R.I.P.: Jack Ellery, Former NJ Radio Talk Show Host

Jack Ellery

Jack Ellery, whose 63-year career in radio included a long run at WCTC 1450 AM in Central Jersey, died Tuesday at age 86, reports nj.com. 

Ellery was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Nov. 30 and also had Alzheimer’s Disease, according to family friend Bruce Johnson.

Ellery retired from WCTC in 2013 after three stints at the radio station totaling 44 years. He is perhaps best remembered for hosting a talk show that offered a contrast to the many conservative voices in the industry by spotlighting his liberal perspective.

“He was acerbic. He was witty. He was humorous,” said Johnson, who worked at WCTC for 34 years and was the news and sports director until departing in 2014.

A native of New Bedford, Mass., Ellery got his start in radio while attending college in Maine, working part-time on weekends.

The first of his two stints at WCTC began in 1963, and he was on the air when the news broke that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated.

He was inducted in 2012 into the New Jersey Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame.

WCTC posted a statement from Dan Finn, senior vice president and regional market manager for Beasley Media, in which he recounted Ellery returning to the station not long after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“Jack was a real pro. His reputation preceded him ... I’m proud to have had the opportunity to work with him,” Finn said.