June 21 Radio History

➦In 1900...pioneer Canadian radio broadcaster Ted Rogers Sr. was born.  At age 11 he became one of the first licensed radio amateurs in Canada, with a 500 watt spark-gap transmitter. On December 9, 1921, he became the first Canadian amateur operator to transmit a signal across the Atlantic.   In 1925, he invented the world’s first Alternating Current radio using household electricity; previous radios required batteries. Canada’s First Rogers Batteryless (CFRB) began broadcasting in early 1927, as the world’s first all electric radio station. He later started Canada’s first FM station, simulcasting CFRB-AM on the original 42 MHz FM band with 50 watts. He died May 8 1939 at age 38.  His son Ted Jr., later a Canadian telecommunications giant, was only 6 at the time.


➦In 1948...CBS-TV debuts its new variety show, entitled Toast Of The Town, featuring performances by Martin & Lewis and Rodgers & Hammerstein, and hosted by an New York Daily News entertainment columnist and critic named Ed Sullivan.

The first telecast was produced on a meager budget of $1,375. Only $375 was allocated for talent, and the stars of that first show, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, shared $200 of it. In September 1955, the program's name was officially changed to "The Ed Sullivan Show."

It became the longest-running variety show in US history at 23 years.


➦In 1948...Edward Wallerstein, the president of Columbia Records, demonstrated a long-playing record developed by Peter Goldmark of CBS Laboratories. The microgroove record played at 33-and-a-third revolutions per minute, in contrast to the standard 78 RPM, and could contain a maximum of 23 minutes of music a side, versus the approximately three minutes that could be squeezed onto a 78.

Columbia offered to share its technology with its main competitor, RCA Victor, but R-C-A opted to market its own version of the microgroove record — one that played at 45 R-P-M. But the battle of the speeds ended in 1950, when RCA announced it also would produce 33-and-a-third r-p-m long-playing records. Soon all major record companies were producing both 45’s and 33’s, spelling the end of the 78 RPM record.


➦In 1981…Lee Arnold departed Country WHN 1050 AM to capitalize on TV and radio syndication opportunities.

Lee Arnold

Arnold, born in Scranton, PA, was the best known air personality at WHN, New York, the most listened to Country radio station of all time.

After working at WSCR in his hometown of Scranton, he continued his broadcasting career at WAVY radio and TV and WNTA AM/FM/TV, both in Norfolk. Lee became Music Director and Air Personality at Country formatted WJRZ, Hackensack New Jersey, (1965-1971) which served the New York City metropolitan area. He joined WHN radio (1971-1981), and was there when it changed from an Adult Contemporary to a Country format in 1973.

While at WHN, Lee hosted the weekly nationally syndicated shows "Country Cookin'" and "Country Line" (1972-1976). Later, he hosted the Mutual Broadcasting System's "On A Country Road" (1981-1991) and was the voice of "Country In The Air", an in-flight airline Country Music channel.

He was honored by both Billboard Magazine, The Country Music Association (1976) and The Academy of Country Music (1983) as Major Market Country Disc Jockey of the Year. Lee Arnold appears as announcer on two landmark live Country albums "Buck Owens and The Buckeroos' Carnegie Hall Concert " and "Country Comes To Carnegie Hall". He then joined Country formatted WYNY New York (1991-1993).

Lee Arnold was inducted into The Country Music D J Hall of Fame in 2002. He joined the Sirius Satellite Network in 2001. He is also co-anchor analyst for ESPN's dog show series in addition to Animal Planet's dog show series. July of 2002, he debuted a new syndicated weekly show as host of "Country CloseUP" on Triumph Radio Network.


➦In 1981… WXLO-FM is changed its name to WRKS (Kiss 98.7) n 1994, Emmis bought WRKS, and changed the format to a Gold-Based Urban format. By 1999, WRKS had evolved into a Hot Urban AC. On April 26, 2012 at 10am it was announced that "Kiss FM" was ending its 30 year run on 98.7 and moving to 107.5 WBLS. Today 98.7 FM is home to WEPN-FM, ESPN Sports.


➦In 2011...75-year-old Glen Campbell had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. “I still love making music,” said Campbell. “And I still love performing for my fans. I’d like to thank them for sticking with me through thick and thin.”


➦In 2014...Jimmy C. Newman, a singer famous for mixing Cajun and country music, and a Grand Ole Opry member since 1956, succumbed to cancer at age 86. In 1954 he joined “The Louisiana Hayride,” a radio show broadcast from Shreveport, La., where he performed alongside Elvis Presley, Johnny Horton and others. He joined the Opry two years later, after notching five straight Top 10 country records.

Dan Daniel

➦In 2016…Retired radio personality "Dandy" Dan Daniel died one day after a fall in his home at age 82.

Daniel was one of the 'Good Guys' while working for the New York radio station WMCA 570 AM during its heyday as a Top 40 station.

He started as a disc jockey at age seventeen on Armed Forces Radio with the US Navy. His first commercial job was at KXYZ in Houston in 1955 and he then worked at WDGY in Minneapolis before moving to WMCA in 1961.

His first broadcast at WMCA was on August 18, 1961. He started on the graveyard shift overnight but from 1962 to 1968 he played the top 40 hits from 4 pm to 7 pm — the evening drive home slot.

The station produced a survey of the current sales in New York record stores and Dandy Dan gave the countdown of the week's best sellers every Wednesday in this late afternoon slot. In 1966, he participated in a tour of Africa to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Peace Corps. Then, from 1968 to 1970, he did the early morning drive-to-work slot before leaving WMCA after nearly nine years; his final broadcast was on 11 July 1970.

Dan was also heard coast-to-coast on NBC Radio's "Monitor" in the summer of 1973.


He subsequently worked on WYNY-FM where he hosted the mid-day slot and later morning and afternoon drives. He then did a stint at WHN playing country music before returning to WYNY-FM. Finally, he moved to WCBS-FM in 1996. He retired from WCBS on December 31, 2002.