In this week’s Programming To Win column, Robby Bridges continues his series of looking at the top 40 greatest Top 40 personalities of all time. In this installment, Bridges examines the careers of four very different DJs, including a certain “King Of All Media.
Robby Bridges
By Robby Bridges
One of the things I try to do in my contributions to this column is to generate passion for the industry in which we all toil. Truthfully, it gets my goat to meet broadcasters who are downtrodden about the state of radio, who don’t have fire in their bellies about exciting content/presentations or who don’t really care about radio’s legacy. Radio’s cume is as large and in some markets larger than ever before: The public listens too and enjoys great content on the radio. Period. Oftentimes, I feel as though we as an industry are less excited about our product than our consumer is or worse not proud of its rich history and supreme standing in American life. That’s a damn shame. Film makers celebrate stars and cite inspirations from Capra to Scorsese and from Bogie to Clooney; television Lucille Ball and Jackie Wilson to Jerry Seinfeld and Ed Sullivan to Johnny Carson; journalists celebrate Cronkite and Morrow and even (gasp!) print heroes like Woodward and Noonan. And so, I believe it’s not “nerdy”, but rather certainly “Programming to WIN” to embrace and recall Top 40’s innovators and legends too. Here is part 3, my criteria was as follows from the original piece:
The top 40 greatest top 40 personalities of all time. How would such a list be compiled? What would the criteria be? And once it was, would there be common traits, styles or techniques we could all think about and study? Well what follows is based solely on my own observations as a vigorous student of radio talent past, present and future. I made a check list:
1) Longevity and legacy
2) Audience reaches
3) Innovation
4) Uniqueness of presentation Next I wrote down a list of 217 possible candidates I could think of that just had to be at least in contention and assigned them points in each of those categories 5 being highest and those with the highest scores made my top 40. This list includes only personalities who made their mark in top 40 radios; while Howard Stern, Paul Harvey, Ralph Emery and many others are among the most noteworthy personalities, this list is exclusive to top 40 deejays! Now I’d like to see this list realized with an actual tally from industry professionals and then the results presented as a documentary. Perhaps someday it will; until then I thought this would be a fun exercise and I welcome your emails as to whom you’d include and how you’d score them and why and I encourage you to do the same with your jocks and colleagues.***due to several emails after last article noting Howard Stern’s impact at a top 40 station, WNBC, he is included in list and we added a Honorable mention addendum***
11. He’d be remembered in rock and roll history books for one of the most memorable novelty hits of all time, “Disco Duck” and his contributions to Saturday Night Fever, in film as a late night star for ABC and in several movies including “Meatballs” and in television and financial circles as a founder of the EW Scripps Network, all had he not ever sat before a microphone. Indeed, Rigdon Dees III has had an astounding career in media in addition to his immeasurable influence as the leading morning man in Hollywood for the better part of 30 years at KHJ, KIIS-FM and more recently KHHT and KMVN. Rick, perhaps more than any other talent, solidified the radio “morning star” to be much more than a wacky DJ but rather the ratings and revenue generating celebrity, gateway to a big station’s success–Rick’s talents always displayed the gravitas and “show biz” persona of a film star (and he has one on the Hollywood Walk of Fame) beginning in Memphis and carried right on to his legendary “Weekly Top 40” Countdown. The public has spoken–he holds a “People’s Choice Award” after all and couldn’t you go for a little “Dees Sleaze” right now?
12. There is an unforgettable line in the film “Private Parts,” the fictionalized autobiographical account of the career of one of the most famous and easily the most controversial jock of all time, Howard Stern: “Listeners say they hate him and that’s why they tune in, because they want to know what he’ll say next” While this list focuses in on top 40 jocks and Howard’s impact is in rock radio (or more so in a format he created all for himself), one FMQB reader argued he became a national figure and had the most impact on others trying to emulate his success based on his run at New York’s 66 WNBC both during his 1982-1985 run and after. Howard grew up in New York City realizing his desire to be “King of all Media” at Boston University and changing the game at rock stations in Hartford, Detroit and Washington DC before exploding onto the air from halls of 30 Rock on the flagship station of the National Broadcasting Company. Howard’s creative program from comedic bits to proactive topic discussion coupled with his keen ability to market himself and generate publicity quite literally turned the largest media market on its ear both in his top 40 radio years at W-NNNNBC and at K-Rock and SiriusXM. While Howard Stern has quite easily conquered television, print and film as well, it will perhaps always be on the radio where he makes a unique brand of content the public can’t get enough of and other broadcasters simply can never duplicate try as they may.
