Max Falkenstien, who broadcast University of Kansas football and men’s basketball games for 60 years, died Monday afternoon. He was 95.
Falkenstien did his first radio broadcast of a KU basketball game – an NCAA Tournament game in Kansas City between KU and Oklahoma A&M – on March 18, 1946. His next KU broadcast was the Jayhawks’ football opener against TCU on September 21, 1946. He served as play-by-play voice of the Jayhawks for 39 years and switched to the commentator’s role in September 1984, when Bob Davis assumed the play-by-play duties; together they did KU football and basketball games until Falkenstien’s retirement in 2006. The duo became so well known that they were referred to simply as “Bob and Max.” Falkenstien retired as color commentator on Jayhawk Radio Network broadcasts after the last game of the 2005-06 men’s basketball season – his 60th season of covering Jayhawk athletics.
“Although I still am in good health,” he said at the time, “I realize there finally comes a time when one must call an end to something, no matter how much he enjoys it.”
Kansas Athletics honored Falkenstien by making him the only non-player to have his “jersey” (60) honored in the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame paid tribute to him in 2004 with its Curt Gowdy Award, and the College Football Hall of Fame honored him in 1996 with its Chris Shenkel Award. He was inducted into the State of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame and the Kansas Athletics Hall of Fame, and was the first inductee of the Lawrence High School Hall of Honor. He was awarded an honorary “K” by the K Club, Kansas Athletics’ association of former student-athletes.
The Sporting News in 2001 named Falkenstien “the best college radio personality in the country,” and television’s Dick Vitale selected Bob and Max to his “Sweet 16” of the best college basketball announcing teams in the country.
Falkenstien first worked in radio at WREN in Lawrence. He worked at WIBW radio and television in Topeka, and for one year as general manager at Sunflower Cable in Lawrence. As famous as he was for his sports broadcasting, he reported live during two of Topeka’s most famous news events as well – the 1951 flood and the 1966 tornado.
➦In 1888...Vladimir Kosmich Zworykin born (Died - July 29, 1982). He was an American inventor, engineer, and pioneer of television technology. Zworykin invented a television transmitting and receiving system employing cathode ray tubes. He played a role in the practical development of television from the early thirties, including charge storage-type tubes, infrared image tubes and the electron microscope. Zworykin, called the “Father of Television” invented the iconoscope in 1931 while in the employ of RCA, the parent company of NBC. He died July 29 1982 on the eve of his 93rd birthday. ➦In 1914...John Meston born (Died — March 24, 1979). He was a scriptwriter best known for co-creating with producer Norman Macdonnell the long-running Western series Gunsmoke. He developed storylines and wrote radio scripts and teleplays for 379 episodes for the series, which was first broadcast on CBS Radio in 1952, and then adapted to the "small screen", as well, airing on television from 1955 to 1975. In addition to his work on Gunsmoke, Meston also served as a writer and editorial supervisor for other radio programs such as Escape, Suspense, Lux Radio Theater, and Fort Laramie; and in the 1970s, he wrote several episodes for two other television series, Little House on the Prairie and Hec Ramsey.
After the war, Meston was hired by KNX Radio in Los Angeles to be an assistant in the station's editing department, and by October 1945, he was promoted to head of that department.[14]
Station KNX by the 1940s already served as the center of West Coast operations for the entire CBS Radio network, so Meston's next career move was a transitional one to CBS, where in 1947, he began working once again as a censor, more specifically in the network's program practices department.
Meston's scripts dominated the radio series' presentations for years. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage March 24 1979 at age 64. ➦In 1930...The Shadow debuted as the mysterious narrator of the radio program Detective Story Hour, which was developed to boost sales of Street and Smith's monthly pulp Detective Story Magazine. When listeners of the program began asking at newsstands for copies of "That Shadow detective magazine", Street & Smith decided to create a magazine based on The Shadow and hired Gibson to create a character concept to fit the name and voice and write a story featuring him. The first issue of The Shadow Magazine went on sale on April 1, 1931, a pulp series.
On September 26, 1937, The Shadow radio drama, a new radio series based on the character as created by Gibson for the pulp magazine, premiered with the story "The Death House Rescue", in which The Shadow was characterized as having "the power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him". As in the magazine stories, The Shadow was not given the literal ability to become invisible.
The introduction from The Shadow radio program "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!", spoken by actor Frank Readick, has earned a place in the American culture.
The Shadow aired first aired on CBS. It would bea radio favorite for the next 24 years, mostly on Sunday afternoons on Mutual.
