December 2 Radio History

➦In 1932..."The Adventures of Charlie Chan" was first broadcast on the NBC Blue Radio Network.



On radio, Charlie Chan was heard in several different series on three networks (the NBC Blue Network, Mutual, and ABC) between 1932 and 1948.  Walter Connolly initially portrayed Chan on Esso Oil's Five Star Theater, which serialized adaptations of Biggers novels.  Ed Begley, Sr. had the title role in NBC's The Adventures of Charlie Chan (1944–45), followed by Santos Ortega (1947–48). Leon Janney and Rodney Jacobs were heard as Lee Chan, Number One Son, and Dorian St. George was the announcer.


➦In 1949...Gene Autry’s song “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” hit the record charts for the first time.

➦In 1963...Jay Nelson did his first morning show on CHUM 1050 AM Toronto.

Jungle Jay Nelson was well-known to Toronto audiences when he arrived at CHUM in December, 1963, succeeding Al Boliska.

Nelson had done the morning show at WKBW for two years and also an afternoon TV show on WKBW-TV.

But who would have thought he'd last 17 years in morning drive at CHUM, finally stepping down in 1980.



On February 18, 1994, Toronto radio fans were shocked at the news that long-time CHUM morning man Jay Nelson had died. Nelson, whose real name was Frank Coxe, anchored some of the greatest radio lineups of all time during his 17 years as morning man at 1050 CHUM.

Nelson went on to gigs at CITY-TV, CKFM, CKEY, CHFI and CJEZ and was teaching radio at George Brown College in Toronto shortly before his death. He remains one of Toronto's most remembered personalities.




➦In 1971...Don Imus signed on at WNBC, New York City.

Imus was a brakeman on the Southern Pacific Railroad. Upon winning a talent contest at Johnny Otis's nightclub, he began working as a singer/songwriter, managed by Otis.  After hearing a morning disc-jockey, he went to the nearby radio station and persuaded the owner to hire him. Thus he began his career as a radio disc jockey on June 28, 1968 at radio station KUTY in Palmdale, California. He stayed at the station until 1969 when he left for a job at KJOY, a small radio station in Stockton, California.

He was later fired for saying "hell" on air.  After being fired in Stockton, he went to KXOA in Sacramento, California.  His on-air pranks, such as calling up a restaurant and ordering 1200 hamburgers to go, made his show immensely popular and boosted ratings. He was inspired to pursue a career in radio by listening to California radio personality Don MacKinnon.

After a stint at WGAR (AM) radio in Cleveland, Ohio, Imus moved to New York City and WNBC radio in December 1971. During this first stint at WNBC, Imus recorded three record albums, two for the RCA Victor label (1200 Hamburgers to Go, including some of his more popular humor from KXOA, WGAR and WNBC broadcasts.

Imus was fired from WNBC in August 1977 along with several of the station's other personalities, in an effort to revamp the station's sound and boost ratings. In 1978 he returned to Cleveland radio as afternoon drive host on WHK, making the front page of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on his first day back in town.

In a surprise change of fortune Imus was rehired by WNBC in September 1979, and revived his morning drive show. From 1982 to 1985, the station also employed talk-radio host Howard Stern, and WNBC heavily promoted the pair in print and television ads, which often featured the slogan "If We Weren't So Bad, We Wouldn't Be So Good." Although Stern's show aired later in the day, Imus and Stern often made brief appearances on each other's shows, giving the audience an occasional glimpse of an on-and-off-air rivalry that continued for many years.


➦In 1992...WQEW-AM radio replaced WQXR on 1560 AM in New York City.


➦In 2008...Canadian broadcaster/cellular mogul Ted Rogers Jr. died at his home in Toronto, after recently being admitted to hospital with a cardiac condition. While he was best known for Canada's Rogers Cable, his communications empire actually makes more money from the mobile phone business.


➦In 2010…Chicago Cubs broadcaster/former MLB 3rd baseman Ron Santo died of complications from diabetes and bladder cancer at age 70.