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NAB's Top 100 Moments In Broadcasting
This is from 2020, so it could be slightly dated by now. But it's from the National Assn. of Broadcasters celebrating the top 100 "radio moments" of the medium. I'm not sure I agree with all their choices and some of them certainly wouldn't be in my list (if I had one!)
It won't surprise you that #1 is the birth of KDKA Pittsburgh, which many insist was the very first radio station. (WWJ Detroit would disagree, but it's essentially lost to history.)
And #100? It's the 1938 broadcast of War Of The Worlds, which remains legendary to this day.
See the list here.
- BowmanvilleBob
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And at number 3, it's "Bob Uecker begins his radio career"....
Wow, I mean...wow. With one hundred years of broadcasting to choose from, and events such as the end of WW2, the moon landing, the resignation of Richard Nixon, the Kennedy assassination, 9/11 and even some international events like Churchill's "this was their finest hour" speech, the bright sparks at the NAB chose an obscure retired catcher starting broadcasting for a team that's never won a World Series as their number 3 moment?
In the immortal words of Shakespeare - "Sheesh!"
- In Phase
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Re: NAB's Top 100 Moments In Broadcasting
BowmanvilleBob wrote:
And at number 3, it's "Bob Uecker begins his radio career"....
Wow, I mean...wow. With one hundred years of broadcasting to choose from, and events such as the end of WW2, the moon landing, the resignation of Richard Nixon, the Kennedy assassination, 9/11 and even some international events like Churchill's "this was their finest hour" speech, the bright sparks at the NAB chose an obscure retired catcher starting broadcasting for a team that's never won a World Series as their number 3 moment?
In the immortal words of Shakespeare - "Sheesh!"
an excellent synopsis 
- mace
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Re: NAB's Top 100 Moments In Broadcasting
I liked #43, the first airbourne traffic report in NYC in 1935. I think Eddie Luther was the first in Toronto on CFRB in 1961.
- Chrisphen
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Re: NAB's Top 100 Moments In Broadcasting
No mention of Artie Lange attacking his assistant on the Stern show? The list could use some fixin'
- RadioActive
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Re: NAB's Top 100 Moments In Broadcasting
And then there's #47, which claims it was Dick Biondi on WLS who played the first Beatles record (I'm assuming in the U.S.) This is another of those facts lost to history, with many disc jockeys making the claim. There's simply no real way to ever prove it.
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Thread Starter- Binson Echorec
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Re: NAB's Top 100 Moments In Broadcasting
Churchill's "this was their finest hour" speech
Moment #8.
the moon landing
Moment #75.
Both are undoubtedly more important than Bob Uecker. Hell, I'm probably more important than Bob Uecker.
And while nobody would consider it a "top moment", I feel Jane Dornacker should make the cut.
Last edited by Binson Echorec (August 29, 2024 3:08 pm)
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Re: NAB's Top 100 Moments In Broadcasting
And while nobody would consider it a "top moment", I feel Jane Dornacker should make the cut.
An absolutely terrifying last broadcast on WNBC-AM, and you can hear something happen to the chopper's rotor right in the middle of her traffic report. Her frightening last words were her screams of "Hit the water! Hit the water! Hit the water!" before the sound dropped off and both she and her pilot were killed in the crash.
Even the normally unflappable Joey Reynolds, on air at the time doing afternoon drive, was shaken. Still chilling all these years later.
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Thread Starter- BowmanvilleBob
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Re: NAB's Top 100 Moments In Broadcasting
Churchill's "this was their finest hour" speech
Moment #8.
the moon landing
Moment #75.
Both are undoubtedly more important than Bob Uecker. Hell, I'm probably more important than Bob Uecker.
And while nobody would consider it a "top moment", I feel Jane Dornacker should make the cut.
I'm aware that both of those incidents were on the list, Binson. My point was that Bob Uecker, of all people, rated higher than both of these world shaking events on NAB's rather ludicrous ranking system.
One event that I think was missed was the 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle launch disaster. In my opinion, radio did a superb job of conveying the emotions of those on the ground as they watched the shuttle explode in mid-air. Check out the coverage from ABC Radio and CBS Radio on this tragedy. From ABC's Vic Ratner's "something has gggggonnnneeee amiss...." to Christopher Glenn of CBS's clearly horrified reaction to seeing the spacecraft explode before his eyes, radio's coverage was raw, emotional and on the spot.
Last edited by BowmanvilleBob (August 29, 2024 7:26 pm)