Dick Biondi
Encyclopedia
Dick Biondi is an American
Top 40 and Oldies
disc jockey
. Calling himself "The Wild I-tralian", he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as his wild antics on the air and off. In a 1988 interview, Biondi related he had been fired 23 times; both fits of temper and jokes gone wrong were part of the tally. Over many years and many frequencies, Dick's close-of-the-program line was, "God bless, bye, bye, Duke. Thanks a million for dialing our way."
Biondi gained national attention in the 1950s and 1960s as a disc jockey on leading AM radio stations
in Buffalo, New York
; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California
. Besides being among the first to play Elvis Presley
, Jerry Lee Lewis
, Gene Vincent
, and other early rhythm and blues
artists, he was able to meet them also. The early Rock and Roll era meant "record hops" where disk jockeys would make personal appearances at local schools and clubs; they often included appearances by the artists whose records were being played. Biondi is credited as the first U.S. disc jockey to play the Beatles
, on Chicago's WLS 890 AM
in February 1963, with the song "Please Please Me". Later, while working at KRLA 1110 AM in Los Angeles, he introduced the Beatles and Rolling Stones
at their Hollywood Bowl
concerts.
Since 1984, Biondi has been a mainstay on Oldies stations in the city where he first earned his reputation, Chicago. On May 2, 2010, Dick Biondi celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first Chicago broadcast. WLS-AM and WLS-FM presented a 5 hour simulcast special from 7 PM to midnight, featuring memorable moments in his career and special celebrity guests, with Biondi as its host.
Biondi is an inductee of the National Radio Hall of Fame.
, and mother, Rose, encouraged him in his goal; at the time it was to become a sportscaster
. He went on to work behind the scenes and learned about broadcasting at WINR
, Binghamton, New York, where one of his co-workers was a young Rod Serling
. Another co-worker, himself a sportcaster, took an interest in the young Biondi and began working with him on pronunciation and diction. As a sportscaster, Biondi began his on-air career in radio on WCBA 1350 AM
in Corning, New York
. He continued on to KVOB, Alexandria, Louisiana, but it wasn't until working for KSYL
in Alexandria, that Biondi started doing music shows. It was here where he became acquainted with Rhythm and blues
. Career moves took him to York, Pennsylvania and WHOT-AM
, Youngstown, Ohio. When Dick arrived there, Rock and Roll was on the airwaves and he began doing local appearances with such stars as Fabian, Paul Anka
and Bobby Darin
.
At a 1956 Cleveland Elvis Presley
concert, Dick was able to get Elvis to sign the shirt he was wearing; when he returned to the crowd, Presley's frenzied female fans started tearing away at it. Biondi wound up at a local hospital, much to the amusement of Elvis.
He was picked up in 1958 by WKBW 1520 AM
in Buffalo; at WKBW if conditions were right, Biondi could be heard in Europe. After a dispute at WKBW, Biondi jokingly described his boss's car on the air, said where he would be driving, and asked his listeners to throw rocks at it. Someone did as Biondi asked and he was fired the next day. He worked at WEBR
in Buffalo before gaining fame in 1960 on Chicago's 50,000 watt WLS
, which covered most of the United States
east of the Continental Divide
.
executives did some advance publicity by bringing two of its new personalities to Chicago early. Biondi and colleague Bob Hale made the media and music rounds. After their first big day as the representatives of the new WLS, they returned to the station that evening to begin asking for and taking collect phone calls from any point in the US. Calls came in from across the country as well as from a couple of ships at sea. Biondi recalls the first record he played on the new WLS was "Teddy Bear" by Elvis. Many record company executives considered him to be a vital part of the hitmaking process. Biondi's playing a record on his show gave it maximum exposure to a very large listening audience; he was the most popular night time
DJ in the Midwest. There was a lot of fun at WLS; in response to the record, "There Was Fungus Among Us", Dick issued his listeners "Fungus Licenses".
