The Albany Times-Union reports that former WGDJ, Albany talk host Melody Burns died last week at age
65 after a battle with cancer. Burns hosted a show on WGDJ from 2012 through 2014. After leaving her radio show, she became director of operations at Veterans Miracle Center, where veterans and military personnel could get new items they need at no cost. Read the Times-Union obituary here.
Philadelphia talk radio veteran Mary Mason died on July 25 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Mason, a.k.a. Beatrice Turner, was a pioneering talk host in the urban talk radio format when she transitioned from a Gospel music host – beginning in 1958 – to anchor of the “Mornings with Mary” program on WHAT, Philadelphia in 1970. Thera Martin was Mason’s former program director at WHAT and tells WPVI-TV, “Reverend Louise Williams Bishop and Mary Mason are the two African American women who really broke the barrier in Philadelphia radio for us to come behind them. People used to hang onto her every word, every morning, with her very popular radio show.” The story notes that “the show catapulted Mason’s career, leading her to interviews with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, and Oprah.” See the WPVI-TV story here.
Indianapolis where Art Vuolo – chronicler of radio history and operator of Vuolo video – fondly remembers him early in his career as “a very popular night DJ at powerful WIBC-AM 1070 in Indianapolis doing his show from a tiny studio atop a Mel’s Drive-Inn style restaurant known as Merrill’s Hi-Decker where listeners would vote for favorite songs by flashing their headlights! He also was Indy’s local Dick Clark with a teen dance show on WISH TV 8 called the RC Cola Rhythm Carnival.” After Indy, Summer landed the late-night show at WBZ in 1963. WBZ says, “His show, ‘Nightlight,’ was known for its humor, along with listeners calling in to give him the ‘password’ of ‘one hen, two ducks, and three squawking geese.’ He would also recite poetry on air.” Summer was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2018 for his work in the industry. He was also known for his TV and radio commercial voiceover work and spent time as a podcast host.Longtime Bloomington, Illinois radio personality Scott Laughlin died on Tuesday (4/30) at 65 after a long battle with cancer. Laughlin, who retired from Cumulus Media’s news/talk WJBC-AM in 2019 shortly
after being diagnosed with kidney cancer, worked in the radio industry for 40 years – almost 20 of those years as morning host for WJBC. WJBC states, “Laughlin was a longtime supporter of the Salvation Army, volunteering each year to ring bells and help raise money for the Bloomington non-profit. That included the ‘Cubs vs. Cards’ challenge with his good friend Gary Morefield – and the ‘Scott vs. Scott’ challenge alongside WJBC’s Scott Miller. Last year, the Salvation Army created the ‘Scott Laughlin Spirit Award’ to honor its top fundraisers through the annual red kettle campaign.” Laughlin is survived by his wife Lori.
The Virginian-Pilot reports that longtime Hampton Roads sports talk host Tony “Blastman” Mercurio died last weekend at age 75 after battling a number of illnesses, including diabetes. According to the obit, during his career, Mercurio served with WGH-AM, Newport News and WVSP-FM, Yorktown, Virginia “ESPN Radio 94.1 FM.” Read the complete obit here.
The Oklahoman reports that former Oklahoma City talk radio host Carole Arnold died last Friday at age 85 after a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Arnold worked for then-Clear Channel Communications for about 20 years, including eight as a host at news/talk KTOK. She left KTOK in 1996 and later worked at KNOR, Norman and KOMA, Oklahoma City (now KOKC). Read the full obit here.
