February 1 In Radio History

WOR Broadcasting From Bamberger's Newark NJ

In 1941…WOR 710 AM officially moves to New York City from Newark, NJ. WOR began broadcasting on February 22, 1922, using a 500-watt transmitter on 360 meters (833 kc.) from Bamberger's Department Store in Newark, New Jersey. Louis Bamberger's sale of radio sets to consumers explained their affiliation with the station. The WOR call sign was reissued from the U.S. maritime radio service. The station initially operated limited hours, sharing time with two other stations, WDT and WJY, which also operated on 833 kc. WOR changed frequency to 740 kc. in June 1923 and shared time with WJY until July 1926, when WJY signed off for good and WOR received full use of the frequency. In December 1924, WOR acquired a studio in Manhattan. On June 17, 1927, WOR moved to 710 kc., the channel it currently occupies. Later in 1926, WOR moved from its New York City studio on the 9th floor of Chickering Hall at 27 West 57th Street to 1440 Broadway, two blocks from Times Square.

In 1942…Shortly after U.S. entry into World War II, Voice of America began broadcasting programs aimed at territory controlled by Axis powers. This first live broadcast to Germany began with a recording of "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic," followed by the pledge, "Today and every day from now on, we will be with you from America to talk about the war … The news may be good or bad for us. We will always tell you the truth."

In 1964…Newsmen learn that Indiana Governor Matthew Walsh has banned the Kingsmen's "Louie Louie," then sitting at Number Six on Billboard 's Hot 100, for allegedly containing obscene lyrics. Claiming it makes his "ears tingle" to listen to it, Walsh requests that the Indiana Broadcasters Association ban the record from airplay on all radio stations in the state. For his part, the song's publisher, Max Firetag, offers $1000 to anyone who can prove that the song contains obscene lyrics. The FBI eventually gets involved, and after extensive study reports that the lyrics of this version of the song, originally recorded by Richard Berry and the Pharoahs, are so garbled as to be unintelligible


In 1964...Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand," 1st #1 hit, stays #1 for 7 weeks

In 1986....KHJ-AM in Los Angeles CA changes call letters to KRTH.  On the evening of January 31, 1986, regular evening jock Dave Sebastian Williams was joined in studio by Robert W. Morgan. Many disc jockeys from throughout KHJ's heyday of Boss Radio phoned in (including M.G. Kelly, Bobby Ocean, Jimmy Rabbitt, and Boss Radio-era Program Director Ron Jacobs) for a farewell broadcast, playing the songs that had made KHJ a popular AM station in the 1960s and 1970s. At the stroke of midnight, the station changed its call letters to KRTH to match those of its FM sister station, KRTH-FM playing a format called "Smokin' Oldies" that featured hits of the first ten years of rock and roll. The station used "AM 930" as its on-air ID.

RKO General was under nearly continuous investigation by federal regulators from the 1960s onward due to unethical conduct at its television stations, including KRTH-AM/FM's television sister, KHJ-TV (channel 9, now KCAL-TV). It was eventually ruled unfit to be a broadcast licensee and forced by the FCC to sell off its broadcast properties.

In the summer of 1989, KRTH AM/FM were sold to Beasley Broadcasting, which immediately turned around and sold KRTH-AM to Liberman Broadcasting. It became a full-time Spanish-language station, adopting the call letters KKHJ in honor of its historic calls.

As time went by, program director Alfredo Rodriguez and chief engineer Jerry Lewine wanted to bring back the legendary three-letter call sign. However, the FCC hadn't issued three-letter calls to radio stations since the 1930s. So they came up with a plan to convince the FCC that KKHJ could not use the Spanish pronunciation of its call letters on the air. This was purportedly because the pronunciation of the first two letters in Spanish (kah-kah), the Spanish vulgar slang word for feces.

As a result, whenever the call letters were used, they were pronounced in English. This proved somewhat awkward over a decade, so the station collected letters from listeners and community listeners and lobbied the FCC to allow the station to drop one of its Ks. The FCC allowed the station to return to its original calls, KHJ. The change became official on March 15, 2000.

In 1989…WEVD switches from 97.9 FM to 1050 AM.

In 1988, Emmis Broadcasting acquired the license of WNBC and moved WFAN from 1050 to 660 AM.  Emmis sold the license for 1050 to Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS), which quickly agreed to trade that license with cash to the Forward Association for WEVD-FM. Until the latter transaction was approved, SBS operated 1050 as a Spanish-language station called WUKQ.  When the deal was finally consummated, WEVD moved its call letters and programming to 1050 and the former WEVD-FM became WSKQ-FM. WEVD gradually replaced much of its brokered ethnic programming with liberal talk shows over the next several years; it gained some loyal listeners, but not enough to keep the station economically viable.

In 2001, the Forward Association entered into a local marketing agreement with ESPN, and WEVD began broadcasting a sports format on September 2 of that year. In 2003 the station was sold outright to ESPN and its call letters changed to WEPN.

In 1994…Olan Soule died of lung cancer at age 83. He was a radio voice in the series, "Super Friends".


In 2004...Janet Jackson's breast was exposed during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, resulting in US broadcasters adopting a stronger adherence to FCC censorship guidelines.


In 2013…Three-term mayor of New York City (1978-1989)/author/movie reviewer/ radio talk show host/commercial pitchman/TV judge (The People's Court) Ed Koch died of congestive heart failure at age 88

Casey's Kids Want Jean Charged With Elder Abuse

Teri Kasem

The late, legendary DJ Casey Kasem's daughter Kerri Kasem and family members staged a press conference at Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles Friday to urge the Los Angeles Police Department to arrest Mr. Kasem's widow Jean Kasem, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jean Kasem removed Kasem, along with his surgically implanted feeding tube, from a Santa Monica hospital on May 7 and took him to the Seattle area, where he died June 15, 2014. Then she took his body to Montreal and Oslo, where it sat in a freezer for months until he was buried in an unmarked grave shortly before Christmas. "If this isn't a case of elder abuse, I don't know what is," said Kerri Kasem attorney Martha Patterson. "It's equivalent to taking a baby out of an incubator."

