a corporate vice-president after almost 46 years with the company.
Van Morrison is 79
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
Singer Van Morrison is 79.
Violinist Itzhak Perlman is 79.
Guitarist Rudolf Schenker of Scorpions is 76.
Actor Richard Gere is 75.
Actor Stephen Henderson (“Fences,” ″Manchester By The Sea”) is 75.
Drummer Gina Schock of The Go-Go’s is 67.
Singer Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze is 67.
Singer Tony DeFranco of The DeFranco Family is 65.
Keyboardist Larry Waddell of Mint Condition is 61.
Actor Jaime P. Gomez (“Nash Bridges”) is 59.
Guitarist Jeff Russo of Tonic is 55.
Singer Deborah Gibson is 54.
Bassist Greg Richling of The Wallflowers is 54.
Actor Zack Ward (“A Christmas Story,” ″Titus”) is 54.
Actor Chris Tucker (“Rush Hour”) is 52.
Actor Sara Ramirez (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 49.
Singer Tamara of Trina and Tamara is 47.
✞REMEMBRANCES
In 1969..Rocky Marciano, American boxer (undefeated world heavyweight champion 1952-56), dies in a plane crash at 45
In 1973..John Ford, American director (Stagecoach, Air Mail, Quiet Man), dies at 78
In 1997..Diana Spencer, English Princess of Wales, dies in car crash in Paris at 36
In 2002..Lionel Hampton, American Jazz vibraphone player, pianist, drummer, and actor, dies from congestive heart failure at 94
In 2008..Ike Pappas, American news correspondent (CBS), dies at 75
In 2008..Jerry Reed, American country music singer ("When You're Hot, You're Hot") and actor (Bat 21; Smokey and the Bandit), dies of complications from emphysema at 71
In 2013..David Frost, British broadcaster (That Was the Week That Was), dies from a heart attack at 74
In 2020..Tom Seaver, American Baseball HOF pitcher (NL Cy Young Award 1969, 73, 75; 12 x MLB All Star; NY Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago WS), dies of Lewy body dementia and COVID-19 at 75
In an interview with CNN, Vice President Kamala Harris faced questions about changing her positions on U.S. policy. Her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, joined Harris during the interview.
Here are some key takeaways from Thursday's CNN interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz:
Economic Plans: Harris emphasized her commitment to supporting and strengthening the middle class. She mentioned that she would start implementing several proposals on her first day in office.
Bipartisan Cabinet: Harris stated that she would appoint a Republican to her Cabinet if elected, highlighting her belief in the importance of diverse opinions and experiences in decision-making.
Border Policy: Harris blamed former President Donald Trump for the failure of a bipartisan border deal earlier this year. She committed to pushing a comprehensive border bill through Congress if elected.
Campaign Strategy: Harris and Walz are positioning themselves as candidates of change, with Harris addressing her past positions and emphasizing a forward-looking approach.
Response to Criticism: Harris brushed off Trump’s questioning of her racial identity and focused on her policy proposals and vision for the future.
Meanwhile, Harris has stepped out of the shadow of her role as the Biden administration vice president and has established herself as a candidate who voters view largely in positive terms, giving her a narrow lead in the presidential election against Donald Trump, a new Wall Street Journal poll finds.
Harris had 48% support to Trump’s 47% in a head-to-head test of the two candidates, and she led by 2 points, 47% to 45%, on a ballot that included independent and third-party candidates, according to the poll, which was conducted after Democrats concluded their televised national convention. The leads in both matchups fell within the survey’s margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
ABC News has declined to adopt Vice President Kamala Harris’ request to have wholly unmuted microphones during her Sept. 10 debate with former President Donald Trump — after days of wrangling over what Republicans viewed as Democratic attempts to lay a trap for the GOP nominee.
A network email reviewed by The NY Post lays out similar rules as those for Trump’s June 27 CNN debate against President Biden — including no audience, no pre-written notes or props and muted mics when a candidate is not speaking.
Trump and Harris will be standing on stage and will only be allowed to have a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.
The Republican campaign had insisted the debate — set to be held at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center — follow the same rules as the June showdown with Biden.
However, Harris’ team claimed Monday that they wanted both candidates’ mics on for the entire 90-minute forum.
A top Trump ally said ABC News had informed both campaigns in writing last week that it would employ the “CNN rules” and both had confirmed that Sept. 10 was a “go.”
The email seen by The Post was sent Tuesday by ABC News Chief Counsel Eric Lieberman. It reiterated the rules and asked the campaigns for their “formal acceptance.”
