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.”