Talk radio host Joe Madison – also known for much of his career as The Black Eagle – died on Thursday (2/1) at 74 after a battle with cancer. His family released the following statement: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our beloved husband and father, Joe Madison. He passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family. Joe dedicated his life to fighting for all those who are undervalued, underestimated, and marginalized. On air he often posed the question, ‘What are you going to do about it?’ Although he is no longer with us, we hope you will join us in answering that call by continuing to be proactive in the fight against injustice. The outpouring of prayers and support over the last few months lifted Joe’s spirits and strengthened us as a family. We continue to ask for privacy as we gather together to support each other through this difficult time.” Madison had been hosting the morning drive program on SiriusXM’s Urban View channel since 2008. Before he went into radio, Madison had become the youngest Detroit NAACP chapter leader at 24 years old. While Madison dabbled in radio while at Washington University in St. Louis, he first worked in commercial radio at Detroit’s WXYZ. From there he hosted a show on WWDB-FM, Philadelphia before moving to Washington, DC for a long stint at WWRC. He moved across town to Radio One-owned WOL, Washington where he hosted the afternoon drive show and served as program director. At this time, Radio One began syndicating his show nationally and it was simultaneously added to the lineup at SiriusXM. TALKERS founder Michael Harrison issued the following statement: “Joe Madison was one of the greatest of the greats among radio talk show hosts of the modern era. He transcended the role of ‘talent’ to rise among the ranks of America’s most influential civil rights thought leaders. His devoted following crossed the boundaries of race, age, gender, and politics. During his illustrious career, in addition to receiving countless awards in the fields of broadcasting and activism, he was a recipient of TALKERS magazine’s two most important honors, the Freedom of Speech Award and the Humanitarian of the Year Award. I am humbled to have had the privilege of this great man’s friendship for more than three decades and will treasure his inspiring memory for the rest of my days.”
Shortly before Christmas, “Coast to Coast AM” executive producer Lisa Lyon posted the sad news that radio pro and longtime “Coast to Coast AM” personality Ian Punnett died on December 21 after a brief
illness. She writes, “It is with deep sadness that we share the news that Ian Punnett passed away from a brief illness yesterday. His keen intellect and delightful sense of humor will be deeply missed. Since 2000, Ian has, in various incarnations, been a valued host of ‘Coast to Coast AM,’ including regular weekend hosting duties, his own spin-off show ‘Coast to Coast LIVE with Ian Punnett,’ a podcast entitled ‘Vaudeville for the Frightened,’ and most recently twice a month hosting duties. I’ve had the privilege of producing for Ian these past 24 years, and I will miss our friendship and the professional collaboration. Every conversation behind the scenes was as lively and entertaining and everything we strive for on the air. Ian was great radio personified.” See more here.
Rock radio personality Jim Ladd died on Saturday (12/16) at the age of 75 after suffering a heart attack. Ladd, who was a prominent figure in rock radio in the 1970s and 1980s hosting shows at KLOS-FM and KMET-FM in Los Angeles, had been hosting a regular show on SiriusXM’s Deep Tracks channel for the past 11 years. Ladd was a pioneer in talk on FM with his nationally syndicated “Innerview” program consisting of hour-long conversations with rock artists about their music and more. Read his LA Times obituary here.
The New York Post reports that legendary New York City reporter Pablo Guzman died Sunday (11/26) at 73. Over the past 30 years, Guzman covered crime, politics, and the historic evolution of the city. He most recently worked as a senior correspondent for CBS. He worked at WNEW-TV starting in 1984, moved to WNBC-TV in 1992, and then to WCBS-TV.Read the Post obit here.
Tucson.com reports that longtime Tucson market radio personality John C. Scott died on Friday (9/22) at the age of 80. He retired from his “John C. Scott Political Forum” program on Bustos Media’s KVOI-AM in July. Scott relocated to Tucson in 1967 and worked as the news anchor for KTKT-AM. He later became for news anchor for KVOA-TV, and KOLD-TV. He also hosted a talk show on KGUN-TV. In 1972, Scott won a seat in the Arizona State Senate where he served as a Democrat for two years. Current Tucson mayoral candidate Ed Ackerley comments, “He was a progressive conservative. I know that’s an oxymoron, but I believe had the best interests of the city at heart. His overall sense was that we can all come together, work together to make Tucson a better place to live.” Read the Tucson.com obit here.
