Radio History: June 2

Marconi 1901

➦In 1896...Marconi files full specs for first (radio) wireless patent. He had succeeded the previous year in sending long-wave radio signals over a distance of about two kilometres. And in 1897, Marconi formed a wireless telegraphy company to develop its commercial applications. In 1901, he sent the letter ”S” across the Atlantic from Cornwall, England to a receiving station in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

➦In 1908...Benjamin Franklin Grauer born (Died from a heart attacked at age 68 – May 31, 1977). He was a radio and TV personality, following a career during the 1920s as a child actor in films and on Broadway.

Grauer's greatest fame lies in his legendary 40-year career in radio. In 1930, the 22-year-old Benjamin Franklin Grauer joined the staff at NBC.  He quickly rose through the ranks to become a senior commentator and reporter. He was the designated announcer for the popular 1940s Walter Winchell's Jergens Journal. Perhaps, most importantly, he was selected by Arturo Toscanini to become the voice of the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Grauer took over as announcer in late 1942, and remained until the orchestra was disbanded in June 1954. Toscanini said he was his favorite announcer.

Starting in 1932, Grauer covered the Olympic Games, presidential inaugurations and international events. During his radio career, Grauer covered nearly every major historic event, including the Paris Peace Conference and the US occupation of Japan. Millions remember his NBC coverage of the New Year's celebrations on both radio and TV. Between 1951 and 1969, Grauer covered these events 11 times live from New York's Times Square. He continued covering New Year's Eve for Guy Lombardo's New Year's Eve specials on CBS in the 1970s, with his last appearance on December 31, 1976, the year before both he and Lombardo died. From the mid-1950s until the mid-1960s, Grauer's reports were part of the NBC television network's The Tonight Show, where he worked with Johnny Carson and prior to that, Jack Paar, and Steve Allen. Grauer was also one of NBC Radio's Monitor "Communicators" from 1955 to 1960.

Grauer also was one of five hosts/narrators of "The First Fabulous Fifty", a five-part NBC Radio Network documentary series on the history of the network, featuring soundbites from past NBC programs. The series was broadcast on the occasion of the network's 50th anniversary in the autumn of 1976. Grauer narrated the first installment, which covered the network's first decade on the air, 1926 through 1936.

➦In 1915...actor Walter Tetley was born in New York City.  At age 23 he moved to Hollywood where his radio career as a series of brash teenagers blossomed and lasted more than 25 years, by which time he was in his late 40’s.  His best remembered roles are as Gildy’s nephew Leroy on NBC radio’s The Great Gildersleeve, and as Julius Abbruzio on The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show.  He also voiced many popular cartoon characters.  He died at age 60 Sept. 4 1975, four years after a serious MVA had left him confined to a wheelchair.

Charles Farrell, Gil Stratton Jr. "Freddie", and Gale Storm

➦In 1922..actor/sportscaster Gill Stratton Jr. was born in Brooklyn.

While appearing in supporting roles in film in the late 40’s he began working as a radio actor in such shows as Lux Radio Theater, The Great Gildersleeve, and My Little Margie. He worked opposite Judy Garland in the 1950 radio version of The Wizard of Oz, and opposite Shirley Temple in an audio adaptation of The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer. In the 1954 television season, Stratton was a regular on the CBS situation comedy That’s My Boy.  That same year he began a 16 year run as sportscaster on KNXT Los Angeles, and over time also covered sports for KNX radio and KTTV.

He died of congestive heart failure Oct. 11 2008 at age 86.

➦In 1932... CKLW first came on the air on June 2, 1932 as CKOK on 540 kilocycles. The Station was built by George Storer and was sold to a group of Windsor-area businessmen led by Malcolm Campbell, operating as "Essex Broadcasters, Ltd." CKOK became CKLW (and moved to 840 kHz) in 1933, when Essex Broadcasters, Ltd. merged with the London Free Press and its station CJGC (now CFPL), and became "Western Ontario Broadcasting", which was co-owned by Essex Broadcasters, and the London Free Press. The "LW" in the callsign is said to have stood for "London, Windsor", considered to be the two chief cities in the station's listening area. When the station's power increased to 50,000 watts, its listening area increased accordingly. In 1934, when London Free Press's station CJGC pulled out of the agreement, the station's ownership became wholly owned by Western Ontario Broadcasters. CJGC later evolved into today's CFPL 980, while CKLW moved from 840 to 1030 kc. in 1934, before settling on its present frequency of 800 kHz in 1941, thanks to a shuffle of frequency allocations.

As a Top 40 station with a great 50,000 watt signal in the late 60’s it had more US listeners than any other Canadian station ever.

➦In 1933...WNJ 1450 AM, Newark, New Jersey signed-off the air.

