Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Twin Cities Radio: Woody Nelson Joins KQRS for Middays, Imaging

Woody Nelson
CUMULUS MEDIA has announced that it has appointed Robert “Woody” Nelson as Midday Host for 92KQRS, Minnesota’s Classic Rock station, and Creative Imaging Director for 92KQRS and Rock station 93X/KXXR-FM. 

Nelson debuts on 92KQRS on Monday, September 13, 2021, and will be heard Monday through Friday from 10:00am-3:00pm.

Nelson was previously Production Director and Night Host for Cumulus sister station 93X/KXXR-FM, where he served as Production Director and Night Host from 2011-2020. He also created and hosts several successful podcasts and has worked in commercial voiceover for more than a decade, including a stint as the voice of the Pillsbury Doughboy Giggle in Canada. Nelson holds a B.A. in English from The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

James Kurdziel, Regional Vice President, Content and Programming, CUMULUS MEDIA, and Program Director, 92KQRS, said: “We have a vision for KQ now and into the future. Woody fulfills this vision. His skillset, talent and market equity make him the obvious choice as we continue to evolve Minnesota’s Classic Rock station, 92KQRS.”

Derek Madden, Program Director, 93X, commented: “Woody has been an integral part of the culture and vibe at 93X for many years, and I’m thrilled that he’s going to be using his unique talent to continue to help us craft our sound and vision. It’s a great day in our building.”

Robert “Woody” Nelson remarked: “This is probably how Shaq felt when he went to the Lakers! KQRS is a legendary radio station. I am privileged to join a whole team of hall of famers and excited to return to work with all my talented friends at Cumulus Minneapolis."

Huntsville Radio: Blair Davis Join iHM's WDRM Morning Show

Blair Davis
WDRM 102.1 FM, Huntsville’s Number One for New Country, announced today that On-air Personality Blair Davis will the “WDRM Morning Show” as a co-host alongside Dingo. The show will broadcast weekdays from 5 –10 am.“WDRM Morning Show” features humor, information and listener interaction on a variety of local and pop culture topics and of course the best Country music for Huntsville and North Alabama.

“We couldn’t be happier to have Blair join Dingo on Huntsville’s #1 morning show,” said Ray Quinn, iHeartMedia Area President of Alabama. “Since Dingo returned to Huntsville the response from listeners has been amazing and no doubt Blair will add to this excitement!”

“Blair brings a high level of talent on-air, on social media and in the community,” said Erich West, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Huntsville. “Adding that mix with a superstar like Dingo is just what we need further to separate 102.1 WDRM from the rest of the pack.”

Davis joins Dingo, who has been a host on the “WDRM Morning Show” since October 2019, in a return to where she started first as an intern in 2014. Davis most recently served as the Midday Host and Social Media Director at WRSA/Huntsville and is a graduate of the University of North Alabama with a BA in Entertainment Industry Management and MBA in Marketing.

ESPN's MNF Resigns Voice Talent Cayman Kelly

Cayman Kelly
Nationally recognized radio star and author Cayman Kelly has announced he has renewed his contract as the official voice of ESPN's Monday Night Football (MNF) for the 2021-22 season. 

Kelly originally contracted with MNF last season, making history as the first African American Voice-Over artist to serve as the Intro voice for the global brand. He regularly acknowledges the importance of Black visibility in the media and considers his MNF work to be singularly special in that regard. 

While working with MNF, Kelly has also produced other voiceovers for television, album promos, popular morning radio shows, animations, and a variety of upcoming projects and partnerships.

"Working for MNF has been an absolute joy," said Kelly. "And although time really does fly by – its effects sometimes hitting us like a defensive tackle – I have to say that the past few years have been exceptionally blessed for me. I've been doing voiceover work for decades now, but I would never have imagined all those years ago that I'd be where I am today. It's been a whirlwind trip, but I don't regret a single step of the journey that got me here. Working with these folks now – epic sports legends, and the exceptional media that promotes them – is an honor I'm happy to continue."

To learn more about the early days of Kelly's career, check out his #1 Bestselling Amazon memoir, "From $6 an Hour to a Million Dollar Dream." And for up-to-the-minute news on Cayman's ESPN show announcements and other voiceover work, follow him on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

Tampa-Orlando Radio: The Beats To Import DJ Prostyle

iHeartMedia’s Florida Division announced today that top-rated on-air personality DJ PROSTYLE will make his return to the Florida airwaves. He will broadcast afternoons on WBTP 95.7 FM in Tampa and nights on W283AN 104.5 / WTKS 104.1 FM HD2 The Beat in Orlando.

PROSTYLE, one of the country’s most famous club DJs, began his career in Orlando, Florida, at WJHM and WPYO. The Queens-born-Orlando-raised DJ then came to New York to mix for Power 105.1, New York’s #1 Hip-Hop and R&B station, where he has been for the past 10 years.

In addition to broadcasting on 95.7 WBTP and 104.5 The Beat in Orlando, PROSTYLE will expand his reach and bring his mix talents to select Hip-Hop and Spanish Contemporary stations in Miami, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Fort Myers, Tallahassee and elsewhere. More details are to be announced; listeners can also visit 95.7 WBTP and 104.5 The Beat websites for the latest.

“It’s great to be back to where it all started,” said PROSTYLE. “I’m excited for this next chapter in my career and looking forward to what the future brings. I’m ready to bring that positive energy to the beautiful Sunshine State while keeping the party moving over the airwaves.”

PROSTYLE will continue his duties on Power 105.1 until a replacement is announced.

Wake-Up Call: Biden To Survey Flood Damage In NY, NJ

NY Post 9/7/21
President Biden will today survey damage from flash flooding last week caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in parts of New Jersey and New York after yesterday approving major disaster declarations for several counties in both states, freeing up federal aid. Biden will tour Manville, New Jersey, and the borough of Queens in New York City, and will use the scenes to call for federal spending to fortify infrastructure against strengthening storms. 

