Jack Alix

With great sadness we report the untimely passing of WPGC Good Guy, Jack Alix. ‘JA the DJ’ was hired by WPGC Program Director, ‘Cousin’ Warren Duffy from WEAM via WYRE for nights in 1966. His command of the teen audience at WPGC was all the more remarkable in that the AM signed off at sunset yet willingly followed him over to the FM after dark in an era when FM receivers were not widespread. His years in Washington radio included stops at other stations including WEEL, WINX and notably, mornings at WXTR.

After leaving WPGC in 1968, Jack hosted a teen oriented dance party show Monday through Fridays on Channel 20, ‘Wing Ding’ (later renamed, 'The Jack Alix Show') from 5/13/68 - 4/20/69. During the ‘70’s he hosted a nationally syndicated radio show, ‘Rock ‘N Roll Roots’, heard at one time on 143 stations (hear a demo of the show at ReelRadio.com – subscription required). He later moved into management in Richmond and recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Richmond Association of Broadcasters.

Jack was a true friend of the WPGC Tribute Site over the years, often providing background information about the station during his days there. Read his personal recollections as well as hear vintage WPGC airchecks of him at his page. A defining personality of the era, his was a larger than life persona. He was in fact much more than just a Good Guy; he was a GREAT Guy.

Leslie Altman

 

Shelby Austin

Shelby Austin held the distinction of being WPGC’s longest employee ever, a remarkable 38 year run from 07/08/73 until her passing after a long illness on 05/02/11. She began her career at the station as a Sales assistant, continually working her way up the ranks to ultimately become the station’s Business Manager, a position she held for many years.

 

 

Don Bishop

Don first arrived at WPGC during the Great Strike That Struck Out in May, 1977 and covered various airshifts for the duration of the strike. He then returned to WPGC's sister station, KAYK in Provo where he was PD and did mornings. Having previously worked in Dallas at KNUS and in LA at KIQQ, he wanted to get back to the major markets and returned to DC to work at Q107 in 1979, staying for about a year before he jumped ship and returned to (wait for it...) WPGC again! Still under contract to ABC who got an injunction preventing him from continuing at WPGC, he left for Bonneville's Soft AC in Chicago. Don would later return to Southern California working on and off the air at the Unistar / Westwood One / Dial-Global Radio Networks on a variety of satellite formats heard coast to coast. Sadly, Don passed away on September 10, 2017. Shortly before D-G shut down the LA facility, he sat down for an interview for this site and spoke of several of his colleagues he worked with back in the day as well as gives his impressions of a number of his own WPGC airchecks, found on his page. You can also read elsewhere his obituary, see photos and read tributes from his many colleagues in the industry over the years.

 

 

Marv Brooks

'Marvelous' Marv Brooks, newsman, Production Director, Good Guy DJ and later the voice of the Capital Centre at Washington Capitals & Washington Bullets games passed away 02/23/98 of a massive heart attack.

 

 

Al Casey

Veteran programmer, Al Casey died of cancer at age 60 on 02/23/04.

 

We are very sorry to report the passing of veteran programmer, Al Casey on Monday, February 23, 2004 at age 60 of cancer. Al's long list of programming success stories included WMYQ / Miami, WDRQ / Detroit, KSLQ / St. Louis, 99X / New York, and WHB / Kansas City.

He was hired by General Manager, Jeanne Oates to replace the departing Jerry Steele as Program Director in 1983 and attempted to reposition the station closer to its former hipper, heritage position as 'The New 95' but was pre-empted by station ownership more intent on stealing WASH-FM's then recently relinquished adult contemporary crown.

Among his accomplishments, he will be remembered for first teaming Jeff Baker & David Burd for mornings to try and offset the station's declining ratings, but it was too little, too late.

Al is survived by his wife, Janie. You can write to Janie at janie@caseydecorate.com.

 

 

Don Cavaleri

Don Cavaleri was the long-time General Sales Manager of WPGC under Bill Prettyman & Charles Giddens during the late '70s & early '80's. He left the station in 1983 to pursue station ownership with Steve Kingston. Sadly, Don passed away of esophageal cancer on October 16, 2011.

 

 

Paul Cavanaugh

Weekend DJ, Paul Cavanaugh died of a heart attack in the shower after installing a new hot water heater.

 

 

Jim Collins

Program Director & afternoon guy Jim Collins (for whom this site is dedicated), took his own life in the early '90s.

