Bud Ballou
Encyclopedia
Bud Ballou was an American disc jockey
and radio personality active for fifteen years on several commercial radio stations during the 1960s and 1970s.
He was born as Dudley Ballou, and raised in Liverpool, New York
, a suburb of Syracuse
. His father was Leslie G. Ballou, and he had a brother, James.
After a stint as an electronics technician at Western Electric in Syracuse, Ballou began his radio career as disc jockey at WOLF
in 1962. With Ballou's help WOLF enjoyed a majority share of Syracuse radio listeners in 1963 and 1964. In 1964 he moved to WNDR radio. He also hosted a black-and-white
television version of "The Bud Ballou Show" on WNYS-TV, channel 9, originating from the station's Shoppingtown studios in DeWitt, which premiered on February 8, 1965.
Ballou left the Syracuse area for KBTR in Denver, Colorado
in 1966, and in 1967 he moved to WKBW
in Buffalo, New York
to replace Joey Reynolds
. As an April Fool's Day stunt in 1967, Ballou hosted one shift on WPOP, trading places with another DJ for that day only.
Ballou moved to the Boston
area in 1968 appearing on WMEX until 1971 and then moving to WVBF in Framingham until 1976. During this period he was an avid hockey fan who sometimes watched games even while broadcasting.
Ballou died April 15, 1977 at age 34 of a massive stroke at Leonard Morse Hospital in South Natick
. He is buried in Fulton, New York
. He was married to the former Kasia Rondomanski of Fulton and had four children.
Confusingly, a different ex-WOLF disc jockey from the Syracuse area named Howie Castle used "Bud Ballou" as his professional name while working for Radio Caroline
in Europe in late-1967 and early-1968. As of 2002, Castle was the news anchor at KOGO in San Diego.
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and radio personality active for fifteen years on several commercial radio stations during the 1960s and 1970s.
He was born as Dudley Ballou, and raised in Liverpool, New York
Liverpool, New York
Liverpool is a village located in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 2,505 at the 2000 census. The name was adopted from the city of Liverpool in the United Kingdom...
, a suburb of Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. His father was Leslie G. Ballou, and he had a brother, James.
After a stint as an electronics technician at Western Electric in Syracuse, Ballou began his radio career as disc jockey at WOLF
WOLF (AM)
WOLF and WWLF are the Radio Disney simulcasts for Syracuse, New York and the nearby Finger Lakes area. The outlet broadcasts at 1 kilowatt on 1490 kHz and 1340 kHz . The stations are 51% owned by Craig Fox, who also owns several other radio and low-power TV stations in New York...
in 1962. With Ballou's help WOLF enjoyed a majority share of Syracuse radio listeners in 1963 and 1964. In 1964 he moved to WNDR radio. He also hosted a black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
television version of "The Bud Ballou Show" on WNYS-TV, channel 9, originating from the station's Shoppingtown studios in DeWitt, which premiered on February 8, 1965.
Ballou left the Syracuse area for KBTR in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
in 1966, and in 1967 he moved to WKBW
WWKB
WWKB is an AM radio station in Buffalo, New York that operates on a frequency of 1520 kHz. It is owned and operated by Entercom Communications. The station carries a progressive talk radio format. Declaring itself as A New Voice, A New Choice, The Voice of the New Majority; WWKB carries a number...
in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
to replace Joey Reynolds
Joey Reynolds
Joey Reynolds is the pseudonym of Joey Pinto, host of the U.S. radio program The Joey Reynolds Show via the WOR Radio Network. Reynolds' broadcasting career started on TV- in Buffalo at WGR TV 2...
. As an April Fool's Day stunt in 1967, Ballou hosted one shift on WPOP, trading places with another DJ for that day only.
Ballou moved to the Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
area in 1968 appearing on WMEX until 1971 and then moving to WVBF in Framingham until 1976. During this period he was an avid hockey fan who sometimes watched games even while broadcasting.
Ballou died April 15, 1977 at age 34 of a massive stroke at Leonard Morse Hospital in South Natick
Natick, Massachusetts
Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
. He is buried in Fulton, New York
Fulton, Oswego County, New York
Fulton is a small city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 11,855 at the 2000 census. The city is named after Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat.The city of Fulton is located in the western part of the county....
. He was married to the former Kasia Rondomanski of Fulton and had four children.
Confusingly, a different ex-WOLF disc jockey from the Syracuse area named Howie Castle used "Bud Ballou" as his professional name while working for Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline is an English radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly...
in Europe in late-1967 and early-1968. As of 2002, Castle was the news anchor at KOGO in San Diego.