After The Post reported on the ABC News email Thursday, Harris spokesperson Brian Fallon said the Democrats “have been asked” to accept the Trump request to have the muted mics, but expressed frustration and said the Harris team remains “in discussions with ABC on the final rules.”
It was widely assumed that Harris wanted the microphones unmuted to deploy an interjectory line to garner viral buzz.
The suspects in the foiled plot to attack Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concerts in Vienna earlier this month wanted to kill "tens of thousands" of the artist's fans, CIA Deputy Director David Cohen said Wednesday at a security conference in Maryland, reports CBS News.
"They were plotting to kill a huge number — tens of thousands of people at this concert, including, I am sure, many Americans — and were quite advanced in this," Cohen said, according to The Associated Press. "The Austrians were able to make those arrests because the agency and our partners in the intelligence community provided them information about what this ISIS-connected group was planning to do."
Swift's Vienna concerts, which would have begun on Aug. 8, were canceled by the events' organizers, Barracuda Music, when they were informed of the foiled plot by Austrian authorities.
The move left tens of thousands of Swift's fans, many of whom had traveled to Vienna from elsewhere in the country or abroad specifically to see a show, devastated.
"I won't be able to see Taylor again with these resale prices so I am pretty devastated," one social media user named Caroline said shortly after the shows were canceled. "This was supposed to be my 'you beat cancer' trip so losing it hurts."
Another social media user named Sarah wrote that she had been "waiting to see taylor in my home country since i was 9 years old, i'm now 25... to have all this taken away by some men being so fueled by hatred for no reason at all makes me so beyond angry i can't put it into words."
The main suspect in the alleged plot, along with a 17-year-old, were taken into custody on Aug. 6, the day before the cancelations were announced. Austrian officials said the primary suspect, who they have not named due to Austrian privacy laws, was inspired by ISIS. They said he had planned to attack outside the stadium with knives or explosives.
A third suspect, who was 18 years old, was arrested on Aug. 8.
At the security conference Wednesday, CIA Deputy Director Cohen praised the CIA's work, saying counterterrorism "successes" often go unheralded, according to the AP.
"I can tell you within my agency, and I'm sure in others, there were people who thought that was a really good day for Langley," he said, referring to the location of the CIA headquarters in Virginia. "And not just the Swifties in my workforce."
The U.S. recorded music market grew a little bigger in the first half of 2024 — but not by much. The retail value of total industry revenue reached $8.65 billion, according to Billboard citing RIAA figures released Thursday (Aug. 29), thanks mainly to a modest gain in streaming revenue and a jump in vinyl sales.
While the period’s revenue is a record for the first half of a year, it marked just a 3.9% gain from the prior year’s period. The U.S. market has returned to a more workmanlike trajectory, putting high-single digit and double-digit gains in the rear-view mirror. By contrast, revenue was up 8.8% and 9.0% in the first half of 2022 and 2023, respectively. In the first half of 2021, as paid and ad-supported streaming benefitted from pandemic-era lockdowns that drove consumers to their devices, revenue rocketed 27.0%.
Vinyl EP and LP sales totaled 24.3 million units, up 10.7%, and were valued at $739.9 million, up 17%. Other physical formats gained, too, but the distance between them and vinyl grew larger. CD sales improved just 0.3% to $236.7 million. The other category—encompassing cassettes, CD singles, vinyl singles, DVD audio and SACD—improved 66.6% to $13.2 million.
Physical sales increased its percentage of total revenue to 11.4% from 10.5% in the prior-year period and 10.2% in the first half of 2022. Vinyl has doubled its share of the market in five years, reaching 8.5% of total U.S. revenue — up from 4.2% in the first half of 2020.
Streaming still dominates industry revenue and provided the single-biggest dollar gain of all the categories. Total streaming revenue grew 3.8% to $7.3 billion and accounted for 84.1% of total revenue, equal to the year-ago period. Paid subscription revenue hit $5.23 billion, up 5.1%, leading all streaming categories by a wide margin. The average number of subscribers reached 99 million, up just 2.6%, suggesting record labels benefitted from price increases by Spotify and other services.
ESPN today announced its dynamic two-show CFB Tailgate tour, bringing fans closer to the heart of college football action every weekend. The tour features the popular "Amber & Ian: On the Road" on Friday nights and an immersive Saturday morning broadcast live from prime tailgating locations, which begins Saturday, August 31 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
‘Amber & Ian: On the Road’ – Friday Nights 7-10p ET Starting Week 1, "Amber & Ian: On the Road" will take over the airwaves every Friday night from 7-10 p.m. ET. Hosted by Amber Wilson, Jonathan Zaslow, and Rashad Jennings, the show will be broadcast live in the town of the game. The show will delve into the top college football storylines, NFL highlights, and provide fans the perfect lead-in to their sports-packed weekend.
