August 21 Radio History

Ken Carpenter

In 1900... the man who, for 27 years was the announcer for Bing Crosby, Ken Carpenter was born in Avon Illinois. He became a staff announcer at KFI Los Angeles, and called USC & UCLA football games in the early 1930′s, and the Rose Bowl game in 1935.  In 1936 he began his career-long association with Crosby.  He also announced for Al Jolson and Edgar Bergen, The Life of Riley, Great Gildersleeve,  The Halls of Ivy, from 1952-55 Lux Radio Theatre, followed by Lux Video Theatre (1953-57.)

He died following a brief illness Oct. 16 1984 at age 84.


In 1923...one of early TV’s most prolific sportscasters Chris Schenkel (below) was born in Biuppus Ind.  Although he did playbyplay for ABC TV on college football, Major League Baseball, NBA basketball, golf and tennis tournaments, boxing, auto racing, and the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, he is best remembered today as the voice of Professional Bowling for more than 35 years. He died of emphysema Sept. 11 2005 at age 82.

Jack Buck

In 1924...sportscaster Jack Buck was born in Holyoke Mass. His deep gravelly voice is best remembered for his baseball playbyplay of the St. Louis Cardinals over more than 40 years.  He also did NFL football on TV, plus World Series Baseball and (for 20 years) Monday Night Football for CBS radio. He died of lung cancer June 18 2002 at age 77.


In 1935...the Benny Goodman Orchestra played a concert that’s considered to be the beginning of the Swing Era. The band’s exhuberant performance was at the Palomar Ballroom in Los Angeles, and was heard by millions coast-to-coast on radio.


In 2003...longtime voice of the Boston Red Sox Ken Coleman died of bacterial meningitis at age 78.  Early in his career in Cleveland he called every touchdown scored by football great Jim Brown.


In 2005...the inventor of the Moog Synthesizer, Robert Moog passed away at age 71, four months after being diagnosed with brain cancer.  Dr. Moog built his first electronic instrument, a theremin , at the age of 14 and made the MiniMoog, “the first compact, easy-to-use synthesiser” in 1970