➦In 1930...First broadcast of "Death Valley Days" on NBC Radio. It was a radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945 and became from 1952 to 1970 as a syndicated television series, with reruns (updated with new narrations) continuing through August 1, 1975. The radio and television versions combined to make the show "one of the longest-running western programs in broadcast history."
The series was sponsored by the Pacific Coast Borax Company (20 Mule Team Borax, Boraxo) and hosted by Stanley Andrews ("The Old Ranger") (1952–1964), Ronald Reagan (1964–1965), Rosemary DeCamp (1965), Robert Taylor (1966–1969), and Dale Robertson (1969–1970). ➦In 1937...the American Federation of Radio Artists (AFRA) organized. It was part of the American Federation of Labor. The union was for all radio performers except musicians. The union later became The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) to include TV workers.
➦In 1942...Stage Door Canteen began its three-year run on CBS Radio. It was inspired by the
The Stage Door Canteen which was an entertainment venue for American and Allied servicemen that operated in the Broadway theatre district of New York City during World War II.
The official estimate of attendance on the canteen's opening night was 1,250, with 200 "actresses of varying importance" as hostesses and 75 "'name' actors" as busboys. In addition to shows, the canteen offered off-duty military personnel opportunities to unwind in various ways, including dancing with hostesses and female entertainers, eating, and writing letters home. Food was provided free. Between 5 p.m. and midnight daily, the canteen served 200 gallons of coffee, and 5,000 cigarettes were smoked.
The CBS Radio series aired through 1945.
Arthur Peterson, Mercedes McCambridge, Helen Behmiller, Henrietta Ledro
➦In 1952...the popular radio soap opera, The Guiding Light, was seen for the first time on CBS-TV. It debuted on NBC radio Jan. 25 1937. The daytime drama aired its final telecast Sept. 18 2009.
➦In 1964...WNEW 1130 AM in New York banned all comedy records that “ridicule the United States Government, its processes, institutions, officials, lawmakers and political candidates.” The station said the new policy was triggered by a new album entitled “I’d rather Be Far RightThan President.” - an album that spoofs Republican Presidential nominee Barry Goldwater.
Says John Sullivan, vice president and general manager of WNEW -“I would say the situation came to a head because of national conventions and an election year. But the taste level of some of these comedy recordings has grown progressively worse and there is a lot of cheap, badly done stuff in the field. What I resent is that anyone can put something on a record and it is passed off as entertainment. The radio industry should take a look at what it plays.”WNEW plays music from the likes of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Steve and Eydie, Dean Martin and other popular non-rock artists.
➦In 1966...WOR 98.7 FM, New York changed it's programming to a Rock format.
The original WOR-FM disc jockeys were Scott Muni (formerly of WABC and WMCA), Murray “the K” Kaufman (formerly of WINS), Rosko (Bill Mercer) and Johnny Michaels.
According to musicradio77.com, WOR-FM became extremely popular on college campuses. It began to carve out an audience that had not been served by radio up until then. It was achieving decent ratings (for an FM station) without taking audience away from the AM stations by appealing to new listeners. This was significant. A Columbia University survey of its undergraduates found that 93% listened to FM as well as AM and that they listened to WOR-FM for 3 1/2 hours daily as compared with AM stations WMCA (1 1/2 hours) and WABC (1 hour). WOR-FM grossed anywhere from $500 to $1000 a week from record company commercials because of its reach into the college campuses.
Even so, owner RKO wasn’t satisfied. Bill Drake had been consulting RKO’s two West Coast stations; KHJ in Los Angeles and KFRC in San Francisco. These were both extremely successful AM Top 40 stations built around the “Drake-Chenault” philosophy of playing just the hits while minimizing almost everything else. In July of 1967 RKO hired Drake to consult its remaining radio properties which consisted of CKLW, Detroit; WRKO, Boston; WGMS, Washington DC; WHBQ, Memphis and, of course, WOR-FM.
The first sense of change came when memos appeared from management dictating to the air staff not to play certain cuts. Next the disc jockeys were removed from the new record listening sessions and not allowed to have input on the playlist. Next the playlist became all singles with only an occasional new record and it had to be from an established artist.
Murray the K had the highest rated FM show in New York; a 4 share on one ratings survey, a 3 on the next. This was higher than many AM shows and a terrific FM rating for New York. He would have no part of these changes and his protests cost him his job. He was fired by the station in September 1967. His parting comment about the changes at WOR-FM was “Who can live with that? Music has reached a maturity... people in radio are still treating it as if it is for teenie boppers."
