By SCOTT FYBUSH
We’re kicking off a big year in the history of NERW: the spring of 2014 will mark the twentieth anniversary of this column, and we’re planning a big celebration for all our loyal readers.
But before we get to the big two-oh, it’s time for our annual review of the year gone by. As we did last year, we’re bringing you Year in Review 2013 in a series of daily installments through New Year’s Eve, which we’ll collect on one page for archival purposes at the start of 2014.
Click here for Part 1: The Year in Station Sales
Click here for Part 2: Formats, People and Calls (January-June)
Click here for Part 3: Formats, People and Calls (July-December)
In this segment, we’ll take a look at those we lost this year, including several prominent talk hosts, a pair of Hudson Valley rock jocks gone far too young, the founding general manager of WBZ-TV, the engineering geniuses behind New York’s WQXR and several transmitter companies, and many more..
TOM McLAREN, 82, WQLN-FM station manager (Dec. 17, 2012)
BOB JONES, 70, WNEW/WQXR/WQEW New York jock (Dec. 29, 2012)
GARY PETERS, 64, WICC Connecticut PD (Jan. 3)
MIKE RILEY, 55, WJYE Buffalo overnight jock (Jan. 8)
BEN FREEDMAN, 63, “The Jingle Guy” and Buffalo native (Jan. 9)
REX TRAILER, Boston kids’ TV legend (Jan. 9)
HARRY WEINSTEIN, WNAC-TV/WNEV Boston engineer (Jan. 9)
BILL ROSSI, 79, Boston radio newsman (Jan. 9)
DAVID “ROD” WOLF, 82, former WRTA Altoona owner (Jan. 12)
BILL HOBART, 87, veteran Vermont broadcaster (Jan. 12)
BOB NORMAN, 77, WNHC-TV New Haven news director, anchor turned politician (Jan. 19)
WILMER C. SWARTLEY, 104, longtime WBZ/Westinghouse executive (Jan. 23)
RALPH COLLIER, 91, Philadelphia interview host (Jan. 29)
JOE MORGAN, 67, Boston traffic pilot (Jan. 30)
NEIL DREW, 71, WICY/WVNV Malone ND, WPTZ-TV anchor (Feb. 1)
ED KOCH, 88, New York mayor and talk host (Feb. 1)
TERRY DOYLE, 46, Oneonta community radio host (Feb. 6)
DICK MORGAN, 66, longtime WAUB Auburn staffer and owner (Feb. 8)
FRANK McBRIDE, 54, Utica DJ (Feb.)
PAUL BENZAQUIN, 90, WBZ talk host (Feb. 13)
TONY GASKINS, 56, former Syracuse newsman (Feb. 19)
BILL O’CONNELL, 81, Boston TV sports anchor (Feb. 25)
JIM KINGSLAND, 49, NYC financial reporter (Mar. 7)
GEORGE S. “Rudy” RUDERMAN, 86, WNEW news director (Mar. 9)
VINNY SPADAFORA, 65, Onondaga Community College instructor (Mar. 16)
CHARLES TARKINSON, 91, Portland and Boston news anchor (Mar. 22)
KEVIN “The Afternoon Guy” CLEARY, 44, WCCC Hartford DJ (Mar. 22)
JOHN McFAYDEN, 73, Ontario newsman (Mar. 17)
BURT WATERMAN, 89, Jamestown engineer (Mar. 18)
ROBERT RUSSO, 75, Philadelphia DJ, sports producer (April 26)
ALAN SEVERY, 68, WASR Wolfeboro founder (April 26)
JERRY GRAHAM, 78, WNEW manager, WGRG Pittsfield founder (April 29)
JIM McGAHAN, WLNG jock (May 4)
GLENN SAUTER, “The Hits of Yester-Year” host (May 5)
BRIAN KAHLE, 68, WKBW “AM Buffalo” host (May 13)
PAUL DREW, 78, RKO national PD (May 16)
WAYNE PLUNKETT, 72, Canadian broadcast consultant (May 23)
GENE BURNS, 72, legendary talk host (May 25)
LYNNE ROSEN, 46, and JOHN LITTIG, 48, WBAI hosts (June 3)
IBRAHIM GONZALEZ, 57, WBAI host (June 3)
JOHN NOEL, 62, WNBC Brooklyn reporter (June)
BOB LASPROGATO, 71, Connecticut DJ (June 3)
JOHN KRAUSS, 64, former WRVO GM (June 17)
ALAN BERMAN, 62, NYC radio fan extraordinaire (June 17)
BRUCE BRADLEY, legendary DJ, talk host (June 22)
DON LATULIPPE, 82, longtime Boston/NH radio personality (June 25)
BILL KELLY, ex-WPJB, WTIC-FM, WDBZ morning man (July)
LOU SCHWASS, 78, WWDL/WICK Scranton jock for 50 years (July 22)
KIDD KRADDICK, 53, syndicated morning man (July )
TERRY LEE (Trunzo), 70, longtime Pittsburgh jock (July 30)
LLOYD MOSS, 86, WQXR announcer (Aug. 3)
MARK COOPER, 49, WPDH morning man (Aug. 14)
CAL BRADY, former Buffalo jock (Aug. 19)