In 1961 he made a record, "On Top of a Pizza" (a parody of "On Top of Old Smoky" and "On Top of Spaghetti"), that became a local hit. The flip side of the record is "Knock Knock", a nod to the jokes Dick told on the air so often. In 1963, Biondi left WLS over a dispute involving the amount of commercials on his radio show. Rumors and urban legends still persist that Biondi told an obscene joke on the air which resulted in his being fired. Part of Biondi's hiatus from radio was spent making a record album, Dick Biondi's Favorites-the Teenagers with Ray Stevens
. He moved to KRLA, then the #1 Top 40 station in the Los Angeles market. At KRLA, Biondi was in good company working with other legendary radio personalities, including Bob Eubanks
, Casey Kasem
, Charlie O'Donnell
and Dave Hull
. Not long after arriving there, Dick created The Dick Biondi Road Show which brought new acts to perform at high schools all over Southern California.
In 1964-65, between KRLA stints, he hosted a nationally syndicated show, Dick Biondi's Young America, carried by 125 stations on the Mutual Broadcasting System
. Through this program, Dick was heard on WCFL 3 years prior to his signing with the station. During his time with the Mutual show, Biondi obtained exclusivity rights for records for all of his subscriber stations; this was a big boost to their ability to be competitive in smaller radio markets. He returned to KRLA soon after the Mutual show was cancelled.
Biondi returned to Chicago on WCFL 1000 AM
in 1967. In addition to his regular airshift, Dick also did many specialty shows for WCFL: Pop Goes the Music and In the Beginning were looks back at early Rock and Roll; This Is Elvis explored the life of Elvis Presley, while Dick Biondi Labels the Blues delved into that aspect of music and the influence it had on Rock and Roll. Dick Biondi and Friend was an interview program featuring then current popular music stars. There was also the weekly "Vietnam Show" that allowed listeners to send greetings to family and friends serving overseas; copies went to Armed Forces Radio Network.
In 1972, after a short time at WMAQ (AM), he left Chicago once again, working at WBZ
Boston, WSAI
Cincinnati, and a decade-long stint on WNMB
in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
. Beginning in 1976, during his time at WNMB, Dick produced a syndicated program called, Dick Biondi's Super Gold Rock and Roll which was syndicated to about 60 radio stations. WNMB began rebroadcasting the shows on February 3, 2010.
DJ Bob Sirott
was a reporter for WBBM-TV
. He did an ongoing feature show called, Where Are They Now?, which located and interviewed former famous Chicagoans who had slipped from local prominence. Dick was the subject of a Where Are They Now? show in 1982; it was enough to rekindle local radio professional interest in him and Biondi returned to Chicago the next year-briefly working at WBBM 96.3 FM
. In 1984 he was the signature voice for the launch of the new Oldies station WJMK 104.3 FM
, where he was heard until the station switched formats in June 2005. Biondi, along with the Oldies format, was kept on a digital subcarrier HD2, but he was released in July 2006, along with all other on-air personalities. In November of that year, Biondi started on WLS 94.7 FM, where he hosts True Oldies on 94.7 from 7-11 p.m. (Central Time). Columbia College, Chicago
presented Inside the Radio Studio with Dick Biondi & Herb Kent-100 Years On the Air on April 10, 2010. Both men are still on the air-Biondi at WLS 94.7 FM, and Herb Kent-"the cool gent", at WVAZ
.
along with other legendary disc jockeys. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998, with the message, "He's an okay guy.".
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proclaimed May 1, 2010 "Dick Biondi Day" in Illinois. The Chicago City Council also honored Biondi's longevity in Chicago radio by naming a street in his honor, "Dick Biondi Way". His ambition is to become the oldest active Rock and Roll disc jockey in the United States; says Biondi, "I'd like to die with my earphones on."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Top 40 and Oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
. Calling himself "The Wild I-tralian", he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as his wild antics on the air and off. In a 1988 interview, Biondi related he had been fired 23 times; both fits of temper and jokes gone wrong were part of the tally. Over many years and many frequencies, Dick's close-of-the-program line was, "God bless, bye, bye, Duke. Thanks a million for dialing our way."
Biondi gained national attention in the 1950s and 1960s as a disc jockey on leading AM radio stations
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
; Chicago, Illinois; and Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Besides being among the first to play Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
, Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent
Vincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly...