This station originally went on the air as WRAZ in June 1923, located at 1290 AM. It was owned by former naval radio operator Herman Lubinsky, who established the Radio Shop of Newark at 58 Market St., for the home of WRAZ. In April 1924, calls were changed to WCBX.

Then, on October 15, 1924, Lubinsky requested the calls WNJ, which he said stood for "Wireless New Jersey," and received his third set of call letters in 16 months.

In 1925, Lubinsky built a studio in the Paradise Ballroom in Newark and operated a shortwave transmitter for local remote pick-ups.

In July of that year, WNJ moved to 1190 AM and shared time briefly with New York station WGCP.

In July 1926, WNJ broadcast "unauthorized" on 850 and 860 AM.  In April 1927, the station moved to 1070 AM and shared time with WGCP and Newark station WDWM.

Later that year, WNJ moved to 1120 AM and finally in November 1928, the station settled on 1450 AM, sharing time with Fort Lee station WBMS, Elizabeth station WIBS and Jersey City station WKBO.

WNJ, "The Voice Of Newark", presented programming in Polish and Lithuanian and featured some of the earliest Italian programming in the New York metropolitan area, featuring Ben D'Avella.

In November 1932, the FRC (Federal Radio Commission) denied WNJ's request for license renewal. Lubinsky fought the action in the federal courts, but lost and was ordered off the air.

(H/T: Angelfire.com)

Alan Freed

➦In 1959...Rock'n'Roll personality  Alan Freed aired his first show on WABC 770 AM, New York after being fired from 1010 WINS. He left WABC in November of that same year.

Ron Ely is 86

🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:

• Actor Ron Ely (“Tarzan”) is 86. 
• Actor Stacy Keach is 83. 
• Actor-director Charles Haid (“Hill Street Blues”) is 81. 
• Singer Chubby Tavares of Tavares is 80. 
• Film director Lasse Hallstrom (“Chocolat,” “The Cider House Rules”) is 78. 
• Actor Jerry Mathers (“Leave It To Beaver”) is 76. 
• Actor Joanna Gleason is 74. 
• Actor Dennis Haysbert (“24″) is 70. 
• Comedian Dana Carvey is 69. 
• Actor Gary Grimes (“Summer of ’42”) is 69. 
• Bassist Michael Steele of The Bangles is 69. 
• Singer Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet is 64. 
• Actor Liam Cunningham (“Game of Thrones”) is 63. 
• Actor Navid Negahban (“Homeland,” ″24″) is 60. 
• Singer Merril Bainbridge is 56. 
• TV personality Andy Cohen is 56. 
• Rapper B-Real of Cypress Hill is 54. 
• Actor Paula Cale (“Providence”) is 54. 
• Actor Anthony Montgomery (“Star Trek: Enterprise”) is 53. 
• Comedian Wayne Brady is 52. 
• Actor Wentworth Miller (“DC’s Legends of Tomorrow”) is 52. 
• Keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley of Keane is 48. 
• Actor Zachary Quinto (“Heroes”) is 47. 
• Actor Dominic Cooper (“Mamma Mia”) is 46. 
• Actor Nikki Cox (“Unhappily Ever After”) is 46. 
• Actor Justin Long (“Accepted,” ″Dodgeball”) is 46. 
• Actor Deon Richmond (“Van Wilder,” ″Scream 3″) is 46. 
• Actor Morena Baccarin (“Gotham,” ″Homeland”) is 45. 
• Drummer Fabrizio Moretti of The Strokes is 44. 
• Country singer Dan Cahoon of Marshall Dyllon is 41. 
• Singer-songwriter ZZ Ward is 38. 
• Actor Awkwafina (“The Farewell,” “Crazy Rich Asians”) is 36. 
• Actor Brittany Curran (“The Magicians,” “Men of a Certain Age”) is 34.

✞REMEMBRANCES

• In 1941..Lou Gehrig, Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman (6 x World Series, 2 x AL MVP; 7 x MLB All Star; NY Yankees), dies of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a disorder now commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease at 37
• In 1969..Leo Gorcey, American stage and screen comic actor, and malapropist (The Dead End Kids; The East Side Boys; The Bowery Boys), dies of liver failure at 51, and malpropist
• In 1979..Jim Hutton, actor (Ellery Queen), dies of liver cancer at 45
• In 1987..Sammy Kaye, American orchestra leader (Swing and Sway With Sammy Kaye)), dies of cancer at 77
• In 1990..Rex Harrison, English actor (My Fair Lady), dies of cancer at 82
• In 2001..Imogene Coca, Comedienne (Your Show of Shows, Grindl), dies at 92
• In 2008..Bo Diddley, American rock `n' roll pioneer guitarist (Bo Diddley), dies of heart failure at 79
• In 2012..Richard Dawson, British-American actor, comedian, and game show host (Hogan's Heroes, Family Feud), dies from esophageal cancer at 79