Bob Grant Remembers his Mentor…

Wednesday, May, 14, 2008 by Mel Phillips.

Bob Grant who recently went back to WABC, started his verbal assault on listeners 60 years ago today, May 14, 1948.  He marks his anniversary with that of the state of Israel.  He told David Hinckley  that he read the announcement of Israel’s formation on the radio.  Hey, he may have even helped in the state’s formulation by prodding David Ben-Gurion  to draw up the plans for a new state.   Grant has spent 38 of his 60 years of insults in New York at WOR, WMCA and WABC.  Grant who’s next birthday will number 80 may just seem like he invented shock-talk but he did not.  You can give that honor or dis-honor to the man who Grant considers his first mentor - Joe Pyne…

Joe Pyne  pioneered the format that begat Bob Grant, Morton Downey Jr., Don Imus, Howard Stern , Joey Reynolds and others in 1950 at WILM in Wilmington, Delaware.  One of the stations he worked at was WMID in Atlantic City.  I know this because in the mid-60s we ran his syndicated radio show on MID and oldtimers related Pyne’s folklore to us upstart disc jockeys.  Pyne moved over to TV in the mid-50s and was soon syndicated on 85 TV stations and 250 radio stations.  His radio domination was in the 50s, TV in the 60s.  Pyne in his prime took on all subjects.  He was a conservative who hated bigotry, supported the Vietnam War, ridiculed hippies, homosexuals and feminists, was in favor of labor unions and courted controversy by inviting members of the Ku Klux Klan, American Nazis and followers of Charles Manson.  You might say he was an equal opportunity offender…

Pyne, a chain-smoker died way too soon, at 45 in 1970.  Had he lived he’d still be the ‘King of Talk-Radio’, even at 83.  To Bob Grant:  Happy 60th anniversary and thank you for remembering Joe Pyne…

10 Timeline Memories:

1. 1796]  Dr. Feelgood:   English physician Edward Jenner administers the first vaccination against smallpox to an 8-year old boy…
2. 1853]  Milk from a can?:  Gail Borden  applies for a patent for condensed milk after years of drinking unabridged milk…
3. 1897]  The Boston Pops takes note:  “The Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa  is performed for the first time at a George Washington statue unveiling.  No one does it better than the Boston Pops…
4. 1904]  Truly Olympic:  The first U.S. Olympics is launched in St. Louis…
5. 1948]  The state of Independence:  Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion proclaims the independent state of  Israel  as British rule in Palestine comes to an end…
6. 1967]  Hall of Fame greats:  Mickey Mantle becomes the sixth player to hit 500 (or more) home runs.  He will finish his career with 536…1972]  41-year old Willie Mays  makes a dramatic debut with the Mets, hitting a home run against his former team, the Giants, in a 5-4 Met win…
7. 1973]  Spaced-out:  The U.S. launches Skylab 1, our first manned space station…
8. 1996]  He couldn’t do this with the Mets?:  31-year old Dwight Gooden  pitches a no-hitter for the Yankees in a 2-0 shutout of Seattle…
9. 1998]  ‘Happy Trails’:  Pop icon Frank Sinatra passes away, his way, at 82 following a heart attack…
10. 1998]  Seinfeld farewell:  The finale of “Seinfeld” airs after 9 years on NBC-TV.  This tribute to the show is far better than what they left us with…

Music Memories:

• 1964]  Recorded on this date:  “Little Old Lady From Pasadena” - Jan and Dean…1968]  “People Got To Be Free” - The Rascals…
• 1968]  On “The Tonight Show“:  Substitute host Joe Garagiola  welcomes Paul McCartney and John Lennon…
• 1970]  Released on this date:  “Ohio” - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (released 10 days after Kent State).  Neil Young  does it solo here…

Commentary:

The HD Digital Radio Alliance announces the roll out of the “second generation” of HD Radio programming with HD2 and HD3 subchannels playing new and unsigned artists, tightly niched HD channels and former over-the-air stations like WNEW-FM in New York.  Hmmm, I must have missed the “first generation” of HD Radio…Congratulations to ”The Media Gang’ who will break bread in Randolph (MA) and talk about radio when radio was radio.  I wish I could be there but will be at the next lunch in October…

“Happy Birthday…happy birthday”:

Amber Tamblyn (25), Cate Blanchett (39), Suzy Kolber (44), David Byrne (56), George Lucas (64), Jack Bruce (65), Troy Shondell (68), Charlie Gracie (72) and Patrice Munsel (83)…

Timeline Countdown:  12 days until Memorial Day, 32 days until Father’s Day, 39 days until summer and 52 days until July 4th…

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