"[Jean Kasem] took Casey on a five-day odyssey," private investigator Logan Clarke told THR. "They ran out of food, bought a six-pack of Ensure at a drugstore, poured it into the feeding machine, and jammed it -- and they're saying this woman didn't kill him? The nurse in the car took pictures of his colostomy bag full of blood. The cops have all the evidence. Belle Chen at the DA office told me she'd love to have a crack at this case. LAPD should be ashamed."

"Detectives are still actively investigating the elder abuse case," LAPD spokesperson Jane Kim told THR. "They want to be as thorough as possible before a case is presented to the DA's office."

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Radio Talker Michael Medved Discloses Throat Cancer Fight

Michael Medved

Fellow broadcasters are sending get-well wishes to syndicated radio host Michael Medved, who have disclosed he has stage three throat cancer, and is taking a leave of absence while undergoing treatment.

Medved told his listeners on the air and in a letter on Friday afternoon, according to CNN Money.

"I always knew that it would take something serious to keep me away from the microphone I cherish for an extended period of time," Medved wrote. "As it turns out, I am facing something serious. It's called cancer."

He said he was diagnosed in the middle of December and began treatment immediately.

"My prognosis for full recovery is very good; in the great majority of cases, this is a highly curable form of cancer," he wrote. "In fact, given my fierce desire to keep doing the show I managed to broadcast every day while completing more than half of my daily radiation and weekly chemotherapy treatments."

Medved said he'd like to keep broadcasting, "but my voice -- the most essential tool in radio -- won't cooperate."

Fellow talk radio host Mark Davis, an occasional guest host for Rush Limbaugh in the past, will fill in while Medved is away. Other fill-in hosts will be David Boze and Arthur Brooks.

Medved said he'd like to return to his show shortly after his "last scheduled radiation treatment" on February 26.

He is syndicated by Salem Communications.

MN: Station Sale Silences KNXR-FM

KNXR Console

For half a century, KNXR 97.5 FM in Rochester, MN has been filling homes and cars with the timeless tunes of the 50s, 60s and 70s. And KTTC-TV reports Friday night was the station's last time on air, and the man who started it all spent the day looking back at the last 50 years.

Nearly 50 years ago, Rochester native Tom Jones returned home with the dream of setting up his own radio station, but even in his wildest dreams, he never knew KNXR-FM would stand the test of time and come to hold a special place in countless people's hearts.

For 50 years, whether you were in Rochester, Minn. or Mason City, Iowa, 97.5 FM has provided a steady stream of everything from popular show tunes to vocals. A vibe summed up in one sentence. "Relax and be with a friend," Jones said.

He describes his career as an opportunity to serve others, and to be there when they needed it most. "It gave me the chance to uplift other people's spirits with the power that is the universal language and that's called music," he said.

KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports

On it's last day, 97.5 was as busy as ever with phones ringing off the hook from avid listeners all demanding the station's revival as soon as possible.

"We want you to get the Internet version of the radio station going as fast as you can," Jones described the callers' urgency.

This spring, Jones hopes to have the station up and running in April on a website to reach listeners worldwide.

97.5 FM (100 Kw) Red=60dBu Coverage Area

Gregory Jensen's Albert Lea-based Hometown Broadcasting has bought the station. The company owns other country and classic rock stations.

According to NorthPine.com,  the deal includes paying Jones $100,000 for one year of consulting services, with duties including programming, engineering, and selection of a new studio site. Jones also heads Rochester Public Radio, which owns non-commercial Classic Rock outlet KRPR/89.9 (Rochester). Jensen also owns KQAQ/970 (Austin) and KQPR/96.1 (Albert Lea).

Pittsburgh Radio: Paul Zeise To Host Evenings On the Fan

Paul Zeise

CBS RADIO/Pittsburgh has announced that Paul Zeise has been elevated to the evening show position on Sportsradio KDKA 93.7 FM /The Fan.

Zeise will host evenings 6p-10p on the station, effective February 3.

Zeise, who also works as a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, has been working as a part-time host on the station since 2011.

“Paul has truly developed as a personality and we’re happy we could make him a larger member of our on-air team,” said 93-7 The Fan Program Director Ryan Maguire. “Paul has strong ties within the local sports community and will provide unique insight and hard-hitting opinions that will resonate with our listeners.”

KDKA 93.7 FM (41 Kw) Red=60dBu Coverage Area

Zeise has covered a variety of beats for the Post-Gazette over the years, including Pitt Football and Basketball as well as Pirates Baseball.  He’s a frequent contributor on KDKA-TV’s Sports Showdown as well as the Nightly Sports Call on Pittsburgh’s CW.

“This is an exciting time for me and an incredible opportunity to branch out as I continue to try and provide the best coverage and commentary of the sports scene in Western Pennsylvania for the fans, listeners and readers in this region,” said Zeise.

Atlanta Radio: WZGC New Home for NFL Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons Friday announced that they have agreed to a multi-year deal with CBS RADIO WZGC 92.9 FM /The Game to become the club’s official radio broadcast partner.

92.9 The Game will become the Falcons flagship radio station for all preseason and regular season broadcasts. All 20 Falcons games will be heard on 92.9 The Game. In addition to the game broadcast, 92.9 The Game will provide listeners with a pre-game show that will include interviews with the team’s head coach , General Manager Thomas Dimitroff, quarterback Matt Ryan, and Falcons Team President Rich McKay.

“CBS RADIO Atlanta is a solid broadcaster that is committed to providing Falcons fans with the most innovative, complete and comprehensive coverage from a radio perspective. We are excited to bring Falcons football back to the CBS RADIO family and a familiar spot on the dial for our fans,” said Jim Smith, Falcons Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing & Revenue Officer.

WZGC 92.9 FM (64 Kw) Red=60dBu Coverage Area

“NFL programming is among the most sought after content for broadcasters, driving appointment listening and attracting more and more fans weekly,” said Rick Caffey, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, CBS RADIO Atlanta. “The Atlanta Falcons have been wonderful partners and we look forward to expanding the relationship to deliver the best experience for the fans.”

Following the game, fans can stay tuned to 92.9 The Game to catch post-game analysis and exclusive interviews with players and coaches. Fans will still hear the familiar voices of Falcons broadcasters Wes Durham (play-by-play) and former Falcons quarterback Dave Archer (color analyst) calling all of the Falcons action.