More than 50 people were killed in six Eastern states from flooding caused by Ida's remnants. Biden visited Louisiana on Friday, where the storm made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, killing at least 13 people. 


Power is slowly being restored in the state, with more than 530,000 customers in Lousiana still without electricity, just under half from after Ida struck on August 29th. About 70 percent of greater New Orleans and nearly all of Baton Rouge have power back, but utility executives said Monday that getting electricity back outside of those large cities will be more difficult and will take nearly all of the rest of the month.
 
➤TALIBAN SAY HAVE TAKEN LAST PROVINCE IN AFGHANISTAN: The Taliban said yesterday that they'd taken the last province that hadn't been in their control, Panjshir, with thousands of fighters overrunning opposing forces. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a news conference, "We tried our best to solve the problem through negotiations, and they rejected talks and then we had to send our forces to fight." The resisting forces in the province, which is north of Kabul, were led by the former vice president, Amrullah Saleh, who declared himself acting president after President Ahraf Ghani fled the country as the Taliban took Kabul, as well as the son of iconic anti-Taliban fighter Ahmad Shah Massoud. Massoud accused the Taliban of attacking even as they were ready to agree to a cease-fire, and vowed to continue fighting.
 

➤GARLAND: JUSTICE DEPT. TO 'PROTECT' WOMEN SEEKING ABORTIONS IN TEXAS: Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday that the Justice Department will "protect" women seeking an abortion in Texas, as federal prosecutors continue to explore options to challenge the state's new law, which bans abortion at six weeks and is enforced by allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone involved in facilitating abortions, such as someone who drives a woman to a clinic to get an abortion, for at least $10,000. Garland said those trying to access abortion services would be protected under the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act law, which bans physically obstructing or using the threat of force to intimidate or interfere with a person seeking reproductive health services. Garland said, "We will not tolerate violence against those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services, physical obstruction or property damage in violation of the FACE Act."

Tampa Bay Times 9/7/21
➤EX-MARINE ORDERED HELD WITHOUT BAIL IN KILLING OF FOUR IN FLORIDA, INCLUDING BABY: A 33-year-old former Marine sharpshooter was ordered held without bail during his first court appearance Monday after allegedly invading the home of strangers and killing a woman, her three-month-old baby and two others in Lakeland, Florida, early Sunday morning. He surrendered after a gun battle with police, and an 11-year-old girl was rescued from the home who'd been shot seven times. Authorities said Bryan Riley might be mentally ill and told police he was high on methamphetamine and the time of the shootings, and his girlfriend reportedly said he'd been saying that he could communicate directly with God. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Riley told his interrogators that the victims, quote, "begged for their lives, and I killed them anyway." Killed were 40-year-old Justice Gleason, a 33-year-old woman and her baby, and the baby's 62-year-old grandmother. Riley, who worked as a private security guard, had no criminal history.

➤FLOTUS JILL BIDEN IS A WORKING GAL:  First Lady Jill Biden is returning to the classroom today at Northern Virginia Community College, after more than a year of virtual teaching, becoming the first first lady to leave the White House for a full-time job. The 70-year-old, who teaches writing and English, has taught at the same college since 2009, including during the eight years her husband was vice president. She had said she wouldn't give it up as first lady, stating, "Teaching isn’t just what I do. It’s who I am." Since President Biden took office in January, Jill Biden has continued virtual teaching from either her White House office or hotel rooms when she was traveling to promote administration policies. She will now be teaching in person on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and travel on days when she's not in the classroom.

➤MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS FOUND DEAD: Michael K. Williams, who starred as Omar Little in HBO’s The Wire, was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment yesterday afternoon, police sources told the New York Post. The 54-year-old was reportedly found face-down and unconscious with what appeared to be heroin on the kitchen table and an overdose is suspected. Williams’ spokesperson, Marianna Shafran, confirmed his death, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams. They ask for your privacy while grieving this unsurmountable loss." Williams had been open about his struggles with drugs over the years.

➤PANDEMIC-RELATED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS EXPIRE: Two enhanced unemployment benefits put in place because of the pandemic expired on Monday, one that gave jobless benefits to self-employed and gig workers and the other that provided benefits to those who've been unemployed for more than six months. Additionally, the $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit also ended yesterday. An estimated just under nine million Americans will be affected by the loss of those benefits.

➤SIX-YEAR-OLD DIES ON COLORADO AMUSEMENT PARK RIDE: A six-year-old girl was fatally injured while riding on an attraction at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park amusement park in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on Sunday, the Garfield County Coroner's Office said yesterday. The girl was on the Haunted Mine Drop ride, which is billed as the world's first drop ride to go underground. The nature of the girl's injuries weren't revealed, with the coroner's office saying an autopsy is scheduled for this week. The incident is being investigated by the sheriff's and coroner's offices.

➤PROUD BOYS LEADER REPORTS TO JAIL: The leader of the Proud Boys far-right extremist group reported to a Washington, D.C., jail last night to begin serving a five-month prison term. Enrique Tarrio was sentenced for burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was torn down from an historic Black church in Washington last December, and bringing two high-capacity firearm magazines into D.C. two days before the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Tarrio released a statement in which he charged his prosecution was the result of a, quote, "over-politicized Biden Justice Department that caters to who they will set their sights on." However, when he was sentenced in August, Tarrio had said, "What I did was wrong."

