He had been the announcer on the WXYZ Detroit production from early in the series (1933), and assumed the title role when the program’s early star, Earle Graser, was killed in a car accident in 1941. Beemer starred in more than 3,000 episodes of the youth-oriented western radio adventure.
He died after a heart attack March 1 1965 at age 62.
➦In 1933...Talk show host Morton Downey Jr. was born in Los Angeles. Unsuccessful as a pop & country singer, in the 1960’s he turned to deejaying at radio stations in Bakersfield, San Diego, and Miami as “Doc Downey the DJ.”
He perfected the abrasive, right-wing populist style of talk radio at Sacramento’s KFBK before transferring it to TV out of New York. (He was replaced at KFBK by Rush Limbaugh.)
Downey died from lung cancer Mar 12, 2001 at age 67.
➦In 1940...the radio panel show that originated with joke-telling sessions at the Friar’s Club, 'Can You Top This' debuted on WOR New York. It would hit the networks 22 months later, and run on first NBC, then Mutual, ABC, and then NBC again, until 1954.
➦In 1940...The Longines Watch Company became the first FM radio advertiser when it signed a contract with W2XOR in New York City, an experimental station.
➦In 1968...Douglas Engelbart
demonstrates the computer mouse
➦In 1977...Gene Klavan last show at WNEW
1130 AM NYC.
Klavan is most known for his time as half of the morning program "Klavan and Finch." The program ran from 1952 to 1968; prior to 1952, Dee Finch had co-hosted the show with Gene Rayburn. Co-host Finch departed and Klavan continued solo until 1977.
He wrote a biography in 1964, "We Die at Dawn", that largely focused on the morning show. He followed it up in 1972 with "Turn That Damned Thing Off", a book about the news media industry. In 1977 he moved to 710 WOR and left radio in 1980. He later became a commentator at WCBS-TV, a host for the AMC channel, and a columnist for Newsday.
➦In 1998...CBS Corp. raised $2.9 billion by selling a 17 percent stake in Infinity Broadcasting Corp., its radio and outdoor advertising business. The initial public offering of stock was the largest ever in the media industry.
Klavan is most known for his time as half of the morning program "Klavan and Finch." The program ran from 1952 to 1968; prior to 1952, Dee Finch had co-hosted the show with Gene Rayburn. Co-host Finch departed and Klavan continued solo until 1977.
He wrote a biography in 1964, "We Die at Dawn", that largely focused on the morning show. He followed it up in 1972 with "Turn That Damned Thing Off", a book about the news media industry. In 1977 he moved to 710 WOR and left radio in 1980. He later became a commentator at WCBS-TV, a host for the AMC channel, and a columnist for Newsday.
➦In 1998...CBS Corp. raised $2.9 billion by selling a 17 percent stake in Infinity Broadcasting Corp., its radio and outdoor advertising business. The initial public offering of stock was the largest ever in the media industry.
➦In 2004...Boston radio listeners lost
one of that city's most listened to and respected talk show hosts,
David Brudnoy, who succumbed to cancer. During his career, he worked
at WBZ 1030 AM, WHDH-AM, and WRKO-AM. He was 64.
Brudnoy began a career in broadcast commentary in 1971 on Boston's local PBS television station, WGBH-TV.
In 1976, David Brudnoy took over as host of his friend Avi Nelson's radio show on WHDH, in the midst of the city's unrest over forced busing and desegregation in schools. He took to the job with ease, and increasingly gained popularity. From 1981 to 1986, he appeared on former Top 40 WRKO, which was now news and talk, before moving to local stalwart WBZ. The top-rated talk radio host in New England, he appeared in a regular weekday evening slot until his retirement. At the end of his career, Brudnoy was among the most-listened-to evening talk hosts in the United States.
Over the years, Brudnoy also appeared as a news commentator and host on local TV stations besides WGBH, including WCVB-TV (ABC), WNAC-TV, and WBZ-TV (CBS). He also appeared nationally on the CBS Morning News. He wrote movie reviews for Boston magazine and local community newspapers. During the 1970s he wrote articles for the National Review, and befriended its editor William F. Buckley. He also wrote for The Alternative (later known as The American Prospect) in the early 1970s, but quit because of the editor's unwillingness to adopt a more liberal position on gay rights. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, and the Saturday Evening Post.
In 1990, his WBZ show was canceled, but a mass public response, including a letter writing campaign sponsored by The Boston Globe, helped lead to his quick return to the station's lineup.
Brudnoy's popularity escalated him into the Boston media elite, and he was the host of numerous social gatherings at his upscale Back Bay apartment, mixing students, media personalities, and politicians. After his bout with AIDS, Brudnoy began broadcasting from his apartment four nights out of five, welcoming his radio guests into his home.
His popularity in Boston was so great that when he returned to the air in early January 1995, after his first battle with HIV/AIDS kept him off the air for ten weeks, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino formally declared January 5 as "David Brudnoy Day."
Brudnoy was awarded the Freedom of Speech Award from the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts, and nominated for the "Personality of the Year" Marconi Award, both in 1997.
In 2001, he celebrated his 25th anniversary on the air.
➦In 2016…St. Louis broadcaster (KSD-Radio, KSD-TV) Clif St. James, a TV weatherman who also played children's show character Corky the Clown for 26 years, died of complications from pneumonia at 91.
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| David Brudnoy |
In 1976, David Brudnoy took over as host of his friend Avi Nelson's radio show on WHDH, in the midst of the city's unrest over forced busing and desegregation in schools. He took to the job with ease, and increasingly gained popularity. From 1981 to 1986, he appeared on former Top 40 WRKO, which was now news and talk, before moving to local stalwart WBZ. The top-rated talk radio host in New England, he appeared in a regular weekday evening slot until his retirement. At the end of his career, Brudnoy was among the most-listened-to evening talk hosts in the United States.
Over the years, Brudnoy also appeared as a news commentator and host on local TV stations besides WGBH, including WCVB-TV (ABC), WNAC-TV, and WBZ-TV (CBS). He also appeared nationally on the CBS Morning News. He wrote movie reviews for Boston magazine and local community newspapers. During the 1970s he wrote articles for the National Review, and befriended its editor William F. Buckley. He also wrote for The Alternative (later known as The American Prospect) in the early 1970s, but quit because of the editor's unwillingness to adopt a more liberal position on gay rights. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, and the Saturday Evening Post.
In 1990, his WBZ show was canceled, but a mass public response, including a letter writing campaign sponsored by The Boston Globe, helped lead to his quick return to the station's lineup.
Brudnoy's popularity escalated him into the Boston media elite, and he was the host of numerous social gatherings at his upscale Back Bay apartment, mixing students, media personalities, and politicians. After his bout with AIDS, Brudnoy began broadcasting from his apartment four nights out of five, welcoming his radio guests into his home.
His popularity in Boston was so great that when he returned to the air in early January 1995, after his first battle with HIV/AIDS kept him off the air for ten weeks, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino formally declared January 5 as "David Brudnoy Day."
Brudnoy was awarded the Freedom of Speech Award from the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts, and nominated for the "Personality of the Year" Marconi Award, both in 1997.
In 2001, he celebrated his 25th anniversary on the air.
➦In 2016…St. Louis broadcaster (KSD-Radio, KSD-TV) Clif St. James, a TV weatherman who also played children's show character Corky the Clown for 26 years, died of complications from pneumonia at 91.