 

 

'Cousin' Warren Duffy

'Cousin' Warren Duffy Warren came to WPGC as Program Director and afternoon man in September of 1966. He and WPGC GM, Bob Howard had worked together previously at WAQE in Baltimore. During his tenure at WPGC from 1966-1968, Duffy accelerated the transformation of the station from a colloquial suburban Maryland entity to a full fledged Washington powerhouse. His high energy on-air approach was matched by a dizzying array of seemingly never-ending innovative contests and station promotions, including numerous personal appearances at teen dances too many to count on both the Maryland and Virginia sides of the Beltway. Warren later went on th Program WPGC's sister station in Boston, WMEX. He then launched the Underground format at KMET in Los Angeles. By the mid '70's he was head of Promotion & Publicity for the Beach Boys', '15 Big Ones' tour. Later in his career he became a Born Again Christian and returned to radio, hosting the afternoon show for Salem in LA at KKLA for a decade from 1994-2004. 'Cousin' Duffy passed away at age 80 on 06/13/18.

 

 

Chris Fisher

Long time WPGC Bookkeeping Supervisor, Chris Fisher passed away 10/15/04 of lung cancer.

 

 

Jerry G

Jerry G initially did nights with the 'Late Date Show' on WPGC in 1961. Later that year he succeeded Pat McCoy in mornings, a role he continued in until leaving the station for KYW in Cleveland in 1963. In 1964 and 1965 he toured with the Beatles as a roving reporter for NBC & Group W stations to cover their concerts coast to coast. Sadly, Jerry passed away at 77 on September 15, 2013.

 

 

Phyllis Gammon

Longtime station receptionist & 'mother hen', Phyllis Gammon died in 1988 of cancer, related to smoking.

 

 

Charles Giddens

General Manager, Charles Giddens died of a brain aneurysm on 09/12/01.

 

From 'Radio & Records':

Media Broker Charles Giddens Dies

Giddens, who co-founded and was Managing Director of Media Venture Partners, died yesterday morning in a Naples, FL hospital after suffering a brain hemorrhage on Monday. He was 57. Giddens, who lived in Naples, spent more than 30 years in broadcasting. He was a station owner and Group VP of Marriott’s First Media in Greenbelt, MD before Media Venture Partners was formed in Washington, D.C. in 1987.  In lieu of flowers, Charles' widow, Joanne, and their daughters Cassandra & Kelly have requested that donations be sent to the Garden of Hope and Courage at Naples Community Hospital, P.O. Box 234, Naples, FL 34106.

Charles Giddens Scholarship Fund

The fund was created in memory of the Media Venture Partners co-founder, who died last week at age 57 of a brain aneurysm. Contributions can be made payable to the University of Georgia Foundation, with "Charles Giddens Scholarship Fund" in the memo line of your check, and mailed to the foundation (attn.: Bill Herringdine) at 824 S. Milledge Ave., Athens, GA 30602. The fund will be directed to the Grady College of Telecommunications and Journalism, where it will provide a yearly scholarship to a student attending the Univ. of GA & Grady College.

 

 

'Gentleman Jim' Granger

Jim Granger was morning man in 1959-60 and may have gone to Richmond radio directly from WPGC from 1961 onward. He was a very popular personality at WEET, WLEE and WGOE before moving on to television in the early 70's. He also hosted a very large golf tournament that he referred to as Virginia's largest. Sadly, Jim passed away in April 1991.

 

Milt Grant

Milt Grant passed away of cancer at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on 04/28/07 at age 83. His teen dance show on Channel 5 from 1956-61 was the highest rated show on local DC television at the time. He later originated a syndicated radio show at WPGC.

 

It is with great sadness we report the passing of one of Washington's broadcast pioneers, Milt Grant who died of cancer on Saturday, April 28th, 2007 at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was 83.

Milt will forever be remembered for his teen dance show on Channel 5, which ran every night from 1956 - 1961 and was produced live in front of a studio audience in the Raleigh Hotel at 12th and Pennsylvania Ave, NW. He also co-authored the song, 'Rumble' with Link Wray who fronted the house band on the show. See a short clip of LaVern Baker performing, 'Jim Dandy Got Married' on 'Milt Grant's Record Hop' on WTTG-TV from Monday, May 27th, 1957. Also see a sales pitch he did for the show to sponsors that same day.

When his TV show came to an end, he organized the first 'network' of stations in the DC area for a syndicated radio program that ran Saturday & Sundays from 1-4PM on WPGC, WINX, WEEL and WAVA. He had previously been heard in 1959 on WWDC.