Burt Sherwood, whose long career in radio spanned over 70 years including on-air work as a WMCA, New York “Good Guy” in the station’s Top 40 days; general manager of WMAQ, Chicago during its highly rated run as a country station; general manager at WMEE/WMEF, Fort Wayne; WIBG, Philadelphia; and WNHC-AM, New Haven, died peacefully in hospice care in Sarasota, Florida yesterday (9/21). Sherwood celebrated his 95th birthday this past May. He is survived by his wife Anne, daughter Ellen and son Jason.
According to a report by WDEF-TV, Chattanooga, former news/talk WGOW-AM/FM program director
Kevin West died yesterday morning (9/18) at the age of 62 after suffering a medical emergency. West retired from the Cumulus Media station in June and had begun working as the public affairs director for the Chattanooga Police Department. West was a 24-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, retiring two years ago with the rank of captain. He is survived by his wife Carlene and five children.
Beloved chronicler of Los Angles Radio People, Don Barrett, has died at 81 after a battle with liver cancer.
The message, “In an ordinary instant – cancer has taken LARadio.com,” is posted on the publication’s site – a reference to the writings of author Joan Didion. Barrett was profiled by the LA Daily News last month after he was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer. You can read that piece here. Barrett built the LARadio.com site to promote his Los Angeles Radio People books that sought to “highlight every radio personality who was ever on the local [Los Angeles] airwaves between the years of 1957-1994 (first edition).” Barrett is survived by his wife Cherie (pictured here).
Sports talk radio personality Mark Scholten died on Monday (8/14) of natural causes at age 54. Scholten
worked at Saga Communications’ Bellingham, Washington stations for decades hosting his program “The Zone” on both news/talk KGMI-AM and sports talk KPUG-AM. Saga says, “He was a skilled broadcaster of sports at all levels, but was especially known for his knowledge of and dedication to Whatcom County high school teams, their athletes and coaches. His family thanks the community for their outpouring of support, and says they’ll announce plans for a memorial in coming days.”
Legendary Des Moines talk radio personality Jan Mickelson died over the weekend at the age of 74. iHeartMedia’s WHO, Des Moines posted the following to its website: “Mickelson, who hosted a highly-rated conservative talk show on WHO Radio for nearly 30 years, suffered a stroke several years ago and had been
living in the state of Nevada. The native Iowan was beloved by WHO Radio listeners and colleagues. He was known nationally for his thought-provoking talk show and on-air debates, but also for sharing information about local severe weather and other urgent news relevant to his listeners. Mickelson was known for tackling serious topics but was equally appreciated by his devoted listeners for providing much joy and humor with his infectious laughter.” iHeartMedia Des Moines market president Joel McCrea adds, “Jan Mickelson was the best at his craft. He was always prepared and knew how to get you to listen to the radio. If you disagreed with him, he would take your call first because he wanted a spirited conversation. All of us at WHO miss Jan Mickelson.”
WYFF-TV, Greenville, South Carolina reports that market talk radio pro Jim Burnside died on July 23 after a battle with cancer. The station reports, “Jim Burnside was an innovative radio talent, commercial writer and producer and mentor to many Upstate and national radio personalities… Jim is credited with bringing ‘Talk Radio’ to the Upstate in 1988, hiring Rush Limbaugh and Mike Gallagher to headline WFBC-AM. Later, the station’s call letters were changed to WORD-AM, and Burnside served as program director and station manager.” See the full story here.
