Radio

John Sabin – 2015

John Sabin’s girlfriend Elaine was so impressed with his voice that she pushed him to take elocution lessons and audition for a job in radio. Her persuasion paid off. He was hired at KFUO, where he worked for a short time before being hired as the news director of WTMV. John and Elaine married and she became his lifelong supporter.

His work covering the floods of the Mississippi River in 1947 cemented John’s reputation as an accomplished radio journalist, and that led to an offer to join the KMOX news staff in 1950. He continued working for the CBS O&O past his 65th birthday, having received special permission to violate the company’s mandatory age, thanks to a request from his co-workers and the station’s manager, Robert Hyland. When he retired in the late 1980s, John Sabin had been honored by the Associated Press nine years in a row for his contributions to broadcast journalism.

John was the first “non-print” person to be elected president of the St. Louis Writers’ Guild. His spare-time project of teaching broadcast production and journalism brought students into the newsroom as interns, where he mentored literally hundreds of potential broadcasters.

John Roedel – Legacy

John Roedel was one of the KSD folks who worked at the radio station when television came to St. Louis, which meant he was required to wear several hats in the Pulitzer broadcast operation.

Roedel came to St. Louis from WISH in Indianapolis in 1946. As he told it, his uncle in St. Louis had lunch at the Missouri Athletic Club and KSD’s general manager George Burbach mentioned he needed radio announcers. A call was made and John Roedel was on the next train to St. Louis. The relationship that ensued was a long one. John Roedel served as a staff announcer and newsman at KSD until 1975.

In his initial position as staff announcer, Roedel “did just about everything,” from disc jockeying to news to commercials, not to mention the station IDs between network shows.

When KSD-TV signed on in February 1947, staff announcers were also expected to perform similar chores in the television studio. Roedel was the voice of morning news on KSD for 25 years. In 1996 he was made a member of the NATAS Silver Circle.​

Dennis Clancy – 2016

Dennis Clancy developed an early interest in the blues thanks to his family’s collection of 78s from the great blues artists. Denny was there with his buddy Art Dwyer and a bunch of mutual friends, when the Soulard Blues Band was born. It was through Art that Dennis met up with John McHenry, who has co-hosted the Blursday show on KDHX with him from the beginning.

Bob Shea – Legacy

​Bob Shea (Schoeneberg) became a part of the St. Louis radio scene when he moved to the market in 1948, taking a job at WEW as a newsman. Two years later he moved across town to KXOK, where he stayed until his retirement in 1985.For about a year at KXOK, Shea was called Victor Fontana in an unsuccessful effort to give all on-air staffers memorable multi-syllabic names.

​Much of his time at KXOK was as the station’s news director, although he was on the air through his entire career there.

​For a couple years in the 1960s, he hosted a Sunday night call-in show called “Hotline,” in which Mr. Shea took the devil’s advocate position and disagreed with callers’ opinions. According to his family, he received several death threats because of the show.

​He was active in the St. Louis chapter of AFTRA and served as its president. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is known as the Nellie Booth Award, from the group.

Lou Thimes – Legacy

Lou Thimes’ strong college background in business and music served him well during his nearly 50 years in St. Louis radio. Known to all his listeners as “Fatha,” Thimes’ deep voice graced the airwaves of many stations and was synonymous with the rhythm & blues music scene.

His resume paints a picture of a man well-known for his musical knowledge and legion of loyal listeners: KATZ, KADI, KXLW, KKSS, KMJM, WESL and a specialty show on community radio KDHX. In the mid-1950s, Lou was the first African-American ring announcer at the local Kiel Auditorium boxing matches.

It is a tribute to Lou Fatha Thimes that local blues musicians held him in such high esteem that they performed concerts in his honor over the years. ​

Jim White – Legacy

Jim White held forth at KMOX as a fixture in the nighttime hours for 20 of his 30 years at the station, retiring in 1999.
Because KMOX enjoyed clear channel status with 50,000 watts of power, his show was often heard over much of North America.

White came to St. Louis from KDKA in Pittsburgh in 1969, and like many people at KMOX, he worked many different jobs and shifts. At one time, he was program director, news director and program host.

He made irascibility a mainstay of the overnight show, often cutting off callers in midstream if he considered them boring.

White even gave himself an on-air nickname, “The Big Bumper,” which he said was due to his size and airshift – a not-so-vague reference to things that go bump in the night.​