Rock Radio Scrapbook

FROM THE ARCHIVES...

Talent: DICK BIONDI
Station: WKBW Buffalo, N.Y.
Date: June 24, 1959
Time: 3:23

Longevity and deejay are two words not often seen in the same sentence. But Dick "The Screamer" Biondi has defied the odds by being on the air for parts of six decades.

How long has Biondi been around? Well, he REPLACED George "Hound Dog" Lorenz at WKBW in 1958. Since then, literally thousands of deejays have come and gone but Biondi remains, a monument to the rock radio era, as a five-night-a-week host at WZZN-FM Chicago.

It hasn't exactly been a stable career. By his count, Biondi was fired 21 times over a 32-year period. A self-admitted rebel who wasn't afraid to defy management, Biondi got the axe in places as diverse as Buffalo, Chicago, Los Angeles and York, Pa. But he bounced back every time and has gone on to become one of rock radio's most popular and recognizable deejays.

Biondi puts it all into perspective in the book "The Pied Pipers of Rock 'N' Roll" by Wes Smith. Says Biondi "I just wish that everyone could have a tenth of what I have. I've got enough memories to keep me happy for as long as I live. No matter how you stack it, I'm a lucky guy."

In 1959, Biondi was at WKBW in the 6 p.m. to midnight shift. Rock Radio Scrapbook presents Dick Biondi here.

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