August 29 Radio History

In 1892...Harry Read was born in Seattle, WA. KXL Founder & Broadcast Pioneer

Willard Waterman

In1914...career radio actor Willard Waterman was born in Madison Wisconsin.

After many years as a versatile supporting actor he rose to the front line of radio stars when Kraft Foods picked him in 1950 to replace a disgruntled Harold Peary in the title role of their hit radio sitcom ‘The Great Gildersleeve.’   He assumed the role after a summer break in one of the most successful transitions of its ilk, and the program continued seamlessly for another decade.

Waterman died of bone marrow disease February 2, 1995, at age 80.



In 1924...KFQN 283 meters (1059.3kc) signed off the air at 9 P.M. forever. Oregon's First Religious Station.

Bwanna Johnny

In 1946...Bwana Johnny was born in Oregon.

Bwana Johnny, who had been battling congestive heart failure for several months, died in in 2005 Seattle at age 59.

Bwana, whose real name was Richard Johnson, had been a popular disc jockey at the old 1260/KYA back in the late 1960s. Most recently, he had worked in production with Jones Radio Networks in Seattle before his illness forced him into a care facility.

Before coming to the Bay Area in 1969, "Beautiful Bwana" worked at KLOG/Kelso, Wash., WUBE/Cincinnati and KJR/Seattle.

He moved on to WWDJ/New York as music director and afternoon-drive jock (1971-1973) and spun records for a year at WFUN/Miami before returning to his hometown, Portland, Ore., as "Crazy Dick Simms" on the Rose City's legendary KISN in 1975.

In 1957...The ABC radio network purchased KQV in August 29, 1957 for $700,000. ABC hired two executives from Storz Broadcasting to launch the top 40 format in Pittsburgh  They hired Dale Maudy who had been an executive engineer for the Stroz group and Ralph Beaudin, who had been a KOWH sales executive, as the KQV general manager.  For more on KQV: Click Here.


In 1958...The first of Alan Freed's Big Beat revues is held at Brooklyn, New York's Fox Theatre, featuring Chuck Berry, Billy Haley and his Comets, Frankie Avalon, The Elegants, Bobby Freeman, and Jimmy Clanton.


In 1964...In a clear case of rock and roll being saved by the British Invasion, Billboard magazine notes that guitar sales are the highest they've been since the advent of Elvis Presley.


In 1964...Roy Orbison’s "Oh, Pretty Woman" was released. It hit number one (for 3 weeks) on September 26th and became the biggest of his career. "Oh, Pretty Woman" was Orbison’s second #1 hit. The other was "Running Scared" (6/05/61).


In 1966...The Beatles played what would prove to be their last concert before a paying audience at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, to a sold-out crowd of 25,000. John and Paul, knowing what the fans do not (that this will be the last concert ever) brought cameras on stage and took pictures between songs. (Their lone remaining public performance was the 1969 rooftop appearance in London).



In 1972..Guess who was #1 in Knoville, TN?

In 1979...In 1979...Sheridan Broadcasting Corp purchased the Mutual Black Network

The Mutual Black Network or MBN was founded by the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1972, as the first national full-service radio network aimed at African Americans. It broadcast an hourly 5 minute newscast at 50 minutes past the hour. It also aired sports and feature programs, and for one year beginning in the spring of 1974, a 15-minute daily soap opera called Sounds Of The City. Some of its special programing focused on African American history, much of which was researched, written and narrated by MBN news anchor Ben Frazier.

Programming is what separated the Mutual Black Network from the rest of the pack. But its highest mark was made in the coverage of hard news and it’s savvy advocacy style of journalism. This was the genre of journalism, practiced by news anchors Ben Frazier, Glen Ford, John Askew and others. They would interview black news-makers who had previously been ignored by the traditional mass media outlets.

The Mutual Black Network was later sold to Sheridan Broadcasting which was a minority stockholder in MBN, becoming the Sheridan Broadcasting Network. By 1991, it would merge with the National Black Network, forming the present-day American Urban Radio Networks.

Lowell Thomas

In 1981..."So long, until tomorrow."

The baritone sign-off of pioneer broadcast journalist Lowell Thomas was known to millions of NBC and CBS radio listeners from 1930 to 1976. When he died on Aug. 29, 1981, he left a defining mark in news history.

Thomas started his career in print at the Chicago Evening Journal and later experimented with other media forms. During World War I, he went overseas to film the war for American audiences.

While in the Middle East, Thomas met a British Army captain named T.E. Lawrence. Thomas profiled Lawrence's activities in the Arabian desert in a film he titled "With Lawrence in Arabia." The film was a hit and made Thomas and "Lawrence of Arabia" internationally famous.

Thomas hosted a regular radio broadcast — "Lowell Thomas and the News" — from 1930 until 1976. The program was first on NBC and CBS, then later only on CBS. He narrated newsreels for Fox Movietone News for 17 years, beginning in 1935. Thomas also delivered the first regularly scheduled TV news broadcast in 1940.



Later in his career, Thomas formed a group of broadcast stations that would become known as Capital Cities. The company expanded through the years, and bought ABC in 1985. ABC is now owned by Disney.

Thomas was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1989.