My Nominee For The Inventor of "Best-Of's"---And He's Not Howard Stern!
Considering "Best-Of's" are pretty much the same as "Reruns" (both involve programs previously heard being re-broadcast), I nominate a candidate for the inventor of reruns. And he's not Howard Stern.
My nominee for the inventor of reruns is the late radio/TV producer John Guedel. In 1947, he got Groucho Marx to agree to host a radio quiz show titled "You Bet Your Life" (which in the 1950's would become one of TV's first popular game shows). The show's season, like most radio shows of the time, was 39 weeks. During the other thirteen weeks, a replacement program would be supplied by the producer and/or sponsor of the show that filled the time period from Septemebr until June.
Since "YBYL" was recorded (in order so that either dull or off-color remarks could be edited-out of the show), Guedel successfully convinced ABC radio (where "YBYL" was originally broadcast) to re-broadcast during the Summer of 1948 what Guedel considered to be the thirteen best shows of the preceding season.
Yes, these were reruns, but they would also be promoted (both on radio, and after 1950, on TV) as "The Best Of Groucho".