Halls of Fame

Gil Newsome – Legacy

​Gil Newsome was the teenage heart throb of St. Louis during his stint at KWK in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

​He gained a national reputation as a disc jockey for the station, gaining his popularity with his teenage audience in numerous personal appearances at sock hops and teen dances, and he had a regular television show in St. Louis in 1953. Variety magazine named him the nation’s most popular disc jockey.

​He was elevated to KWK’s program director’s position in 1958 after deejaying there for 13 years. A year later he was appointed manager of the station. By 1961, he had moved to KSD as a disc jockey.

​Prior to coming to St. Louis, Gil Newsome was an announcer on big band shows on NBC and CBS. His stints included the “Chesterfield Supper Club” and “Coca Cola Spotlight Bands.”

Harry Eidelman – Legacy

​Harry Eidelman was truly a radio pioneer on the St. Louis FM scene. He put KCFM on the air in 1953, and working over the ensuing years with engineer Ed Bench, he built several transmitters as well as his own multiplexing unit for stereo broadcasts.

KCFM was initially a classical music station staffed by volunteers, but no one wanted to advertise on FM in the early 50s, so Eidelman used profit from his hi-fi shop to continue the station’s operation.

The format gradually evolved into easy listening with a paid staff. He tells the story of a broadcast technology that had not fully evolved and commercial transmitters that would heat up and arc constantly. A fire knocked the station off the air for a week in 1960, but perseverance and dedication prevailed.

Staffers say working at KCFM was like being part of a family, and Eidelman has fond memories of loyal staffers and listeners who went out of their way to ensure the station’s success.

Bob Osborne – Legacy

Bob Osborne worked in St. Louis radio as a pop music disc jockey at WIL and jack-of-all-trades at KMOX and KMOX-FM.

Valued for his knowledge of the music business, Osborne, or “Ozzie” to his friends, was on WIL from 1960 to 1968, and as the station’s program director, he was responsible for switching the station’s format from rock to middle-of-the-road.

KMOX General Manager Robert Hyland hired him away in 1968. Osborne worked at the local CBS outlets until his death in 1988. At various times, he served as program director at KMOX and KMOX-FM, general manager of KMOX-FM, disc jockey on KMOX-FM, music director at KMOX, and program host on KMOX. ​

Ron Elz – Legacy

Ron Elz had radio in his blood, which accounts for his longevity in the business.

His first on-air gig was in 1954 on WTMV. He was 15 years old, and he brokered his time, selling the ads and doing the announcing work. After high school graduation he bounced around, landing the evening slot at the Storz St. Louis property, KXOK, where he took the air name “Johnny Rabbitt.”

He went to WIL in 1965 and later to WRTH.

He managed KSHE when the station switched to its progressive rock format, for which it became nationally known, and also consulted KADI when it changed from jazz to rock. In his position at WRTH, Elz is the morning drive host and also serves as operations manager.

Elz was honored as a recipient the AIR Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. ​

Harry Fender – Legacy

​Harry Fender’s radio work in St. Louis was at KXOK, for a brief period, and KMOX for over 20 years. The former star of the Ziegfeld Follies also was remembered for his “Captain 11” character on a children’s television program in the 1960s.

He began his radio career as a news commentator, later taking a stint as a talk personality on KXOK, and he moved to KMOX in 1954, where he was host of a program that aired live from the Chase Hotel six nights a week.

The program ran until 1975, and it became an automatic stop for any celebrities who were visiting the St. Louis area.

Fender used his earlier show business experience as a basis for his interviews with entertainers, many of whom had known or worked with him. In addition, in the early 50s, Fender was often called on to host “Saturday At the Chase,” a live big band program that was fed to the CBS network.

After his retirement from the daily radio grind he was frequently a guest on the Jack Carney Show.

Joe Garagiola – Legacy

​Joe Garagiola began his broadcast career in St. Louis after a nine year run as a major league baseball catcher.

​A native of The Hill neighborhood in St. Louis, Garagiola signed on to do color for Cardinals’ radio broadcasts.

​He said he had prepared for the job by practicing play-by-play announcing and accepting every speaking request he got. “I went to more meetings in Protestant churches and Jewish temples than any Catholic in history.”

​His five years on the air on KMOX and doing Cardinals’ booth work began in the 1955 season. He also handled reports from Spring Training in Florida, but NBC made an offer he couldn’t refuse and he was doing the network’s Game of the Week in 1961. He spent over 40 years in various capacities at NBC in radio and television.
​Joe Garagiola is a broadcast member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.