January 31 In Radio History

In 1936...the "The Green Hornet" debuted on WXYZ Radio, the same local Detroit station that originated its companion shows The Lone Ranger and Challenge of the Yukon. Beginning on April 12, 1938, the station supplied the series to the Mutual Broadcasting System radio network, and then to NBC Blue and its successors, the Blue Network and ABC, from November 16, 1939, through September 8, 1950. It returned from September 10 to December 5, 1952.  It was sponsored by General Mills from January to August 1948, and by Orange Crush in its brief 1952 run.

Major Armstrong

In 1954...Major Edwin Armstrong - founder of FM radio - died from an apparent suicide.  He has been called "the most prolific and influential inventor in radio history".  He invented the regenerative circuit while he was an undergraduate and patented it in 1914, followed by the super-regenerative circuit in 1922, and the superheterodyne receiver in 1918. Armstrong was also the inventor of modern frequency modulation (FM) radio transmission.

Armstrong was born in New York City in 1890. He studied at Columbia University.  During his third year at Columbia, Armstrong came up with his first major invention: the first radio amplifier. He had learned how Lee DeForest's radio tube worked, then he redesigned it by taking the electromagnetic waves that came from a radio transmission and repeatedly feeding the signal back through the tube. Each time, the signal's power would increase as much as 20,000 times a second.

This phenomenon, which Armstrong called "regeneration," was an extremely important discovery in the early days of radio. With this development, radio engineers no longer needed 20-ton generators to get their stations on the air. Armstrong's single-circuit design provided the key to the continuous-wave transmitter that is at the core of radio operations today. He graduated with his B.S. in engineering in 1913. He patented his creation and licensed it to the Marconi corporation, in 1914.

Soon after graduation, Armstrong was sent to Paris to serve in World War I. There he came up with his second major invention, the superheterodyne receiver, after he had been put on a project to improve ability to intercept shortwave enemy communications. The superheterodyne receiver is still part of virtually every tuner in today's radios, televisions and radars.



In 1920, Westinghouse bought Armstrong's patent for the superheterodyne receiver, and started up the nation's first radio station, KDKA, in Pittsburgh.

Radio became very popular at about this time, and more and more stations came to the airwaves. The Radio Corporation of America, or RCA soon bought up all of Westinghouse's radio patents, as well as the patents of other competitors.

By then, Armstrong was back at Columbia University working as a professor. In 1923 he married Marion MacInnes, secretary to the president of RCA, David Sarnoff. Later that decade he became embroiled in a corporate war for control of radio patents. This continued through the early part of the 1930s, and Armstrong was unsuccessful in most of his court battles. Meanwhile, however, he pursued a solution to the problem of static in radio. By the late 1920's he had decided the only solution was to design an entirely new system. In 1933 he presented the wide-band frequency modulation (FM) system, which gave clear reception even in storms and offered the highest fidelity sound yet heard in radio. The system also allowed for a single carrier wave to transmit two radio programs at once. This development was called "multiplexing."

In 1940 Armstrong got a permit for the first FM station, which he established in Alpine, New Jersey. In 1941 the Franklin Institute awarded Armstrong the Franklin Medal, one of the science community's highest honors.

Armstrong went on to prove that FM was capable of dual-channel transmissions, allowing for stereo sound. This capability of FM could also be used to send two separate non-stereo programs, or a facsimile and telegraph message simultaneously in a process called multiplexing. He even successfully bounced a FM signal off the moon, something not possible with AM signals.

According to damninteresting.com, AM radio was big business in the pre-television days, and there were powerful people who wanted things to stay as they were. Innovation only meant smaller profits for them. At that time there was no more influential man in radio media than the founder of RCA, David Sarnoff. Known as "The General," Sarnoff controlled all the technical aspects of radio; he also created the NBC and ABC television networks. He was also an important early supporter of television and developed the current NTSC standard for TV that we have used for over 60 years.

Regenerative Circuit 1912

Seeking to kill FM radio before it could threaten his profits, Sarnoff's company successfully lobbied the FCC to have the FM spectrum moved from Armstrong’s frequencies to the ones we use today: 88 to 108 MHz. The FCC ruling said that the 40 MHz band was to be used for the new television broadcasts, in which RCA had a heavy stake. RCA also had an ally in AT&T, which actively supported the frequency move because the loss of FM relaying stations forced Armstrong's Yankee Network stations to buy wired links from AT&T. The deck was stacked against the future of FM broadcasting.

Matters became worse when Armstrong became entangled in a new patent suit with RCA and NBC, who were using FM technology without paying royalties. The cost of the new legal battle compounded the financial burden that the problems with the Yankee Network had caused. His health and temperament deteriorated as the FM lawsuit dominated his life. His wife of thirty-one years, unable to cope with his worsening personality and financial strain, left him in November of 1953. RCA's greater financial resources crushed Armstrong's legal defences, and he was left penniless, alone, and distraught.

On February 1, 1954, Armstrong's body was discovered on the roof of a three-story wing of his apartment building. In despair, he had thrown himself out the window of his thirteenth-floor New York City apartment sometime during the night. He died believing he was a failure, and that FM radio would never become accepted. Through the years Armstrong’s widow would bring twenty-one patent infringement suits against many companies, including RCA. She eventually won a little over $10 million in damages. But it would take further decades for FM radio to reach its potential.

Following Armstrong’s death, television’s emerging popularity ended radio’s golden years. Slowly, listeners learned that FM radio was clearly better for musical high fidelity than AM broadcasts. Radios started to have an FM band included with the AM band in the late 1950s and 1960s. By the 1970s, FM audience size surpassed that of AM, and the gap has been growing ever since.

He held 42 patents and received numerous awards, including the first Institute of Radio Engineers now IEEE Medal of Honor, the French Legion of Honor, the 1941 Franklin Medal and the 1942 Edison Medal. He is a member of the National Inventors Hall.



This is an audio recording of the March 6, 1954 final broadcast of Major Edwin Armstrong's experimental FM station at Alpine, NJ. This broadcast came a month after the inventor of FM radio jumped to his death.

