Bob Shannon (WCBS-FM)
Encyclopedia
Don Bombard more widely known under the air name Bob Shannon, is an American radio disc jockey
best known for his work on WCBS-FM
in New York City
. He is also the author of the book Behind The Hits: Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll.
He has a son named Scott Shannon (not to be confused with WPLJ
's Scott Shannon
), and a daughter named Avery Shannon.
as the winner of a guest deejay contest, while still a junior high school student in his hometown of Syracuse
, New York
.
At age 15, Bombard experimented with broadcasting from his home, using a radio that had the wiring reversed to become a transmitter. The radio's antenna was hooked to a radiator, utilizing the water pipes to get the signal out to his neighborhood.
He joined the staff of Syracuse University station WAER-FM as a freshman in 1965.
Bombard came to the attention of the local Syracuse Top 40 stations WNDR and WOLF when, as a teenager, he compiled and distributed his own weekly music survey known as The Big 50.
Bombard then went on to work at both stations from 1967 to 1977, where he gained experience as an announcer, music director, and programmer. He joined WNDR in 1967 as a part-time weekend dj. In 1968 he accepted an offer by WOLF to work full-time on their night show. He became the station's music director and atarted an all-request show. In 1969, he was part of the team that returned WOLF to a Top 40 format and remained as music director and night dj until the following year, when he was hired back full-time at WNDR.
There, he hosted a late-night "Attitude Hours" progressive rock show. Later he became assistant program director and afternoon drive dj, as well as taking over the reins of the "Saturday Night of Gold" oldies show.
In 1975, he left radio briefly to run "Don Bombard Disco", a company formed with partner Guy Capone (who had been his high school partner in the Big 50 project). He returned to WOLF the following year and became program director.
While in Syracuse, Bombard collaborated with local music historian Ron Wray (aka Ron Gersbacher) on a documentary history of WOLF ("The WOLF Story") and a series of "History of Syracuse Music" albums. He also formed (with Wray) Piece Records.
to work at station 13Q (WKTQ). He began as production director and then moved to afternoon drive dj. He originated and hosted “The Sunday Night Oldies Party”. Bombard also released (with record collector Frank DeMino) a compilation album called "The Pittsburgh Hall of Fame". He also did booth announcing for WIIC (now WPXI
) television.
and began doing some booth announcing for WOR-TV
. He was Don Bombard on WYNY, but at CBS-FM (which already had Don K. Reed) his on-air name was changed to Bobby Shannon by program director Joe McCoy. Gradually, his air name morphed into Bob Shannon.
Shannon launched a weekend overnight spin-off of his Pittsburgh show on CBS-FM called "The Oldies Party" and continued to tape a weekly Sunday night show for airing in Pittsburgh. He also briefly hosted the Saturday night show vacated by Jack Spector. In 1982, he was promoted to the full-time 6-10PM shift and originated (with music director Richard Lorenzo) a nightly "Hall of Fame" segment. This segment played wall to wall music from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. by a selected artist or a couple artists (if the artists each had only a few big hits). For bigger artists with many hits, the hall of fame feature sometimes began at 8 p.m. In 1986, with the exit of Dick Heatherton, he took over the afternoon drive time slot, where he remained until the station's two-year "sabbatical" that began in 2005. The Hall Of Fame was revamped in evenings to feature several to half a dozen songs an hour by a selected artists mixed in with other regularly played music. Bobby Jay took over except on Wednesdays. On Wednesday, Cousin Bruce Morrow
took over. At that point, on Thursdays the Hall Of Fame was strictly 60's music and on Fridays strictly 50's.
At CBS-FM, on the 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. timeslot, he programmed music features such as "Rockeology", "Hands Across the Water", "First and Foremost", "lost hits", "songs with the same title but are different", "Wednesday Fourplay/Three For The Road", and others.
During his stint at CBS-FM, Shannon interviewed music acts which he incorporated in a book co-authored with John Javna. "Behind The Hits: Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll" was published by Warner Books in 1986.