Murray had a point. WOR-FM was different from the other RKO properties in that it was FM stereo as opposed to AM. It had built a solid audience by attracting a different group of people. Giving up on it after only a year seemed premature. Record companies had found the station highly valuable at influencing sales of rock albums especially of new artists and groups like Cream, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The format was noted for playing new records first, often playing new artists that the local AM stations wouldn't play.
➦In 1984...The FCC increased the number of radio and television stations that a company may own from a total of 14 radio stations and 7 TV stations to a new ceiling of 24 radio stations and 12 TV stations.
➦In 2004...Shock personalities Opie and Anthony announced they were joining XM Satellite Radio beginning Oct. 4. They were yanked off the air back in August of 2002 after broadcasting a live account of a couple having sex inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan.
➦In 2012...Radio programmer on personality Al Brady Law died at age 67.
Al Brady-Law
Brady first came to New York as Al Brady late in 1969 as the night jock at WOR FM. Late in 1970 he left for WINZ in Miami but promptly turned back up in New York as the night jock at WWDJ. He eventually moved to afternoons and then left again for Denver. But he returned once more, this time as program director at WWDJ. In 1973 he moved over to WXLO as program director.
In March of 1974, Al moved on to WNBC where did some weekend shows and was also the station's assistant program director. In September of 1974, he became the station's program manager, but only for a month. He would go back to weekends and the APD slot. In 1976, it was off to Boston and in 1978 he took over as program director of the NBC Owned and Operated stations. After a brief stint in Washington, DC, he returned to New York, yet again, this time as program director of 77WABC. In 1979, WABC was still reeling from the "disco inferno" of the October/November, 1978 book where WKTU rocketed to the top. They were, in essence, trying to right the ship. Brady came under a lot of criticism when three of his moves involved letting go Harry Harrison, George Michael and Chuck Leonard. Al always defended his moves and always insisted it was the right thing to do. He always said he never regretted any of it.
From WABC, Brady returned to Boston and then one more time to New York where he was to assume the position of Vice President and General Manager of WYNY. Under his guidance, WYNY became a major presence in the New York market, finally cracking the ratings top 10 in the Summer, 1981 book.
From WYNY, al took over as Vice President of Programming of NBC Radio. After leaving this post, he moved around the country working at various radio stations.
Terry Lee
➦In 2013…Longtime Pittsburgh radio, TV personality Terry Lee (Trunzo) died of lung cancer at 70.
He started working as a DJ at teen dances at age 16. That launched his radio career at the former WESA-AM in Charleroi, which was followed by stints at stations in Carnegie and Canonsburg. At 21, he joined the former WMCK-AM in McKeesport, which later became WIXZ 1360. That little station was the place where Lee really began shaking up the airwaves. His evening show was one of the most popular in the city throughout the '60s.
In the late '60s throughout the '70s, Lee hosted dance shows on TV: "Come Alive" on the former WIIC (now WPXI) and "The Terry Lee Show" on WPGH and later on KDKA.
In honor of the 30th anniversary of the NAB Marconi Radio Awards, this year’s celebration will feature previous NAB Marconi Radio Award winners – nationally-syndicated radio personality Delilah, top-rated syndicated radio personality Rickey Smiley, and Tom and Kristi of “The Bob and Tom Show.”
Delilah
Together the hosts will serve as emcees and presenters throughout the event, held September 26 at the 2019 Radio Show in Dallas.
Established in 1989 and named after inventor and Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi, the NAB Marconi Radio Awards are given to radio stations and outstanding on-air personalities to recognize excellence in radio.
Delilah is the most-listened-to-woman on radio in the U.S. with more than eight million weekly listeners across 160 radio stations. She was inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2017 and received the NAB Marconi Radio Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year in 2016.
Delilah is also the author of four books, the founder of the non-profit Point Hope, and the mother of 14 children - 11 of whom she adopted.
Rickey Smiley
Kristi & Tom
Television host, actor and top-rated, nationally syndicated radio personality Rickey Smiley received the NAB Marconi Radio Award for Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year in 2017. Every morning, millions of Americans in nearly 60 cities tune in to “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show.” Smiley’s stand-up persona, in addition to the show’s mix of celebrity interviews, trademark prank phone calls and discussion of current news, makes the show a popular option among radio listeners. Additionally, he will succeed Tom Joyner following his retirement from “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” with the debut of a new, urban adult contemporary morning show beginning January 2020.