, and other early rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
artists, he was able to meet them also. The early Rock and Roll era meant "record hops" where disk jockeys would make personal appearances at local schools and clubs; they often included appearances by the artists whose records were being played. Biondi is credited as the first U.S. disc jockey to play the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, on Chicago's WLS 890 AM
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
in February 1963, with the song "Please Please Me". Later, while working at KRLA 1110 AM in Los Angeles, he introduced the Beatles and Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
at their Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
concerts.
Since 1984, Biondi has been a mainstay on Oldies stations in the city where he first earned his reputation, Chicago. On May 2, 2010, Dick Biondi celebrated the 50th anniversary of his first Chicago broadcast. WLS-AM and WLS-FM presented a 5 hour simulcast special from 7 PM to midnight, featuring memorable moments in his career and special celebrity guests, with Biondi as its host.
Biondi is an inductee of the National Radio Hall of Fame.
1940s-1950s
Dick Biondi's lifelong love of radio began at an early age, when he was allowed to read a commercial on WMBO, Auburn, New York. His father, Mike, an Endicott firemanFirefighter
Firefighters are rescuers extensively trained primarily to put out hazardous fires that threaten civilian populations and property, to rescue people from car incidents, collapsed and burning buildings and other such situations...
, and mother, Rose, encouraged him in his goal; at the time it was to become a sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
. He went on to work behind the scenes and learned about broadcasting at WINR
WINR
WINR is a radio station broadcasting an Adult Standards/MOR format. Licensed to Binghamton, New York, USA, the station serves the Binghamton area...
, Binghamton, New York, where one of his co-workers was a young Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
. Another co-worker, himself a sportcaster, took an interest in the young Biondi and began working with him on pronunciation and diction. As a sportscaster, Biondi began his on-air career in radio on WCBA 1350 AM
WCBA (AM)
WCBA is a radio station in the Elmira-Corning market of New York state. It broadcasts at 1000 watts day and night on 1350 kHz from studios in South Corning, NY. It is a sports talk station....
in Corning, New York
Corning (city), New York
Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,842 at the 2000 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company that developed the community.- Overview :The city of...
. He continued on to KVOB, Alexandria, Louisiana, but it wasn't until working for KSYL
KSYL
KSYL is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Alexandria, Louisiana, USA, the station serves the Alexandria area. The station is currently owned by Cenla Broadcasting Licensing Company, LLC and features programing from ABC Radio , AP Radio and CBS Radio.The...
in Alexandria, that Biondi started doing music shows. It was here where he became acquainted with Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
. Career moves took him to York, Pennsylvania and WHOT-AM
WNIO
WNIO — branded 1390 WNIO — is an AM radio station in Youngstown, Ohio, USA broadcasting at 1390 kHz with an Sports talk radio format dubbed "The Sports Animal." WNIO also carries Ohio State University football and basketball, Cleveland Cavaliers basketball, and Pittsburgh Steelers...
, Youngstown, Ohio. When Dick arrived there, Rock and Roll was on the airwaves and he began doing local appearances with such stars as Fabian, Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
and Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
.
At a 1956 Cleveland Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
concert, Dick was able to get Elvis to sign the shirt he was wearing; when he returned to the crowd, Presley's frenzied female fans started tearing away at it. Biondi wound up at a local hospital, much to the amusement of Elvis.
He was picked up in 1958 by WKBW 1520 AM
WWKB
WWKB is an AM radio station in Buffalo, New York that operates on a frequency of 1520 kHz. It is owned and operated by Entercom Communications. The station carries a progressive talk radio format. Declaring itself as A New Voice, A New Choice, The Voice of the New Majority; WWKB carries a number...
in Buffalo; at WKBW if conditions were right, Biondi could be heard in Europe. After a dispute at WKBW, Biondi jokingly described his boss's car on the air, said where he would be driving, and asked his listeners to throw rocks at it. Someone did as Biondi asked and he was fired the next day. He worked at WEBR
WNED
WNED may refer to:* WNED , a radio station licensed to Buffalo, New York, United States* WNED-FM, a radio station licensed to Buffalo, New York, United States...
in Buffalo before gaining fame in 1960 on Chicago's 50,000 watt WLS
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
, which covered most of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
east of the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...
.