Shannon has also hosted a number of nationally syndicated radio shows, including "The Oldies Countdown" for MJI Broadcasting and "Keeping The '70s Alive" and "Behind The Hits" for On The Radio Broadcasting. He also co-hosted, with CBS-FM's Bobby Jay, live broadcasts for Westwood One
from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
induction ceremonies in New York.
On Friday, June 3, 2005, CBS-FM switched format to an "Adult Hits" format called Jack FM
and Bob Shannon, along with the rest of the air staffers, were laid off.
Shannon then went on to do a weekly show, with wife Connie T. Empress, on WLNG, Long Island, NY. Shannon also hosted a weekly Internet program “Behind the Hits” show on VIP Radio in Europe.
Shannon worked at New Jersey's "The Breeze" WWZY
/WBHX from February 17 - July 7, 2007. He took part in the station's Radio Greats Weekend July 21–22, 2007, after his return to CBS-FM.
came back to New York radio on July 12, 2007, Shannon helped launch the return. On November 18, as part of CBS-FM's weekly Radio Greats feature, he hosted a show as Don Bombard.
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
best known for his work on WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He is also the author of the book Behind The Hits: Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll.
He has a son named Scott Shannon (not to be confused with WPLJ
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
's Scott Shannon
Scott Shannon
Michael Scott Shannon is a radio disc jockey, current co-host of the "Scott and Todd in the Morning" show on WPLJ, host of The True Oldies Channel, and the official voice of The Sean Hannity Show.-Early Radio Career:...
), and a daughter named Avery Shannon.
Beginnings
Don Bombard was first introduced on radio by sportscaster Marv AlbertMarv Albert
Marv Albert is an American television and radio sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he is commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball." From 1967–2004, he was also known as "the voice of the New York Knicks."Including Super Bowl XLII, Marv has called...
as the winner of a guest deejay contest, while still a junior high school student in his hometown of Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
At age 15, Bombard experimented with broadcasting from his home, using a radio that had the wiring reversed to become a transmitter. The radio's antenna was hooked to a radiator, utilizing the water pipes to get the signal out to his neighborhood.
He joined the staff of Syracuse University station WAER-FM as a freshman in 1965.
Bombard came to the attention of the local Syracuse Top 40 stations WNDR and WOLF when, as a teenager, he compiled and distributed his own weekly music survey known as The Big 50.
Bombard then went on to work at both stations from 1967 to 1977, where he gained experience as an announcer, music director, and programmer. He joined WNDR in 1967 as a part-time weekend dj. In 1968 he accepted an offer by WOLF to work full-time on their night show. He became the station's music director and atarted an all-request show. In 1969, he was part of the team that returned WOLF to a Top 40 format and remained as music director and night dj until the following year, when he was hired back full-time at WNDR.
There, he hosted a late-night "Attitude Hours" progressive rock show. Later he became assistant program director and afternoon drive dj, as well as taking over the reins of the "Saturday Night of Gold" oldies show.
In 1975, he left radio briefly to run "Don Bombard Disco", a company formed with partner Guy Capone (who had been his high school partner in the Big 50 project). He returned to WOLF the following year and became program director.
While in Syracuse, Bombard collaborated with local music historian Ron Wray (aka Ron Gersbacher) on a documentary history of WOLF ("The WOLF Story") and a series of "History of Syracuse Music" albums. He also formed (with Wray) Piece Records.
Move to Pittsburgh
In 1977, Bombard moved to PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
to work at station 13Q (WKTQ). He began as production director and then moved to afternoon drive dj. He originated and hosted “The Sunday Night Oldies Party”. Bombard also released (with record collector Frank DeMino) a compilation album called "The Pittsburgh Hall of Fame". He also did booth announcing for WIIC (now WPXI
WPXI
WPXI, channel 11, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Western Pennsylvania that is licensed to Pittsburgh. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 48 from a transmitter located on the north side of Pittsburgh. Owned by Cox Enterprises, the station has studios in the...
