Charlie Stanley – 2005
Stanley’s first radio job was at KXOK, and his general manager told him he’d never make it in radio. He worked at KATZ before going to a sales job at WEW. He moved up to sales manager and bought the station in 1964, selling it 28 years later.
Under Stanley’s ownership, WEW gained a following as a middle-of-the-road music station. He bought a 1945 Mack fire engine, painted the call letters on the side, and showed up at just about every parade in the region.
Charlie Stanley often described himself as a hustler and he admitted there were many times over the years when he was on the verge of losing the station when debts piled up.
He was affectionately dubbed the “trade-out king” by his colleagues in the radio sales business who marveled at his abilities to get accounts on the air.