KIM CALLOWAY, 69, former CHUM newsman (Aug. 22)
BROOKS BROWN, 66, WEQX founder/owner (Aug. 30)
BOB PENROD, 73, former WHAM morning man (Aug. 27)
DON LEGER, 81, longtime CFRA Ottawa morning man (Aug)
JERRY SHEEDER, 67, former WTAE jock (Sept. 6)
DON WADE, 72, WIBG jock who made it big in Chicago (Sept. 6)
JERRY POLLOCK, 69, WPHB Phillipsburg PA jock (Sept. 9)
E. STEVEN COLLINS, 58, WDAS, Radio One Philadelphia jock, exec (Sept. 10)
JACK ELLSWORTH, 91, Long Island legend (Sept. 12)
STEVE PORTER, 73, first all-news voice on KYW (Sept. 27)
ERIC CHANEY, Boston VO artist (Sept. 16)
MIKE SULLIVAN, 76, Pennsylvania, NJ, LI jock (Sept. 20)
FRANK (Sbelgio) BARBER, 72, Williamsport DJ (Sept. 22)
TARA HOWARD (Knauff), WSYR, ABC News editor (Oct. 14)
ZAVEN “Doc” MASOOMIAN, 90, longtime WQXR engineer (Oct. 11)
MARVIN “Goose” GOSLIN, 64, KDKA sports director (Oct. 12)
BRIAN EDGERTON, WHDH-TV engineer (Oct. 15)
BILL MAZER, 92, Buffalo, NYC sports talker (Oct. 23)
ROY SHAPIRO, 76, longtime KYW executive (Oct. 22)
FRED VOSSBURG Jr., 74, longtime WSEE-TV engineer (Oct. 25)
SAM TILERY, WPLR promotions directory (Oct.)
JIM ENGLISH, 79, WHP-TV weatherman, Md. TV executive (Nov. 3)
GEORGE CAPALBO, 86, RKO Boston engineer (Nov. 8)
CARLA LEONARDO, 63, WCOZ jock who later worked in Chicago (Nov. 9)
“Iron” MIKE BENSSON, 60, Buffalo, CHTZ jock (Nov. 7)
TOM DECKER, 90, WROC Rochester anchor (Nov. 5)
DENNIS WARNER, 70, WELV-LP founder, morning man (Nov.)
RON RUTH, 75, RAB sales guru (Nov. 16)
MARK “Mountain Man” GAUDET, 56, former WHJJ/WHJY engineer (Nov. 11)
RON SAPP, 60, WCVB editor (Nov. 16)
STEVE “Frogman” KELSEY, 56, WFGY Altoona morning man (Nov. 17)
DEL TAYLOR (Bud Del Vecchio), 89, WTAE-TV announcer (Nov.)
PETER BARDACH, 84, WLVP/WSUS owner (Nov. 29)
CAROLINE CORLEY, 52, WXPK morning jock (Nov. 25)
LEW DICKEY Sr., 86, former WSAY owner (Nov.)
MIKE WARREN, 80, WNHC-TV’s “Mr. Goober” (Nov. 29)
LEIGH CHAPPLE, 56, CJOH-TV anchor (Dec. 10)
BERNIE WISE, 87, Energy-Onix, CCA transmitters (Dec. 13)
JACQUES PROULX, 78, CKAC morning man (Dec. 13)
RICHARD HEFFNER, 88, WNDT/WNET founding GM, “Open Mind” host (Dec. 17)
LARRY LUJACK, 73, Chicago “Superjock” also worked at WMEX Boston (Dec. 18)
HAROLD CAMPING, 92, Family Radio founder (Dec. 18)
GEOFF STIRLING, 92, Newfoundland broadcasting pioneer, CHOM Montreal founder (Dec. 21)
STAN BROOKS, 86, veteran WINS newsman (Dec. 23)
In the next installment of the Year in Review, coming Monday morning, Jan. 30, we’ll begin counting down the year’s top ten stories! Join us again right here on fybush.com…
It’s become a legendary part of the broadcast landscape, found on the finest transmitter-site walls and in engineering offices from coast to coast and around the world.
The 2014 Tower Site Calendar is ready to send for YOU (or someone else), spiral bound, shrink wrapped and best of all, with a convenient hole for hanging!
This year’s pinups include the iconic towers of Catalina Island, a combiner system in St. Louis, the twin towers of KNRS in Salt Lake City, a historic rooftop site in Jamestown, New York and many more!
Click here to order your 2014 calendar! We’re now shipping daily, so you can have your calendar on your wall before it’s time to flip the page from 2013 into 2014…
In this week’s issue… Format shuffle follows Forever's Altoona exit - Public TV job cuts in Mass. - Another AM gone - ATSC 3 launches in Rochester - Tower sells Elmira - Saga Portland making "Whoopie" - PLUS: Baseball On...
Visiting one of the most iconic AM sites remaining in all of Canada
In this week’s issue… FCC imposes hefty fine on NYC pirate - Audacy sells transmitter sites - Michael Kay sticks around - FLN, Calvary swap signals - PA AMs find new owner - New format on the border - Remembering...
Inside one of the most historic broadcast facilities in Toronto
