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Lessons from Music Radio’s All-Time Personalities
An interesting column from Radio Ink, focusing on what we can learn from some of the true radio greats, including Wolfman Jack, Casey Kasem and Rick Dees, among others.
Lessons from Music Radio’s All-Time Personalities
- paterson1
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Re: Lessons from Music Radio’s All-Time Personalities
I have never heard of most on the list. I enjoyed Wolfman in small doses when he was on CHUM or on his syndicated show and in American Graffitti. Rick Dees and Casey Kasem not a big fan of either. Always found Kasem too syrupy and affected in his delivery. He seemed out of step with some of the music he played on ATF especially in the later years. Wendy Williams I only know from her TV show.
John Landecker to me was always a great announcer and entertaining at the same time. As was the late John Mahjor and CFTR's Jim Brady. Both found success on both sides of the border, but especially here in Toronto.
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Re: Lessons from Music Radio’s All-Time Personalities
I can speak to two of those. Jim Brady (real name Jim Felton) was not only incredibly talented, but he was one of the nicest people you could want to meet. He was the morning man at one of the biggest stations in Canada when it was at its peak, but he never showed any ego and always was nice to all the people at CFTR.
One of my favourite memories is visiting him in the announce booth at 25 Adelaide St. E., telling him a joke and then hearing him use it on air a few minutes later - even crediting me for it! That was a real thrill!
I was also there when "Landecker landed." I really admire his talent and loved him on WLS. But he was not good when he took over the morning slot at 680, and the ratings reflected it. I think I've noted this before, but I remember going in to meet him when he strutted into the station the first time with a large breasted blonde on his arm and asking him if he was going to bring his "Boogie Check" to Toronto, a famous segment where he took listener phone calls.
He looked at me as if I was an insect and haughtily sneered, "Now why would I want to do that?" and then walked away. I never talked to him again after that exchange, having already gotten the measure of the man. Fortunately his time in Toronto was brief and not a happy one and he quickly blew back into the Windy City, where he remains to this day on WGN-AM. (Although the article from 1983 below shows, it was not an easy return.)
A tale of two morning men at the same station who could not have been more different from each other. 
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Thread Starter- mace
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Re: Lessons from Music Radio’s All-Time Personalities
I used to listen to Steve Dahl when he was teamed up with Gary Meier on 1000 WLUP. To say that they were politically incorrect would be a vast understatement.