Bernard Gilbert "Ben" Hoberman (July 21, 1922 – May 3, 2014) was an American radio executive credited with pioneering the all-talk format by launching it at

KABC (AM) KABC (790 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, and serving the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a talk radio format. The studios are located in the Los Angele ...

in Los Angeles, California in 1960.

Biography

Hoberman was born to a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family in

Chisholm, Minnesota Chisholm is a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,976 at the 2010 census. The city has been called "The Heart of the Iron Range" due to its location in the middle of the Mesabi Iron Range. History The city ...

. His first job in radio was as an announcer at a station in

Hibbing, Minnesota Hibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,214 at the 2020 census. The city was built on mining the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range and still relies on that industrial activity today. At th ...

when he was 18. In 1942, he enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and was assigned to the

Armed Forces Network The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the U.S. military provides to those stationed or assigned overseas. Headquartered at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, AFN's broadcast operations, which in ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

. After the war, he worked as general manager at several stations in the Midweast, including a stint as station manager of WDET-FM in Detroit, a public service station owned by the

United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) ...

, before becoming general manager of WABC radio in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. In 1960, he took over as general manager of KABC radio in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and originated the all-talk format. The format was highly successful and would spread throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in the 1970s. In 1979, Hoberman left KABC to become president of ABC Radio in New York. He supervised six satellite networks, twelve AM and FM stations, and syndicated programs, such as

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice No ...

's '' American Top 40''. He later joined former ABC president Elton Rule and others in an unsuccessful attempt to gather enough money for a takeover of the ABC Radio division. In 2003, he was named to the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.

Death

Hoberman died of lung cancer in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

on May 3, 2014, aged 91,Obituary
nytimes.com; May 9, 2014; accessed May 9, 2014. and was survived by his sons, producer

David Hoberman David Elliot Hoberman (born September 19, 1952) is an American film and television producer, best known as the co-creator and executive producer of the USA Network television series ''Monk'', and the founder and co-owner of Mandeville Films. He h ...

and entertainment lawyer Tom Hoberman, as well as a daughter and five grandchildren. His wife of 65 years, Jacklyn (née Kanter), died in April 2013.

References

1922 births 2014 deaths People from Chisholm, Minnesota People from Los Angeles American business executives 20th-century American Jews Deaths from lung cancer in California Businesspeople from Minnesota 20th-century American businesspeople United States Army personnel of World War II 21st-century American Jews {{US-business-bio-1920s-stub