Early season highlights: Week 1: The tour kicks off at the WRUF studios in Gainesville, the same station where both Amber and Jonathan began their radio careers at the University of Florida. Week 2: The team heads to the iconic Big House at the University of Michigan, broadcasting from high atop the stadium on the eve of the Texas vs. Michigan showdown. Week 3: Jonathan Zaslow will join Mark Tauscher, former Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers offensive lineman, at Buck & Honey’s Steakhouse in Wisconsin. The broadcast will coincide with a special dinner, honoring the 25th anniversary of Ron Dayne’s Heisman Trophy win.
Saturday Morning CFB Tailgate – Live from Prime Locations 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. ET On Saturday mornings, the CFB Tailgate tour continues with a live broadcast from ESPN Radio’s customized Airstream trailer. From 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET, the hosts will be stationed at the heart of the most vibrant tailgating scenes, bringing listeners unparalleled access to the excitement leading up to kickoff. The show will feature live reports from ESPN’s on-site reporters, interviews with coaches and players, and essential tips for making wagers.
With a mix of live interaction, insider insights, and fan-favorite features from the “Amber & Ian” show, ESPN’s CFB Tailgate tour promises to be the ultimate weekend destination for college football enthusiasts.
Audacy’s 98.1 The Lake (WLND-FM) in Chattanooga will rebrand as Olivia 98.1, Chattanooga’s Gold Medal Station, from August 30 to September 3.
The new name will honor hometown weightlifter Olivia Reeves, who won the first gold medal for the United States in 24 years in this sport at the Paris Olympics. Olivia 98.1 will continue to deliver its adult hits format with the addition of tributes to Reeves’ journey and her record-breaking achievement.
“We are thrilled to commemorate Olivia and her extraordinary victory by changing our name to Olivia 98.1 for the holiday weekend,” said Nichole Hartman, Market President, Audacy Chattanooga. “Olivia is a true inspiration to our community, and we are proud to call her one of our own. This name change is a small way for us to champion her incredible accomplishment.”
The launch of Olivia 98.1 coincides with other local celebrations. Reeves will throw the first pitch before the Chattanooga Lookouts’ “Red, White, Blue, and Gold Day” game against the Birmingham Barons on August 30, and the City of Chattanooga will throw a parade in her honor on September 3.
📻Listeners can tune in to 98.1 The Lake (WLND-FM) in Chattanooga on air and nationwide on the Audacyapp and website. Fans can also connect with the station via X, Facebook and Instagram.
On September 1, Audacy will air “Thomas Rhett: On The Record,” the latest installment of the Company’s national album release franchise. During the hour-long special, Rhett will take listeners through his new album, About A Woman, track by track.
Listeners can tune in to Audacy’s local Country stations and the free Audacy app at 7:00 p.m. local time as he comments on the 14 songs from his seventh studio album that tell a story “about a woman.”
“About A Woman blends TR’s adoration for his wife Lauren with his ability to create bodies of work that transcend traditional Country,” said Tim Roberts, Country Format Vice President, Audacy. “This project is unlike anything else in TR’s discography, making his ‘On The Record’ narrative even more valuable for listeners who will take an in-depth trip through his creative process. We are elated to uplift this tremendous achievement by adding another layer to this upbeat love-infused album.”
“On The Record” deepens the relationship between artists and their fans, bringing listeners closer to their favorite musicians than ever before. Rhett promotes his latest work following a Whirlwind edition with Lainey Wilson. The Country superstars join a roster of other high-profile musicians who have had specials of their own since the franchise launched in May, including Billie Eilish, twenty one pilots and Camila Cabello.
“It has been a pleasure to watch Thomas and his music evolve over the past decade. His just-released seventh studio album, About A Woman, is truly his best work to date, and the fans are loving it,” said George Briner, President, The Valory Music Co. “We’re excited to partner with our friends at Audacy to present ‘Thomas Rhett’s Weekend Takeover,’ giving that many more people the opportunity to hear how truly wonderful his music is!”
Audacy Country brands will also deliver unique content on air and across digital platforms during “Thomas Rhett’s Weekend Takeover” to coincide with his “On The Record” album release special.
Jim Donovan, who has served as the play-by-play voice of the Cleveland Browns since the team's return to the NFL in 1999, has announced that he is stepping down as he continues his fight against cancer.
In a letter to Browns fans, Jimmy states that his cancer has returned "very aggressively," requiring him to devote everything he has "to continue the fight."