) television.
Arrival at WCBS-FM
In late 1981 Bombard moved to New York City to work part-time at a recording studio owned by Wendell Craig, formerly dj Windy Craig at WOLF. While there, with Craig's blessings, he launched a radio syndication company called Sirius Productions. Bombard then began as a fill-in announcer at WYNY (now WQHT). Shortly after, he would leave WYNY for WCBS-FMWCBS-FM
WCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
and began doing some booth announcing for WOR-TV
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
. He was Don Bombard on WYNY, but at CBS-FM (which already had Don K. Reed) his on-air name was changed to Bobby Shannon by program director Joe McCoy. Gradually, his air name morphed into Bob Shannon.
Shannon launched a weekend overnight spin-off of his Pittsburgh show on CBS-FM called "The Oldies Party" and continued to tape a weekly Sunday night show for airing in Pittsburgh. He also briefly hosted the Saturday night show vacated by Jack Spector. In 1982, he was promoted to the full-time 6-10PM shift and originated (with music director Richard Lorenzo) a nightly "Hall of Fame" segment. This segment played wall to wall music from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. by a selected artist or a couple artists (if the artists each had only a few big hits). For bigger artists with many hits, the hall of fame feature sometimes began at 8 p.m. In 1986, with the exit of Dick Heatherton, he took over the afternoon drive time slot, where he remained until the station's two-year "sabbatical" that began in 2005. The Hall Of Fame was revamped in evenings to feature several to half a dozen songs an hour by a selected artists mixed in with other regularly played music. Bobby Jay took over except on Wednesdays. On Wednesday, Cousin Bruce Morrow
Bruce Morrow
Bruce Morrow is an American radio personality known to many listeners as Cousin Brucie.-Radio work:...
took over. At that point, on Thursdays the Hall Of Fame was strictly 60's music and on Fridays strictly 50's.
At CBS-FM, on the 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. timeslot, he programmed music features such as "Rockeology", "Hands Across the Water", "First and Foremost", "lost hits", "songs with the same title but are different", "Wednesday Fourplay/Three For The Road", and others.
During his stint at CBS-FM, Shannon interviewed music acts which he incorporated in a book co-authored with John Javna. "Behind The Hits: Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll" was published by Warner Books in 1986.
Shannon has also hosted a number of nationally syndicated radio shows, including "The Oldies Countdown" for MJI Broadcasting and "Keeping The '70s Alive" and "Behind The Hits" for On The Radio Broadcasting. He also co-hosted, with CBS-FM's Bobby Jay, live broadcasts for Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
induction ceremonies in New York.
On Friday, June 3, 2005, CBS-FM switched format to an "Adult Hits" format called Jack FM
Jack FM
JACK FM is the alternative name and on-air brand of 60 radio stations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. Jack stations play a mix of 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s hits with some current hot adult contemporary singles. Jack's slogan "playing what we want" can also be...
and Bob Shannon, along with the rest of the air staffers, were laid off.
Shannon then went on to do a weekly show, with wife Connie T. Empress, on WLNG, Long Island, NY. Shannon also hosted a weekly Internet program “Behind the Hits” show on VIP Radio in Europe.
Shannon worked at New Jersey's "The Breeze" WWZY
WWZY
WWZY/WBHX is an adult contemporary music formatted radio station in Neptune, New Jersey, referred to as "107.1 The Breeze" and "99.7 The Breeze"....
/WBHX from February 17 - July 7, 2007. He took part in the station's Radio Greats Weekend July 21–22, 2007, after his return to CBS-FM.
CBS-FM Returns
When WCBS-FMWCBS-FM
WCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
came back to New York radio on July 12, 2007, Shannon helped launch the return. On November 18, as part of CBS-FM's weekly Radio Greats feature, he hosted a show as Don Bombard.