The audio track is accompanied by historical photos and footage


In 1958...U.S. launches its first satellite, Explorer I



In 2000...Peter Tripp, who wowed radio audiences with his mid-1950s Top-40 countdown record shows on WHB in Kansas City, and later at New York City's WMGM 1050 AM, died January 31, 2000, at Northridge California Hospital, following an apparent stroke suffered at his home in West Hills, California.

Tripp was 73 years old.

Tripp became one of the nation's best known Top-40 countdown radio personalities beginning in 1954 at Todd Storz' WHB in Kansas City, and at Loew's Theatres' WMGM in New York City from 1955 through 1960 with his "Your Hits Of The Week" program.

Billing himself as "The curly-headed kid in the third row", Tripp is best remembered for the WMGM promotion where he remained awake for 201 hours during a sleep deprivation stunt benefitting the March Of Dimes.


In 2013…Former radio talk show host (KSFO-San Francisco, KIRO-Seattle, WIND-Chicago) Lee Rodgers died during heart surgery at age 76.

Lee Rodgers

He was born and raised in poverty near Memphis, Tennessee, lost part of a leg at age 13 working in timber industry and then spent years living in different parts of the United States. A self-described part-time coach, referee, catalyst and provocateur, he began his broadcasting career at WIND in 1963 as a disc jockey and sportscaster, followed by stints with radio stations in ST. Louis, Miami and Chicago.

After 10 years with KGO, Rodgers went north to KIRO radio in Seattle. One year later, he returned to the Bay Area where "the most interesting and spirited dialogue in talk radio takes place." He believed, "Even with good guests, it's the simulation of the callers that makes the show."

He spent over 25 years broadcasting from San Francisco and continued making his voice heard even off the air through his blog at radiorodgers.com.


 In 2014…Former San Francisco radio personality (KYA, KSFO) Chris Edwards died at age 72.

Chris Edwards

Born Edward Christian Reinholtz on Nov. 10, 1941 in Mount Vernon, New York. He loved radio from a young age, earning an amateur ham radio license as a teenager, and hosted his first radio show, "Moonglow with Edwards," on WRUF, the in-house station at his alma mater, the University of Florida. It was there that he took the on-air name Chris Edwards, which combined his middle and first names.

Edwards got his start in Bay Area radio with the morning show at the original KYA-AM, a highly rated Top 40 station, in 1968. Later, he hosted the afternoon show from 2 to 6 p.m. at the station.


In the 1980s, Mr. Edwards hosted the "Chris Edwards Solid Gold Time Machine," a program that aired on K-101 Sunday nights from 6 to 10 p.m. He also worked at K-101 as a sales executive.

Mr. Edwards moved to KSFO-AM/KYA-FM as an account executive, also hosting a Saturday morning show until the end of 1991. For the next 20 years, he worked in sales at radio stations including KFRC, KABL and KKSF. He retired from KGO/KSFO in the summer of 2011.

R.I.P.: Minnesota Broadcaster/Owner George Brooks

George Brooks

George Brooks’ radio legacy spans stations across Minnesota and North Dakota, including Red Wing where he owned and operated KCUE 1250 AM in Red Wing, MN for nearly 20 years.

Brooks, 88, died of Alzheimer’s disease Jan. 21 in Ft. Myers, Florida, according to The Republican-Eagle.

“He was in love with radio. That’s all he ever wanted to do in his life,” said Marjorie Brooks, George’s wife of 66 years.

His radio career started in the 1940s as a teenager writing commercials and reading announcements at KOVC in Valley City, North Dakota. He worked his way up to become the station’s program director before leaving to take management positions at KDIX in Dickinson, North Dakota, KFGO in Fargo, KSUM in Fairmont, Minnesota, KMRS in Morris, Minnesota, and KOTE in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Brooks purchased KCUE in 1962 and added an FM station a couple years later.

He eventually sold the stations to Sorenson Broadcasting in 1981, but stayed in town until moving to Florida in 1996.

R.I.P.: Former NJ Station Owner Faye Gade

Faye Gade

Faye Gade, the owner of Jersey Shore radio station WHTG, died on Thursday at the age of 65.

According to Diffuser.fm, the New Jersey Broadcasters Association’s statement revealed that she passed “after a long illness”.

WHTG-FM first signed on at the 105.5 MHz frequency on October 11, 1961, as the sister station of WHTG 1410 AM. The station was named for Harold and Theo Gade, its first owners and operators. Eventually, the Gades' daughter Faye became general manager of the station. Faye Gade assumed ownership of the station in 1985.

Interference with WDHA in northern New Jersey resulted in the move to its current 106.3 MHz frequency in 1965.

Gade took over ownership in the ‘80s, handling the station’s transition from "beuatiful music" to alternative rock in 1984 and making it one of only 10 stations at the time to take on the format.

“She was really pleased by it,” said Mike Marrone, WHTG’s music director at the time. “The station back then was really well respected in the industry for our taste in music and our standards – we played the music that we loved and she enjoyed that.”

That music included a heavy rotation of the B-52s, the Smiths, the Cure, R.E.M. and more. It also led to visits from the likes of Gwen Stefani, Jewel, Joey Ramone and others.

Gade went on to sell WHTG to Press Communications in 2000. In 2009, the station flipped formats to Top 40, and in 2010 it went to country with the new call letters WKMK 106.3 FM.

Orlando Radio: WTKS Talker Gets Divorce Papers While On Air

Video cameras were rolling Friday morning at iHeartMedia studios for WTKS 104.1 FM /Real Radio Friday morning when host Russ Rollins was served with divorce papers.

Rollins,  of The Monsters in The Morning,  has been there before..this notice was from Wife #4. Here's how it went down...

Later, he talked about it...

St. Louis Radio: Emmis Flips K-Hits To Top 40

Emmis Radio has switched the format of KIHT 96.3 FM from Classic Hits to Top 40, and will bring in some high-profile talent to man the mics at NOW 96.3.

"The deejays will be here in St. Louis, the music is researched here in St. Louis, and the contests will be in St. Louis only," said John Beck, Emmis' general manager in St. Louis.

"This will be radio like it should be, like it used to be," Beck told Stl.com.