13. Ask several generations who the “King of the Cornbelt” is and they will smile and say “Uncle Lar!” For decades, Larry Lujack dominated the air from the Windy City on both WLS and WCFL with a low key style, deep rich voice and memorable bits that became something of a tradition of Chicago mornings including “Animal Stories” and “Klunk Letter of the Day”. Born in Iowa in 1940, Larry’s sarcastic wit was always tempered with the “aww shucks” charm of the middle American values of which he was raised (his stage name came from 1940s football great Johnny Lujack); he was heard notably on KJR in Seattle and you’ll find him in the NAB Hall of Fame but to millions of other mere DJs (and millions of Midwesterners) he is the one an only “Super”Jock–as his best selling autobiography denotes in that playfully sly Larry Lujack way.
14. The story of Pete Myers is in many ways akin to the allegory tale of “Jekyll and Hyde” or the Shakespearean tragedy of a “Hamlet”. While Pete was a very successful, mild mannered announcer who spent several years at the legendary MOR WNEW New York he is iconic as the first to create a larger than life other human character for top 40 radio (whom also appeared in public spectacles and on television) and was the first of the “rhymers” years before the likes of Bill Lee, George McFly and Greg Thunder–as the Mad Daddy. His big break came when he took Alan Freed’s seat at WJW Cleveland (and later WHK) where each evening his wove a manic patter of rhythmic jive in a language and style nearly all his own “Movin and a-groovin, and havin a ball, rock n rollin’ straight jacket and all”; all this punctuated by the sfx of a bubbling dungeon cauldron and copious reverb/echo. Much like Wolfman Jack would nearly a decade later, Mad Daddy gave American teenagers an other worldly experience playing the electrifying sounds of new rock music seemingly from some dark place their parents didn’t want them to know about. Myers brought the Mad Daddy act to the big apple on WINS (also post Freed) in a legendary line up that also included Murray the K and Johnny Holiday, both of whom also grace this list. Remarkably, Myers was asked several times to rest his creation and temper his act as an announcer and he did after a brief early 60s run as Mad Daddy in New York and then again after WINS segued to “all news” in 1965. Three years later, quite mysteriously, Pete Myers took his own life. His legacy and impact, is forever and likely, the Mad Daddy’s infectious vocal rhythms are still echoing on radio waves somewhere in outer space to this day.
Stay tuned—the complete list:
1. Dan Ingram
2. Dewey Phillips
3. Alan Freed
4. Wolfman Jack
5. Georgie Woods
6. Casey Kasem
7. Scott Shannon
8. Don Imus
9. Bruce Murrow
10. Dick Biondi
11. Rick Dees
12. Howard Stern
13. Larry Lujack
14. Mad Daddy
15. George Michael
16. The Real Don Steele
17. Kid Kelly
18. Harry Harrison
19. Jackson Armstrong
20. Yvonne Daniels
21. Howard Hoffman
22. Broadway Bill Lee
23. Dale Dorman
24. Rick Shaw
25. The WLAC Team: John R, Hoss Allen, Gene Noble
26. Ron Lundy
27. Robert W. Morgan
28. Greaseman
29. John Records Landecker
30. Dr. Don Rose
31. Murray The K
32. Elvis Duran
33. Jay Thomas
34. Arnie Ginsburg
35. Johnny Holiday
36. B. Mitchell Reed
37. Jocko Henderson
38. Lohman and Barkley
39. Charlie Tuna
40. Paul Cubby Bryant
Honorable Mentions: Ryan Seacrest, MG Kelly, Pat O’Day, Ellie Dylan, Shadoe Stevens, Harv Moore, Porky Chedwick, Jerry Blavat, Jack Gale, Big Ron O’Brien, Salty Brine
Robby Bridges is a host on WPLJ/New York and the True Oldies Channel on Cumulus Media Networks. He is also President of BBOR Productions, developing and marketing syndication, music and production pieces nationally. Previously Bridges has worked in various capacities at WCTK/Providence, Z100/New York, Q102/Philadelphia, WODS and Mix 98.5/Boston and elsewhere in New England. Robby can be reached at 203-333-9108 or bridges@bborproductions.com.