➤STATUE OF ROBERT E. LEE TO BE REMOVED IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA: A 21-foot statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia, will be removed on Wednesday, state officials said Monday. Democratic Governor Ralph Northam said in a news release, "Virginia’s largest monument to the Confederate insurrection will come down this week." The statue of Lee on a horse was erected more than 130 years against as a tribute to him. It's on top of a high granite pedestal in the center of a traffic circle on Richmond's Monument Avenue. Northam had announced plans in June 2020 to take down the statue, but it was blocked until now by two lawsuits filed by Richmond residents. Rulings by the state Supreme Court cleared the way for its removal.

➤PUTTING YOUR CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS UP NOW MAKES YOU HAPPIER, EXPERTS SAY:  It’s September and Halloween is closer than Christmas, but experts say go ahead and put up your Christmas decorations if you feel like it-- it will make you happier. Research shows those who put up their Christmas decorations early are happier and more relaxed than those who wait. Psychoanalyst Steve McKeown says that people who start Christmas decorating right after Halloween are driven by nostalgia. He adds, “In a world full of stress and anxiety people like to associate to things [sic] that make them happy and Christmas decorations evoke those strong feelings of childhood. Decorations are simply an anchor or pathway to those old childhood magical moments of excitement.”

➤COFFEE PRICES ARE ABOUT TO GO UP:  ​Coffee drinkers may be in for a rude awakening as production costs have hit a seven-year-high. Bad weather has hit supplies from Brazil, the worlds largest producer, protests in Columbia have disrupted shipments, and a shortage of shipping containers in South East Asia is also causing delays. Experts predict that supermarket prices are the most likely to increase.

🎾DJOKOVIC ADVANCES TO QUARTERFINALS AT U.S. OPEN: Top-seed Novak Djokovic advanced to the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open on Monday, defeating 99th-ranked Jenson Brooksby, the last American left in singles competition. Djokovic dropped the first set to Brooksby, but then dominated the next three sets to win the match. Others winners yesterday included fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev and sixth-seeded Matteo Berrettini. On the women's side, the day's winners advancing to the quarterfinals included fourth-seeded Karolina Pliskova and Emma Raducanu (pictured), who beat Americans Shelby Rogers in straight sets, after Rogers had pulled off a huge upset of top-seed Ash Barty in the third round.
 
🏈SAINTS NOT EXPECTING TO BE BACK IN NEW ORLEANS INTO WEEK 2: New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton said Monday that they expect to continue to be in their Dallas area and Texas Christian University practice facilities into at least Week 2 of the NFL season as New Orleans continues to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida. The Saints practiced at TCU Monday and will be there at least until their Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers, which has been relocated to Jacksonville, Florida, after originally scheduled to be played at the Superdome in New Orleans. The Saints' schedule has them on the road in Weeks 2 and 3.

🏈TEXANS NAME TAYLOR STARTING QUARTERBACK: The Houston Texans officially named Tyrod Taylor as their starting quarterback Monday, with head coach David Culley saying, "Tyrod Taylor will start for us at quarterback, for sure." The announcement had been expected, but hadn't been made official until then. Quarterback Deshaun Watson remains on the roster, but isn't expected to play. He's facing 22 lawsuits for allegations of sexual assault and inappropriate behavior. Rookie David Mills will be Taylor's backup.

🏈RAVENS SIGN ANDREWS TO FOUR-YEAR, $56 MILLION EXTENSION: The Baltimore Ravens signed tight end Mark Andrews to a four-year extension on Monday, the team announced, with reports saying it's worth $56 million. According to ESPN, that would make him, at $14 million per season, the third-highest-paid tight end in the NFL, behind George Kittle at $15 million per season and Travis Kelce at $14.3 million.

⚽SOCCER GREAT PELE HAD COLON TUMOR REMOVED: Soccer legend Pele said in an Instagram post Monday (September 6th) that he'd had surgery last Saturday to remove a tumor from his colon. He wrote, "Fortunately, I'm used to celebrating great victories alongside you. I will face this match with a smile on my face, a lot of optimism and joy for living surrounded by the love of my family and friends." His post came after Pele's business manager told The Athletic that the 80-year-old was doing well despite being hospitalized for several days. Pele is the only soccer player in history to win three World Cups, which he did with Brazil in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Glenn Beck Evac Planes Reportedly Grounded


A House Republican lawmaker called for President Biden's impeachment on Monday morning as he vacationed in Delaware over Labor Day weekend while anywhere between 100 and 200 Americans are still stranded in Afghanistan amid a reported breakdown in negotiations between the Taliban and State Department.

'He's prioritizing his vacation over the lives of American citizens,' Tennessee Rep. Diana Harshbarger said of Biden on FOX News. 

Meanwhile, the US military withdrawal from Kabul was completed a week ago, and efforts to rescue American citizens still stuck in Afghanistan has reached an impasse with reports that six private charter planes sent there to evacuate at least 1,000 people have been grounded in an Afghan city 260 miles north of Kabul.

Glenn Beck
The flights were chartered by Mercury One, a charity founded by syndicated radio talk host Glenn Beck. 

The Daily Mail reports Beck's fleet of two Airbus 340s and four Boeing 737s from Kam Air are sitting empty in the city of Mazar-i-Sharif as their passengers - including at least 142 Americans wait.

On Sunday, Reuters reported that the delay had been caused by Biden administration officials not telling Taliban leaders it had approved the departures of the chartered flights from Mazar-i-Sharif.

Other groups trying to organize their own chartered flights have also hit out at the State Department, with Rick Clay from private rescue firm PlanB claiming it's the only thing stopping him fulfilling his brief.

Two other organizers have also torn into the Antony Blinken-headed department, with one - who didn't give their name - telling Fox: 'This is zero place to be negotiating with American lives. Those are our people standing on the tarmac and all it takes is a f****ing phone call.

Further details on the reason for the delay in discussions has not been disclosed. although Blinken jetted to Qatar on Sunday to discuss the issue with leaders there.

