Cuts at CBS Radio likely to cost local oldies their jobs (Bye, Bye Biondi. Again)

Chicago Tribune ^ | 7/13/2006 | Phil Rosenthal

[Mike Bates]

Looking to trim costs in the radio business, CBS Corp. is acting to eliminate about 115 CBS Radio jobs nationally, or 1.3 percent of the 179-station division's workforce.

Among the cuts locally, according to a CBS Radio source, was the remaining talent introducing oldies for the online and HD Radio channel attached to WJMK-FM 104.3, including longtime Chicago radio personality Dick Biondi. The secondary channel came into service after CBS abruptly dumped WJMK's oldies format for the expanded and more random playlist of Jack FM on the broadcast outlet 13 months ago.

[Mike Bates]

The legendary Dick Biondi has more lives than Keith Richard. I predict - and hope - that he'll be back.

[oyez]

Dick Biondi? Is that the guy we used to hear on WLS in the evenings back in the late '60's.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

He was the "Combing more hair guy".

[gcruse]

I saw on Fox and Friends where Mancow has been booted from his station. Any news on that?

[Fiji Hill]

In 1965, I used to listen to Biondi on KRLA, which at that time was a music station at 1110 kilocycles on the AM band (in those days, the present-day KRLA, now a conservative talk station at 870 kilocycles, had the call letters KIEV). I didn't realize that the Wild Italian was still on the air.

[Ecliptic]

Unbelievable!!! Dick Biondi still in radio?? I was picking him up at night on a hand held AM radio in Alabama in the 1960s!!

He would always say:" Drive safely, the life you save may owe me money.."

[Harpo Speaks]

"Turn into peanut butter!"

[Ozone34]

Unbelieveable! I got my first transistor radio when I was about 7 years old, circa 1961, and I remember he was the first radio personality I discovered, back on WLS radio! I used to listen to that station for hours, I remember Clark Weber and Ron Riley too!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Ron Riley's Batman Club. Pow !

[Ozone34]

check it out:

www.ronriley.com

[Graybeard58]

The legendary Dick Biondi

I didn't even know he was still above ground. He was DJing when I was a kid - I am 61 now.

[Mike Bates]

And even the early 60s.

[Mike Bates]

I read that Mancow says he'll do for FM what Rush did for AM. We'll see.

[Mike Bates]

Ron Riley made it to WLS later. The original seven - when WLS went rock - were Mort Crowley, Jim Dunbar, Ed Grennen, Sam Holman, Gene Taylor, Dick Biondi and Bob Hale.

I once wrote a column identifying Art Roberts as an original, but Bob Hale called me up and said he wasn't. Ed Grennen was.

I am old as dirt.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Where is Joel Sebastian, add libber extraordinare on the Mr. Norm spots these days ?

[Ozone34]

It's amazing what's starting to bubble up in my memory archives. I recall the Breakfast Club with Don MacNeil. There was the "feud" between Riley and Weber. I remember after Biondi left listening to Art Roberts in the evening when I was supposed to be doing homework...

[Mike Bates]

Joel died about 20 years ago, somewhere in his 50s. About the same time, Sam Holman, another of the WLS originals, also passed away. Someone - I think it was Art Roberts - told me that Sam was dead for quite a while before he was found. Sad.

[Mike Bates]

That's some memory. I remember Don MacNeil's show being on TV, but that was before I was old enough to go to school. I saw Clark Weber about five years ago; he's alive and kickin' and making money.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Joel proabably had the best timing of any late night jock around. The Mr. Norm jingles were recorded and his piece (which he sometimes flubbed) were live over the music. He always wrapped it just as the Pepper Tanner Singers came up.
I listened almost every night in my room in Iowa City at U of I.

[oyez]

WLS would come in quite well in the evening in Mississippi. Every one in my class usually listened and that was part of the social conversations at school.