Bruce Morrow | |
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Bruce Morrow in 2003
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Born |
Bruce Meyerowitz October 13, 1935 Brooklyn, New York |
Occupation | Disk jockey, radio announcer, actor |
Years active | 1959-present |
Spouse(s) | Jodie Morrow (d. Susan Stoloff) |
Bruce Morrow (born Bruce Meyerowitz on October 13, 1935) is an American radio personality known as Cousin Brucie.
Morrow's first stint in radio was in Bermuda at ZBM-AM, where he was known as "The Hammer".
Morrow began his stateside career at New York Top 40 station WINS in 1959. In 1960, he moved to Miami for a brief stint at WINZ before returning to the New York airwaves the following year on AM 770 powerhouse WABC, another Top 40 outlet. Morrow's return to New York City came just as rock and roll music was exploding across the baby boom demographic, and Morrow found himself on the most powerful radio station on the East Coast at the onset of the British Invasion. His main competition came from his previous station WINS, which featured "Murray the K," a DJ who claimed close association with the Beatles.
Morrow quickly became a success on WABC's teen-oriented evening shift in the 6:15 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. slot. Morrow became a commercial radio powerhouse and household name through his ability to maintain a rapport with his listeners while smoothly mixing the diverse musical genres of the time (Motown soul, pop, hard rock, surf music, novelty records), and then seamlessly segueing into commercials for youth-oriented sponsors like Thom McAn, local clothing outlets in the New York and New Jersey areas, and events such as concerts and drag-strip races.
Morrow remained at WABC for 13 years and 4,014 broadcasts until August 1974, when he jumped to rival station WNBC; after three years there, he left the airwaves to team with entrepreneur Robert F.X. Sillerman to become the owner of the Sillerman Morrow group of stations, which included WALL; WKGL, now WRRV, in Middletown, New York; WJJB, later WCZX, in Poughkeepsie, New York; WHMP in Northampton, Massachusetts; WOCB in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts; WRAN (now dark) New Jersey 1510 in Randolph, New Jersey; and television station WATL Atlanta. The group later purchased WPLR in New Haven, Connecticut.