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By Sean C. Amore
Most people know who Larry King is. Snazzy suspenders,
booming voice, CNN personality extraordinaire – but a
lot of people don’t know that before he began pimping
OsCal he was just another late night radio personality.
But when King vacated his radio “perch” in 1993, he made
room for a guy who’s anything but “just another” late
night radio personality: Jim Bohannon.
Born and raised in Lebanon, Missouri, Bohannon started
his career in 1960 at KLWT-AM, his hometown station. He
attended Southwest Missouri State University and did a
stint in the US Army. Following his military service,
Bohannon moved to Washington, DC where he went to work
for the now-defunct WGAY-FM. Soon after, he moved to
news/talk formats with stays at WTOP-AM and WWRC-AM. In
1980, Bohannon returned to the Midwest and went to
Westwood One in Chicago in 1983.
Bohannon is a unique persona in talk radio – he fiercely
defends that he is NOT a conservative and he is NOT a
liberal. Although some would say, when push comes to
shove, Bohannon tends to lean more to the right, our
firm has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with
Jim’s show and many of our “liberal-leaning” clients
have found him to be welcoming and charming over the
years. According to the show’s website, “The Jim
Bohannon Show brings listeners a unique blend of
breaking news, interesting features and informative
reports on a spectrum of topics. Bohannon also talks to
special guests and his loyal callers live, offering
humor and compassion.”
Some of the many recent guests we’ve booked on Jim
Bohannon’s show include; Dana Reeve of the Christopher
Reeve Paralysis Foundation, David Harris of the American
Jewish Committee, Ret. Gen. Barry McCaffrey NBC’s
military affairs analyst and former Clinton Drug Czar,
representatives of the National Law Enforcement
Memorial, and former Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE) among
many others.
In addition to his nightly-three hour program, which is
heard on 350 stations nationwide, Bohannon also hosts
America in the Morning, a one-hour program in the early
morning with news updates and interview content from
Jim’s late night show and other Westwood One talkers and
America This Week, a weekly half hour recap of the
“water cooler” stories of the week as well as movie
reviews and Offbeat, a one-minute feature. All three
programs and Offbeat are nationally syndicated through
the Westwood One Radio Network.
He may not have the suspenders but he’s a classy guy, a
well-regarded host, and has a great radio show for
listeners and guests alike.
NOTE – Special thanks to the Westwood One Radio
website and the Radio Hall of Fame website for some of
the facts and information about Jim and his show. |