"Not a day has gone by when I haven't paused and been so proud to be "The Voice of the Browns," Jimmy added in his note to fans. "Cheryl (Jimmy's wife), Meghan (Jimmy's daughter) and I thank you for all the love, support and prayers during my rough patches. It's like having a huge family around us. And that's what makes the Cleveland Browns so special. You do."
Jimmy retired from WKYC in June after a remarkable 39-year tenure as sports and news anchor.
‘WKYC is truly saddened to hear that Jimmy won’t be calling the games of his beloved Browns," said Micki Byrnes, WKYC Studios president and general manager. "Our thoughts are with him, Cheryl, and Meghan as they continue their fight. We know he has the support and love of every kind of fan in Northeast Ohio.
The Cleveland Browns football team's radio home is Browns Radio Network, which includes three flagship stations and 26 affiliates:
➦In 1903...Arthur Godfrey was born (Died: March 16, 1983). Godfrey is probably best known for his "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scout" and was one of if not the most popular radio personalities of his day.
Arthur Godfrey
On leaving the Coast Guard, Godfrey became a radio announcer for the Baltimore station WFBR (now WJZ (AM)) and moved the short distance to Washington, D.C. to become a staff announcer for NBC-owned station WRC the same year and remained there until 1934.
Recovering from a near-fatal automobile accident en route to a flying lesson in 1931 (by which time he was already an avid flyer), he decided to listen closely to the radio and realized that the stiff, formal style then used by announcers could not connect with the average radio listener; the announcers spoke in stentorian tones, as if giving a formal speech to a crowd and not communicating on a personal level. Godfrey vowed that when he returned to the airwaves, he would affect a relaxed, informal style as if he were talking to just one person. He also used that style to do his own commercials and became a regional star.
➦In 1931...gossip columnist Walter Winchell began his long distinctive radio career with a quarter hour Tuesday nights coast-to-coast on CBS, after a 3-month trial run on the local New York affiliate WABC.
➦In 1934...KEX 1180 AM moved studios from the "Terminal Sales Building" to "The Oregonian" bldg. with KGW
➦In 1963...“American Bandstand” aired for the final time as a daily show on ABC-TV, it became a weekly show on Saturdays for another 26 years
NY Times Story
➦In 1966...WOR 98.7 FM changed to rock. (As of this writing: Sports WEPN-FM)
It was nation’s first free-form progressive rock format. Some legendary NYC disc jockeys, including Scott Muni and Murray “The K” Kaufman, were among the original WOR-FM staffers.
WOR-FM became popular on college campuses and the station racked up impressive ratings for an FM station in those days.
But owner RKO wanted to play just the hits. It tweaked the format in 1967 to target a traditional Top 40 audience. Consultant Bill Drake brought a version of his “Boss Radio” format, which had been popular on other RKO stations around the nation, to WOR-FM. New York City’s version of the format was more oldies- and adult-oriented.
Today, the station is owned by Emmis Communications and leased by ESPN airing sports as WEPN.
➦In 1984...Elected in the Sportscasters Hall of Fame were President Ronald Reagan, radio pioneers Red Barber, Bill Stern, Graham McNamee, Don Dunphy and Ted Husing.
➦In 2011…Richard "Cactus" Pryor died (Born - January 7, 1923). He was a broadcaster and humorist. He received his nickname after the old Cactus Theater on Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, which was run by his father, "Skinny" Pryor.
Pryor was first heard on Lady Bird Johnson's radio station KLBJ 590 AM, though his face became as well known as his voice once he moved to television broadcasting on Austin television station KTBC.
In addition to his work in radio and television, Pryor also appeared in two movies, Hellfighters and The Green Berets with John Wayne. He was the author of a 1995 collection of some 40 essays entitled Playback. At KTBC, Pryor had served as programming manager and had hosted a variety of shows. He had conducted interviews with celebrities such as Arthur Godfrey and Dan Blocker and narrated behind-the-scenes programs about KTBC.
A Brady Law
➦In 2012...Programmer Al Brady Law died at age 67.
He had three stints in New York radio from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. His work was varied, from air personality to programmer. His start in New York took place as WOR-FM evening jock in 1969. A year later, even though he bolted for Miami, Law was heard filling in on WWDJ, primarily on nights.
After some work in Denver, Law was back at WWDJ on a full-time basis as the station’s program director. Following the short gig at ‘WDJ, Law appeared at WXLO where he was hired solely as the “99X” program director.
However, Law’s dual hats would return in a big way at WNBC 660 AM. In 1974, he was named a joint assistant program director and air personality. Later that year, Law took over as program director but only briefly before resuming his APD/weekend air work. He remained at the NBC flagship until 1976.
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