Joe Finan
Encyclopedia
Joseph Albert Finan (July 6, 1927 - December 19, 2006) was an American
radio show host,
Finan was born in 1927 in Butler, Pennsylvania
. He served in the United States Navy
1944-45 and attended Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University
, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. He began his broadcasting career as a weatherman in early 1950s at KYW-TV (now WKYC-TV) and radio personality on KYW radio
in Cleveland, Ohio
. While at KYW-TV, Finan worked alongside sports anchors
Bob Neal
and Jim Graner
, and preceded weatherman Dick Goddard
.
While a top rated disc jockey at KYW, Finan was implicated in the 1960 payola
scandal that also named Alan Freed
and others. It led to Finan's departure from KYW and ended the career of Freed, who first coined the name Rock and Roll.
Finan was hired by KTLN-Denver owner Richard K. Wheeler and named program director of the top forty station. By 1963 Joe Finan pioneered a talk radio format and renamed the station K-Talk with the call letters KTLK. Finan, as a colorful and controversial talk show host was credited with the expose' of the Denver police department that became a major scandal and led to many changes inside that department.
Finan also served a radio commentator for Denver Broncos
football broadcasts during their first season in 1960, while at KTLN.
Joe Finan returned to work in Cleveland radio before becoming a top rated talk show
host on WNIR radio in Akron, Ohio
, in 1984, until is retirement on December 22, 2004. In February 2006, he came out of his retirement to work as a midday talk host for WARF
until October of that year.
Finan died at 79 years of age on December 19, 2006, in Cleveland of complications from surgery.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio show host,
Finan was born in 1927 in Butler, Pennsylvania
Butler, Pennsylvania
The city of Butler is the county seat of Butler County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, situated north of Pittsburgh. The population was 15,121 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. He served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
1944-45 and attended Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. He began his broadcasting career as a weatherman in early 1950s at KYW-TV (now WKYC-TV) and radio personality on KYW radio
KYW (AM)
KYW is a class A AM radio station on 1060 kHz licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW is owned by the CBS Radio unit of CBS Corporation, and has broadcasted an all-news format since 1965. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Center City Philadelphia, and it transmitters...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. While at KYW-TV, Finan worked alongside sports anchors
Sports commentator
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
Bob Neal
Bob Neal (Cleveland sportscaster)
Bob Neal was an American sportscaster who worked primarily in Cleveland, Ohio. He broadcast the Cleveland Indians on radio 1957–1961 and 1965–1972, and on television 1952–1953 and 1962–1964. He was also the original broadcaster for Cleveland Browns football games on radio and television starting...
and Jim Graner
Jim Graner
James R. "Jim" Graner was the weeknight sports anchor for Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC TV-3 beginning in 1957, and also the color commentator for the Cleveland Browns radio network — twice — most notably alongside Cleveland sportscaster Gib Shanley...
, and preceded weatherman Dick Goddard
Dick Goddard
Richard D. "Dick" Goddard is an American television meteorologist, author, cartoonist, and animal activist. For over four decades, he has served as the evening meteorologist at WJW , the Fox Broadcasting Company-affiliated television station in Cleveland, Ohio...
.
While a top rated disc jockey at KYW, Finan was implicated in the 1960 payola
Payola
Payola, in the American music industry, is the illegal practice of payment or other inducement by record companies for the broadcast of recordings on music radio, in which the song is presented as being part of the normal day's broadcast. Under U.S...
scandal that also named Alan Freed
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
and others. It led to Finan's departure from KYW and ended the career of Freed, who first coined the name Rock and Roll.
Finan was hired by KTLN-Denver owner Richard K. Wheeler and named program director of the top forty station. By 1963 Joe Finan pioneered a talk radio format and renamed the station K-Talk with the call letters KTLK. Finan, as a colorful and controversial talk show host was credited with the expose' of the Denver police department that became a major scandal and led to many changes inside that department.
Finan also served a radio commentator for Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
football broadcasts during their first season in 1960, while at KTLN.
Joe Finan returned to work in Cleveland radio before becoming a top rated talk show
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
host on WNIR radio in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
, in 1984, until is retirement on December 22, 2004. In February 2006, he came out of his retirement to work as a midday talk host for WARF
Warf
Warf or WARF may refer to:* WARF, a radio station in Akron, Ohio, USA* Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, technology transfer office of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA* Warf, an artificial dwelling hill...
until October of that year.
Finan died at 79 years of age on December 19, 2006, in Cleveland of complications from surgery.