"Big" Ron O'Brien (real name: Richard Walls; October 24, 1951 – April 27, 2008) was a
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...
who worked at many top radio stations during his lifetime.
O'Brien grew up in Des Moines, IA, and worked at KBAB in Indianola and KYNA in Des Moines. He started in 1969 at KUDL (now
KMBZ-FM
KMBZ-FM (98.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Kansas City, Kansas. Owned by Audacy, Inc., KMBZ-FM airs a news/talk radio format. Its studios and offices are located on Squibb Road in Mission, Kansas.
KMBZ-FM broadcasts at 98, ...
) in Kansas City. During the ensuing years, he worked for many stations, including KTLK in Denver,
WCAR
WCAR (1090 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Livonia, Michigan, and serving the Metro Detroit media market, radio market. It airs a Spanish language format as a simulcast of WSDS in Salem Township ...
in Detroit,
WQXI in Atlanta, WCFL (now
WMVP
WMVP (1000 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, carrying a sports format. Owned by Good Karma Brands, the station serves the Chicago metro area as the market affiliate of ESPN Radio, the flagship station of the Chica ...
) in Chicago,
WOKY
WOKY (920 AM, "The Big 920") is a commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia and broadcasts a sports format affiliated with Fox Sports Radio. Its studios and offices, which became the ...
in Milwaukee,
WFIL
WFIL (560 AM) is a radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, with a Christian radio format consisting of teaching and talk programs. Owned by Salem Media Group, studios and transmitter facilities are shared with co-owned WNTP ...
in Philadelphia,
KFI
KFI (640 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. It began operations in 1922 and became one of the first high-powered, clear-channel station, clear-channel List of ...
and
KIIS in Los Angeles, KWK (now
WARH
WARH (106.5 Hertz, MHz "106.5 The Arch") is a commercial FM broadcasting, FM radio station city of license, licensed to Granite City, Illinois and serving Greater St. Louis including sections of Illinois and Missouri. WARH is owned by Hubbard Br ...
) in St. Louis (where he stayed for nine years),
KZDG
KZDG (1550 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to serve San Francisco, San Francisco, California, and services the San Francisco Bay Area. Owned by Factorial Broadcasting LLC, the station broadcasts a ...
in Denver, WYXR (which became WLCE during his tenure and is now
WRFF
WRFF (104.5 FM broadcasting, FM, "ALT 104.5") is a commercial radio, commercial FM broadcasting, FM radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, and broadcasts an alternative rock radio format. The studios are ...
) in Philadelphia, WNBC (now
WFAN
WFAN (660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York, carrying a sports radio format known as "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM" or "The Fan". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the New York metropolitan area while ...
) and WXLO (now
WEPN-FM
WEPN-FM (98.7 Hertz, MHz) branded as ''ESPN New York'', is an sports radio, all-sports radio station city of license, licensed to New York City. The station is owned by Emmis Communications and its operations are controlled by Good Karma Br ...
) in New York,
WPGC in Washington, D.C., and
WRKO
WRKO (680 AM) is a commercial news/talk
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly ho ...
in Boston.
WOGL
WOGL (98.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts a classic hits radio format. The broadcast tower used by the station is located in the Roxborough se ...
, also in Philadelphia, was his employer for the final six years of his life, and he had recently signed a two-year contract extension.
Big Ron had been the host of the syndicated radio program "On the Radio" from 1985 until 1992.
O'Brien also enjoyed singing. He recorded cover versions of "Everybody Knows Matilda" (Duke Baxter) and "Take Some Time Out" (Thomas Kemp and Robert Gordy), both of which were released on 45.
In addition to music and radio, Big Ron loved trolley cars and baseball.
O'Brien died of complications from pneumonia after a two-month illness.
WOGL's Ron O'Brien dies after bout with pneumonia , Philadelphia Daily News , 28 April 2008
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References
External links
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1951 births
2008 deaths
American radio DJs
Deaths from pneumonia in Pennsylvania
20th-century American musicians
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