"The Bob & Tom Show" features news, sports, lifestyle content, and interviews with today's top actors, authors and newsmakers. Now heard on more than 100 radio affiliates nationwide, the five-time NAB Marconi Radio Award-winning show began national syndication in 1995 from its flagship station in Indianapolis. Tom Griswold formed the morning show along with former cohost Bob Kevoian in 1983. Kristi Lee joined the show as news director a year later in 1984. “The Bob & Tom Show” is heading into its 25th year of syndication and will broadcast live each day from this year’s Radio Show.
As broadcasters invest more time and resources in podcasting initiatives, Jacobs Media is announcing its speaker/session lineup for its third “Broadcasters Meet Podcasters” program at the 2019 Podcast Movement (August 13-16 in Orlando). Recognizing the potential to bring these two communities together, Jacobs Media created these sessions.
“When we attended our first Podcast Movement four years ago, there was just a handful of broadcasters in attendance,” Jacobs Media’s President Fred Jacobs recalls. “Fast forward to 2019 and podcasting has become a significant opportunity for radio companies. Hundreds of radio broadcasters and savvy podcasters will join us this year.”
“Broadcasters Meet Podcasters” will also present a first-ever live focus group of the Stacking Benjamins podcast.
And on Friday morning, there will be a first-ever “Podcasting Speed Mentoring” event where podcasters can sit down and speak directly with some of the industry’s leading experts in the field.
Each morning, “Broadcasters Meet Podcasters” leads off with a stellar keynoter:
Conal Byrne, creator of “Stuff Media” and the How Stuff Works podcast. Conal is now the President of the iHeart Podcast Network and will talk about the merging of a podcasting company with a broadcaster.
Eric Nuzum was the developer of the iconic Invisibilia podcast as well as other podcasts for NPR. He also headed up Audible’s audio efforts, and is the author of a new book, Make Noise: The Creator’s Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling, that will be released later in 2019.
Steve Lickteig, Executive Producer of audio for NBC and MSNBC, and the person behind Rachel Maddow’s Bagman, Chris Hayes’ Why Is This Happening? Chuck Rosenberg’s The Oath, and many others.
Radio Leadership panel, moderated by Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty, featuring Alpha Media’s Phil Becker, Corus’ Chris Duncombe, Hubbard Radio’s Wheeler Morris, and Bonneville’s Sheryl Worsley.
“What Does Public Radio Know That You Don’t Know?” moderated by podcaster and Moth Radio Hour storyteller Shannon Cason, featuring PRX’s Kerri Hoffman, WFAE’s Joni Deutsch, and American Public Media’s Natalie Jablonski.
A fascinating session in the “Ted Talks” format, where broadcasters will tell the stories behind how they took a local news event and turned it into a podcast. The session will feature Michigan Radio’s Jennifer Guerra (Believed), WTOP’s Julia Ziegler (22 Hours: An American Nightmare), Boston 25’s Dalton Main (Mass. Marijuana), and WDIV/Detroit’s Jeremy Allen and Zak Rosen (Shattered).
Other sessions will cover Branded Podcasts, developing a Smart Speaker strategy for podcasts, a major announcement about the future of music rights for podcasts, “Podcast Makeover,” where experts conduct a live air check session of podcasters, and more.
Click Here for the entire agenda and speaker lineup.
Dan Franks, President of Podcast Movement, remarks, "Once again, Jacobs Media has found the perfect balance in not only topics, but also participants, that appeal to both the broadcasters and the podcasters who will be in Orlando with us next month. The whole idea behind this track is to create a space where these two worlds can come together and learn from one another, and this lineup will definitely do that and more!"
In 2017, Jacobs Media created “Broadcasters Meet Podcasters” at Podcast Movement. It was a one-day event, primarily featuring speakers from podcasting. In 2019, the event covers three days, with presenters from commercial radio, public radio, podcasting, and more.
Podcast Movement is August 13-16 in Orlando. Information and registration can be found at www.podcastmovement.com.
For more information about “Broadcasters Meet Podcasters,” including registration discounts for broadcasters, contact Paul Jacobs at Pauljacobs@jacobsmedia.com.
With Talentmaster's 31st Morning Show Boot Camp slightly more than a week away, Jacobs Media leaked it's first small peek of results of over 1,000 surveys from this year's second annual Air Talent Questionnaire (AQ2).
In a bit of a surprise, the study shows that Spoken Word morning shows deals with more drama than its music radio counterpart.