LISTEN LIVE: Click Here

The switch — and Beck's pointed emphasis on local talent — means Emmis is looking for a showdown with iHeart Media's KSLZ 107.7 FM /Z-107, the No. 1 Top 40 station in this market.

"Their morning show is out of New York ... and Ryan Seacrest (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) is out of L.A.," Beck said.

To boost the debut, Emmis has signed noted GSN Network game-show host and STL native Todd Newton to be the midday (10 a.m.- 2 p.m.) jock.

Curt Copeland, who spent nine years at KSLZ, will handle the morning drive (6-10 a.m.); Christine Pawluk heads south from Chicago afternoons  and Nina Blanco evenings (6-10 p.m.).

KIHT 96.3 FM (80 Kw) 60dBu Coverage Area

K-HITS jocks Rick Sanborn and Todd Morgan will not stay with the new station, while Drew Johnson will stay on and work in production, Beck said.


Programming the new effort is Tommy Mattern, who also is program director for Emmis' alternative-rock station, KPNT-FM 105.7 ("The Point").

Winnipeg Radio: Power97 Is No More, 97.5 BigFM Launches

The Corus Entertainment station changed formats on CKJR 97.5 FM Friday morning after teasing “something big” would be happening all day on Thursday.

97.5 BigFM will play classic rock — similar to rival 92 CITI FM (Rogers), according to Winnipeg News& Media.

LISTEN LIVE: Click Here

In a three-minute top-of-the-hour launch at 8 a.m., the station previewed some of rock’s greatest hits and Winnipeg’s deep connection to the genre. It was then followed up by the Peter Gabriel song “Big Time.”

In a presentation to advertisers on Thursday night, Corus revealed the new format. Many who left the meeting expressed concern and disappointment over the changes, afraid their company’s message would no longer fit the demographic the new station will attract.


A new morning show with Jay Richardson and Jolene Lebsack will debut on the station Monday after playing three straight days of music.

S-F Radio: N/T KGO Brings Back DreX For Evenings

DreX

Cumulus announces that radio personality DreX will host a new talk show debuting Tuesday, February 3, on KGO 810 AM.  The program will air weeknights from 7:00-10:00 p.m.

This marks a return to the Bay Area for DreX, who was formerly on-air at KSJO-FM (now NASH-FM 92.3). It also marks his return to radio, after a hiatus following nearly a decade as popular Morning Host of the all talk “DreX Morning Show” on Chicago’s WKSC/KISS-FM.

DreX, his name is Trademarked,  began his career as a teen in York, Pennsylvania doings nights at WQXA / Q106. He crafted his radio talents doing top rated night shows with stints in San Antonio, San Jose, Dallas and Philadelphia. DreX then launched his Morning Show career in Detroit at WHYT doing “The Morning Zoo”. Yearning to do “all talk/CHR” he returned to San Antonio’s KTFM and debuted the “DreX Morning Show”, winning an unprecedented 24 quarterly Arbitron ratings, across the board.

Mike McVay, Senior Vice President, Programming for Cumulus said: “Drex brings a unique perspective to the News/Talk format and an uncanny ability to entertain and inform in his own engaging style.”

Justin Wittmayer, Vice President and Market Manager for Cumulus San Francisco said: “DreX brings his unique voice to KGO Nights for a highly compelling program that is fresh, live and local. “DreX brings his unique voice to KGO Nights for a highly compelling program that is fresh, live and local. The Bay Area is in for quite an experience with DreX.”

DreX said: “I am thankful and thrilled with this opportunity of a lifetime and I look forward to many successful years at KGO in the beautiful Bay Area!”

Philly Radio: 94WIP Signs Tony Bruno For PM Drive

Tony Bruno

Sports talker Tony Bruno is returning to Philly airwaves for a new show in afternoon drive on CBS Radio's WIP 94.1 FM.   He and Josh Innes will team for Innes & Bruno to fill the 1 to 6pm air slot vacated in December by Anthony Gargano. (See posting: Click Here)

Bruno was last heard on crosstown rival Greater Media's WPEN 97.5 FM The Fanatic.  Brunoe departed in June 2014 during contract talks.

Bruno is a sports radio veteran who onece hosted general talk at WCAU 1210 AM in Philadelphia and on KFI 640 AM in Los Angeles as fill-in host. When WCAU abandoned talk in 1991 Bruno returned to Sports Talk as a co-host of 610 WIP's Morning Guys show with Angelo Cataldi and Al Morganti.

WIP's Josh Innes

In 1995, Bruno joined ESPN Radio full-time and co-hosted the Bruno-Golic Morning Show with former NFL Player Mike Golic. (Bruno left the morning show in 1999 and was replaced by current co-host Mike Greenberg.)

In 2000, Bruno moved to Los Angeles, launching the Fox Sports Radio network. Prior to heading west to California, Bruno hosted a morning show on WDAE 620 AM in Tampa. Bruno would eventually be unable to come to a contract renewal agreement with Fox.

In 2006, he signed with Sporting News Radio. In 2008, Bruno also did a daily half-hour with Gary Radnich on the Gary Radnich Show on KNBR 680 AM in San Francisco.

On September 29, 2008 Bruno got a new show called Into The Night with Tony Bruno on KLAC 570 AM in L-A.

On July 30, 2009, Premiere Radio Networks announced it had partnered with The Content Factory to distribute Bruno's show across the Fox Sports Radio network.

On January 18, 2010, Bruno, paired with Harry Mayes, returned to a daily two hour show  on The Fanatic in Philadelphia. On June 26, 2014 Tony Bruno announced on his Facebook page that he had resigned from 97.5 The Fanatic due to a contractual issue.

Innes joined WIP from sister Sports KILT-610 AM in Houston last year.

Love & Theft Visit America's Morning Show

 (Left to Right: Love and Theft’s Steven Barker Liles & Eric Gunderson, Terri Clark, Chuck Wicks & Blair Garner) 

Love & Theft were on America’s Morning Show at Cumulus' NASH Campus Friday to play “Fake-A-Song Friday”, where they choose four words from a basket and had to write a song in 20 minutes!

ESPN's Herm Edwards Talks S-B During 30 Interviews

Herm Edwards with ESPN 104.5 Albany NY Host Armen Williams

Former NFL Coach and current ESPN analyst Herm Edwards Discussed Super Bowl XLIX During Radio “Hermathon” on Thursday.