Rolling Stone Blasted Over False Story


Rolling Stone has come under fire for sharing a dubious story about rural hospitals in Oklahoma being overwhelmed by those taking the veterinary medicine ivermectin to treat Covid-19 – an unproven treatment.

Mediaite reports the original story appeared last week in NBC’s Oklahoma City affiliate KFOR and quoted a doctor affiliated with a rural hospital system who made the claim about the hospitals being overwhelmed with patients who took ivermectin to treat Covid-19.

“The ERs are so backed up that gunshot victims were having hard times getting to facilities where they can get definitive care and be treated,” Jason McElyea told the outlet.

Rolling Stone ran with that specific angle and shared their story on their Twitter page in a Sept. 3 post that has yet to be deleted.

In a statement, the hospital system – the Northeastern Hospital System – said:

Although Dr. Jason McElyea is not an employee of NHS Sequoyah, he is affiliated with a medical staffing group that provides coverage for our emergency room.

With that said, Dr. McElyea has not worked at our Sallisaw location in over 2 months.

NHS Sequoyah has not treated any patients due to complications related to taking ivermectin. This includes not treating any patients for ivermectin overdose.

All patients who have visited our emergency room have received medical attention as appropriate. Our hospital has not had to turn away any patients seeking emergency care.

We want to reassure our community that our staff is working hard to provide quality healthcare to all patients. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify this issue and as always, we value our community’s support.

In addition to Rolling Stone, Insider, Newsweek, The Guardian and The New York Daily News reported the KFOR story, which has yet to be updated with the statement from the hospital system. Along with Rolling Stone, Insider and The Guardian have included the statement, while Newsweek and The New York Daily News have not.

Many Verified Twitter users blasted the Rolling Stone piece.

CNN Panel Rips TWH Inability To Communicate


A CNN panel blasted the Biden administration on Sunday for getting ahead of the science on booster shots, noting Americans are getting "frustrated" by the haphazardness at the White House.

FOX News reports President Biden proclaimed booster shots would be available to the public by September 20, yet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appeared to be caught off guard by that goal. They told the White House, regulators need more time to review necessary data before setting a date. The FDA is poised to approve boosters for those who got the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, but the wait is reportedly going to be longer for those who got the Johnson & Johnson and Moderna shots. 

Two senior officials at the agency resigned in the wake of disagreement about the deadline. Dr. Marc Siegel described it as "a mess for the administration" in a recent "America’s Newsroom" interview. 

"The delay may be minimal, but it is raising some concerns about the White House influence over scientific decisions," CNN's Kaitlan Collins said on Sunday's "Inside Politics."

Wall Street Journal national politics reporter Joshua Jamerson said the voters he's spoken with are "frustrated" by the White House's changing goal posts.

"There is no question people feel jerked around," is how TIME's national political correspondent Molly Ball described it.

Ball suggested while everyone "understands" the administration is dealing with new variants, their handling and messaging of the new challenges has not helped matters.

"But at the same time, there has been a clear inability to communicate clearly and consistently with the American people and particularly when so many people…were so excited to come out of this and that sort of jerked away," she said. "And again, not the administration's fault. Were people prepared and did people know what they were supposed to do next was there a clear national standard set?" 

A growing number of people are becoming dissatisfied with Biden's handling of the pandemic, according to new poll numbers. Biden's approval numbers have also declined following the disastrous withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which resulted in a Taliban takeover of the country and the tragic deaths of U.S. service members.

Orlando Radio: Judith Smelser Named WMFE Interim President, GM

Judith Smelser
Longtime public media journalist and consultant Judith Smelser will put her experience and expertise to work exclusively for her local public media station when she becomes Interim President and General Manager of WMFE and WMFV, the NPR affiliates serving much of Central Florida. Previous leader Erika Pulley-Hayes departed the organization August 13 to become President and General Manager of WAMU in Washington, DC.

The Chair of WMFE/WMFV’s Board of Trustees Donna Mackenzie announced Smelser’s selection to station staff on Tuesday; Smelser’s first day will be September 7.

“Judith is a great choice for this role for many reasons,” Mackenzie said, “not the least of which are her experience, her familiarity with, knowledge of, and passion for, the station and public radio, her approach to leadership, her ability to actively listen, and her excitement about and involvement in our community.”

Smelser is the Founder & CEO of Smelser Editing & Consulting, an Orlando-based business that has provided customized consulting, coaching, training, and editing services to more than 30 public media stations and collaborations and over 200 journalists and station leaders since 2013.

She is also no stranger to WMFE. Smelser served the station as News Director until 2011 and as an award-winning reporter from 2004-2007. In 2011, she was recruited by Colorado Public Radio in Denver, where she served as Assistant News Director and later as Managing Editor. She returned to Orlando in 2013 to launch her consulting business and has provided content and strategy consulting for WMFE on multiple occasions.

“Orlando is my home,” Smelser said, “and I consider WMFE my public media home. I care deeply about the future of our city and region and about the future of this station. I love my consulting work, and not much else could have convinced me to step away from it — in fact, I can’t think of anything else. WMFE holds a very special place in my heart.”

“I see incredible potential for WMFE,” Smelser said, “and I feel like my experience with public media organizations across the country has uniquely prepared me to help the station realize it. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to serve and support the organization, its talented staff, and my community.”

WMFE/WMFV’s Board of Trustees will launch a national search for a permanent President and General Manager, for which Smelser intends to be a candidate.

R.I.P.: Tunch Ilkin, NFL Steelers Broadcaster

Tunch Ilkin
Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle and longtime broadcaster Tunch Ilkin died Saturday, the team confirmed. 

He was 63, reports ESPN.

Ilkin, who revealed that he had been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) in October 2020, was hospitalized recently with pneumonia.

He announced in June that he was retiring from his Steelers broadcasting duties to focus on his treatment.

