October 4 Radio History

In 1922...the entire World Series was broadcast over radio for the first time over WJZ and WGY.


In 1925...a pioneering concert hour of early radio The Atwater Kent Hour was heard for the first time on WEAF New York and an 11-station network which a year later would form the basis for NBC. Atwater Kent was an early line of radio sets.


In 1936...Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade.

In 1939...a barber from Canonsburg (near Pittsburgh), who had quite a singing voice, recorded That Old Gang of Mine with the Ted Weems Orchestra. That singer was the feature of the Weems band for many years before going solo as a radio, TV and stage star. We know him as The Incomparable Mr. C, Perry Como.

His string of hits for RCA Victor spans four decades. He was an NBC mainstay (radio & TV) for almost as long.  According to Billboard, Como's last Top10 hit was "It's Impossible" in 1970.



In 1948..."The Railroad Hour," starring Gordon MacRae in "The World's Greatest Musical Comedies," began a one-year run on ABC Radio. The series moved to NBC in 1949 and continued until June 1954. Guest co-stars included Doris Day, Risë Stevens, Lucille Norman, and Dorothy Kirsten. Marvin Miller was the announcer


In 1963...Billboard magazine reported that hot-rodding songs were the latest teen fad, replacing surfing songs. Capitol Records started supplying disc jockeys and record retailers with a book of hot-rod terms.

In 1980...The Hot 100..Queen reached the pinnacle for the second time in their career with "Another One Bites the Dust.  Air Supply was #2 in its 17th week with "All Out of Love" and the former #1 ("Upside Down") from Diana Ross was third.  George Benson and "Give Me the Night" was followed by country crossover Eddie Rabbitt and "Drivin' My Life Away".

The rest of the Top 10:  "Late in the Evening" from Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand had her 30th career hit with "Woman In Love", which rose from 12 to 7, "I'm Alright" by Kenny Loggins from the funny movie Caddyshack, Johnny Lee's "Lookin' For Love" at #9 and Olivia Newton-John and ELO joined forces for the #10 song--"Xanadu".

In 1986...CBS newsman Dan Rather was mugged in New York City as he was walking along Park Avenue in Manhattan to his apartment. He was attacked and punched from behind by a man who demanded to know, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?" while a second assailant also chased and beat him. As the assailant pummeled and kicked Rather, he kept repeating the question over and over again.

Ten years later, Rather's primary attacker was identified as William Tager, who shot and killed an NBC technician outside the "Today" show studios in 1994.