John Delach

July 2203

I adopted the title of this piece, my last about AM Radio from one of the slogans that WNEW personalities used to describe their long-term relationship with conventional music, musicians and The Great American Songbook. Management also used it for  the title of their special book that celebrated their 50^th anniversary from 1934 to 1984.

Unfortunately, WNEW died on December 2, 1992, a mere eight years later its frequency, 1130, sold to Bloomberg News.

Paul D. Colford wrote in his epitaph  “…the 58-year-old outlet for the music of Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Mel Torme and America’s greatest songwriters, died today after a long illness marked by financial losses, anemic ratings, schizophrenic programming and the dismissal of practically every personality who made it special.”

Today, I invite you dear reader, to join me in commenting on some of these personalities.

Klaven and Finch

 Gene Klaven and Dee Finch teamed up in 1952 when Finch’s original partner, Gene Rayburn, left to pursue a successful career in television, especially Wonderama. Klaven was the prankster while Finch mostly played the straight man. They put on a great show at management’s expense, tortured, Kyle Rote, their sports reporter and created an imaginary traffic reporter, Trevor Traffic. Trevor would report from a helicopter that frequently stalled. For several years they were up against Bob and Ray and I believe they held their own against these radio giants. I read that their studio looked like the radio room on the Titanic just before the floor got wet.

Finch was granted disability in 1968 and died in in 1983. Klavan carried on solo for five years. He wrote several books including “We Die at Dawn” about their show.

William B Williams 

The dean of AM radio Willie B was a successor to Martin Block and hosted “Make Believe Ballroom” from 1957 to 1978. He developed a smooth and sophisticated style with his audience and guests who included Lena Horne and Frank Sinatra. It was Willie B mused that since Benny Goodman was the King of Swing and Duke Ellington, the Duke, it would be appropriate that Sinatra was The Chairman of the Board, a title Sinatra embraced.

Ted Brown

Primarily an afternoon drive-time DJ, Ted Brown began his career at WOR in 1949 and being a fill-in on WNEW. He jumped to WMGM in 1949 where he remained until 1962. At this point, he returned to WNEW to host the late afternoon drive-time broadcast. Eight years later he was lured to WNBC to host their afternoon shift, but WNEW hired him back two years later. There he remained until that station’s demise. Brown ended his time there hosting the morning show. After leaving WNEW for the last time, Brown worked mid-days at WRIV, a standards station based in Riverhead, Long Island. 

He frequently, sang his ditty, “Am I blue, no I’m Brown.” He also used his show to demonstrate what liquor could do to a drinker on several Independence Days. He called it “A fifth on the Fourth.,” He consumed a bottle of whiskey over the course of his broadcast. Not a drinker, he would be incoherent when his show ended.

Marty Glickman, Jim Gordon and John Kennelly

Marty Glickman was the radio voice of the Giants when I attended my first Football Giants home game. Back then all home games were blacked out meaning my only access to the action came from Marty. In a game that year against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Giants scored a TD on a pass from Y.A. Tittle to Erich Barnes, a defense back. Barnes entered the game as a wide receiver. A complex play, this is how Marty described it: “The Giants are spread all over the field. I think they are going to punt, Touchdown.” It was at that moment I decided to buy a season ticket so I wouldn’t have to listen to Glickman’s calls ever again.

Jim Gordon was a veteran hockey announcer when he joined the Giants broadcasting team. Curiously, he began his career in New York City in 1954 when he filled in for Glickman working on Brooklyn Dodgers broadcast. The following year he signed with Madison Square Garden broadcasting, college and pro hockey, boxing and dog shows.

He became the radio voice of the Giants from 1977 until 1994 allowing him to broadcast their first two Super Bowl victories in SB XXI and XXV.  I will always remember his introductory remarks to a late year home game: “It is 15 degrees and sunny. A great day for football.”  

John Kennelly was one of the masters of sport lines. He joined WNEW in 1976 and over his stay he had this to say when the Rangers were preparing to play the Montreal Canadians in the Stanley Cup finals. “A lot of people believe the Rangers don’t have a chance but you should know that the Rangers will go through Montreal the way the Metroliner goes through Metuchen, NJ.”

Or discussing a tight pennant race: “The NL East is tighter as a tee-shirt on a Hollywood starlit.” Or “The pennant is tighter than a wallet in a fat man’s back pocket.”        

 Others:  Bob Fitzgibbon: His comments on NYC. “The hardest place to leave is a bar.” Or a porno movie playing in Midtown: “The Opening of Misty Beetoven”- “Yeah, me too.”

The list goes on: Jonathon Schwartz. Bob Jones, Al Jazzbeaux Collins, Jim Lowe and his “Green Door”.

WNEW personifies: You don’t what you lost until it’s gone!

On the Outside looking is taking a break. See you in September unless something weird happens.