Chicago is the center of attention. However, I’m not talking about baseball, even though both of their teams are in the playoffs this week. We’ll see if they are still playing when the radio industry arrives in the Windy City next week. After all, next week the Class of 2026 is inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.
A Class Full of Radio Legends
Chicago grew up with Fred Winston on WLS, in the same way LA remembers Charlie Van Dyke and Shotgun Tom Kelly. I love to see legendary disc jockeys get this recognition. Likewise, no one can deny Rickey Smiley’s contributions to radio. The same goes for Dennis Green’s role in syndication and as Kraig Kitchin’s partner leading the Hall of Fame inductions.
Also in this year’s class are legendary NFL star Boomer Esiason and Helen Little. I had the pleasure of working with Helen at Clear Channel. Similarly, I worked in the same building as Boomer for 15 years with CBS and Audacy. I will not forget my first day at CBS New York in April 2010, when Boomer graciously welcomed me to the company. Over the years, he played a role in many on-air bits with Karen Carson’s morning show at WNEW. All the while, he was broadcasting Monday Night Football and 19 Super Bowls on Westwood One and CBS-TV’s NFL Today. He truly transitioned from a football star to a radio and media personality.
Bob Pittman’s Pittsburgh Beginnings
Finally, radio’s leading executive is being honored with induction this year. I worked for Bob Pittman as a teenage disc jockey in Pittsburgh. At the time, he was not much older and was programming his first station. In the ’70s, Pittsburgh was a top 10 market, and the radio dial was alive. For instance, Jeff Christie, who later became Rush Limbaugh, was on ABC-owned KQV. Meanwhile, upstart 13Q, featuring Jackson Armstrong, was taking over the Top 40 space. Bob’s WPEZ (now WWSW) was the first hit music station on the FM dial in the Steel City. In short, he jumped in the deep end of the pool, and he knew how to swim.
The WPEZ launch marketing campaign consisted of large bus boards. But Bob made sure ours got noticed. Equal in size to the call letters and frequency was the slogan “FLICK YOUR DIAL.” In fact, Bob made sure the “L” and the “I” in the word flick sat very close together. As a result, it was easy to read something else. It worked so well that the bus company was flooded with complaints. Eventually, the company added a piece of colored tape to shorten the bottom of the “L.” Mission accomplished.
Lessons From a Marketing Mind
Bob taught me to screw with the competition. For example, 13Q once held a big free concert in the park. We were there with flyers thanking people for coming, with our call letters and frequency prominently displayed. Additionally, contest rules needed to be available to the public. So, he always sent one of us to 13Q the day a new contest hit the air. It was fun to watch the office staff scramble to come up with the required rules.
I will always remember the Saturday shift when Bob had me create a Bigfoot scare. It was our local version of War of the Worlds. It even got some police departments involved. Listeners delighted in calling to say they were the latest to see the “Bigfoot Monster” heading toward the city.
He was the program director who had jock meetings at his apartment and preached talking in “listener speak.” I recall the day he chastised a talent for talking about a “sibling rivalry” on the air. After all, those were not the words one of our young listeners would use. Later, when the station started to become a success, the programming staff was offered salary increases. Instead, Bob asked that his raise go into the promotion and marketing budget. He did not care about replacing his ugly yellow Dodge Dart — he was only in it to win it.
Why Pittman Belongs in the Hall
Bob left Pittsburgh for Chicago, then moved on to New York for WNBC. Later, he turned a job at Time Warner Cable into MTV, and the rest is history. Whether his career took him to Six Flags, Century 21, AOL or iHeart, his marketing mind was always at work. Take the early days of email, for example. Nearly every bus in New York proclaimed AOL was so easy, no wonder it’s #1. Sell your strongest attributes.
Bob Pittman takes a lot of criticism for downsizing the staff at iHeart. However, I believe he’s done amazing work with the debt he inherited, without selling some of their biggest assets. Moreover, their radio stations continue to perform at a high level. And yes, he spends money marketing them. Simply put, radio is a much better business with Bob Pittman in it. That’s why he deserves induction into the Radio Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Bob and all in the Class of 2026.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
