First female DJ?

[BRNout]

Ummmm, how about "Tokyo Rose"? Yes, I know, she is an unconventional and controversial figure. But, the question posed was 'who was the first woman DJ?' and she was definitely acting as a DJ (of sorts) between roughly 1942 and 1945. That's earlier than any of the other women mentioned here. Not to mention that her broadcasts were heard for thousands of miles.

Interesting topic - I would actually like to learn more about these propaganda broadcasts. Clearly the Japanese were really cranking out the wattage for 'Rose', as that's what GI's often listened to in the Pacific.

 

[chgodave]

Having grown up in Chicago, I remember Yvonne Daniels and know that a few of you have been asking about her within this thread.

I first heard her around 1963 when it was Sid McCoy & Yvonne Daniels as the overnight jazz team on WCFL AM 1000. In fact, it was in 1965 when WCFL went Top 40 and started the best radio wars in history (against WLS) that Yvonne's jazz show was phased out.

She went to an FM station, WSDM which for a few years, into the 70's, was ALL female on the air, as "the station with the girls and all that jazz". Mary Dee, who still today is an announcer for WGN radio and TV, got her start on WSDM. Not enough has been written about an all female talent radio station, especially one that happened over 35 years ago.

Yvonne Daniels already was a known commodity for years before she came to WLS for overnights in the early 70's. WLS raided the FM music stations around that time, as Bob Sirott also came over from WBBM-FM (now B96) where he was doing mornings. Steve King was the afternoon jock on BBM-FM before coming to late nights on WLS, where he initially followed John Records Landecker.

The last I knew, Yvonne's daughter Hope Daniels was working in the Radio Department of Columbia College Chicago, but this was a few years ago.

And, by the way, the station that was known as WSDM is now and has been WLUP for 30 years.

Hope this helps!

 

[hammondo]

Having also grown up in Chicago, I believe the correct answer to "FIRST FEMALE DJ" is Josephine White, the wife of the licencee of WCRW (Clinton R. White), one of the stations that shared 1240am in Chicago for 60+ years.

Josephine did dj work in the 20's and 30's. WCRW began as an English language station that carried the orchestras that played on the roof of the Pine Grove Apartments, 2756 N. Pine Grove, Chicago.

When wgn and others monopolized "English" programminng, wcrw went foreign language, carrying Spanish, Puerto Rican, Polish, Italian, Greek, Korean, and other language programs.

Clinton White died in the mid 1950's at a meeting re; the antenna on the roof of that building. Mrs. White lived in that same building from the 20's, until her death at over 90 years old around 1990. She was a very sweet lady who used to come up the elevator to the "penthouse" where WCRW was located, wearing her slippers and a housecoat.

WCRW was half owned and well-managed by another dear friend, Ed Jacker. Jacker was a stern taskmaster of a boss, but I learned MORE from him about radio than anyone else I ever met. He deceased at about age 85, in the early 1990's at a radio convention in Wisconsin.

His daughter, Edwina ran the 5 hour a day station for a year before selling to the Pucinski family, owners of WEDC, who later sold to WSBC Inc., thus ending the shared time operation.

I've got you all beat.

 

[amfmsw]

The first female DJ? Mrs. Marconi.

In reference to the late Jessica Savitch, she worked at WOND 1400 Pleasantville, NJ (Atlantic City), later to KYW-TV 3 Philly with Vince Leonard and Mort Crim. Then to NBC.

But even before her, in 1963, was Barbara Altman, who was spinning on WOND's sister FM 103.7, now WMGM-FM, The Shark. The owner, the late Howard Green, at one point wanted to turn the license back as it was just an expense.

Tom Lamaine, also from WOND in the '60's, and now WX Meteorologist at KYW-TV, says WMGM-FM 103.7 was the first FM in the nation to play Rock 'n roll Top 40 beginning in 1965. Tom McNally, I think one of America's serious broadcast engineers, must have worked Howard's wallet over pretty good, as Tom made it a Class B, and programmed "Rock 104", a station I listened to when in High School in Pottstown, PA, some 100+ miles away.

 

[KevinFodor]

At least in the modern top 40 era on a major market station, I'd think it would have been the late, great Yvonne Daniels on WLS.

Was that the overnight/graveyard shift lady who called herself "Queen of Rock" on the air??? Great voice,heard her when I graduated high school in 1973

I also remember Allison "Nightbird" Steele doing a pre-recorded album rock program for the National Guard around that same time frame..She was also at WNEW-FM in NYC.

Another great voice was Cindy Spicer on the former WDJX in Xenia in the late 70s/early 80s..she and Kim Faris on the former WJAI (later WGTZ)were probably the first female jocks on the air in Dayton at that time.

The Dayton Broadcasters Hall Of Fame would disagree with you on that. Retha Phillips actually DJ'd for a time on WING before she moved to the newsroom. And, I believe there was one other female on the air on WING who predated both Kim and Cindy.

 

[mleach]

She may not have been the first female dj but she is still famous to this day, though far more for music than for her dj job. She was on both WINC-AM in Winchester, VA and WEPM-AM in Martinsburg, WV back in the early 1950s ( she was on WEPM the same time of Hank Williams Sr.'s death in 1953 ).

Her name?

Patsy Cline