July 5 Radio History

Don Dunphy

➦In 1908...Sportscaster Don Dunphy born (Died at age 90 – July 22, 1998).  He specialized in boxing broadcasts. Dunphy was noted for his fast-paced delivery and enthusiasm for the sport. It is estimated that he did "blow-by-blow" action for over 2,000 fights. The Friday Night Fights were broadcast every Friday evening from (radio and television (1939–1981) 9 P.M. to 10:45 P.M on ABC.

In 1984, Dunphy was part of the American Sportscasters Association Hall of Fame's inaugural class which included sportscasting legends Red Barber, Ted Husing, Graham McNamee and Bill Stern. He was also a member of the organization's Board of Directors. He was elected in 1986 to the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Hall of Fame.

Dunphy was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1988 and had a memorable cameo appearance in the 1971 Woody Allen movie Bananas. He appears as the commentator in the 1977 biopic of Muhammad Ali, "The Greatest". He also called all of the fights in the 1980 United Artists film Raging Bull, which was directed by Martin Scorsese. In 1982, he won the Sam Taub Award for Excellence in Broadcasting Journalism in boxing.[1] He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

➦In 1927...actress Beverly Tyler was born in Scranton Pa.  She began her career singing on the radio, and later was a vocalist on such TV variety shows as Shower of Stars & Cavalcade of Stars.  She played the hero “Steve Wilson’s” love interest Lorelei Kilbourne on the TV version of Big Town in the early 50’s.  Later after marrying Jim Jordan Jr. she produced “Fibber McGee’s” grandson. She died at age 78 of a pulmonary embolism on Nov. 23, 2005.

➦In 1929...WOWO-AM, Fort Wayne, Indiana went back on the air - one day after a transmitter fire. In November 1929, the station held a grand opening.

➦In 1943...After a three-month run with J.B. Williams in the title role on the New England Network, the detective series "The Adventures of Nero Wolfe," now starring Santos Ortega, moved to ABC Radio. Luis Van Rooten succeeded Ortega the following year. Between 1943 and 1982, Wolfe was portrayed in four radio series on five different networks.

➦In 1945...Ann Sothern starred on CBS Radio as Maisie in The Adventures Of Maisie, based on the motion picture series. The 2-year network run was followed by a 4-year syndicated version, featuring a who’s who of Hollywood radio veterans.

Lucille Ball, Richard Denning

➦In 1948...“My Favorite Husband”, with Lucille Ball, first aired and became the gifted redhead’s first regular program on CBS Radio Network. Lee Bowman, and later, Richard Denning, co-starred with Lucy as “two people who live together and like it.” She would use the character as a stepping stone to TV’s iconic classic “I Love Lucy” three years later.

➦In 1951..."The Silver Eagle," a radio series starring Jim Ameche as Jim West of the Canadian Northwest Mounted Police, began its four-year run on ABC Radio.   The show followed the traditions of Fran Striker's The Lone Ranger and Challenge of the Yukon.

➦In 1951...Dr. William Shockley made the announcement that he had invented a junction transistor.

A junction transistor is a type of transistor that relies on the contact of two types of semiconductor for its operation. BJTs can be used as amplifiers, switches, or in oscillators. BJTs can be found either as individual discrete components, or in large numbers as parts of integrated circuits.

➦In 1963...it’s announced that CONELRAD, a means of wartime communication among the civilian population via AM radio frequencies 640 and 1240Khz, will be going away on August 5 to make way for a new system.

CONELRAD (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) was a method of emergency broadcasting to the public of the United States in the event of enemy attack during the Cold War. It was intended to serve two purposes: to prevent Soviet bombers from homing in on American cities by using radio or TV stations as beacons, and to provide essential civil defense information. U.S. President Harry S. Truman established CONELRAD in 1951.

After the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles reduced the likelihood of a bomber attack, CONELRAD was replaced by the Emergency Broadcast System on August 5, 1963, which was later replaced with the Emergency Alert System in 1997; all have been administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Unlike its successors, the EBS and EAS, CONELRAD was never intended to be used for severe weather warnings or local civil emergencies.

Ben Alexander, Jack Webb

➦In 1969...Nicholas Benton "Ben" Alexander III died at age 58 (Born June 27, 1911). He was a motion picture actor, who started out as a child actor in 1916. He is best remembered for his role as Officer Frank Smith in the Dragnet franchise. Alexander played leads and second leads in many low-budget films throughout the 1930s.

He found a career as a successful radio announcer in the late 1940s, including a stint on the Martin and Lewis program. Alexander also acted on radio, playing Philip West in the 1939–40 soap opera Brenthouse on the Blue Network

➦In 2008...Rush Limbaugh signed a lucrative deal, believed to be $38 million a year with Premiere Radio Networks.

Edie Falco is 60

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• Musician Robbie Robertson is 80. 
• Musician Huey Lewis is 72. 
• Country keyboardist Charles Ventre of River Road is 71. 
• Singer Marc Cohn is 64. 
• Actor Dorien Wilson (“The Parkers,” ″Sister, Sister”) is 61. 
• Actor Edie Falco (“Nurse Jackie,” “The Sopranos”) is 60. 
• Actor Jillian Armenante (“Judging Amy”) is 59. 
• Actor Kathryn Erbe (“Law and Order: Criminal Intent”) is 58. 
• Michael Stuhlbarg (“Dr. Strange”) is 55. 
• Rapper RZA of Wu-Tang Clan is 54. 
• Singer Joe is 50. 
• Drummer Bengt Lagerberg of The Cardigans is 50. 
• Rapper Bizarre of D12 is 47. 
• Rapper Royce da 5′9″ is 46. 
• Musician Jason Wade of Lifehouse is 43. 
• Actor Ryan Hansen (“Party Down,” “Veronica Mars”) is 42. 
• Musician Dave Haywood of Lady A is 41. 
• Bassist Nick O’Malley of Arctic Monkeys is 38. 
• Actor Jason Dolley (“Cory in the House”) is 32.

✞DEATH ANNIVERSARIES

• In 1969..Ben Alexander, Actor (Dragnet, All Quiet on the Western Front), dies of natural causes at 58
• In 2002..Ted Williams, Baseball HOF outfielder (last player to bat over .400 in single season; 19 x MLB All Star; AL MVP 1946, 49; Triple Crown 1942, 47 Boston Red Sox), dies at 84