Jacobs Media's Fred Jacobs reports that Music morning shows say the vibe is more supportive and harmonious. On spoken word morning shows, things are a big "chippier" - there's more competitiveness.
These and other findings from AQ2 will kick off Morning Show Boot Camp 31 with Fred Jacobs, joined by a team of expert analysts - Steve Reynolds, Angela Perelli, and Greg Strassell. Morning Show Boot Camp Kicks off next Thursday, Aug. 8th at the Swissotel Chicago kicking off with results from AQ2.
This year's event is shaping up to become one of our largest Boot Camps ever - but there's still time to register online HERE
Cumulus Media announces that it has promoted Jay Michaels to Operations Manager for the company’s five radio stations in Shreveport, LA.
Michaels will continue in his current roles as Program Director and PM drive on-air personality for Cumulus Shreveport’s Hot AC station KQHN/Q97.3. Prior to joining Cumulus Shreveport in January, Michaels was Program Director for Cumulus Media’s WJJK and WYRG in Indianapolis, IN.
Aaron Criswell, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Shreveport, said: "I am excited about Jay’s expanding role in our station group. He brings the energy, enthusiasm, experience and forward thinking needed to dominate in a competitive market. I am looking forward to working with Jay as my OM in Shreveport."
Michaels said: “Cumulus Shreveport has a cluster of market-leading brands and a team of top notch programming pro’s! Can’t thank Aaron Criswell, Greg Frey, Brian Phillips and Mark Sullivan enough for their belief in me, and for the opportunity to help elevate this already winning cluster to the next level!”
Cumulus Shreveport operates radio stations including: Sports KRMD The Ticket 100.7 FM/1340 AM, Urband AC KMJJ 99.7 FM, HotAC KQHN Q97.3, Urban AC KVMA Magic 102.9 and Country KRMD 101.1 FM.
SiriusXM Radio is in trouble over alleged ‘bait-and-switch’ rates that don’t actually exist.
Accoeding to Digital Music News, a New Jersey court complaint filed by Jeffrey Parrella claims that Sirius XM offered three years of service for $99. The mailing may have been too good to be true. A customer service representative who took Parella’s call said she could only provide one year for $60.
That was the wrong answer: the freshly-filed lawsuit says SiriusXM violated state laws against consumer fraud.
In the complaint, Parrella alleges he made multiple unsuccessful attempts to redeem the offer received in the mail. He couldn’t sign up on SiriusXM’s website at the advertised rate, nor could he seal the deal on the phone.
Parrella received the offer in the mail in December of 2017 after deactivating his account.
The proposal included a letter signed by Sirius CEO James E. Meyer. The ad in question touted Sirius’ “biggest, best offer EVER” with the three year, $99 bargain. The wording on the Sirius ad described the offer as 82% off the standard rate of $15.99/month.
Parrella is seeking to represent a class of New Jersey consumers who may have been offered a similar package. The offer was sent to at least 169,000 people according to Sirius VP of Marketing Operations James Dunn.
Parrella says the customer service representative he contacted told him the system would not allow the offer. The only offer available to him was the one-year, $60 deal. Parrella told the customer service rep he would only accept the offer of the advertised terms. However, SiriusXM charged his credit card for the one-year offer he was quoted.
Award-winning journalist, anchor and author Maria Elena Salinas is joining CBS News as a contributor, it was announced by Susan Zirinsky, CBS News President and Senior Executive Producer. Salinas, one of the most recognizable and respected journalists in the country, most notably served as co-anchor of Univision's evening news program for more than 30 years.
Salinas will contribute reports across CBS News broadcasts and platforms and will frequently appear on coverage of the run-up to the 2020 election.
"It is an honor to welcome Maria Elena Salinas to the CBS News team," said Zirinsky. "We look forward to sharing her important voice and journalistic credentials with our audience in a critical time for this country."
In a career that spans nearly four decades, Salinas has interviewed world leaders and covered virtually every major national and international news event of our time. Her work has earned the top awards presented in broadcasting, including multiple Emmys, a Peabody, Gracie Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award and the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism.
A Los Angeles native, Salinas spent 35 years with Univision and was one of its best-known anchors. Before leaving the network in 2017, she served as co-host of “Noticiero Univision” and the newsmagazine “Aquà y Ahora.” She has interviewed world leaders, including every U.S. president since Jimmy Carter.
Her hiring comes less than two months after the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) called for a boycott of CBS This Morning and the CBS Evening News over what the Hollywood advocacy group described as “Latino exclusion” from the network’s flagship news programs.
