Obituary
Detroit Radio Jazz Personality Rosetta Hines Passes
Detroit radio personality Rosetta Hines-Loving, best known for her work at the former WJZZ-FM (now WDMK-FM) passed away February 14 at the age of 82. Hines was known in the Motor City as the first lady of jazz. “Her career was her life, she just loved music,” said her son Mir Loving in a Detroit…
Read MoreFrank Beckmann: 1949-2022
This past weekend, the MAB was saddened to learn the passing of longtime WJR personality Frank Beckmann at age 72. According to his wife Karen, Beckmann died Saturday night (2/12) of vascular dementia. He reportedly had been in hospice care for several days. He began his career at WJR as a reporter in 1973, launched…
Read MoreFormer Marquette Broadcaster Lou Chappell Dies at 85
Former WLUC-TV (Marquette) General Manager and radio station owner Lou Chappell passed away Monday, February 14th at his home in Marquette. Chappell worked at WDMJ-TV and WLUC-TV from 1956 through 1973. He was first hired when the station was launched. He eventually became general manager. The Dollar Bay native’s obituary says he spent some of…
Read MoreFormer Michigan Radio Broadcaster Keith Curry Passes
AllAccess reports that veteran programmer and personality Keith R. Edwards (Curry) has died. As of press time, no details on the cause of his death have been made public. Curry spent quite a few years of his career in Michigan, working at Cumulus’ WKFR-FM (Kalamazoo) and WDRQ-FM (Detroit). He also spent time at iHeartMedia’s WSNX-FM…
Read MoreWisconsin Broadcast Engineer Terry Baun Dies at 74
Wisconsin-based engineer Terry Baun, an award-winning engineer who worked in both commercial and public broadcasting and was deeply involved with the Society of Broadcast Engineers including two terms as its president died January 1 at age 74. He had vascular dementia and had suffered a series of strokes over four years, according to his wife…
Read MoreFormer WILX-TV Chief Engineer Mike Winsky Passes
The MAB was saddened to hear over the holiday break that longtime Lansing broadcast engineer Mike Winsky passed away on December 26 at age 66. Winsky was known for years as Chief Engineer of WILX-TV (Lansing); and prior to that served in the same capacity at WLAJ-TV (Lansing), a station he helped build with the…
Read MoreWEMU’s Lisa Barry Passes
The MAB is saddened to announce the passing of WEMU-FM (Ypsilanti) All Things Considered local host Lisa Barry. Barry died this past Tuesday night (11/30) due to complications from a heart condition. A graduate of Olivet College, she got her start as a morning newscast sidekick on Lansing’s WVIC-FM. Barry later joined the morning show…
Read MoreLegendary Former CKLW Music Director Dies
A woman credited with launching the music careers of many rock bands as the music director for CKLW-AM (Windsor-Detroit) (aka The Big 8) has passed away. Rosalie Trombley, a pioneer in Canadian radio died peacefully Tuesday (11/23) at the age of 82, according to reports from the station. Trombley started her career as a switchboard…
Read MoreDetroit Rock Radio Personality John O’Leary Dead at 67
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the MAB learned of the tragic death of Detroit radio personality John O’Leary. O’Leary, who was 67, had been missing for nearly a week. Friends told the Detroit Free Press that he wasn’t returning phone calls and was missing meetings about upcoming projects all while his Facebook page went dormant. O’Leary…
Read MoreFormer WMLM Owner Passes
WMLM-AM (Alma) founder and former owner Gregory William Siefker passed away at age 76 on November 10. Siefker, a resident of nearby St. Louis, moved to Gratiot County in 1977 and fullfilled his dream to start his own radio. On December 15, 1977, he signed on WMLM-AM 1520 AM, “The Big M,” and operated the…
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