A two-time Pro Bowl lineman, Ilkin was announced as part of a four-member 2021 class to be inducted in the Steelers' Hall of Honor later this year.


"We are heartbroken by the passing of Tunch Ilkin. He was a man of faith who dedicated his entire life to being a devout Christian and family man," Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. "His passion for the game of football was evident in his every day life. As a player, he fought his way through tough times of being cut and injured, but continued to make an impact as a leader of our offensive line and made two Pro Bowls."

Ilkin played for the Steelers 1980-92 and later rejoined the team in the broadcast booth for 23 years as a color analyst.

"Today we lost an incredible man with the passing of Tunch Ilkin," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin tweeted. "Tunch was special, someone who impacted everyone he came in contact with, myself included. He loved his family, lived his faith, and serving others was his passion. My prayers go out to his family."

After Ilkin's ALS diagnosis, the city of Pittsburgh recognized Dec. 21, 2020, as Tunch Ilkin Day.

Ilkin is survived by his wife, Karen, and children Tanner, Natalie and Clay from his marriage to his first wife, Sharon, who died in 2012 after years of living with breast cancer.

September 7 Radio History


➦In 1929...the forerunner to 'Let’s Pretend', a Saturday morning radio show for kids was heard for the first time on CBS Radio Network. The Adventures of Helen & Mary became Let’s Pretend 5 years later. Let's Pretend, created and directed by Nila Mack, was a CBS radio series for children. In its most famous form, Let's Pretend, the Peabody Award-winning series ran from 1934 to 1954.

➦In 1934...Daniel Trombley "Dan" Ingram was born.  Ingram is an American radio icon with a fifty-year career on radio stations such as WABC 770 AM and WCBS 101.1 FM in New York. "Big Dan" started broadcasting at WHCH Hofstra College, Hempstead, New York, WNRC, New Rochelle, New York, and WALK-FM, Patchogue, New York.

Ingram mastered the talk-up, talking over the intro to a song, ending right before the vocals. Ingram could get the song title, the current temperature and a one-liner in his talk-ups. He wholeheartedly embraced one of radio's golden rules: When you're talking to the audience, do it like you're talking to one person.

Ingram was noted for his quick wit and ability to convey a humorous or satiric idea with quick pacing and an economy of words—a skill which has made him uniquely suited to, and successful within, modern personality-driven music radio.

He is among the most frequently emulated radio personalities, cited as an influence or inspiration by numerous current broadcasters.



Dan was well known for playing doctored versions of popular songs. The Paul McCartney & Wings song My Love Does it Good became My Glove Does it Good. The stuttering title refrain of Bennie and the Jets went from three or four repetitions to countless. In the same vein, the distinctive refrain added to Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede, Ooga-ooga-ooga-chucka would start repeating and listeners would never know when it would end. (Other examples include Paul Simon's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, and "rearranging" the spelling of "S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y" on the Bay City Rollers' Saturday Night.)

Dan's longtime closing theme song was "Tri-Fi Drums" by Billy May. An edited version of the song was used for broadcast.



Dan commented occasionally about the pronunciation of his name: jingles often are heard pronouncing his last name as "Ing-ram," but Dan has said it is correctly pronounced "In-gram."

Ingram died June 24, 2018.

➦In 1936...Early rock & roll icon Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley in Lubbock Texas. His name was misspelled on his first record contract and he decided to leave it that way.   At age 22, he died in a plane crash Feb 3, 1959 along with Ritchie Valens and J.P.Richardson (The Big Bopper.)


➦In 1949...Windsor (Ont.) radio station CKLW, later to become Canada’s all-time most listened-to station (due to its huge US audience), increased power from 5000 to 50,000 watts. The station had moved from 1030 to 800 KHz, a Canada/Mexico clear channel, in the great frequency shuffle of 1941.

As television's popularity boomed, CKLW, like many other stations, coped with the changes by replacing the dying network radio fare with locally based disc-jockey shows. Throughout most of the 1950s and into the mid-1960s, CKLW was basically a "variety" radio station which filled in the cracks between full-service features with pop music played by announcers like Bud Davies, Ron Knowles (who had a rock-and-roll show on AM 800 as early as 1957), and Joe Van. For a few years in the early 1960s, CKLW also featured a country music program in the evenings called Sounds Like Nashville. This ended in 1963.



➦In 1979...ESPN, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, made its debut on US cable TV as the world’s first full-time channel devoted to sports.

➦In 1999…Viacom made its biggest acquisition ($35.6 million) by announcing plans to merge with its former parent CBS Corporation (the original, not the current one). The merger was completed in 2000, bringing cable channels TNN (now Paramount Network) and Country Music Television (CMT) under Viacom's wing, as well as CBS' production units and TV distributors Eyemark Entertainment (formerly Group W Productions) and King World. CBS' production unit and King World (which has since folded Eyemark) operated under their own names; however, TNN and CMT were merged into MTV Networks almost immediately.

