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Everyone knows him from his time hosting The Match Game. Others may be less familiar with Gene Rayburn's early years in radio on WNEW New York, where he's credited with helping create the kind of morning show that's common today.
"A little bit of news, a little bit of music, and a whole heck of a lot of humorous chitchat between the hosts. This type of radio show is ubiquitous now, but way back in the late 1940s and early 1950s, this was a completely novel idea."
Rayburn tried desperately to return to Match Game when the show was brought back, but producers opted for other hosts. Almost none of the other versions were hits. He died looking for a way back onto the airwaves, an opportunity that never came.
The Sad But True Story of Gene Rayburn, the Host of ‘Match Game’