Broadcast History - June 16

[jon]

In 1962, Bob Lewis did his first show on WABC-770 New York City. Some WABC fans name "Bob-A-Loo" as the best DJ that WABC ever had. Beginning in 1967, he also did work on WABC-FM, sounding equally at home doing Top 40 or Underground/Progressive Rock. Desiring a more consistent shift schedule, he switched to WABC-FM full-time. His radio career began in the 1950s at WNHC in New Haven (Connecticut), hitting New York Top 40 Radio at the beginning of the 1960s, first at WMGM, then WINS before landing at WABC. He left WABC-FM for WCBS-FM in 1970, then WNEW-FM in 1971-72. Born Robert Schwartzman, Bob Lewis died on January 23, 1987, at the age of 49. Near the top of http://www.musicradio77.com/interviews.html you will find a tribute to Bob, aired on WNEW-FM two weeks after his death, complete with interviews, airchecks and samples of his voice-over work.



In 1968, the late Jack Armstrong and his gorilla (voice/character) were first heard on 1050-CHUM Toronto. He is best known as Jackson Armstrong, but he started his career in 1964 as John Larsh in North Carolina (WCOG then WAYS). When CHUM went to Drake style formatics in 1969, Jack left, feeling there was just not enough room for him and his gorilla. Before and after, he worked at many of the best known Top 40 stations in the U.S., including WIXY Cleveland, WKYC Cleveland, WMEX Boston, WPOP Hartford, KTLK Denver, WKBW Buffalo, WKTQ (13Q) Pittsburgh, KDKA Pittsburgh, WHYI Miami, WIFE Indianapolis, KTNQ/KHTZ Los Angeles, KFI Los Angeles, KFRC San Francisco, KKHR Los Angeles, KBOS Tulare (California), WMQX Winston-Salem and back to the renamed WKBW (WWKB) from 2002-2006. CHUM represented his only time in Canadian radio.



In 2005, the CRTC authorized two satellite and one terrestrial subscription-based radio/music services for Canadian consumers. XM and Sirius both went forward, but CHUM backed out of its (arguably superior) terrestrial-based offering because its business model was based on only one competitor.