1960s-1970s
To promote the WLS "Bright New Sound" which premiered May 2, 1960, ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
executives did some advance publicity by bringing two of its new personalities to Chicago early. Biondi and colleague Bob Hale made the media and music rounds. After their first big day as the representatives of the new WLS, they returned to the station that evening to begin asking for and taking collect phone calls from any point in the US. Calls came in from across the country as well as from a couple of ships at sea. Biondi recalls the first record he played on the new WLS was "Teddy Bear" by Elvis. Many record company executives considered him to be a vital part of the hitmaking process. Biondi's playing a record on his show gave it maximum exposure to a very large listening audience; he was the most popular night time
Dayparting
In Broadcast programming, dayparting is the practice of dividing the day into several parts, during each of which a different type of radio programming or television programming apropos for that time is aired...
DJ in the Midwest. There was a lot of fun at WLS; in response to the record, "There Was Fungus Among Us", Dick issued his listeners "Fungus Licenses".
In 1961 he made a record, "On Top of a Pizza" (a parody of "On Top of Old Smoky" and "On Top of Spaghetti"), that became a local hit. The flip side of the record is "Knock Knock", a nod to the jokes Dick told on the air so often. In 1963, Biondi left WLS over a dispute involving the amount of commercials on his radio show. Rumors and urban legends still persist that Biondi told an obscene joke on the air which resulted in his being fired. Part of Biondi's hiatus from radio was spent making a record album, Dick Biondi's Favorites-the Teenagers with Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens
Ray Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
. He moved to KRLA, then the #1 Top 40 station in the Los Angeles market. At KRLA, Biondi was in good company working with other legendary radio personalities, including Bob Eubanks
Bob Eubanks
Robert Leland "Bob" Eubanks is an American television/radio personality and game show host, best known for hosting the game show The Newlywed Game on and off since 1966, where he was known for using the catchphrase, "Makin' Whoopee"...
, Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
, Charlie O'Donnell
Charlie O'Donnell
Charles John "Charlie" O'Donnell was an American radio and television announcer, primarily known for his work on game shows...
and Dave Hull
Dave Hull
Dave Hull, aka "The Hullabalooer", is a Los Angeles radio personality voted one of the top ten LA radio personalities of all time. Born Jan. 20, 1934, he admits to being 77 with his personal addition herewith dated Mar. 3, 2011....
. Not long after arriving there, Dick created The Dick Biondi Road Show which brought new acts to perform at high schools all over Southern California.
In 1964-65, between KRLA stints, he hosted a nationally syndicated show, Dick Biondi's Young America, carried by 125 stations on the Mutual Broadcasting System
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
. Through this program, Dick was heard on WCFL 3 years prior to his signing with the station. During his time with the Mutual show, Biondi obtained exclusivity rights for records for all of his subscriber stations; this was a big boost to their ability to be competitive in smaller radio markets. He returned to KRLA soon after the Mutual show was cancelled.
Biondi returned to Chicago on WCFL 1000 AM
WCFL (AM)
WCFL was the callsign of a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was owned by the Chicago Federation of Labor, hence its call letters. The station is now known as WMVP. Its transmitter is located in Downers Grove and is still in use by WMVP...
in 1967. In addition to his regular airshift, Dick also did many specialty shows for WCFL: Pop Goes the Music and In the Beginning were looks back at early Rock and Roll; This Is Elvis explored the life of Elvis Presley, while Dick Biondi Labels the Blues delved into that aspect of music and the influence it had on Rock and Roll. Dick Biondi and Friend was an interview program featuring then current popular music stars. There was also the weekly "Vietnam Show" that allowed listeners to send greetings to family and friends serving overseas; copies went to Armed Forces Radio Network.
In 1972, after a short time at WMAQ (AM), he left Chicago once again, working at WBZ
WBZ (AM)
WBZ is the call sign for an AM radio station in Boston, Massachusetts owned by CBS Radio, itself owned by the CBS Corporation. Originally based in and broadcast from Springfield, Massachusetts, WBZ was the first commercial radio station in the United States...
Boston, WSAI
WSAI
WSAI is an AM radio station broadcasting out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Its studios are in the Towers of Kenwood building next to I-71 in the Kenwood section of Sycamore Township and its transmitter is located in Mount Healthy.WSAI is known as "Fox Sports 1360," including The Dan Patrick Show and The...
