R.I.P.: Ron Smith, Chicago Area Broadcaster

Ron Smith who worked behind the scenes at some of the area’s most popular radio stations in the late 20th century, is being remembered by friends and colleagues as “one of Chicago’s best.”

Ron Smith

The Chicago Tribune reports Smith, who died January 11 at age 66 of a heart attack, also authored five books on Top 40 music covering the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Those works include a popular calendar of births, deaths and events in Oldies history, called “Eight Days a Week.” The book’s forward is written by fellow DJ and friend, Dick Biondi.

In Chicago radio circles, Smith forged a reputation as a radio historian, master planning manager, DJ and internet radio innovator. He worked with legendary Chicago DJs Herb Kent, Larry Lujack, Tommy Edwards and Art Roberts, and developed friendships with many others, including Bob Sirott of WGN 720-AM.

“He was a great friend to anyone who loves radio and loves the music we grew up with,” said Bob Sirott, who saluted Smith on his morning show. Others posted tributes in blogs.

“He may not have been a household name, but he was one of Chicago’s best,” wrote Brendan Herman, host of a syndicated radio program, The Herman Show.

Herman is a fellow alum of North Central College in Naperville, where Smith earned a B.A. in speech communications/broadcasting in 1975.

Smith served as general manager for WONC-FM when it was named Billboard Magazine’s 1975 College Radio Station of the Year. While there, he got the idea for the “Eight Days a Week” calendar. Much of the information came from WLS Silver Dollars Survey flyers distributed to record stores during the 1960s through the 1990s.

Smith also worked in Chicago as a research coordinator for Q101 (WKQX-FM), was music director for Magic 104 (WJMK-FM) and was music director and evening air personality for Real Oldies 1690.
While he enjoyed tunes from the past, he constantly embraced new technology. His ownership of Web Asylum, Inc., a web design firm specializing in web site creation, internet instruction and online marketing, likely prepared him as a pioneer of internet radio.

He worked as broadcast operations manager for Radio Wave.com in the late 1990s, and as a programming consultant for AOL MusicNow from 2002 to 2005. For Slacker.com, which delivered personalized radio and 1950s and 1960s hits via the internet, he served as curator from 2007 to 2015.