In a statement issued on May 29, the NHMC said Latino anchors and correspondents were absent following the latest revamp of the CBS News broadcasts. The NHMC asked why no Latino anchors or reporters were included in the changes.
“Latinos make up 18.9% of the U.S. population and are the largest and fastest growing minority in the nation,” NHMC President and CEO Alex Nogales said at the time. “Yet, here we are again — absent on screen, but this time not on an entertainment program or in a film, but on a major news network.”
The San Diego Chicken doesn’t appear to have aged a day since his grand hatching 40 years ago at San Diego Stadium, according to the Union-Tribune.
“The beak is still the same and the fur is still the same color,” says Ted Giannoulas, the man inside the suit.
Indeed, the yellow head and legs, orange torso and blue hair on his head look now just as they did that June evening in 1979, when he emerged from a 10-foot egg that had been delivered to the stadium on top of a Brink’s truck while the theme music from “2001: A Space Odyssey” played over the sound system.
More than 47,000 fans showed up that night to see the pregame hatching, Giannoulas’ rebirth as “The San Diego Chicken” after spending his first five years as the mascot for radio station KGB.
A sellout crowd of 41,371 showed up this past Saturday night to see The Chicken perform at Petco Park during the Giants-Padres game — and get a Chicken bobblehead. It was his first full-game performance here in more than a decade.
“It’s very, very exciting,” Giannoulas said during an interview earlier in the week. “I’m feeling the energy from emails I’m getting from people. It’s incredible.
“It makes me feel 21 years old again. There’s a vitality and an electricity that I’m feeling. ... I’m going to speculate that Saturday night is going to feel like Christmas morning.”
Giannoulas is 65 and a demanding schedule that used to see him make more than 250 appearances each year around the nation — and the world — has been drastically reduced.
“I can’t even predict for next year,” Giannoulas said. “I’m taking it one year at a time to see how my chicken bones hold up.”
Obviously, he is in the twilight of his career, but he has not yet seriously considered how and when to hang it up.
“When I get out there,” Giannoulas said, “there’s an adrenaline rush that goes through you that the audience gives you with their laughter, their applause, their good faith.”
The moment is magnified when performing in his hometown.
In the second inning Saturday night, the Chicken was cheered from the moment he entered the ballpark along the left-field foul line.
A vintage 1967 Camaro convertible delivered him onto the field as Spanish matador music played on the sound system. He got out of the car as the song segued into “Gimme Some Lovin’ ” while he moved to the music, accompanied by three other dancers.
At the end of the inning, The Chicken re-emerged, followed by four little chicks. It is arguably his most popular routine.
The Chicken has made more than 17,000 appearances over 45 years, performing in all 50 states, seven Canadian provinces and nine countries, including Australia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, The Netherlands and Spain.
In 1974, local radio station KGB planned a promotion to give away candy Easter eggs to children at the San Diego Zoo. But first, the station had to find someone willing to wear the chicken suit it had rented to be worn at the event.
So KGB sent an employee out to San Diego State to find someone else for the job. That someone was Giannoulas, then a journalism major at the university.
When the two-week gig at the zoo ended, Giannaoulas got the idea to wear the suit to Padres games.
When he walked up to the gate for the home opener, Giannoulas was stopped at the gate by a security guard who placed a phone call to Buzzie Bavasi, the Padres president.
“There’s a man in a chicken suit here,” Bavasi was told.
Casey Kasem’s widow, Jean Kasem, has filed a wrongful-death suit against the late radio legend’s attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III.
According to the Ny Post, it’s the latest legal salvo in a string of suits and allegations since the star’s 2014 death between Jean and Kasem’s adult children, Kerri, Julie and Michael, from a previous marriage.
In new court documents, Jean accuses Ingham of conspiring with Kasem’s adult kids “to isolate and kill Casey Kasem for financial gain.”
Jean has brought in former LA Chief Prosecutor Becky James to fight her case.
The new suit, filed in Los Angeles County, claims that “Ingham and Casey’s older adult children ensured that Casey starved to death in a strange hospital far from home without his wife of more than three decades and youngest daughter [Liberty Kasem] by his side.”
The suit alleges Ingham was hired to advocate for Casey’s interest, but was instead “an active participant in this horrifying plot to end Casey’s life for financial gain. To that end, he performed actions that were far outside the bounds of any conceivable ‘representation’ of Casey.”