Cincinnati, and a decade-long stint on WNMB
WNMB
WNMB is an oldies music formatted radio station licensed to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA, and serves the greater Myrtle Beach area. The Norman Communications, Inc., outlet is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast at 900 kHz with a TPO of 500W...
in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
North Myrtle Beach is a coastal resort city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was created in 1968 from four existing municipalities north of Myrtle Beach, and serves as one of the primary tourist towns along the Grand Strand...
. Beginning in 1976, during his time at WNMB, Dick produced a syndicated program called, Dick Biondi's Super Gold Rock and Roll which was syndicated to about 60 radio stations. WNMB began rebroadcasting the shows on February 3, 2010.
1980s-present
In the early 1980s, former WLSWLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
DJ Bob Sirott
Bob Sirott
Robert Michael "Bob" Sirott , is a Chicago broadcaster who currently is one of the two principal news anchors at WFLD-TV in Chicago and is a radio host at WGN-AM.- Early life and education :...
was a reporter for WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV
WBBM-TV, virtual channel 2 , is the CBS owned-and-operated television station in Chicago, Illinois. WBBM-TV's main studios and offices are located in The Loop section of Chicago, as part of the development at Block 37, and its transmitter is atop the Willis Tower.-History:WBBM-TV traces its history...
. He did an ongoing feature show called, Where Are They Now?, which located and interviewed former famous Chicagoans who had slipped from local prominence. Dick was the subject of a Where Are They Now? show in 1982; it was enough to rekindle local radio professional interest in him and Biondi returned to Chicago the next year-briefly working at WBBM 96.3 FM
WBBM-FM
WBBM-FM, known on air as "B96", is a Rhythmic Contemporary outlet in Chicago, Illinois with a Rhythmic based playlist. The station is owned by CBS Radio and broadcasts at 96.3 MHz with an ERP of 4.2 kW. WBBM's main competition is WKSC-FM "103.5 Kiss FM", as well as urban rivals WGCI-FM &...
. In 1984 he was the signature voice for the launch of the new Oldies station WJMK 104.3 FM
WJMK (FM)
WJMK is a classic hits radio station in Chicago, Illinois. The station is known as "K-Hits 104.3." The station adopted this format on March 14, 2011, after spending 6 years as Jack FM. Prior to that, WJMK spent 21 years as an oldies station...
, where he was heard until the station switched formats in June 2005. Biondi, along with the Oldies format, was kept on a digital subcarrier HD2, but he was released in July 2006, along with all other on-air personalities. In November of that year, Biondi started on WLS 94.7 FM, where he hosts True Oldies on 94.7 from 7-11 p.m. (Central Time). Columbia College, Chicago
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
presented Inside the Radio Studio with Dick Biondi & Herb Kent-100 Years On the Air on April 10, 2010. Both men are still on the air-Biondi at WLS 94.7 FM, and Herb Kent-"the cool gent", at WVAZ
WVAZ
WVAZ, known locally as "V-103", is an urban adult contemporary radio station that is licensed to Oak Park. WVAZ is owned by Clear Channel, alongside sister stations WGCI-FM and WGRB-AM. In 2005, WVAZ began broadcasting in IBOC digital radio, using the HD Radio system from iBiquity.- History :The...
.
Awards and recognition
In 1961, while at WLS, Dick received the Gavin Top 40 Disc Jockey of the Year Award; in 1966, when he was at KRLA, he was Billboard's most popular late evening DJ. In 1995, Biondi was honored in an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock 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,...
along with other legendary disc jockeys. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1998, with the message, "He's an okay guy.".
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proclaimed May 1, 2010 "Dick Biondi Day" in Illinois. The Chicago City Council also honored Biondi's longevity in Chicago radio by naming a street in his honor, "Dick Biondi Way". His ambition is to become the oldest active Rock and Roll disc jockey in the United States; says Biondi, "I'd like to die with my earphones on."
External links
- Dick Biondi's page on True Oldies 94.7's website
- Cruisin' 1960 at reelradio.com
- YouTube-Dick Biondi on WLS-1962 aircheck
- Video-Brother Rice Gold Key Alumni Dance March 28, 2009-Dick Biondi MC's this annual fundraiser for Brother Rice High School
- Robert Feder September 11, 2009-"Dick Biondi: the greatest oldie of all time"