05:17:11 pm on
Friday 06 Dec 2024

WNBC, c1980
Streeter Click

"Friday nights," says Dick Summer, "were nutty. WNBC needed an hour a week of educational talk to meet a condition of licence.

"I figured a quiz show is educational. [Management] bought the idea; well, sort of. Listeners loved it.

"'Mouth to Ear' had about double the numbers of any music hour," says Dick, "The PD thought I was ruining his format. Go figure. I was gone."

Guests on this episode of "Mouth to Ear," are comic, Pat Cooper, and Barbara Summer, who tries to help caller, Barry Manilow, answer a question.

"Barry Manilow," says Dick, "is yelling, 'Don't hang up, don't hang up,' when I take his call because he'd called the Friday before and the producer thought it was a put on [and hung up on him]."

The aircheck is from a late December or early January, c. 1978-1981. Dick Summer began his career at WROW, in Albany, New York, in 1956. His work at WISH, in Indianapolis, Indiana, WBZ, Boston; WNEW, WNBC and WYNY, all New York City, is legendary.

Click to Listen! to Dick Summer hosting "Mouth to Ear." Click to visit his website and check out his "Sleep Tight" podcasts. Buy his "Lovin' Touch" cds from mymusic.

And one more Dick Summer. This time on NBC Radio Monitor. Click to Listen! Versatile is just thing listeners call Dick.

Streeter Click is editor of GrubStreet.ca.

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