His ventures into TV ownership covered a period of over 30 years, beginning with Channel 20 in Washington in 1966 coinciding with the advent of UHF television frequencies. During the '80's the Grant Broadcasting System operated television stations throughout the country, including Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami and a host of smaller markets. (Read the press release of his passing from his station in Huntsville).

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to American Cancer Society.

More information on the life and times of Milt can be found at the following sources:

The (Washington) Evening Star (06/01/58), 'Milt Grant Plugs A Hit - His Own'

The Washington Post, (05/02/07) 'Curtain Drops on The Milt Grant Show'

The Washington Post, (05/02/07) 'Before Dick Clark, Washington Had Boogied on Milt Grant's Show'

The Washington Post, (05/03/07) 'Milt Grant; Dance Host, TV Station Entrepreneur'

WZDX-TV 54 / Huntsville

International Movie Database

Wikipedia

 

 

Dean Griffith

Good Guy DJ Dean Griffith (Dean Anthony) died on 10/23/03 of cancer on Long Island.

 

From 'All Access':

Condolences to the family and many friends of Barnstable Adult Standards WHLI / Long Island PD and host Dean Anthony who has died of cancer. He was a longtime fixture in the New York and Nassau-Suffolk markets and was one of the "Good Guys" at legendary Top 40 WMCA.

 

From the New York Daily News:

Good Guy Anthony Dies

Saturday, October 25th, 2003:

By DAVID HINCKLEY

NY DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Dean Anthony, a 1960s WMCA Good Guy who spent his last two decades piloting Long Island's WHLI to great success as a popular standards station, died yesterday of cancer. He was 68.

His reputation as a radio Good Guy went well beyond his famous years at WMCA. "I don't know anyone who didn't like him," said Frank Brinka, WHLI news director.

Anthony was the midday host and program director at WHLI, which he called his most satisfying achievement in radio.

But he also looked fondly on his days as a WMCA Good Guy and was a regular participant in WCBS-FM's "Radio Greats Reunion" weekends.

He started in radio in Virginia and came to WMCA in 1964. He was best-known for a game he called Actors and Actresses - "No prizes, just for fun" - that he played on the overnight shift.

Brinka said a picture on the wall at WHLI showed Anthony talking with John Lennon and Paul McCartney at a WMCA Beatles event.

"I used to listen to him when I was growing up," Brinka said. "I considered it an honor that he would hire me at WHLI."

Anthony left WMCA in 1970 and spent a year at WWDJ before moving to beautiful-music WTJM. He came to WHLI in 1981.

 

 

From the New York Daily News:

Mourning a Good Guy
& a Great Programmer

Thursday, October 30, 2003:

By DAVID HINCKLEY

NY DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Of the many things Dean Anthony did at WHLI, where he was Program Director and host for 22 years, Jane Bartsch says her favorite is the bumblebee speech to the sales staff.

WHLI is a modestly powered AM station that only broadcasts in the daytime. Its format is pop standards. By today's thinking, that's about the least promising combination you can imagine.

Not to Dean Anthony.

"He'd get up in front of the room," says Bartsch, who was then WHLI's vice president. "And remember, he was Italian, so he had all the hand gestures. He'd say, 'The bumblebee isn't supposed to fly, because its body is longer than its wingspan. But it flies. And WHLI isn't supposed to have the ratings it does. But we do.' It fired everyone up. It was a perfect speech."

To some people, of course, Dean Anthony might be better remembered from WTFM, WHN or, most likely, his years in the '60s as one of the famed WMCA Good Guys.

When he died last week of cancer at the age of 68, fellow Good Guys, Dan Daniel, Gary Stevens and Ed Baer went to the wake. Joe O'Brien and Harry Harrison sent their condolences.

"I don't know of anyone who didn't like Dean," says Daniel. "I don't ever remember an unkind word said about him."

"He was one of the most generous men in the business," says Baer. If a veteran were working part-time but not getting enough airshifts to keep up his medical benefits, for instance, Anthony would offer him the shifts he needed to qualify.

Anthony was the host jock for the Beatles' first U.S. concert when he was working at WPGC in Washington, and he was part of the whole frenzied top-40 radio world of the '60s at WMCA.

He stood out in that world as one of the last men with a '50s-style crew cut. But Daniel says he used it to his advantage.

"The Good Guys shows at the Paramount were five shows a day for 10 days," Daniel recalls. "And we all had to be on and off stage all the time in different Good Guy sweatshirts. So after a while we all had zippers put in so we didn't mess up our hair when we pulled them off. With Dean, it didn't matter."

