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This webpage is a collection of Alan Freed clippings and images from various newspapers for the time period 1940 to 1949.
LISTEN TO ALAN FREED RADIO SHOWS FROM WJW (Cleveland) AND WINS (New York City).
PART TWO (1950 - 1954) HISTORY. ALAN FREED HISTORY MAIN PAGE.
SALEM NEWS, July 22, 1940: ENROLLED AT O.S.U.
Alan F. Freed, of this city, has been enrolled as a freshman at Ohio State University, Columbus, for the fall term. He is a graduate of Salem High School.
SALEM NEWS, January 11, 1943: ALAN FREED TAKES POST WITH PHILADELPHIA RADIO STATION
Alan Freed, who has been continuity director and chief announcer of radio station WKST in New Castle, Pa., has resigned to accept a position at station WIBG in Philadelphia.The Philadelphia station is one of the largest independent radio stations in the world and has just moved into new studios in downtown Philadelphia. The studios feature a new expedient in radio broadcasting, that of a show-window studio through which passersby can witness news broadcasts and celebrity interviews.
While at WKST, Freed was a regularly featured newscaster, which specialty he will follow in Philadelphia. Besides writing continuity and being war program manager for the Office of War Information, Freed was heard in many original musical and dramatic programs. During the month of December, he sold $46,750 worth of War Bonds on a daily bond-selling program.
Freed's brother, Charles, now in the armed forces, was formerly musical director at WIBG....
(NOTE: There is some question whether Freed actually worked at WIBG. See the next two blurbs also.)
ADDED 6/5/20 BROADCASTING MAGAZINE, February 1, 1943:
ALAN FREED, formerly of WKST, New Castle, Pa., has joined the announcing staff of WIBG, Philadelphia, replacing Fred Wieting, who reports to the Navy for officer's training.
ADDED 6/5/20 BROADCASTING MAGAZINE, February 22, 1943:
ALAN FREED, formerly of WKST, New Castle, Pa., who joined the announcing staff of WIBG, Philadelphia, earlier this month, leaves this week to join the Armed Forces.
SALEM NEWS, January 12, 1944: UNDERGOES OPERATION
Alan F. Freed, Youngstown radio announcer, is recovering at his home on the Georgetown Road following a nasal operation performed on Monday. Freed, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Freed, Sr., N. Lundy Ave., expects to return to the air early February.
SALEM NEWS, January 16, 1946: FREED SINGS AND FANS WRITE
"Request Review" Emcee Stars With Bobby-Soxers
Meeting place for Akron teen-agers isn't a canteen or the corner drug store. It's a radio program called "Request Review" which airs nightly at 11:15 over WAKR under the capable emceeing of Alan Freed.Young Freed has injected something new into his disc show and the bobby-soxers eat it up. They send requests dedicated to their latest flame or secret love. Many a high school co-ed is breathlessly wondering who had "My Love" played in her name, requested anonymously by "a secret admirer".
When Alan was assigned the late-hour program after his arrival in Akron last June, it seemed a pretty routine job, until one night he donned earphones to listen to a recording of "Tampico" and spontaneously broke into song along with the orchestra and vocalist. Fan mail immediately increased. Listeners asked for more and Alan has been giving it to them ever since.
(NOTE: Singing along with the records carried over when Freed switched to rhythm and blues on WJW and WINS.)Strickly an ad-lib worker, Freed has made "My Father's Mustache" a local by-word. Side remarks deal with such characters as "Little Dale" and "Danny Boy" with "The Londonderry Hair" thrown in for puns-sake. Many a Hollywood star would envy Alan his fan mail, which averages about 500 letters and postcards a day plus telegrams and special delivery epistles.
"Anything can happen on a request program", Freed says, and usually does. The receptionist at WAKR can attest to the number of phone calls that arrive during the course of one broadcast. One such caused them both to smile. A well-meaning mother was having trouble getting her baby to sleep, so she called WAKR to have Alan sing a lullaby. Result! Freed did, but the baby didn't.
A highly organized group of Alan Freed Fan Clubs have sprung up in local high schools. But Alan doesn't mind being the idol of the bobby-soxers, for as he puts it "I'm one of them myself". And he is that, having just reached the ripe old age of 23.
Freed's radio idol is his big brother, Charles, who is director of serious music on the Columbia network. A strange radio coincidence is that the two brothers compete for Akron listeners between 11:30 and midnight on Wednesdays, with Alan spinning swing records on WAKR and Charles directing the more serious "Invitation to Music" program over WADC.
A native of Salem, Freed served with the army during the war. In addition to "Request Review", he handles the "Jukebox Serenade" afternoon show, along with regular announcing chores.
AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, April 2, 1946:
Radio Listing—11:15 - WAKR, Alan Freed plays records for listeners on "Request Review"....
AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, June 4, 1946:
Alan Freed celebrated his first anniversary on "Request Review" over WAKR on Saturday evening....
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, June 9, 1946:
"Popping the cork". This is the commercial with which Alan Freed identifies his program on Saturdays. Only 25, he is the only disc-jockey broadcasting today with a studio audience.
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, June 9, 1946 [The Above Article Continued]:
Alan Freed believes by keeping the high school students interested in his new show he's helping to combat juvenile delinquency. "It gives them a place to go" he says.