Edwards with Darren Smith of Mighty 1090 AM San Diego

Edwards spent nearly 12 hours (7:30 a.m. – 6:15 p.m.) – a “Hermathon” -- discussing Super Bowl XLIX on national ESPN Radio shows Mike & Mike, The Herd with Colin Cowherd and SVP & Russillo, as well as several ESPN local affiliates, for a total of 30 hits.

FCC Redefines Broadband in Net Neutrality Prelude

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday voted 3-2 to change the definition of broadband Internet, raising the minimum speeds required for that standard in hopes of pressuring the telecom industry to expand high-speed access to more Americans, according to US News.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said during the commission’s meeting Thursday the decision was “act one” of the agency’s efforts "to ensure that U.S. broadband is fast, fair and open" – a reference to the commission's plans to vote Feb. 26 on net neutrality rules aimed at ensuring all Internet traffic is treated equally. Wheeler will disclose a final draft of the rules next week.

“Broadband deployment in the United States – especially in rural areas – is failing to keep pace with today’s advanced, high-quality voice, data, graphics and video offerings,” said a press release from the commission that cited the agency's 2015 Broadband Progress Report.

While the U.S. invented the Internet, 17 percent of all Americans – or 55 million people – lack access to the newly defined broadband speeds of 25 megabits per second for downloads and 3 Mbps for uploads, according to the FCC. Only 8 percent of urban Americans lack access to those speeds while 53 percent – or 22 million people – in rural areas do not have that type of connection, the agency said.

Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and her Democratic colleagues voted in favor of redefining what counts as broadband, though she called for the agency to "set big goals” by raising the minimum download speed much higher than 25 Mbps to pressure more industry development.

“I think our new threshold, frankly, should be 100 Mbps,” Rosenworcel said. “I think anything short of that shortchanges our children, our future and our new digital economy.”

Republican Commissioners Michael O’Rielly and Ajit Pai dissented on the decision to raise the broadband speeds, arguing the move would backfire and discourage investment in new telecom infrastructure.

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JayZ Enters The Music Streaming Biz

The 45-year-old rapper and entrepreneur JayZ is buying Swedish tech company Aspiro for $56 million in cash. according to The Verge. Aspiro currently operates a pair of streaming services: the ad-free WiMP and the high-definition Tidal. Both services angle themselves towards the more committed audiophile, offering daily track recommendations, curated playlists, interviews with artists, and audio available to stream.

WiMP was the first of the two services to launch in 2010 and is currently available in Denmark, Germany, Norway, Poland, and Sweden. This is a limited customer base compared to the likes of Spotify, but these countries are where streaming has firmly taken hold and as of June 2014 WiMP boasted some 580,000 paying users. Tidal, meanwhile, is built off the back of WiMP and launched in the US and UK last year.

For $19.99 a month Tidal users get access to 25 million tracks  and some 75,000 music videos, with audio available to stream and download in the 16-bit FLAC format. This is a significant markup compared to rival services like Spotify and Rdio, both of which offer subscriptions for $9.99 a month. Both WiMP and Tidal are available on a range of devices, including Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.

Jay Z, who is estimated to be worth some $520 million, is seeking to buy Asipro via his company Project Panther Bidco.

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Report: Spotify Seeking Additional Funding

Music streaming service Spotify is working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on a new round of private fundraising, potentially putting off an initial public stock offering for another year, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The amount to be raised and the valuation are yet to be settled. However, the company has expressed a desire to raise about $500 million in financing, and investors have heard talk of valuations north of $7 billion, the people said.

The company is talking with investors who typically buy into companies ahead of an IPO, including mutual-fund operator T. Rowe Price Group , they added. Spotify has expressed a willingness to provide investors with “ratchet” provisions that give them a guaranteed return in the event of an IPO, one person said.

Already among the most highly valued startups in the world, Spotify hasn’t yet settled on any timing for an IPO, but with this fundraising in hand it could choose to wait until next year to launch the deal, one of the people said.

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ACM Awards: 2015 Radio Nominees Announced

The Academy of Country Music announced Thursday the full list of Radio Awards nominees that will not be televised due to time constraints during the live telecast of the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards co-hosted by Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan, from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, April 19, 2015 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

FOR THE LIST OF ARTIST NOMINEES: Click Here

NATIONAL ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
Big D, Bubba, Patrick Thomas, Big D & Bubba Show
Cody Alan, CMT After MidNite
Crook and Chase, The Crook and Chase Countdown
Lia Knight,  The Lia Show
Shawn Parr, Elaina Smith, NASH Nights Live

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – MAJOR MARKET
Ben Campbell and Matt McAllister, KNIX-FM Phoenix, AZ
Dave and Veronica, WQYK-FM Tampa, FL
Lisa Dent & Ramblin’ Ray, WUSN-FM Chicago, IL
Razz on the Radio, WXTU-FM Philadelphia, PA
Rob Tanner, Guenn, Chris & Captain Jim, WSOC-FM Charlotte, NC

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – LARGE MARKET
AJ & Ashley,WWKA-FM Orlando, FL
Big Dave, Chelsie, Stattman, WUBE-FM Cincinnati, OH
Dave O'Brien, WLHK-FM Indianapolis, IN
Mike Wheless, Marty Young, Janie Carothers WQDR-FM Raleigh, NC
The Odd Squad, CKRY-FM Calgary, Alberta

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM MARKET
97 Country Breakfast Club with Roger, Tom, WPCV-FM Lakeland, FL
Melissa and DJ Thee Trucker Buzz Jackson,  KIIM-FM Tucson, AZ
Cash and Carey, KWEN-FM Tulsa, OK
Steve & Gina and the Kat 103.7 Morning Show, KXKT-FM Omaha, NE
Wynn & Wilson in The Morning,  WQMX-FM Akron, OH

ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR – SMALL MARKET
Brian Gary, Todd Harding, and Susan Moore, KUAD-FM  Ft. Collins-Greeley, CO
Gator, Styckman, Cowboy Kyle, WUSY-FM Chattanooga, TN
M. Fletcher Brown, WXFL-FM Florence, AL
Philip Gibbons, WGSQ-FM Cookeville, TN
Scotty Cox & Cara Denis, KCLR-FM  Columbia, MO

