The Mount Rushmore of Boston Radio

[Bill O'Neill]

I must say, I’ve been more than a little uncomfortable with the original remarks about the late David Brudnoy. I suppose not speaking ill of the dead went by the way of the handshake and the absence of social distancing. And the cart machine.

Brudnoy easily earns a place high up in the Boston top ten talker category. His respectful interplay with callers from all sides was consistent and fair and he worked the clock and sold the station very well, too.

If I had to build my Mt. Rushmore I would have to include WHDH’s Jess Cain, who drove Greater Boston to work for 35 years, starting in the days before (many if at all) cars had air conditioning or power anything. His humor, timing, class, and presence sustained so much change around him for decades. He got the big bucks for a reason.

I’d have to carve-out a spot for The Commander, Larry Glick, whose late night WBZ program was a very formative master class in entertaining talk radio.

I’d have to go for Loren Owens & Wally Brine in the third position for what was a consistent presence in the cars for so many for so long. Owens had the solid pipes, straight-man chops, humor, timing, and control; Wally was just plain funny and that imaging that defined the morning show.

Bill O’Neill


Ron <obrienron2@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 2, 2020 3:57 PM
To: 'Ben Levy'; 'Doug Drown'; 'Boston Radio Group'
Subject: RE: The Mount Rushmore of Boston Radio

>> Uh, Brudnoy doesn’t deserve any honors. Remember how that show shut down.

Ummm...with him dying?



-----Original Message-----
From: Boston-Radio-Interest <boston-radio-interest-bounces@lists.BostonRadio.org> On Behalf Of Ben Levy
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 9:43 AM
To: Doug Drown <ashboy1951@gmail.com>; Boston Radio Group <boston-radio-interest@lists.bostonradio.org>
Subject: RE: The Mount Rushmore of Boston Radio

Uh, Brudnoy doesn’t deserve any honors. Remember how that show shut down.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Doug Drown
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2020 2:47 AM
To: Boston Radio Group
Subject: The Mount Rushmore of Boston Radio

A coronavirus diversion with which to have a little reflective fun:
       One of the regular respondents to the New York Radio Message Board challenged his fellow respondents this past weekend to each come up with four nominees for a Mount Rushmore of New York Radio Personalities.  He laid down two requirements:  the nominees have to have been part of New York radio between 1960 and the present; each of the four has to represent a specific genre (DJ, newscaster, sportscaster, meteorologist, talk host, et al.), with no overlapping --- one can't be nominated to represent two categories.
       His main criterion is that persons nominated be *influential --- *not necessarily in terms of popularity or longevity of service (though those can be factors), but overall excellence such that they were, or are, "cutting edge" --- ground breakers whose presence on the air in some way significantly influenced the broadcasting industry and/or the wider culture of the city or region: people whose singular gifts will long be remembered.
       Let's give this a try with Boston radio personalities.  Participants may name a nominee and a runner-up in each category.
       I haven't lived in eastern Massachusetts in many years, but here's my list:
       DJ:  Arnie Ginsburg, Jess Cain
       News:  Gary LaPierre
       Sports:  Bob Lobel, Gil Santos
       Weather:  Don Kent
       Talk:  Jerry Williams, David Brudnoy

        Your turn.

        Doug Drown