Last year, police in Gig Harbor, Wash., said they found no evidence of wrongdoing after investigating Kasem’s death at 82.
By the end of 1985, there were 15,000 video stores in operation across America; by the late ‘90s, there were nearly 30,000.
Today, it is estimated that only ~2,000 remain., according to The Hustle.
Even the giants have fallen: Blockbuster, once a multi-billion-dollar company with 4,500 stores in the US, touts only one remaining franchise on Earth. The chain declared bankruptcy in 2010 — and its one-time formidable rival, Movie Gallery (owner of Hollywood Video), shortly followed suit.
Last year alone, total revenue generated from US brick and mortar video rentals fell 20%, to $317m — the equivalent of about $150,000 per shop.
Driven by the rise of on-demand television, digital rental kiosks (Redbox), and streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime), this dramatic dip has distinguished the video rental business as one of America’s “top dying industries.”
Redbox now controls 51% of all physical movie rentals in the US, and the major streaming services collectively have 375m paying subscribers — most of whom no longer leave the house to watch a movie. Movie store clerks have been vanquished by algorithms that track our cinematic tastes and churn out lists of “smart recommendations.”
The Walt Disney Company announced in a statement Saturday that actress Russi Taylor, best known for voicing the character of Minnie Mouse, has died. She passed away at her home in Glendale on Friday at the age of 75.
Disney CEO Bob Iger said in the statement, "Minnie Mouse lost her voice with the passing of Russi Taylor. For more than 30 years, Minnie and Russi worked together to entertain millions around the world—a partnership that made Minnie a global icon and Russi a Disney Legend beloved by fans everywhere."
Statement from Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger on the passing of Disney Legend Russi Taylor: pic.twitter.com/4TpSVkT8BE
According to Variety, Taylor was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1944 and began her career in 1980 with The World of Strawberry Shortcake. She auditioned for the role of Minnie Mouse in 1986, going on to voice the character in a slate of theatrical films, TV series, animated shorts and theme park experiences. Her final award recognition for the role came in 2018, when Taylor was nominated for an Emmy for voicing her signature character in Mickey Mouse.
Until his death in 2009, the actress was married to Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey.
Throughout her career, Taylor also lent her voice talents to numerous other characters, including the roles of Huey, Dewey and Louie in the Ducktales animated series. Ducktales actor Sam Riegel took to social media to express his condolences, posting on Twitter, "My heart is broken over the loss of #RussiTaylor. Such an amazing performer, funny person, and gentle soul. I got to work with her for 7 years on #SofiaTheFirst and she taught me so much about acting and welcoming new talent into our industry. She will forever be missed."
Her voice can also be heard in The Smurfs, Paddington Bear, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more. On The Simpsons, Taylor voiced twins Sherri and Terri and the character of Martin Prince in over 100 episodes, as well as in The Simpsons Movie. Al Jean, writer and producer of The Simpsons, wrote on Twitter, "Deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Russi Taylor, a true delight to work with."
Nestor A. “Nat” Sibbold, 94, former station manager of WWJ-AM and FM in Detroit , former owner of WBCK-AM in Battle Creek and a broadcasting executive for 30 years, died on July 18.
According to The Detroit News, Sibbold, who lived in Canton, began working for WWJ as an account executive in 1956, when the station was owned by The Evening News Association, which also owned The Detroit News. Sibbold became sales manager in 1961 and station manager in 1968, serving in that capacity until 1976.
He served as manager when NBC relinquished ownership of the station, CBS bought it, and WWJ switched to its current, all-news format in 1971.
The next year, Sibbold and a group of investors formed Wolverine Broadcasting and purchased WBCK, the largest AM station in Battle Creek and one of the most prominent broadcasters in western Michigan.
He ran the station until 1987, when he sold it to the Liggett Broadcast Group.
Sibbold knew and worked with some of the national figures in broadcasting of the era, including the network news anchors Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, and the entertainer Bob Hope, his family said.
“I never was able to meet Mr. Sibbold,” said Tim Collins, the current operations manager and morning host on WBCK. “But I worked with many people who did, and he had a great reputation for being community-minded and insisted that his staff conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism.”
➦In 1911...Florence Freeman born (Died at age 88 – April 25, 2000). She was an actress in old-time radio. She was known as a "soap opera queen" for her work in daytime serial dramas.
Freeman's initial job in radio came in 1933 as the result of a challenge. After a friend dared her "to make good as a radio actress", Freeman applied — and was hired — at WOKO in Albany, NY. She went on to become a member of the casts of a number of serials in old-time radio, including being "the heroine of not one but two serials that ran more than a decade."