Gloria Gaynor is 78
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
  • Jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins is 91. 
  • Singer Gloria Gaynor is 78. 
  • Singer Alfa Anderson of Chic is 75. 
  • Actor Susan Blakely (“The Towering Inferno,” ″The Concorde: Airport ’79″) is 73. 
  • Drummer Dennis Thompson of MC5 is 73. 
  • Actor Julie Kavner (“The Simpsons”) is 71. 
  • Singer Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders is 70. 
  • Keyboardist Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is 68. 
  • Actor Corbin Bernsen is 67. 
  • Actor Michael Emerson (“Lost”) is 67. 
  • Pianist Michael Feinstein is 65. 
  • Songwriter Diane Warren is 65. 
  • Singer Margot Chapman (Starland Vocal Band) is 64. 
  • Actor W. Earl Brown (“Deadwood”) is 58. 
  • Alyssa Diaz is 36
    Comedian Leslie Jones (“Supermarket Sweep,” ″Saturday Night Live”) is 54. 
  • Model Angie Everhart is 52. 
  • Actor Diane Farr (“Numb3rs,” “Rescue Me”) is 52. 
  • Actor Monique Gabriela Curnen (“The Dark Knight”) is 51. 
  • Actor Tom Everett Scott (“Southland,” ″That Thing You Do!”) is 51. 
  • Drummer Chad Sexton of 311 (three-eleven) is 51. 
  • Actor Shannon Elizabeth (“American Pie”) is 48. 
  • Actor Oliver Hudson (“Nashville”) is 45. 
  • Actor Devon Sawa (“Slackers,” ″Final Destination”) is 43. 
  • Actor Benjamin Hollingsworth (“Code Black”) is 37. 
  • Actor Alyssa Diaz (“The Rookie”) is 36. 
  • Contemporary Christian musician Wes Willis of Rush of Fools is 35. 
  • Actor Evan Rachel Wood (“Westworld,” ″Thirteen”) is 34. 
  • Actor Jonathan Majors (“Lovecraft Country”) is 32. 
  • Actor Ian Chen (“Fresh Off the Boat”) is 15.

Monday, September 6, 2021

September 6 Radio History



Morgan Beatty
➦In 1902...radio newsman Morgan Beatty was born in Little Rock Arkansas.  He achieved fame as a correspondent for the National Broadcasting Company radio network for 25 years. He began his career as a newspaper reporter and worked for The Associated Press before and after his years with N.B.C.

For many years in the 1940′s & 50′s in particular, he was a senior news broadcaster for NBC Radio based in New York. “This is Morgan Beatty speaking for Alka Seltzer bringing you news of the world! and the news tonight is…”

When TV arrived he became news anchor for the short-lived Dumont Network.  A great radio presence with natural gravitas in his voice, he died July 4 1975 at age 72.

➦In 1920...WWJ Detroit became the first station to air a professional boxing match. The station is believed to be the first to broadcast news reports regularly, and the first to present regularly scheduled religious broadcasts and play-by-play sports reports.The bout was won by Jack Dempsey.


➦In 1942...The radio comedy the Mayor of the Town made its debut. It starred Lionel Barrymore and aired until July 3, 1949 on ABC, CBS, Mutual and NBC at various times.


➦In 1954...1010 WINS NYC begins playing rock n roll with Alan Freed Show


➦In 1959...the hit radio sitcom “Fibber McGee and Molly” ended after almost 25 years. The situation comedy, a staple of the NBC Red Network for the show's entire run and one of the most popular and enduring radio series of its time. The show ran as a stand-alone series from 1935 to 1956, and then continued as a short-form series as part of the weekend Monitor from 1957 to 1959. The title characters were created and portrayed by Jim and Marian Jordan, a real-life husband and wife team that had been working in radio since the 1920s.

➦In 1965...Chuck Leonard started at WABC 770 AM.

From 1968...



Chuck Leonard
His deep voice and smoothness resonated across 38 states for 14 years at ABC. During his over 40-year career in broadcasting, Leonard worked virtually every shift and played all styles of music at stations including WWRL, WABC, WXLO, WRKS, WBLS, WQEW, WNSW-AM and WJUX. He has been inducted in the Museum of Television & Radio and is known as the first African-American disc jockey to work on a mainstream radio station.

On WABC, Leonard began in the 11 p.m. to midnight slot, and continued working late nights and Sundays at the station until November 27, 1979. He did the 10:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. shift following “Cousin” Bruce Morrow and later George Michael. He also gladly handled weekend and fill-in work.

Leonard was the host of "Sneak Preview," a five-minute Monday-through-Saturday evening program on ABC's American Contemporary Radio Network, which featured newly released songs. He stayed at WABC until 1979, before moving to WXLO and WRKS.

Leonard died on August 12, 2004, in Manhattan, following lung cancer. He was 67.


➦In 1987...Pat St. John left WPLJ NYC, and returned to his rock roots on WNEW 102.7 FM, which had been WPLJ's rival during its AOR years. He became the station's program director in the early 1990s while continuing his mid-day show until moving to morning-drive from 1994 through 1996. and then moved to afternoons. St. John remained with the station until it switched to a hot talk format in 1998.

From 1984...



St. John is one of the U.S.'s preeminent and longest serving radio personalities and voice-over artists.

Pat St. John
Known as The Dee-Jay’s DJ, he began his radio career on Windsor, Ontario's CKLW 800 AM in 1969 and '70, followed by WKNR 1300 AM in late 1970 to early '72, followed by WRIF 101.1 FM to April 1973.

Pat is best known for his work in the New York City market on WPLJ 95.5 FM , WNEW 102.7 FM, WAXQ and WCBS 101.1 FM.  Pat has done extensive television voiceover work, including announcing for Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve from 2000 to 2010.

St. John was known for his conversational on-air style with interspersed bits of music trivia, along with "Collectible Cuts" from his extensive record library.

Today, Pat can be heard on SiriusXM's '60s on 6 Channel weekdays 3 to 7 pm (Eastern)


➦In 2013…Don Wade, a pillar of Chicago radio, died of a brain tumor, about a year after the condition forced the morning show host off the air. He was 72.

Wade spent 55 years in broadcasting, 27 of them at WLS 890 AM. From 1989 to 2012, he worked mornings co-hosting "The Don Wade & Roma Show" with his wife.

Colleagues said Mr. Wade was a relentless researcher who would wake up in the middle of the night to get ready for his 5 a.m. show. The "lovable curmudgeon" became a Chicago institution by knowing the topics he covered inside and out.

During his career he also worked in Seattle, Denver, Hartford, New Orleans, Buffalo, Boston, Dallas and Philadelphia.

