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wrongdoing, nor was it proved that he played certain records because he had been paid to do so. Reporters covering the hearings were divided in their opinions of whether payola had occurred, or whether the hearings were much ado about nothing. As for
Ginsburg's role, some journalists seemed willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, referring to him as "scholarly" and "soft-spoken", and quoting his assertion that he was never influenced to play songs he did not personally believe in. But others were more skeptical, and accused him of being evasive and giving "excuses" for why record promoters had given him gifts.
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Richmond, served the station with a court injunction, enforcing a non-compete clause which stated that if
Ginsburg left WMEX, he could not work on air at any other station for 18 months. The case made its way through the courts and finally, Ginsburg was ordered off the air. But although he could not be heard on the airwaves for a while, he was able to stay in the business with WRKO, which moved him into sales. Ginsburg also sold all the time slots for WRKO-FM. Later, in 1970, he went on to become the general manager of
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major top-40 personalities from a number of cities. The "Cruisin' 1961" disc featured Arnie
Ginsburg. While the Cruisin' discs were re-enactments, they still gave listeners the opportunity to hear the way each of the major Top 40 DJs did their show; thus, the 1961 disc showcased how Arnie utilized his trademark sound effects, and also contained typical commercials, hit songs of that year, and Arnie's unique manner of chatting with the audience.
146:, and he used a train horn. In an era where Top 40 DJs were given non-descript and non-ethnic radio names, Ginsburg kept his birth name and did not change it. He also refused a salary from station owner Max Richmond, instead making a deal for a 25% cut of all the commercial revenue Ginsburg would generate for his show. This, he claimed, made him "the highest-paid jock on the station." According to
277:, producing and hosting a Saturday-night oldies show with all his familiar gimmicks: noisemakers, silly puns, and kidding with the newscasters and weathermen. In 1975, Ginsburg was hired by WMEX to do a similar, Saturday-night series of four-hour shows. Ginsburg also syndicated a customized weekly oldies show to New England radio stations. By 1979 he advanced to become partner of
289:, in 1985. The station not only featured hit music videos; it also featured local announcers talking about the music, and also talking about the music scene in greater Boston. As Ginsburg told a reporter, it was envisioned as "the equivalent of a radio station on television." The venture proved very costly, however, and the station was put up for sale in 1986.
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High School in 1944. His first radio job was at the old WORL/950, where he was an engineer for announcer Alan Dary. He did not intend to be an announcer; but at one point, he sat in on air with Dary and got a good response. Despite not having the traditional deep radio voice, Ginsburg developed an audience that wanted to hear more of him, and he moved to
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Ginsburg became known for his collection of bells, whistles, horns, and other sound effects, which he frequently used on the air during his show. He was often called "Woo-Woo" because of the train whistle he used on the air as part of that collection of sound effects. This particular sound went back
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While he developed a following during his time with WBOS, it was at WMEX that
Ginsburg's popularity as a disc jockey expanded and he remained Boston's top rated night time personality during his WMEX years from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s. He was unusual, and not just because of his high-pitched
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changed format to Top 40, the station's new management wanted to build the new radio station around a well-known local radio figure, and
Ginsburg was their first choice. However, the plans were interrupted. Ginsburg was on the air for less than a month when his former boss, WMEX owner Maxwell (Mac)
150:
magazine, by 1959, he was making an annual salary of $ 10,000, an amount higher than the median
American income at that time. Ginsburg frequently did on-air testimonials for his advertisers, and perhaps the best-known was his work for Adventure Car Hop, a drive-in fast-food restaurant on Route 1 in
116:
Arnold
William Ginsburg was born on August 5, 1926. He was raised in Brookline, Massachusetts, the son of Paul Ginsburg, who ran a millinery company, and Sophia (Charak) Ginsburg, who had been a singer prior to marriage. His family was of Russian Jewish descent. Arnie graduated from Brookline (MA)
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when he went to WMEX; he simply removed the portion of the chorus that said "1600 on your radio." The Night Train radio theme song and a re-creation of his Top 40–style could later be heard as part of the "Cruisin'" series. This was a series of albums (later issued as compact discs) that showcased
215:
It was common practice in the Top 40 era for disc jockeys to do their show six days (or nights) a week. Ginsburg, however, was heard all seven nights. This was accomplished through audiotape: He recorded one of his weekly night shows for playback on
Saturday night, and also recorded a new show for
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in early 1960. Several of the announcers, Ginsburg among them, acknowledged receiving monetary "gifts" from record promoters over the past several years. In
Ginsburg's case, he told the committee that the gifts totaled $ 4,400 over a three-year period. But Ginsburg was never implicated in any
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Throughout his Top 40 career, Ginsburg was regarded as a credible voice for reaching the teen audience. It was said of him that airplay on his show could make a record a hit. Record companies which asked him to do commercials often saw increased sales. This was the case for such records as
162:" It had been a hit in England, but when released in the United States for the first time in 1959, it was not successful. Then, in 1961, Ginsburg received a copy from a listener and began to play it, and after several days of heavy airplay, the song took off and became a hit in America.
