October 1 Radio History

➦In 1909...Everett H. Sloane born in NYC (Died – August 6, 1965). He  was a character actor who worked in radio, theatre, films and television. He was also a songwriter and theatre director.

Sloane's radio work led him to be hired by Orson Welles to become part of his Mercury Theatre. Sloane recorded one program with The Mercury Theatre on the Air and became a regular player when the show was picked up by a sponsor and became The Campbell Playhouse

In the 1940s, Sloane was a frequent guest star on the radio theater series Inner Sanctum Mysteries and The Shadow, and was in The Mysterious Traveler episode "Survival of the Fittest" with Kermit Murdock.

Reportedly depressed over the onset of blindness, Sloane committed suicide in 1965 at age 55.

WJZ - 1922

➤In 1921...WJZ Radio signed-on. WJZ is now WABC in New York City. The original Westinghouse Electric Corporation, whose broadcasting division is a predecessor to the current broadcasting unit of CBS Corporation, launched WJZ in 1921, and was located originally in Newark, New Jersey.

WJZ was sold in 1923 to the Radio Corporation of America, who moved its operations to New York City, and on January 1, 1927, WJZ became the flagship station for the NBC Blue Network.

NBC Blue would become the American Broadcasting Company in 1942.  In 1953, ABC merged with United Paramount Theatres, and changed the call letters of their New York area stations to WABC.  Today, the WJZ call sign is assigned to 1300 AM in Baltimore.  It is owned by Entercom and airs  CBS Sports Radio.

➦In 1922...“The Radio Digest,” a daily news program got started on WBAY in New York City, which is now WFAN 660 AM.

➦In 1942…'People Are Funny' host Art Baker was replaced by Art Linkletter on the NBC Radio Network.  Linkletter remained with the show on radio until 1960 and hosted a TV version of the program on CBS from 1954 to 1960.

➦In 1952...'This Is Your Life' which aired on NBC radio from 1948 to 1952 began airing on NBC TV (until 1961).  Each show began with Edwards surprising some unsuspecting person. The show  would then be present their life story, complete with friends and relatives.

➦In 1975...Seattle radio station KOL changed its call letters to KMPS,surrendering forever the three-letter call that had served the Puget Sound well for nearly 50 years. While the modern incarnation of 1300 AM uses KOL as its ID, the official call sign is KKOL.

➦In 1979...the RKO Radio Network began operation.

The newscasts, aimed at a young adult audience, had a conversational, high-energy style developed by co-founders Vice President and News Director Dave Cooke, and Vice President of Programming Jo Interrante.

RKO was popular from the start, signing up hundreds of affiliates coast to coast. Its base was the RKO General-owned radio stations in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other large markets. RKO initially purchased downlink satellite dishes for its affiliates, creating the nation's first satellite-delivered commercial radio network.

The original network, which fed newscasts at :50 repeated at :00, became known as RKO 1 when RKO 2 debuted on September 1, 1981. RKO 2 fed newscasts at :20 repeated at :30 and was aimed at an older audience. Both networks offered sportscasts, music, public affairs programming and closed-circuit affiliate feeds of news and sports correspondent reports and news-maker actualities.

The networks were home to three groundbreaking long-form programs. NightTime America with Bob Dearborn was the first live, daily, satellite-delivered music show in radio history. Dearborn produced and hosted the five-hour adult contemporary show from January 9, 1981 until 1984.

January 9, 1981 was also the premier of America Overnight, a six-hour interview and call-in show hosted by Eric Tracey in Los Angeles and Ed Busch from Dallas. It was the first national talk show delivered by satellite. It also marked the first time a network offered simultaneous overnight programs.

Dick Bartley created, produced and hosted the first live national oldies radio show, Solid Gold Saturday Night.

➦In 1982...First CD players are sold in Japan

➦In 2003...Rush Limbaugh, host of the nationally syndicated conservative talk show,  resigned from ESPN over comments about black quarterback, Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Julie Andrews is 86

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• Actor-singer Julie Andrews is 86. 
• Actor Stella Stevens is 83. 
• Saxophonist Jerry Martini of Sly and the Family Stone is 78. 
• Jazz bassist Dave Holland is 75. 
• Actor Yvette Freeman (“ER”) is 71. 
• Actor Randy Quaid is 71. 
• Singer Howard Hewett is 66. 
• Drummer Tim O’Reagan of The Jayhawks is 63. 
• Singer Youssou N’Dour is 62. 
• Actor Esai Morales (“NYPD Blue”) is 59. 
• Actor Christopher Titus (“Titus”) is 57. 
• Model-actor Cindy Margolis is 56. 
• Singer-guitarist Kevin Griffin of Better Than Ezra is 53. 
• Actor Zach Galifianakis (“The Hangover”) is 52. 
• Actor Sherri Saum (“The Fosters”) is 47. 
• Actor Katie Aselton (“Legion,” “The League”) is 43. 
• Actor Sarah Drew (“Grey’s Anatomy” ″Everwood”) is 41. 
• Actor Carly Hughes (“American Housewife”) is 39. 
• Comedian Beck Bennett (“Saturday Night Live”) is 37. 
• Actor Jurnee Smollett (“Underground,” ″Wanda at Large”) is 35. 
• Actor Brie Larson (“United States of Tara”) is 32. 
• Singer Jade Bird is 24. 
• Actor Priah Ferguson (“Stranger Things”) is 15. 
• Actor Jack Stanton (“The Mick”) is 13.