Anthony was particularly good, Daniel recalls, at working the crowd: "The fans could stay all day, so by the late show there'd always be some guy yelling, 'You told that joke this morning.' Dean always had a great retort. He was so quick."

He cracked up his fellow jocks, too.

"Our music meetings to listen to new releases were every Tuesday," says Daniel. "Many days the whole meeting turned into falling-down laughter, and a lot of the funniest lines came from Dean. We'd have listened to all the records, and we'd be having too much fun to leave."

On the air, Anthony sounded relaxed, and Baer says he was that way in person, too: "very easy going, always under control."

But never indifferent.

"It was as if he had this quiet in the midst of this tremendous passion," says Daniel. "Like the 'Actors and Actresses' game - 'No prizes, let's just play.' He made it fun just being there."

Bartsch, who was his boss for nine years before she moved to WHUD, says the bumblebee speech was classic Anthony - intense, focused and entertaining.

"He was a curmudgeon in the very, very best sense of the word," she says. "He made WHLI a great place to work, but when it came to the programming, he was dead serious. It had to be the best."

It was, too. His improbable station has stayed at or near the top of Long Island ratings for years.

"He was a brilliant programmer," says Bartsch. "And he'd take a chance. He was one of the first to play the 'Macarena.' "

"He loved the Good Guy days, but he said WHLI was his proudest achievement," says WHLI news director Frank Brinka. "He made it a great place to work. It was an honor to work for him."

"We didn't always see each other in later years," says Daniel. "But we were always friends. Whenever anything happened in my career, Dean would get in touch to say something kind."

Anthony is survived by his wife, Connie, and his daughter, Louise. He was buried in a Mets cap.

 

 

Harry Hayman

Edith and Harry Hayman, date unknown. WPGC's founding father, Harry Hayman passed away on 03/17/08 at age 91. He had been an electronics engineer that worked at the FCC and was granted a Construction Permit on November 12th, 1953 to build and operate a new Morningside, Maryland AM broadcasting station at 1580 kHz. He sold WPGC-AM to Max Richmond for $10,000 on November 10th, 1954. Following WPGC, Harry's illustrious career included a stint working at NASA on the Apollo project as well as positions with the Navy and Census Bureau.

 

 

Wayne Hetrich

Wayne Hetrick was the station's Chief Engineer in the late '60s. He left WPGC in 1971 and went to work for NPR, retiring around 1994. Wayne passed away in 2007 at age 79 from a heart attack and is survived by his son, Lee.

 

 

Wade Holmes

Wade Holmes was a Hillbilly music performing artist who hosted his own show on WPGC in the Fall of 1954. He passed away on 02/27/99. Read more at hillbilly-music.com

 

 

Bob Howard

General Manager & Vice President, Bob Howard, heard at various times on the air as 'Mr. X', 'Mr. Sound-Off', 'The Riddler' & 'Captain Good Guy' went to that big office in the sky in the early 90's.

 

 

Wolfman Jack

Legendary personality Wolfman Jack died of a heart attack in the mid '90's at his home in North Carolina.

 

 

Lee R. Johnson

Lee R. Johnson was an AM transmitter engineer in the early '70's. He then became a transmitter engineer at WUSA - TV 9. Lee passed away on 02/07/05.

 

 

MacNamara (Jim Gray)

Jim Gray was the second of two newsguys to have used the phrase, 'MacNamara here!'. It is unknown when he passed away.

 

 

'Gentleman Jim' Madison #4 - Dave Moore

Dave Moore (no relation to Harv Moore) was the fourth 'Good Guy' to use the 'Gentleman Jim' Madison name, working part time in 1969 at WPGC while in the Air Force at Andrews AFB. He passed away on 09/15/09.

 

 

Stan Major

Stan Major came to WPGC in 1958 from isster station, KBMI in Las Vegas as Program Director and did mornings. He left for WCBM in Baltimore in 1960. He passed away on 09/25/2015 at age 80.

 

 

Dee Masano

Business Manager, Dee Masano passed away sometime in the '90's.

 

 

JJ McKay

JJ McKay did afternoons at WPGC in 1982. He passed away in his sleep on 01/25/19 at age 64.

 

 

 

'Mergatroid'

WPGC's, 'Mergatroid', Robbie Norton was a Transmitter Engineer and part time Air Personality. He perished in a head on automobile crash on 01/29/18.

 

 

Skip Nelson

Skip Nelson hosted the WPGC Sunday Night Oldies show in 1981-82. He passed away on 02/18/19 at 70 after a seizure.