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radio market from the mid-1950s to the 1970s. Following this period, he became involved in the business side of radio as a business manager, president and owner of WVJV-TV, and later as an executive with
Pyramid Broadcasting and program manager of their Boston station WXKS/1430.
212:. Cannon subsequently recorded a promotional song for Ginsburg, "Arnie Ginsburg, the guy with the swinging show." Ginsburg was also known for his record hops, dances that were held at local venues; he often hosted them at the Surf Ballroom in Nantasket Beach.
308:(about 75 miles north of Boston). He had spent summers there in his younger years, and had developed a hometown affinity for this artists' colony and resort on the coast of southern Maine. Ogunquit residents came to recognize Ginsburg when he rode his
292:
In his later years, Arnie Ginsburg was an occasional guest on Boston radio, such as on WBZ 1030 AM's "Steve Leveille Program", which aired weeknights from midnight to 5:00 AM. In 2008, he was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
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magazine. As was the custom in Top 40 radio, record companies would bring up-and-coming singers to do guest appearances, which further helped sales. Among the local stars Ginsburg promoted were
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Saugus, which promoted the "Ginsburger." According to the car-hop's owners, Ginsburg's radio commercials brought as many as two thousand teenagers to his restaurant on a typical summer night.
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Sunday playback during the week. This practice was highly unusual at the time and only became more prevalent in the radio business in the 1980s, when radio networks began to do the same.
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voice; he jokingly referred to himself as "Old Leather Lungs" or "Old Aching Adenoids", but he was best known as "Woo Woo" Ginsburg, for his use of sound effects: his show was called the
125:. It was at WBOS, a station that programmed foreign language shows during the daytime, that he developed his own on-air Top 40 show; this prepared him for his move to a full-time Boston
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show; his theme song contained the lyrics "Gather 'round, everybody; 'cause you're about to hear/the show that's gonna make you/smile from ear to ear/It's Arnie Ginsburg, on the
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266:. This proved a very controversial move, as the staff was opposed to the idea of a former Top 40 personality serving as the manager of an album rock station—at that time,
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Ginsburg was also known for his ability to create hits by giving them radio exposure on his show. One good example was a novelty song sung by British vocalist
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show, at 16-hundred ... on your radio." It was recorded by a local group called the 3Ds. He continued to use the theme song and call his show the
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into town during the warmer months, and in time he became a fixture in the community. Prior to his death, Ginsburg lived in a small house near
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281:"Kiss 108," and managed WXKS-AM when it changed format to "Music of Your Life." He also became co-owner, along with Boston radio personality
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198:" by Bobby (Boris) Pickett. Ginsburg also reported his weekly "picks" (songs he believed would become hits) to trade publications such as
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While Arnie Ginsburg is best known from his days at WMEX, he also spent some time at other stations in Boston. In early 1967, when
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By 1972, Ginsburg was working on the AM side again, as the General Manager of WWEL. In 1973 he joined Boston's largest station,
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A reference to Arnie Ginsburg is contained in the song "Fender Stratocaster" by Jonathan Richman (on his 1989
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Ginsburg's spouse and longtime companion was Carlos A. Vega, a professor of Spanish at Wellesley College.
205:
245:). Richman includes Ginsburg in the litany of lyrical references to what the trademark guitar was "like":
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834:"Arnie 'Woo Woo' Ginsburg, DJ whose sound effects echoed through radios early rock era, dies at 93"
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Jennifer Bingham Hull. "Their Music is Back, So Older Listeners Play the Radio Again."
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Tony Chamberlain. "Shades of the Adventure Car Hop and the Days of Woo Woo Ginsburg."
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to his early days as a disc jockey—beginning at WBOS, when he named his program the
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scandal, Ginsburg was among a number of high-profile Boston disc jockeys (including
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Ren Grevatt. "Epic Credits Air Spots in Key Cities for Extra Vinton Sales."
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177:, and Joe Smith) called upon to testify before a congressional hearing in
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Thomas Popson."'Cruisin' 1956-62' is a Knocked-Out Nifty of the Past."
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For Arnie Ginsburg, the singer and songwriter in Jan & Arnie, see
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316:, a picturesque area visited by many tourists throughout the year.
658:"Do You Remember When? – The Cruisin' Music Series – Cruisin' 196"
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247: "Like Woo Woo Ginsberg at the juke box joint/
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Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)
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249: You hear the sound and you get the point."
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album rock prided itself on being the antithesis of AM Top 40.
816:"Arnie Ginsburg – Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame"
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Marianne Means and Bob Davidson. "DJ Woo Woo Got $ 4400."
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423:
421:
859:"NorthEast Radio Watch 6/22/2020: Woo-Woo is Still Alive"
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Donna Lee Halper. "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?"
