The Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago is mailing ballots by regular mail to radio executives, broadcast historians and NRHOF members in May with a voting deadline of August 1 for the class of 2007 candidates. On Saturday, November 3 ABC Radio will produce and distribute a one-hour broadcast that night. According to MBC President Bruce DuMont (what's a guy with a TV name doing as president of a radio museum?) says "the list of nominees includes immensely talented personalities who have entertained and informed radio audiences from New York to Fort Wayne to San Francisco"...
Here are the nominees:
Network Or Syndicated Contemporary
Art Bell (founder and longtime host of the paranormal-themed program "Coast to Coast AM"), Bob Kingsley (Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40), Marian McPartland (Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz) and Dr. Laura Schlessinger (no-nonsense cultural commentator)...
Network Or Syndicated Pioneer
Jimmy Durante, The Great Gildersleeve, Phil Harris and Alice Faye and Lum & Abner (no descriptives necessary, these are all old radio pioneers)...
Local or Regional Contemporary
Jerry Coleman (former Yankee infielder and long-time voice of the San Diego Padres), Bob Grant (controversial talk radio legend formerly with WABC and WOR), Ronn Owens (KGO San Francisco talker since 1975) and Donnie Simpson (The Donnie Simpson Morning Show on WPGC Washington, D.C. since 1993)...
Local Or Regional Pioneer
Bob Collins (the late WGN fixture for over 25 years), Dan Ingram (legendary WABC/WCBS-FM DJ), Bob Sievers (WOWO Ft. Wayne for almost 50 years) and Rufus Thomas (late R&B singer and DJ at WDIA Memphis)...
As with all Halls of Fame, it's impossible for those voting to be knowledgeable about more than a handful of the nominees. Of nominees on this list I have worked with and/or know or known 2 (Bob Collins and Dan Ingram), have met (how ever briefly) 2 more and listened to 3 others. I am familiar with 3 of the 4 pioneers for a grand total of 10 out of 16 nominees that I can offer judgement on, which is probably a higher percentage than most voters...
If you would like to vote for those you know, you don't have to be a radio executive to do so. Anyone wishing to vote can join the NRHOF online at http://www.radiohof.org/ for $15 a pop. Not so much and you get a vote...
My thanks to Mike McCann who now dabbles in sports as an anchor on WFAN but will always be a top 40 guy at heart, for bringing this item to my attention...
Speaking of radio pioneers, one of the video links is Jack Benny with wife Mary Livingstone and Don Wilson doing a radio show which can be found in the "You're on the air" timeline. There's another video link is in the "When you're hot you're hot" timeline...
Timeline Memories...
"Happy Trails": 1980] Musician Mantovani (Annunzio Paulo Mantovani) dies from natural causes at 74...1999] Singing great Joe Williams (Count Basie Band) collapses and dies after walking 3 miles from a Las Vegas hospital after being treated for a respiratory ailment. Williams was 80...2005] Attorney Johnnie Cochran dies from an inoperable brain tumor at 67...
"Under cover of the night": 1984] Robert Irsay moves the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis in the middle of the night like a common thief...
"Oh Canada", eh?: 1867] The British Parliament passes the North America Act creating the Dominion of Canada. Grab a stick and lace 'em up...
"You're on the air": 1932] Jack Benny makes his radio debut on NBC. Here's a clip of Jack doing his radio show before a live audience: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqUjciB0Q80 ...1941] WPAT (NJ) begins broadcasting with a Country format...
Being rational: 1943] WWII causes rationing of meat, butter and cheese in the U.S...
#1 on this date: 1957] "Party Doll" - Buddy Knox...1976] "Disco Lady" - Johnnie Taylor (the 1st single certified 'platinum' by the RIAA for sales of more than 2 million copies. In 1989, the platinum standard is halved to 1 million due to declining sales)...1987] "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" - Starship ...
Gold Standard: 1962] "Duke of Earl" - Gene Chandler...
"When You're Hot You're Hot": 1959] "Some Like It Hot" starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon premieres. Here's a clip of the train scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSqwNLGiLwA ...
"Lights, camera, action, bullets": 1971] "The Godfather" begins filming...
"Guilty as Charged": 1971] Lt. William Calley Jr. is found guilty of premeditated murder of at least 22 Vietnamese civilians and is sentenced to life in prison. Calley won a court case and was paroled. He now lives in Columbus (GA)...1971] A jury in L.A. recommends the death penalty for Charles Manson and 3 female followers for the 1969 Tate-Lo Bianca murders. His sentence has been commuted to life in prison...1974] 8 Ohio National Guardsmen are indicted on charges stemming from the shooting death of 4 students at Kent State in May of 1970. All the guardsmen are later acquitted...
"The cover of Rolling Stone": 1973] 12 days after "The Cover of Rolling Stone" peaks at #6, Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show are on the cover of Rolling Stone...
Turn out the lights: 1973] The last U.S. troops leave South Vietnam...
"Who did I just throw the ball to?": 1982] Mistaking North Carolina's James Worthy as a teammate, Georgetown's Fred Brown passes Worthy the ball with 5 seconds left in the NCAA championship game. Worthy passes the ball to Michael Jordan who ices the game with a bucket for NC as Dean Smith gets his 1st national title with a 63-62 win over G'town (I was never more convinced that I just witnessed a fixed game in my life but no investigation...nothing. There is absolutely no way that Brown could even think that Worthy was a teammate and I did not have an interest in the game)...
Hello Oscar: 1989] "Rainman" yeah, definitely Rainman and Dustin Hoffman win Oscars. So does Jody Foster at the 61st Academy Awards...1993] "A Whole New World" from "Aladdin" wins an Academy Award for Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle...
Wedding Bells: 1997] Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna paso doble down the aisle...
Hazardous to health: 1990] Record companies agree to put warning labels on music product that contains potentially offensive lyrics. This campaign was about as effective as "Just say No" or "Don't ask, don't tell"...
Don't hold your breath: 1992] Democratic presidential front-runner Bill Clinton says "I didn't inhale and I didn't try it again" when asked about experimenting with marijuana. His nose then proceeds to grow extending that indentation at the tip about 4 feet...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
Commentary...
Larry King celebrates 50 years in broadcasting and the celebration begins April 16th with guests like Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric (who will interview the talk-show King), Anderson Cooper, Ryan Seacrest, Bill Clinton and Bill Maher...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Jennifer Capriati (31), Lucy Lawless (39), Elle Macpherson (43), Walt "Clyde" Frazier (63), Terry Jacks (63), Vangelis ('Chariots of Fire') (64), Eric ("Monty Python") Idle (64) and John McLaughlin (80)...
Timeline Countdown: 2 days until Final Four, 3 days until Opening Day, 4 days until the NCAA championship game, 4 days until Passover, 11 days until Easter Sunday...
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