 

 

Don Nork

Don Nork was also one of the original announcers when WPGC-AM signed on 04/24/54. He passed away from a heart attack on 05/17/88. After WPGC, he worked for General Electric at Cape Canaveral, and later transferred with GE to Greenville, SC where he worked until retiring in 1985.

 

 

Big Ron O'Brien

Big Ron O'Brien was hired by Program Director, Jim Collins (for whom this site is dedicated) to do nights at WPGC in 1976 and continued through the Great Strike That Struck Out in May, 1977. He later joined Jim at 66 WNBC / New York. His final on air position was in afternoons at CBS' WOGL / Philadelphia. He passed away of complications from pneumonia on 04/27/08 at age 56, ironically the exact frequency of one of the stations he had once worked at, WFIL / Philadelphia.

 

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

WOGL Disc Jockey 'Big Ron' O'Brien Dies

By Michael Klein
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

"Big Ron" O'Brien, afternoon disc jockey on WOGL (98.1) and a former WFIL "Boss Jock," died this morning of complications of pneumonia.

Mr. O'Brien, believed to be 56, had been ill for nearly two months and was hospitalized at Paoli Memorial Hospital before being transferred to a rehabilitation center in West Chester. He seemed to be improving about a week ago, Jim Loftus, the station manager, said.

Mr. O'Brien had been at WOGL, a classic hits station specializing in music from the 1960s and 1970s, since October 8, 2001. Loftus described Mr. O'Brien as a musicologist who not only knew his play list but was well-versed in contemporary music.

"I never knew a guy who loved being on the air as much as he did," said Anne Gress, WOGL's Program Director. "There was such joy in his voice. He was put on this earth nothing other than to be on the air."

Mr. O'Brien's first stint in Philadelphia was at the top-40 WFIL, a home of rapid-fire disk jockeys, from 1977 to 1979.

A Midwesterner, he started his career in 1969 at KUDL in Kansas City, according to a biography from the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia. A year later, he went to KTLK in Denver. In the next six years, his radio station stops included WQXI in Atlanta, WCFL in Chicago, WPGC in Washington, D.C., 99X in New York and WOKY in Milwaukee. He landed in Philadelphia at WFIL, toward the end of its "Famous 56" halcyon days then at WRKO / Boston.

In 1979, he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked first at KFI and then at 66 WNBC / New York before returing to LA at KIIS-FM then moving to KWK in St. Louis in 1985. He stayed for nine years, until his return to Denver at KZDG.

He returned to Philadelphia in 1996, when he joined WYXR (Star 104.5). On October 8, 2001 he joined CBS' WOGL, where he hosted the 3-7PM weekday shift. He won several Achievement in Radio awards in Philadelphia.

"A lot of guys like me looked to guys like him to inspire their careers," said Loftus. "We are incredibly saddened. He was one of the greats."

He is survived by his mother.

 

 

'Bob Peyton' #2

 

 

'Bob Raleigh' #1

Raleigh Ferreira was the first of the 'Bob Raleigh's' at WPGC and did middays from 1963-64. He passed away in March, 2022.

 

 

'Bob Raleigh' #2

 

Max Richmond

WPGC, Inc. President, Maxwell Evans Richmond died in 1971. His passing led to his estate selling the stations to First Media Corporation in 1974.

 

Charlie Shoe

Walt Starling

From DCRTV:

"I want to thank everyone who has called asking about Walter, as well as the hundreds of letters and emails from well wishers concerned about Walter," says Sharon, his wife. "As you can imagine, all of the calls have been overwhelming and I have not been able to speak with everyone. I've been concentrating on Walter’s care."

She adds: "We received the news from doctors two weeks ago that Walter would begin hospice care. Walter wanted to be at home with his family and friends and not in a hospital. Walter has fought the good fight and unfortunately for us all he has lost his fight with this dreadful disease".

Guy Travers

Ed Walker

Ed Walker in 1954 Ed Walker was one of the first Air Personalities on WPGC just six weeks after it signed on the air from a farm on the edge of Morningside near District Heights, working at the station for exactly two years from June 4, 1954 to June 4, 1956. His illustrious career included stops at many notable Washington area stations including WOL, WWDC and WMAL, but he is most fondly remembered for his work with Willard Scott as 'The Joy Boys' at WRC. Ed's final WAMU broadcast aired on 10/25/15. Three hours later, he passed on to that great transmitter in the sky. He was a true friend of this site, providing much information about the earliest days of the station. Without his help, the WPGC sudios and offices location in Hyattsville from 1954-1956 might never have been found.