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – MAJOR MARKET
KNIX-FM  Phoenix, AZ
WIL-FM  St. Louis, MO
WKLB-FM Boston, MA
WSOC-FM Charlotte, NC
WUSN-FM Chicago, IL

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – LARGE MARKET
CKRY-FM Calgary, Alberta
KAJA-FM San Antonio, TX
WMIL-FM Milwaukee, WI
WUBE-FM Cincinnati, OH
WWKA-FM Orlando, FL

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – MEDIUM MARKET
KUZZ-AM/FM Bakersfield, CA
KXKT-FM Omaha, NE
WCYQ-FM Knoxville, TN
WQMX-FM Akron, OH
WYRK-FM Buffalo, NY

RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR – SMALL MARKET
KCLR-FM  Columbia, MO
KTHK-FM Idaho Falls, ID
WGSQ-FM Cookeville, TN
WXFL-FM Florence, AL
WYCT-FM Pensacola, FL

Orlando Radio: The Wolf Adds C-J For Evenings

C-J

JVC Broadcasting/Orlando has announced the addition of CJ to the line-up at its WOTW 103.1 FM /The Wolf.

The CJ at Night show takes over nights 7p to midnight.

JVC Media's WOTW GM Chris Ganodis said of the appointment, "CJ  is a natural fit for our company and is perfect for our Orlando market FM. We pride ourselves on doing radio the old-fashioned way: fun, live and local and full of energy, and CJ is all of that -- she loves NASCAR, motorcycles, and wakeboarding. She is going to fit right in with this crazy crew."

While attending University of Central Florida in Orlando, she was part of the original K-Krew promotions team at the crosstown station Country WWKA 92.3 FM. Her resume also includes on-air producer on SiriusXM's NASCAR Radio based in Charlotte, NC. She has also worked as a Producer with Fox Sports in Charlotte, Los Angeles, and South Florida.

Seahawk's Marshawn Lynch Blasts Media

Marshawn Lynch

Three days of facing the media at Super Bowl XLIX was enough for Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch to crack, according to FOX Sports.

Lynch spoke for five minutes and added a little more color to the comments he made in his first two meetings with the media.

"All week I done told you all what's up. And for some reason you all come back and do what you did," Lynch told a massive group of reporters Thursday. "It don't matter what you all think, what you all say about me. Because when I go home at night, the people I look in the face, my family, that I love, that's all that matters to me."

Wearing his trademarked Beast Mode hat, which has become a potential target for a league fine, Lynch explained that he didn't appreciate how the media portrays him.

"You all shove cameras and microphones down my throat," Lynch said. "I ain't got nothing for you all . . . You all will sit here doing the same thing. I'm here preparing for a game.

"I don't know what story you're trying to get or what image you want to portray me as . . . you can make up whatever you want."

NYC Radio: "Imus on Broadway" Returns For 5th Big Year

Cumulus announces that Don Imus of the “Imus in the Morning” program, heard on 77 WABC Radio in New York weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., will present the 5th Annual Imus on Broadway show on Monday, February 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hard Rock Café in Times Square.

Tickets sales from the one-night only performance will benefit BROADWAY CARES/EQUITY FIGHTS AIDS.

Joining Imus as emcee will be Michael Riedel, New York Post Theatre Columnist. The highly-anticipated annual benefit will feature live performances from the top musicals on Broadway, including: Kinky Boots, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, It Shoulda Been You, Honeymoon In Vegas, The Lion King, Cabaret, Into The Woods, Les Miserables, Chicago and more!

Tickets are on sale now at www.wabcradio.com.

FNC Host Shepard Smith Has Advice For Kennedy

Shepard Smith

Fox News afternoon anchor Shepard Smith has carved an image for himself as a straight-shooting reporter on a network known for the strong conservative slant to most of its coverage. But, according to The Inquisitr, when the female host of a new program on Fox Business Channel expressed her admiration for Smith, the 51-year-old newsman came back with some rather unusual advice (starting at :42-seconds into the video).

The exchange took place Tuesday on the Fox Business program hosted by 42-year-old Lisa Kennedy Montgomery, who is perhaps still best known for her stint in the early 1990s as an MTV personality calling herself by the mononym “Kennedy.”

Though even then Kennedy was known for her sharply conservative political point of view, she hosted MTV’s Alternative Nation program from 1992 until 1997, a show that was instrumental in popularizing the “alternative” genre of music then known as “alternative rock,” including such bands as Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

In 2013, Kennedy became a Fox News personality, hosting a panel discussion broadcast titled The Independents. Now she has a new show on Fox Business, and she hosted Shepard Smith as one of her first guests.

She started the exchange by telling Smith how, as a radio talk show host, she would often cold-call Fox News hoping go get Smith in the phone.

Daytona Radio: Talk Show Producer Busted For Kiddie Porn

Chand Worob

The executive producer of The Marc Bernier Show was arrested Thursday night and charged with possessing and distributing hundreds of images of child pornography, Police Chief Mike Chitwood said.

25-year-old Chand Worob, 25, was arrested at the WNDB 1150 AM studios moments after Bernier’s three-hour talk show finished at 6 p.m., according to the News-Journal.

The chief said neither Bernier nor anyone else at the station was aware of Worob’s actions. WNDB is a local news station that features conservative talk shows.

Chitwood said investigators seized just over 500 images of boys and girls in poses that were graphic and “extremely disturbing.”

“Some of the children were as young as 5 and 6 years of age,” Chitwood said.

Police obtained a warrant Tuesday and confiscated his computer, cellphone and iPad, Chitwood said.

Investigators don’t believe he used any radio station computers to download the child porn.

R.I.P.: Radio Personality Lee Baby Simms

Lee Baby Simms

Top40 radio personality Lee “Baby” Simms has died.

He was 72 and had been fighting cancer.

Born Gilmore LaMar Simms in Charleston, South Carolina, Simms dropped out of high school at 16 and began jocking at WTMA as “Hot Toddio on the Radio.” He later worked at crosstown WONO. Simms, by his own recollection, worked at 35 stations in 22 markets and was fired 25 times because he “never accepted an insult from anyone.”