In 1949, Freeman won the "Your Favorite Daytime Serial Actress" award from Radio Mirror magazine.
➦In 1914...Theodore Vail, the president of AT&T, succeeded in transmitting his voice across the continental U.S. in July 1914. It the first test phone conversation between New York and San Francisco.
Peter Jennings
➦In 1938...Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings born (Died from cancer at age 67 – August 7, 2005). He was a Canadian-American journalist who served as the sole anchor of ABC World News Tonight from 1983 until his death from lung cancer in 2005. Despite dropping out of high school, he transformed himself into one of American television's most prominent journalists.
Jennings started his career early, hosting a Canadian radio show at the age of nine. He began his professional career with CJOH-TV in Ottawa during its early years, anchoring the local newscasts and hosting a teen dance show, Saturday Date, on Saturdays. In 1965, ABC News tapped him to anchor its flagship evening news program. His inexperience was attacked by critics and others in television news, making for a difficult first stint in the anchor chair. Jennings became a foreign correspondent in 1968, reporting from the Middle East.
He returned as one of World News Tonight's three anchors in 1978, and was promoted to sole anchor in 1983. Jennings was also known for his marathon coverage of breaking news stories, staying on the air for 15 or more hours straight to anchor the live broadcast of events such as the Gulf War in 1991, the O.J. Simpson phony phone call and subsequent trial in 1994, the Millennium celebrations in 2000, and the September 11 attacks in 2001. In addition to anchoring, he was the host of many ABC News special reports and moderated several American presidential debates. Jennings was always fascinated with the United States and became a naturalized United States citizen in 2003.
Along with Tom Brokaw of NBC and Dan Rather of CBS, Jennings formed part of the "Big Three" news anchors who dominated American evening network news from the early 1980s until his death in 2005, which closely followed the retirements of Brokaw in 2004 and Rather in 2005.
➦In 1940...the pilot for the radio comedy Duffy’s Tavern aired on CBS. Duffy’s won its own weekly slot the following March, and would continue as a radio staple into 1952.
The program often featured celebrity guest stars but always hooked them around the misadventures, get-rich-quick schemes and romantic missteps of the title establishment's malaprop-prone, metaphor-mixing manager, Archie, portrayed by Ed Gardner, the writer/actor who co-created the series. Gardner had performed the character of Archie, talking about Duffy's Tavern, as early as November 9, 1939, when he appeared on NBC's Good News of 1940
Clint Buehlmann
➦In 1977...Buffalo radio personality Clint Buehlmann aired his final show on WBEN 930 AM. He had been a highly-rated morning personality for about 40 years.
➦In 1995...bandleader Les Elgart died of heart failure at age 76. Elgart’s recording of Bandstand Boogie was adopted by Dick Clark as the theme for American Bandstand. Elgart also had two top-selling albums in the 50’s: The Elgart Touch and For Dancers Also. He often jointly led a band with his brother Larry in the 1950s and 60s.
Tom Snyder
➦In 2007...Talk Show Host and newscaster Tom Snyder died.
Snyder had loved radio since he was a child and at some point changed his field of study from pre-med to journalism. He once told Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Tim Cuprisin that broadcasting became more important to him than attending classes, and he skipped a lot of them.
Snyder began his career as a radio reporter at WRIT (unrelated to the present-day FM station) in Milwaukee and at WKZO in Kalamazoo (where he was fired by John Fetzer) in the 1950s. For a time he worked at Savannah, Georgia, AM station WSAV (now WBMQ).
Snyder at WRIT
After moving to TV in the 1960s, he was a news anchor for KYW-TV in Cleveland (now WKYC-TV) and, after a 1965 station switch, Philadelphia, and WNBC-TV and WABC-TV in New York City.
He talked about driving cross country in an early Corvair from Atlanta to Los Angeles around 1963, where he landed a news job at KTLA, then on to KNBC-TV, also in Los Angeles, where from 1970 to 1974 he was an anchor for the 6 p.m. newscast working with KNBC broadcaster Kelly Lange, who was then a weather reporter before serving as a long-time KNBC news anchor.
Lange later became Snyder's regular substitute guest host on the Tomorrow program, prior to the hiring of co-host Rona Barrett in the program's last year. Even after attaining fame as host of Tomorrow, Snyder kept his hand in news anchoring with the Sunday broadcasts of NBC Nightly News during 1975 and 1976.
