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From Super CFL

I, also, wanted to address something from earlier about dj salaries. The perceptions of what these guys were paid by the station and what they actually were paid.....let me say that there was a wide gap there. Most of these djs made about 80% of their salaries doing personal appearances. That was especially true for the evening and night jocks. I know this from Barney. That's how Barney made most of his money on WCFL circa 66-68 and that's how Biondi made most of his money on WLS in the early 60s before he got axed.
If you combine the salaries of the evening guys and their personal appearances money, they out earned the morning drive jocks who made more in salary but, rarely did personal appearances.
 
RADIO TRUTH said:
Joel Sebastian worked at WLS before WCFL. He also got kind of screwed. He was hired by WINS in 1965 and was there when they changed format to become the first all news station. I am not sure if he worked in Detroit. I do know that he was a practicing attorney. I remember when he died of cancer, Barney told me that Sebastian's widow set up some kind of cancer fund in Sebastian's memory because Barney gave it a donation.
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You've got your info mixed up. Joel Sebastian worked at WCFL before WLS. He didn't move to LS until the 70s.
 
RADIO TRUTH said:
I, also, wanted to address something from earlier about dj salaries. The perceptions of what these guys were paid by the station and what they actually were paid.....let me say that there was a wide gap there. Most of these djs made about 80% of their salaries doing personal appearances. That was especially true for the evening and night jocks. I know this from Barney. That's how Barney made most of his money on WCFL circa 66-68 and that's how Biondi made most of his money on WLS in the early 60s before he got axed.
If you combine the salaries of the evening guys and their personal appearances money, they out earned the morning drive jocks who made more in salary but, rarely did personal appearances.
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Yes the guys that made appearances made more money, but Dick Biondi has stated many times on various interviews what the salary was at WLS when they were hired in 1960. It was higher than the $18K you mentioned that Barney Pip made 7 years later at WCFL. So if that was Pip was paid in 1967 the WCFL guys were making much less in base salary than what the WLS guys got in 1960.
 
My guess would be that Biondi was inflating his salary. It's all about perception versus reality. I am sure that the salaries between the two stations were about even.
 
RADIO TRUTH said:
My guess would be that Biondi was inflating his salary. It's all about perception versus reality. I am sure that the salaries between the two stations were about even.
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No, not only did he mention it, but several of the original WLS DJs from 1960 acknowledged it in 1985 during the WLS 25th reunion. Gene Taylor, Sam Holman, & Bob Hale all talked about it.
 
radioman148 said:
you said Barney Pip's salary was $18,000.... at a major market Top 40 in the late 60s sounds very low.
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$18K was a lot of money back then! In 1967 the average home price was $24,600, a brand new car cost $2,425, gasoline was 33 cents a gallon, and the average annual income was $8,801. So don't feel bad for anyone making 18 grand that year. Prices increased in the 1970's and so did everyone's salaries, including radio people's.
 
DeltaDon said:
radioman148 said:
you said Barney Pip's salary was $18,000.... at a major market Top 40 in the late 60s sounds very low.
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$18K was a lot of money back then! In 1967 the average home price was $24,600, a brand new car cost $2,425, gasoline was 33 cents a gallon, and the average annual income was $8,801. So don't feel bad for anyone making 18 grand that year. Prices increased in the 1970's and so did everyone's salaries, including radio people's.
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And I had a summer job making $2 an hour and I was thrilled.
 
I was making $113 a month working part time while away at college in the late '60s, and that was pretty good for covering incidental expenses (odds & ends from the book store, toiletries, etc.) as well for leaving me with some fairly decent spending money left over. IIRC correctly in those days, a "five figure income" ($10,000) was a goal a lot of people aspired to.
 
I believe Ron Britain's real name was Ron Magel and Larry Lujack was Larry Blankenburg. I am not sure but think that Art Roberts was Art Skubski or something like that. ANyone know others what there real names are?
 
RADIO TRUTH said:
If you remember, the 1967 WCFL news department staff was huge and many of them went on to New York or the networks including Jeff Kamen, Carole Simpson, John Webster and a few others.
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There were good news people there in the 1970's as well: Jim Frank (later headed up WMAQ when it was all-news), Howie Roberts, Wanda Wells, Walt Hamilton, Rick James (went to WABC New York and was Dan Ingram's newsman), John Ganas, Fred W. Barton, Bob Christopher (became a news director in Phoenix), Red Motlow on sports, and Mike Rollins was the news director who came up with a Top 40 news format (7 or 8 stories per newscast each by a different news person, listener feedback over music) that was unlike anything else on the radio. There was nothing small or untalented about that 70's news department at CFL.
 
Dr Wayne said:
I believe Ron Britain's real name was Ron Magel and Larry Lujack was Larry Blankenburg. I am not sure but think that Art Roberts was Art Skubski or something like that. ANyone know others what there real names are?
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You're right on Roberts, & Lujack, Britain's real last name is Nagel. I forgot what Joel Sebastian's real name was, but "Radio Truth" knows. Jerry G. Bishop is Jerry Gahn, Captain Whammo is Jim Channell. I can't recall Charlie Van Dyke's real name, but maybe someone else remembers along with some others.
BTW: Dex Card was really is Dex Card and "Records" truly is John Landecker's real middle name--just ask him.
 
