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FORGOTTON SHORT-TERM TALK SHOW HOST ON WMEX 1965

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Early Byrd

With the death this week of former Boston talk show host Steve Fredericks, many stories have mentioned that he came to Boston in 1965 to replace the legendary Jerry Williams on WMEX.

Indeed, Steve took over the time slot that Jerry had occupied for 8 years on WMEX, but he actually replaced a guy named Fred Dreyfus.

According to the information on page 139 of the book about Jerry Williams, "Burning Up The Air" by Steve Elman and Alan Tolz, Jerry's last day on the air at WMEX was August 28, 1965. For a while before he left for Chicago, the owner of WMEX, the infamous Maxwell Evans "Mac" Richmond, teamed Jerry up with two guys (separately) so he could audition them to replace Jerry. The two guys were named Guy LeBeau and Fred Dreyfus. Dreyfus wound up getting the job. A few months later (late 1965), Dreyfus was fired because he had a guest on his show that advocated sex before marriage, and back then this topic prompted a flood of complaint calls and letters to WMEX. It was then that Mac brought in Steve Fredericks from Philadelphia.

I vaguely recall Fred Dreyfus, but I never heard Guy LeBeau during that audition phase back then. Anybody else have any memories or knowledge of them?
 
All the discussion this week of Steve Fredericks and Jerry Williams on WMEX made me flash on the disclaimer that used to play at the start of Jerry's show: "The views and opinions expressed on the following program do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the new WMEX, its management or its sponsors. The views and opinions expressed by the commentator may not reflect his own views and opinions, but is the commentator's way of expressing many sides of today's public issues".

Since Jerry was one of the earliest talk show hosts, I am wondering if that disclaimer was mandated at the time by the FCC, or if it was just the Richmond Brothers trying to ward off complaint calls in advance. I vaguely remember that when WEEI-590 went talk, they also had occasional disclaimers. Some of the WEEI hosts used to drive me crazy: they would take a position with one caller, then completely reverse their position when a subsequent caller agreed with what they had said to the first caller..hehe.

When I listen to some talk shows these days, I wonder if the host really feels the way he is talking, or is just "expressing many sides of today's public issues" without saying so.
 
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