➦In 2017...WFAN NYC sports radio talk show host Craig Carton and another man were arrested on charges of bilking millions of dollars from investors in a concert-ticket selling scheme.

Jeff Foxworthy is 63
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
  • Comedian JoAnne Worley is 85. 
  • Country singer David Allan Coe is 82. 
  • Singer-bassist Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) is 78. 
  • Actor Swoosie Kurtz is 77. 
  • Comedian-actor Jane Curtin is 74. 
  • Country singer Buddy Miller is 69. 
  • Actor James Martin Kelly (“Mob City,” ″Magic Mike”) is 67. 
  • Drummer Joe Smyth of Sawyer Brown is 64. 
  • Actor-comedian Jeff Foxworthy is 63. 
  • Actor-comedian Michael Winslow (“Police Academy”) is 63. 
  • Deborah Joy Winans is 38
    Guitarist Pal Waaktaar of A-ha is 60. 
  • News correspondent Elizabeth Vargas is 59. 
  • Country singer Mark Chesnutt is 58. 
  • Actor Betsy Russell (“Saw”) is 58. 
  • Actor Rosie Perez is 57. 
  • Singer Macy Gray is 54. 
  • Singer CeCe Peniston is 52. 
  • Singer Darryl Anthony (Az Yet) is 52. 
  • Actor Daniele Gaither (“MADtv”) is 51. 
  • Actor Dylan Bruno (“Numb3ers”) is 49. 
  • Actor Idris Elba is 49. 
  • Actor Justina Machado (Netflix’s “One Day At A Time,” “Jane the Virgin”) is 49. 
  • Actor Anika Noni Rose (“The Princess and the Frog,” “Dreamgirls”) is 49. 
  • Actor Justin Whalin (“Lois and Clark”) is 47. 
  • Singer Nina Persson (The Cardigans) is 47. 
  • Actor Naomie Harris (“Moonlight,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies) is 45. 
  • Rapper Noreaga is 44. 
  • Rapper Foxy Brown is 43. 
  • Actor Deborah Joy Winans (“Greenleaf”) is 38. 
  • Actor Lauren Lapkus (“Orange Is The New Black”) is 36. 
  • Singer Max George of The Wanted is 33.

    Saturday, September 4, 2021

    September 5 Radio History


    ➦In 1910...
    Kenneth Howard Delmar born in Boston (Died at age 73 - July 14, 1984, Stamford, Connecticut). He was an actor active in radio, films, and animation. An announcer on the pioneering radio news series The March of Time, he became a national radio sensation in 1945 as Senator Beauregard Claghorn on the running "Allen's Alley" sketch on The Fred Allen Show.

    The character Delmar created was a primary inspiration for the Warner Bros. cartoon character Foghorn Leghorn.

    By the late 1930s, Delmar was an announcer on such major radio series as The March of Time and Your Hit Parade. He played multiple roles in The Mercury Theatre on the Air's October 1938 radio drama The War of the Worlds.

    Delmar is notable for creating the character Senator Beauregard Claghorn on Fred Allen's radio program Allen's Alley, which he did while also serving as the show's regular announcer. Senator Claghorn made his radio debut October 7, 1945, and six months later was called "unquestionably the most quoted man in the nation" by Life magazine. The role inspired the Warner Bros. animated character Foghorn Leghorn, first seen in the Oscar-nominated cartoon Walky Talky Hawky (1946).

    "During the late 1940s, Mr. Delmar captivated 20 million radio listeners every Sunday night with his burlesque of a bombastic, super-chauvinistic legislator who drank only from Dixie cups and refused to drive through the Lincoln Tunnel," wrote The New York Times. "His stock expression, 'That's a joke, son,' was for many years one of the nation's pet phrases, mimicked by children and businessmen alike.


    Delmar was also announcer and voice performer on The Alan Young Show in 1944. In 1953 he returned to radio replacing Hans Conried's character on My Friend Irma, as the Professor's cousin, Maestro Wanderkin and as Conried's Schultz on Life with Luigi.

    ➦In 1938…'
    Life Can Be Beautiful' began airing.  It was a daytime drama broadcast on NBC and CBS during its 16-year run. The program was billed as "an inspiring message of faith drawn from life" and remained one of the leading soap operas through the 1940s. Sponsored by Procter & Gamble and Spic and Span, it premiered September 5, 1938 on NBC and moved two months later to CBS, where it was heard from November 7, 1938 to June 21, 1946. Concurrently, it was also airing on NBC from 1939 to 1941. The final run was on NBC from 1946 to 1954.


    ➦In 1957...WPOW 1330 AM became one of the first NYC stations to air Rock & Roll regularly. Today the station airs a Spanish Christian music and teaching format and is owned by Radio Vision Cristiana Management.



    ➦In 1966...The Monkees released their first single--"Last Train to Clarksville".



    ➦In 1987...“American Bandstand,” hosted by Dick Clark on ABC, was cancelled after 30 years on network television, largely due to MTV's influence. The show limped along on the USA cable channel and in syndication for another three years, with a different host.

    ➦In 1989...Mike and the Mad Dog debuted on Emmis' WFAN 660 AM in NYC. The station was looking for hosts to repleace Pete Franklin during PM drive time and program director  Mark Mason, floated the idea of teaming Mike Francesa with Chris Russo. At first, the station management thought the idea was crazy because they were no-names at that time.  However, because of Francesa and Russo's popularity on the weekends and on Imus in the Morning individually, the station management decided to pair the two together.

    The show aired WFAN from September 1989 to August 2008 and featured Francesa and Russo talking about sports and taking phone calls from listeners. From 2002 the show was simulcast on television on the YES Network. On the radio, the show was simulcast beginning 2007 on WQYK in Tampa, Florida and from 2004 until 2007 on WROW in Albany, New York.

