In 1970, Don Imus went to work at WGAR in Cleveland, before hitting it big in New York City at WNBC. Imus had bounced through a few smaller markets in California, before getting the call to come to Cleveland. It was at WGAR, Imus created some of his comic characters, like Judge Hangin’, Brother Soul, & the Right Rev. Dr. Billy Sol Hargis. Like Moses in the Promised Land, Imus found milk and honey in Cleveland radio practically overnight, leading WGAR from ninth in the market to No. 1 in only three months! I’m not sure if the presentation was the best fit for Imus, but it seemed to work. If you’ve never heard pre-New York Imus, it is an interesting listen, in Don’s final 6 months, before heading to WNNNNNNNNBC!
Since 1979, Ellis has been on the radio, mostly hosting morning radio shows across the country, from Philly to Salt Lake City, Tampa to Seattle, and for the last 25 years, has been waking Orlando & Daytona Beach.
