William (Rosko) Mercer
Encyclopedia
William Roscoe Mercer better known to millions of radio listeners simply as Rosko, was an American news announcer
and disc jockey
. He is best known for his stints on New York's WOR-FM and WNEW-FM in the 1960s. Rosko and other DJs of the time pioneered alternative-format FM radio, in response to the restrictive playlist programming of Top 40 AM stations.
Mercer died of cancer on August 1, 2000.
Announcer
An announcer is a presenter who makes "announcements" in an audio medium or a physical location.-Television and other media:Some announcers work in television production , radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in...
and 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...
. He is best known for his stints on New York's WOR-FM and WNEW-FM in the 1960s. Rosko and other DJs of the time pioneered alternative-format FM radio, in response to the restrictive playlist programming of Top 40 AM stations.
Mercer died of cancer on August 1, 2000.
External links
- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E4D9123CF935A3575BC0A9669C8B63 Rosko's Obituary in The New York Times