Comic Ron Sexton, a longtime cast member of “The Bob & Tom Show,” died at 52 on Friday (7/21) in Ohio while on tour with his stand-up show. Tom Griswold states, “We are sad to confirm that Ron Sexton, longtime member of the ensemble cast of ‘The Bob & Tom Show,’ died Friday while on tour with his stand-up comedy show. Ron
was known by millions of listeners of ‘The Bob & Tom Show’ for the indelible comedic characters he played on-air, including Donnie Baker, Kenny Tarmac, and Floyd the Trucker, as well as his spot-on celebrity impersonations. Ron was a much-loved colleague and friend, and we will miss him greatly. We send our sincerest condolences to his family and friends. He made many, many people happy during his more than 20 years with ‘The Bob & Tom Show,’ and we will remember him with love and gratitude.”
Salem Media Group co-founder Stuart Epperson has died at 86. The company says that Epperson, along with his brother-in-law Edward Atsinger, founded Salem Communications (now Salem Media Group) in 1986 and expanded Salem’s influence with Christian and
politically conservative news/talk formatted radio stations and media assets nationwide. Epperson was a longtime leader in Christian radio as a former member of the board of directors of the National Religious Broadcasters Association. In 2005, Time Magazine named him one of the 25 most influential evangelicals in America. Salem executive chairman Ed Atsinger comments, “Stuart will be greatly missed by many. I will miss him, but I take comfort in realizing that he is already receiving his reward for a life well-lived. A life that personifies the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7-8: ‘I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. Now there Is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.’”
The industry is mourning the untimely death of Shane Finch, who died on Saturday (5/20) at the age of 59
after suffering a cardiac event. Finch was director of sales for Broadcasters General Store. Previously, he held sales positions with Enco Systems and MusicMaster Inc. For many years, he served as an air personality on Gainesville/Ocala, Florida music stations WTRS-FM and WMFQ-FM.
At the time of this publication’s posting of the story, reactions from a number of her radio colleagues on Facebook indicate that just a half-year after the death of her husband, Westwood One and PodcastOne founder Norm Pattiz, legendary radio personality and dedicated substance abuse counselor Mary Turner has died. Turner was one of the top personalities at the iconic album rock powerhouse KMET, Los Angeles, where she served on-air between 1972 and 1982. She later achieved national radio prominence hosting the
Westwood One syndicated series “Off The Record With Mary Turner” in which she presented interviews with and personality profiles of some of the biggest musical stars of the day. Turner and Pattiz were married in the early 80s and the two shared what friends described as a happy relationship until his death this past December at 79 due to throat cancer. Turner had her own health issue battling substance abuse in the early 90s, which she bravely overcame. She became a UCLA-certified drug and alcohol counselor and received a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She went on to be appointed chairwoman of the Betty Ford Center at Eisenhower Hospital in Rancho Mirage. TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison, who worked with Turner at both KMET and Westwood One says, “Mary Turner was one of the main pillars upon which the great KMET was built. Nicknamed ‘The Burner,’ she was a pioneer in album rock radio and an iconic role model for women in the industry. She was solid on the air – providing music fans a panoramic window into the culture. She related to artists with an authenticity that engendered trust and they really opened up to her.” As of press time, further details on this story are not available.
Jerry Springer, the controversial television and radio host whose eponymous TV program ran for 27 years starting in 1991, died on Thursday (4/27) at age 79 after a battle with cancer. Springer’s TV show was savaged by critics for its exploitation of the seamy side of American culture, but it was a ratings sensation in the daytime television battles. Springer’s personal background was interesting. A child of holocaust survivors who was born
in London, Springer got a law degree from Northwestern University, served on the Cincinnati City Council before exiting in a prostitution scandal, returned to the Council a year later and eventually served as mayor of Cincinnati. He ran unsuccessfully for governor of Ohio as a Democrat. He moved into television news and won regional Emmy Awards before debuting his own soon-to-be-a-hit TV show that began as an issues-oriented program. Springer was part of the Air America liberal talk radio experiment during the early 2000s in which he hosted the 9:00 am to 12:00 noon ET show. In 2005, TALKERS magazine managing editor Mike Kinosian (who then was special features editor for Inside Radio) interviewed Springer. Read his interview here. Also, author, professor, and former radio producer Bernadette Duncan included Springer in a chapter of her book, Yappy Days: Behind the Scenes with Newsers, Schmoozers, Boozers and Losers (Talkers Books, 2016). Read that excerpt here.
