Scott Muni is being remembered for his contributions to New York radio, his distinctive voice and his work in the development of free-form music formats on FM. He died this week at age 74. He had suffered a stroke earlier this year, according to Reuters and the Hollywood Reporter.
Muni was born in Wichita, Kan., and raised in New Orleans. He was a Marine in the Pacific working on Radio Guam, then replaced Alan Freed at WAKR(AM) in Ohio. He worked at top 40 WMCA(AM) in the late 1950s; crossed to WABC, where he covered the Beatles; worked at WOR(FM); and then went to WNEW(FM), where he worked for many years and made his most notable mark.
“There, he was among the on-air personalities who helped give birth to the progressive rock radio format,” Reuters reported.
He worked on the air and as a programmer; he also became known for syndicated shows like “Scott Muni’s World of Rock” and “Ticket to Ride,” about the Beatles; he did voiceover work for Rolaids and ABC’s “Monday Night Football.” His last on-air job was at classic rock station WAXQ(FM).
Sirius Satellite Radio said it would honor Muni with an all-day special on Friday (Oct. 1).
Scott Muni Remembered
Scott Muni Remembered