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As Ginsburg reached retirement age, he migrated north to
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Marianne Means and Bob Davidson. "Woo Woo Got $ 4400."
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William M. Blair. "Station in Boston Received Payola."
394:
392:
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Radio disc jockey, business manager, program manager
788:Bart Ziegler. "Video Show Puts Radio to the Test."
398:Jeff McLaughlin. "Tuned In: Voices from the Past."
82:
63:
37:
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875:Arnie Ginsburg ― Original WRKO Jock ― March, 1967
749:Bruce McCabe. "There's A Change in the Music."
442:Pete Johnson. "Liner Notes for Cruisin' 1961."
342:"New Competitor to MTV, Local Radio Stations?"
801:Ed Siegel. "Boston's Ch. 66 Put Up for Sale."
8:
700:Pete Johnson. "Liner Notes for Cruisin' 1961
323:in mid-June, Ginsburg died on June 26 from
95:(August 5, 1926 – June 26, 2020), known as
764:"Radio Broadcasting History, Radio People"
27:
943:American people of Russian-Jewish descent
429:"Disk Jockey Says Dealers Gave $ 4,400."
740:. New York: Vintage Books, 1997. p. 206.
552:"Deejay Took Payola from Record Firms."
827:
825:
335:
790:Centre (State College, PA) Daily Times
630:Sara Davidson. "The Sound of Music."
371:Sara Davidson. "The Sound of Music."
7:
918:People from Brookline, Massachusetts
766:. 440 International. Archived from
121:1600 AM in 1956 to be a night-time
604:"Monsters Mash All Over the Hub."
14:
958:21st-century American LGBT people
832:Marquard, Bryan (June 27, 2020).
21:Jan Berry § Jan & Arnie
928:Radio personalities from Boston
487:, February 22, 1960, pp. 2, 18.
1:
321:erroneous report of his death
908:American radio personalities
710:"Woo Woo, No 'Whoa Whoa', "
582:, February 15, 1960, p. 166.
297:Personal life and retirement
287:video music channel, WVJV-TV
923:People from Ogunquit, Maine
634:, June 19, 1966, pp. 10–11.
415:, February 27, 1956, p. 39.
375:, June 19, 1966, pp. 10-11.
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953:21st-century American Jews
913:American LGBT broadcasters
881:November 21, 2015, at the
647:, February 16, 1960, p. 2.
556:, February 16, 1960, p. 1.
458:, February 16, 1960, p. 2.
433:, February 16, 1960, p. 1.
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608:, October 6, 1962, p. 50.
569:, February 16, 1960, p.1.
554:Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate
543:, August 28, 1961, p. 14.
753:, April 21, 1975, p. 33.
595:, August 25, 1962, p. 5.
498:"The DJ and the Car Hop"
97:Arnie "Woo-Woo" Ginsburg
56:Brookline, Massachusetts
898:American businesspeople
805:, June 26, 1986, p. 35.
792:, April 4, 1986, p. C8.
738:The Mansion on the Hill
578:"He Who Throws Stone."
471:, July 1981, pp. 25–37.
413:Boston Evening American
362:, April 13, 1982, p. 1.
346:, April 7, 1986, p. G9.
93:Arnold William Ginsburg
42:Arnold William Ginsburg
16:American DJ (1926–2020)
727:, May 13, 1967, p. 30.
621:, July 7, 1962, p. 8.
483:"WMEX Pay-for Play."
690:, August 1970, p. E3
411:"Today's Programs."
285:, of V-66, Boston's
770:on January 21, 2007
645:Boston Daily Record
456:Boston Daily Record
402:, October 30, 1980.
360:Wall Street Journal
325:Alzheimer's disease
206:The Rockin' Ramrods
903:American radio DJs
723:"Woo Woo Barred."
539:"Lonnie Donegan."
99:, was an American
344:Los Angeles Times
220:Trademark persona
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861:. June 23, 2020.
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69:(2020-06-26)
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938:2020 deaths
933:1926 births
774:January 13,
672:January 12,
512:January 12,
469:City Limits
235:Night Train
231:Night Train
227:Night Train
175:Bob Clayton
165:During the
144:Night Train
123:disc jockey
112:Early years
101:disc jockey
892:Categories
331:References
48:1926-08-05
877:wrko.org
725:Billboard
619:Billboard
606:Billboard
593:Billboard
541:Billboard
485:Billboard
319:After an
201:Billboard
148:Billboard
879:Archived
869:Pictures
843:June 28,
279:WXKS-FM
103:in the
167:Payola
127:Top 40
105:Boston
77:, U.S.
58:, U.S.
310:moped
194:and "
190:" by
845:2020
776:2007
674:2022
514:2022
264:WBCN
259:WRKO
208:and
131:WMEX
119:WBOS
64:Died
38:Born
275:WBZ
158:, "
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268:FM
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