August 7 Radio History

Billie Burke and Judy Garland

In 1885...actress/comedienne Billie Burke was born to a show business family in Washington DC. After a bigscreen career which is best remembered in her portrayal of Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz, she starred in her own Saturday morning radio show on CBS as a scatterbrain with a heart of gold.  Later she played the same character on the Eddie Cantor Radio Show, and guested a few times on TV, including two dramatic roles on Playhouse 90.  She died May 14, 1970 at age 84.


In 1886...Louis Hazeltine, who  invented the neutrodyne circuit, was born.

Stan Freberg

In 1906...actress Ernestine Wade was born in Jackson Mississippi.  She is best remembered as Sapphire Stevens, the shrewish wife of The Kingfish on radio & TV’s Amos ‘n’ Andy.  She died April 15 1983 at age 76.


In 1926...satirical humourist/advertising guru Stan Freberg was born in Pasadena. He is remembered and revered for his creativity, as an author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director. His best-known works include “St. George and the Dragonet“, John & Marsha, Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America, his role on the television series Time for Beany, and a number of classic commercials. The 15 episodes of his 1957 CBS radio show are fondly recalled by OTR fans. He died from pneumonia April 7 2015 at age 88.


In 1942...NPR host, Garrison Keillor, was born. ("A Prarie Home Companion").

In 1969...Charlie Greer did his last show on WABC 770 AM New York.

Charlie Greer (1923-1996) did middays and overnight. Given WABC's 50,000 clear channel signal, Greer became a popular all-night disc jockey heard on more than 38 states punching his way through famous tongue twister commercials for an all night clothing store called Dennison's in Union, New Jersey.



Greer also spent time with New York City's WCBS-FM in 1973, then and became part of WCBS-FM's Rock and Roll Radio Greats Weekend in the eighties and nineties.

From WAKR in Akron Ohio, Charlie started at WABC on December 7, 1960. He moved back and forth between overnights and middays a couple of times. He was one of the original Swingin’ Seven from Seventy Seven.

He moved to Philadelphia's WIP in 1969 and then back to the New York area to WRKL in New City for a short while, and later worked at WHAM in Rochester, before returning to Akron.


In 1971... 93/KHJ - Los Angeles early evening Disk Jockey - “Humble’ Harve Miller pled guilty to second degree murder of his adulterous wife Mary. In a short statement, he said he accidentally shot his wife and still loved her. Miller was the subject of a 13-day nationwide search after the murder in May.

"Humble" Harve Miller began his career in 1958 at radio station WAAT in Trenton, New Jersey. Soon after, he moved to WIBG in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he worked from 1958 to 1962. Miller subsequently moved to Los Angeles, California, and became part of the enormous hit station KHJ as part of the "Boss Radio" DJ teams working under Bill Drake and other executives.

Humble Harve was the top-rated nighttime disc jockey throughout a five year period, and also did commercials, voice-over work, and narrated the 1967 counterculture documentary film Mondo Mod. He also narrated the late-1969 syndicated version of KHJ's The History of Rock and Roll 48-hour special, which aired throughout the early 1970s.

In 1971, Miller's career took a dramatic turn when he was found guilty of murdering his adulterous wife Mary and wound up serving a ten-year prison sentence for manslaughter. In 1980, Harve was released from prison and soon found work at LA station KKDJ.

Among the Los Angeles radio stations Humble Harve has worked for throughout the years are KIQQ, KIIS, KUTE, KRLA, KRTH, KCBS-FM, and KZLA. In addition, Miller also worked for WIBG in Philadelphia in 1985 and KVI in Seattle, Washington from 1986-1989, and also narrated a variety of syndicated radio specials during the 1980s and 1990s.

In 1995 Miller was inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame.

In 1974...Cousin Brucie (Bruce Morrow) did his last show on WABC 770 AM/New York and moved over to WNBC 660 AM.


In 1981...FCC established General Radiotelephone Operator License, ceased issuing First and Second Class Operator licenses.


In 2000...NYC's WADO 1280 AM increased power to 50 Kw Day / 7.2 Kw Night


In 2015…Veteran radio and television host/anchor (KGO, KCBS, KRON-TV in San Francisco and CKNW and CJOR in Vancouver, British Columbia) Art Finley died of a heart attack at 88.