Award-winning journalist Bill Lynch – former anchor of CBS News Radio’s “World News Roundup” – died on Tuesday in Lawrence, Kansas at the age of 77. Three years after getting out of the Army in 1968, Lynch joined
WCBS Radio in New York City as a reporter and later as an assistant news director. He joined CBS News as a correspondent in 1981. In 1985, he became anchor of “World News Roundup” – a position he would hold until 1999. Current “World News Roundup” anchor Steve Kathan says, “His booming voice and punchy writing style set him apart. He read and knew so much about so many issues and so many places. Bill Lynch was an influence on me and so many others who aimed to do what he could do.”
KTBB, Tyler, Texas news anchor and veteran East Texas broadcaster John Sims died early this morning (3/31) from injuries he sustained on Monday (3/27) after being struck by a motor vehicle while taking a walk. He suffered severe brain trauma and was admitted to UT Health Tyler where he underwent surgery. KTBB owner
Paul Gleiser says, “We are heartbroken, plain and simple. John was as good as it gets as a radio newsman. But beyond that, he was a kind and gentle soul with a heart to make his community better. The many people from all over East Texas and from across the social and political spectrum who have reached out to us following John’s accident serve as testament to a life well lived. We will miss him more than I can say.” Sims grew up near Philadelphia where his father called radio play-by-play for the Phillies. Sims had been news anchor and editor at KTBB since 1998. He was involved in many local community organizations and was respected and admired by those with whom he interacted.
— Longtime Tampa Bay Rays radio broadcaster Dave Wills died early Sunday morning (3/5) at the age of 58. Wills and Andy Freed have been the radio broadcast team since the 2005 season. Prior to joining the Rays, Wills was part of the Chicago White Sox broadcast team in which he hosted pre- and post-game programs.
— Cumulus Media’s Westwood One continues its presentation of NCAA basketball conference championships this week and into next weekend. Westwood One will also broadcast Selection Sunday, which will reveal the 68-team field for both the men’s and the women’s tournaments. Jason Horowitz will host Selection Sunday coverage with former coach PJ Carlesimo serving as the men’s analyst and Debbie Antonelli as the women’s analyst.
— LiveOne reports that paid memberships for its subsidiaries Slacker Radio and PodcastOne grew by over 587,000 in the past 12 months and over 100,000 in the first two months of calendar 2023. Total members, including paid and ad-sponsored, are now at 2.85 million. LiveOne CEO Rob Ellin comments, “We are thrilled to have exceeded 2 million premium members on our platform, and we owe much of our growth to our B2B content partnerships, such as our longstanding collaboration with Tesla. Our team’s objective is to forge partnerships with similar-minded brands who understand the significance of providing their customers with new and relevant content.”
Former talk radio host Jay Marvin died on Tuesday (1/31) at age 70, according to a Twitter post from his wife Mary. The cause of death was not revealed. Marvin left the talk radio business in 2010 after a series of health issues – hepatitis and a spinal infection – made it difficult for him to focus on his work. During his career, he
hosted programs at WFLA, Tampa; KHOW and KKZN, Denver; and WLS-AM, Chicago; among others. Salem Radio Networks VP news & talk programming Tom Tradup hired Marvin at WLS. He tells TALKERS, “I brought Jay to WLS in Chicago by helping negotiate his way out of a contract he had with Carl Gardner at WTMJ, Milwaukee. We added him 10:00 pm-1:00 am and he was an instant hit, billing himself as “Chicago’s lovable manic-depressive” who championed striking cab drivers and teachers’ unions… so unlike our other conservative hosts at the time. Fans even turned out by the thousands for his annual “JayStock” festivals in Wisconsin. Jay was one in a million.”