    ➦In 2002...John Daly "Jackie" Kelk died at age 79 from a lung infection (Born - August 6, 1923). He was a stage, radio, film, and television actor and stand-up comedian. Kelk was best known for portraying the role of Homer Brown on the radio series The Aldrich Family and as the original voice of Jimmy Olsen on The Adventures of Superman.



    ➦In 2012...Joe South, singer, songwriter and guitarist who did "Games People Play" and "Walk a Mile in My Shoes", died of heart failure in Buford, Georgia at age 72.  South also wrote songs for Elivs Presley, Deep Purple, the Osmonds, Gene Vincent, Lynn Anderson ("Rose Garden") and Billy Joe Royal and worked with Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Tommy Roe and others.

    ➦In 2015…MLB Baseball broadcaster Gene Elston died at age 93. He called Colt .45s/Houston Astros games for 25 years starting in 1962 and the CBS Radio Game of the Week from 1987 until 1995, and also called postseason NLDS games on CBS Radio in 1995, 1996, and 1997.

    In 2006, Elston was awarded the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame. The award is given annually to a baseball announcer who has given major contributions to the game. Elston was healthy enough, at the age of 84, to accept the award in person at Cooperstown.

    Bob Newhart is 92
    🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
    • Comedian-actor Bob Newhart is 92. 
    • Broadway actor Carol Lawrence is 89. 
    • Actor Lucille Soong (“Fresh Off the Boat”) is 86. 
    • Actor William Devane (“Jessie Stone,” ″24″) is 82. 
    • Actor George Lazenby is 82. 
    • Actor Raquel Welch is 81. 
    • Racquel Welch is 81
      Singer Al Stewart is 76. 
    • Actor-director Dennis Dugan (“Big Daddy,” “Happy Gilmore”) is 75. 
    • Singer Loudon Wainwright III is 75. 
    • Saxophonist Mel Collins of King Crimson and of Kokomo is 74. 
    • Cartoonist Cathy Guisewite (“Cathy”) is 71. 
    • Actor Michael Keaton is 70. 
    • Drummer Jamie Oldaker of The Tractors is 70. 
    • Actor Debbie Turner-Larson (“The Sound of Music”) is 65. 
    • Actor Kristian Alfonso (“Days of Our Lives”) is 58. 
    • Singer Terry Ellis of En Vogue is 58. 
    • Drummer Brad Wilk of Rage Against The Machine (and of Audioslave) is 53. 
    • TV personality-musician Dweezil Zappa is 52. 
    • Actor Rose McGowan is 48. 
    • Actor Carice Van Houten (“Game of Thrones”) is 45. 
    • Keyboardist Kyle O’Quin of Portugal. The Man is 36. 
    • Actor Andrew Ducote (“Dave’s World”) is 35. 
    • Actor Skandar Keynes (“The Chronicles of Narnia”) is 30.

      R.I.P.: Willard Scott, Radio-TV Personality

      Willard Scott (March 7, 1934 – September 4, 2021)

      Willard Scott, who forecast the weather for NBC's "Today" show for more than three decades and spent 65 years at NBC, has died, Al Roker said in an Instagram post on Saturday.  He was 87.

      WRC's The Joy Boys
      Scott, born March 7, 1934, in Alexandria, Virginia, joined "Today" in 1980 and became known for wishing fans turning 100 a happy birthday. He began his career at NBC in the company's Page Program, a learning and development program that provides exposure to the media industry. He worked at the affiliate station in Washington D.C. in 1950, according to Today.

      From 1955 to 1972, Scott teamed with Walker as co-host of the nightly Joy Boys radio program on NBC-owned WRC radio. (This was interrupted from 1956 to 1958 when Scott served on active duty with the U.S. Navy.) Scott routinely sketched a list of characters and a few lead lines setting up a situation, which Walker would commit to memory or make notes on with his Braille typewriter (Walker was blind since birth). 

      In a 1999 article recalling the Joy Boys at the height of their popularity in the mid-1960s, The Washington Post said they "dominated Washington, providing entertainment, companionship, and community to a city on the verge of powerful change". The Joy Boys show played on WRC until 1972 when they moved to cross-town station WWDC for another two years. Scott wrote in his book, The Joy of Living, of their close professional and personal bond which continued until Walker's death in October 2015, saying that they are "closer than most brothers".



      Scott 1995
      Scott spent the 1960s balancing his radio career with jobs as the host of children's television programs. He appeared on WRC radio's sister station, WRC-TV, playing characters such as Commander Retro and Bozo the Clown.  In 1970, Scott began appearing on WRC-TV as a weekday weatherman.

      Another TV role he performed regularly from 1963–66 and occasionally as late as 1971 was Ronald McDonald for the McDonald's franchise in Washington, D.C. Scott wrote in his book The Joy of Living that he originally created the Ronald McDonald character at the fast-food restaurant chain's request.

      Scott was tapped by NBC in 1980 to become its weatherman for The Today Show, replacing Bob Ryan, who replaced him at WRC-TV until 2010. After being inspired by a viewer request, Scott began his practice of wishing centenarians a happy birthday on-air in 1983.

      During the 1980s, Scott routinely did weather reports on the road, interviewing locals at community festivals and landmarks. He also periodically performed on the program from Washington, D.C.

      Voice Assistant Popularity Varies By Demographics

       As voice assistants battle to be the No. 1 digital secretary, their rates of adoption differ significantly across age groups, according to eMarketer.

      Siri dominates among adult Gen Zers, with 60% of US voice assistant users ages 18 to 24 using the software from Apple. Meanwhile, Alexa is most popular among the senior set, with 41% of those ages 65 and older using the Amazon service. Google Assistant does not lead in any age group, but it has sizable shares of users across the board.