While Simms was at KONO in San Antonio, program director Woody Roberts gave him the nickname “Lee Baby.” Simms also worked at WMBR in Jacksonville, WLOF in Orlando, WJBK in Detroit, WSHO in New Orleans, KTSA in San Antonio, WIST in Charlotte (where he doubled as program director), WGCL and WKYC in Cleveland, WPOP in Hartford and WMYQ in Miami.

On February 9, 1971, after spending three years as afternoon host at KCBQ in San Diego, Simms joined KRLA as 9-to-midnight host. He began his first airshift just 15 hours after the 6.6 Sylmar earthquake which killed 65 people and caused $500 million in property damage.

After a few months at KRLA, Simms traded time slots with 6-to-9 host Dave Diamond. Simms briefly worked at KROQ and KTNQ before moving to Hawai’i, where he jocked at KKUA, KORL, KDUK and KPOI. In the 1980s he worked at KFOG in San Francisco, WLVE in Miami, KKIS in Concord and KPRQ in Rohnert Park.

Simms was outraged in 1986 upon the release of an Indie film, Down By Law. Tom Waits played one of three men who were arrested and imprisoned and then plotted an escape. Waits’ character, Zack, was a New Orleans disc jockey known as Lee “Baby” Simms. The real Simms threatened a lawsuit but Waits later explained that he used the name as a tribute and had no idea Simms was still in radio. In the 1990s, Simms jocked at KOOL in Phoenix and KYA and KISQ in San Francisco. While at KISQ, his show was also heard via syndication on WUBT in Chicago.

Simms retired from radio in 2002.

TV comedy Writer and former radio personality Ken Levine pays tribute to Simms in his blog.

Calling Simms "the best" Levine writes it's hard to describe his style other than “all his own.” "He was sort of a cross between the Beat generation and Woodstock generation. A hipster/hippie. Somewhat like the Fonz in that by including you in his circle he made you feel cool."

And Levine adds Lee Baby was also not the luckiest guy in the world. "When he was at KCBQ in San Diego. There was an opening at CKLW in Detroit (a MAJOR powerhouse). So he taped his show one night and sent it. That tape has made the rounds. It’s phenomenal; Lee at his best. Lee didn’t get hired. But the newsman on the tape did."

January 30 Radio History

In 1927...WADO 1280 AM in NYC signed on as WGL.

This station was owned by the International Broadcasting Corporation. WGL president Colonel Lewis Landes stated on the inaugural broadcast, "The International Broadcasting Corporation's aim is to adhere to truth, to be free of partisanship, religious or political."

WGL was the first station to protest the frequency allocations of the Federal Radio Commission in May 1927. WGL was authorized to move to 1170 AM, but wanted to go to 720, occupied by WOR. When WOR was awarded the 710 frequency, both stations went to court, with WOR eventually winning the case. Finally in June 1927, WGL moved to 1020 AM and shared time with Paterson station, WODA.

In August 1927, studio manager Charles Isaacson announced one of the city's first attempts at local news coverage. WGL was organizing listeners to volunteer as radio reporters and call the station with breaking news stories.

On September 16, 1928, WGL changed calls to WOV and was sold to Sicilian-born importer John Iraci. The WGL call sign was then picked up by a Fort Wayne station, which uses them to this very day.

WOV's initial programming was aimed at a general audience, but by the mid-1930s, it strengthened its ethnic ties and expanded its Italian-language programming to fill the daytime hours. WOV soon became the dominant Italian voice in the Northeast through its affiliation with share-time station WBIL and Iraci's WPEN in Philadelphia.

The station was owned by WOV Broadcasting until 1959, when it was sold to Bartel Broadcasters, at which time the station was renamed WADO. During the day, WADO broadcast R&B music. At night, they ran Italian programming. By 1962, some Spanish programming was run on weekends. By 1963, the only English programming found on WADO was in Sunday religious broadcasts.

In 1964, WADO began broadcasting completely in Spanish from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Italian from 8 p.m. to Midnight. Overnight, Asian programming was run. By 1970, Spanish had replaced the Asian format.


In 1933..."The Lone Ranger" debuted on WXYZ radio in Detroit.  The program ran for 2,956 episodes and finished in 1955.

The show was an immediate success. Though it was aimed at children, adults made up at least half the audience. It became so popular, it was picked up by the Mutual Broadcasting System radio network, and on May 2, 1942 by NBC's Blue Network, which in time became ABC. The last new episode was broadcast September 3, 1954. Recorded repeats of the 1952–53 episodes continued to be aired on ABC until June 24, 1955.




In 1969...On the roof of their own Apple Studios in London, the Beatles gave their last public live performance. They performed "Get Back" (take 1), "Get Back" (take 2), "Don't Let Me Down" (take 1), "I've Got A Feeling" (take 1), "One After 909," "Dig A Pony," "I've Got A Feeling" (take 2), "Don't Let Me Down" (take 2), "Get Back" (take 3). The concert came to an abrupt end after 42 minutes when police shut it down in response to the complaints of a nearby shop owner.


In 1978...The Mutual Broadcasting System began airing Larry King's overnight radio talk show.




In 1999...Announcer (Universal newsreels, Your Show of Shows, The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour, Kraft Television Theater, As the World Turns, All My Children, the commercial voice of Kraft Foods for more than 40 years) Ed Herlihy died at age 89.

Ed Herlihy 1959

Educated at Boston College, graduating in 1932, he gained his first radio job in his home town, at Boston's WLOE. When he was hired by NBC in 1935, he moved to New York, along with his friend, fellow Boston announcer Frank Gallop, who was hired by CBS.

Herlihy was immediately successful in network radio. He was the announcer for many radio shows from the 1930s, to the 1950s, among them: America's Town Meeting, The Big Show, The Falcon, Mr. District Attorney, and Just Plain Bill. He became the host of the The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour on radio in 1948, remaining its announcer when the show went to television. He continued his success in the new medium: his early television credits included Sid Caesar's hit Your Show of Shows and soap operas As the World Turns and All My Children.

He was also the host of Recollections At 30, which was a special NBC Radio series created for the network's 30th birthday.