There were good news people there in the 1970's as well: Jim Frank (later headed up WMAQ when it was all-news), Howie Roberts, Wanda Wells, Walt Hamilton, Rick James (went to WABC New York and was Dan Ingram's newsman), John Ganas, Fred W. Barton, Bob Christopher (became a news director in Phoenix), Red Motlow on sports, and Mike Rollins was the news director who came up with a Top 40 news format (7 or 8 stories per newscast each by a different news person, listener feedback over music) that was unlike anything else on the radio. There was nothing small or untalented about that 70's news department at CFL.
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I always found it interesting that Red Motlow alternated with Harvey Wittenburg as the Blackhawks pa announcer. Before I go any futher, I wanted to say that I really liked Lloyd Pettit doing Blackhawks games. He was always behind the play but, I liked his voice and description of the action much better than Pat Foley. The one newscaster on WCFL that nobody mentioned was John McClaren. (I am not exactly sure how he spelled his name.) He was on Barney's show a lot. I always liked the way he did news and his voice but, I think he kind of disappeared. Of the news people listed above, I think Wanda Wells was good but, not as good as Carole Simpson. I thought that John Ganas, Howie Roberts and Fred W. Barton were good also. Just remember that WCFL was a totally different radio station in 1972 than it was in 1967. In 1972 it was a modified Drake more music format. In 1967 it was more about personality. Barney could not have done five minutes of dedications in 1972. If anyone one is interested, I have a few stories about the kids of Boom Boom Geoffrion and Bobby Hull who were loyal Barney Pip listeners. I was also wondering if I am the only person who has a copy of Barney's 45 on Smash Records-You Can't Sit Down/You Turn Me On.
 
RADIO TRUTH said:
There were good news people there in the 1970's as well: Jim Frank (later headed up WMAQ when it was all-news), Howie Roberts, Wanda Wells, Walt Hamilton, Rick James (went to WABC New York and was Dan Ingram's newsman), John Ganas, Fred W. Barton, Bob Christopher (became a news director in Phoenix), Red Motlow on sports, and Mike Rollins was the news director who came up with a Top 40 news format (7 or 8 stories per newscast each by a different news person, listener feedback over music) that was unlike anything else on the radio. There was nothing small or untalented about that 70's news department at CFL.
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I always found it interesting that Red Motlow alternated with Harvey Wittenburg as the Blackhawks pa announcer. Before I go any futher, I wanted to say that I really liked Lloyd Pettit doing Blackhawks games. He was always behind the play but, I liked his voice and description of the action much better than Pat Foley. The one newscaster on WCFL that nobody mentioned was John McClaren. (I am not exactly sure how he spelled his name.) He was on Barney's show a lot. I always liked the way he did news and his voice but, I think he kind of disappeared. Of the news people listed above, I think Wanda Wells was good but, not as good as Carole Simpson. I thought that John Ganas, Howie Roberts and Fred W. Barton were good also. Just remember that WCFL was a totally different radio station in 1972 than it was in 1967. In 1972 it was a modified Drake more music format. In 1967 it was more about personality. Barney could not have done five minutes of dedications in 1972. If anyone one is interested, I have a few stories about the kids of Boom Boom Geoffrion and Bobby Hull who were loyal Barney Pip listeners. I was also wondering if I am the only person who has a copy of Barney's 45 on Smash Records-You Can't Sit Down/You Turn Me On.
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If I remember correctly John Ganas & Howie Roberts were holdovers from the days before WCFL went rock. They were there when it was MOR.
Do you have a copy of Pips recording of "Let it all Hang Out?" Dick Biondi has played it a few times in recent years.
 
Can that be the same John Ganas who does news these days on WGN?

Howie Roberts! Wow, what a voice. My dad used to say, "it sounds like he has his head in a rain barrel. He meant tht as a compliment.
 
Prais said:
Can that be the same John Ganas who does news these days on WGN?

Howie Roberts! Wow, what a voice. My dad used to say, "it sounds like he has his head in a rain barrel. He meant tht as a compliment.
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You mean John Ganas is still around? What time is he on WGN?
 
OOOPs - My bad. This is from 11/9/95. Should have Googled, first.

John Ganas, 75, a veteran WCFL news broadcaster, died Sunday in Palos Community Hospital, Palos Heights.

For 25 years, he was with WCFL Radio and did the news for Ron Britain's "Morning Show" Monday through Friday.

Mr. Ganas honed his craft working with various other local stations, including WJOL in Joliet, before joining WCFL in 1957.

"He was an excellent street reporter," said his daughter, Jeanette Mutnansky. "I remember him calling in a report on the 1967 blizzard. He was very well-respected."
 
Prais said:
OOOPs - My bad. This is from 11/9/95. Should have Googled, first.

John Ganas, 75, a veteran WCFL news broadcaster, died Sunday in Palos Community Hospital, Palos Heights.

For 25 years, he was with WCFL Radio and did the news for Ron Britain's "Morning Show" Monday through Friday.

Mr. Ganas honed his craft working with various other local stations, including WJOL in Joliet, before joining WCFL in 1957.

"He was an excellent street reporter," said his daughter, Jeanette Mutnansky. "I remember him calling in a report on the 1967 blizzard. He was very well-respected."
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He was a good newsman & good voice.
 
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