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, June 9, 1946 [The Above Article Continued]:
It was Alan Freed's first anniversary on "Request Review". The cast feted him with a one-candle power cake. They are, from the left, "Little Dale" Hinton, program stenographer; Freed; "Danny Boy" Silverman, the engineer; and Dean Glass, producer.
AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, July 27, 1946:
In above picture (L-R) Miss Pepper, Mr. Freed, Miss Amer —
Alan Freed, WAKR staff announcer, discovered that a man's tie, bowed or otherwise, must have that certain touch for a luncheon date with Miss Nancy Pepper, authority on teen-age styles, and Miss Jane Amer, "Younger Set" columnist in the Beacon Journal. Fortunately, Alan had a choice of two ties to offer his companions...a green and a white polka dot and one of the half yellow, half brown variety with musical notes in between.Miss Pepper arrived in Akron Thursday evening to give comments in a preview showing of fall fashions for high school girls. With Miss Amer, she compared notes on obtaining the latest news of teen-agers. From Alan Freed, Miss Pepper obtained many tips on what high school students considered tops in records, the proper chatter for platter shows, and many other bits which will be included in her teen-age column.
ABOVE LEFT: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, September 11, 1946.
ABOVE RIGHT: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, August 23, 1947.
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, March 28, 1947:
Further honors were heaped on Cuyahoga Falls high cagers yesterday when the Tigers received the WAKR trophy, awarded annually to the district team which advances the furthest in tournament play. Alan Freed, right, makes the presentation to Bill Watson, Falls coach, left, and Capt. Carl Fuerst. The award was made first in the WAKR studios and later at Falls Theater.
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, September 28, 1947: HAIRCUT STYLES
Alan Freed, popular disc jockey, admires the "business men's" hair cut given him by Russ Ellinger. Russ owns the First National shop.
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, December 29, 1947:
Staff members of radio station WAKR took time off last night to enjoy their annual Christmas-week dinner and dance at the Mayflower Hotel....Alan Freed, left, danced with Mrs. Freed to the music he has helped make popular via his disc jockey show.. Also enjoying the music were, Doris Phelps and Robert Hollister, center, and Ted Johnson and Mrs. Johnson, right.
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, February 9, 1948.
AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, March 15, 1948:
Alan Freed's "Request Review" copped the initial spot in the "Favorite Local Show" category....
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, May 9, 1948:
Mayor Charles E. Slusser, extreme left, greeted "Miss Cinderella" before the party. Also on hand were Miss Offineer, second from left, and Alan Freed, holding the microphone, who emceed the show. (NOTE: Miss Cinderella's name is Mrs. Thomas Porosky. She won the WAKR contest by correctly naming the "mystery princess", who was Bea Offineer. The full page article never does give Mrs. Porosky's first name.)
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, May 9, 1948 [Miss Cinderella Article Continued]:
Mrs. Porosky rewards Alan Freed with a kiss as (Ted) Johnson and Bee (Offineer) watch. She met the "mystery princess" for the first time on Monday after guessing her identity. (NOTE: Looks like Miss Offineer is waiting in line and all puckered.)
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, May 9, 1948 [Miss Cinderella Article Continued]:
Alan Freed watches, Gene Trace, at mike, interviews Bee Offineer and Mrs. Porosky, as the two went on the air to explain the clues of the contest.
AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, June 30, 1948: WHITEMAN OFF, FREED ON AGAIN
"The King" has been replaced by "The Knucklehead". Just a year ago Alan Freed's Request Matinee was canceled on WAKR in favor of the network Paul Whiteman disc jockey show. The howl from Freed's teen-age following almost shook the First National tower.The youngsters wanted their records introduced in the "hep" Freed manner. They didn't want them sandwiched between long reminiscences about the early days of the band business—days they were too young to know anything about. Their elders may have enjoyed the nostalgic flavor injected into his program by the slightly windy King of Jazz. But they were outvoted by the youngsters and by the Whiteman sponsers.
Despite the conscientious job he did of plugging their products—he covered each one thoroughly, in turn, until there almost wasn't any time to play the records—Whiteman's four sponsers dropped the show at the end of last week.
The ABC network offered several replacement shows in lieu of Whiteman. But in Akron the replacement was obvious. Freed's Request Matinee went back on the air Monday, much to the delight of the younger generation.
Keeping busy will be no problem to Freed. The addition of Request Matinee is a full hour show. Request Review runs 45 minutes. Freed also does Juke-Box Serenade, running 25 minutes daily, and Music For Dinner, 25 minutes.
That's on weekdays. On Saturdays, Request Matinee runs three hours, from 2 to 5 p.m. and Music For Dinner runs two hours and 15 minutes, from 11:15 to 1:30. The total is five hours, 15 minutes. In addition, there will be the time spent choosing records and planning the shows. Unlike some disc jockeys, Freed selects all his records himself.
AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, January 8, 1949: SOMETHING FOR SUNDAY
Here are a few items for Sunday listening: Alan Freed extends his "Sunday Band Stand" from 2 to 4:30 on WAKR....
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, March 16, 1949:
WAKR listeners have started sending telegrams to Alan Freed to register their requests on "Request Review". Messenger boys were beating a steady path to the studios whenever Alan was on the air. To faclitate matters, and save the boy's feet, the station installed a teletype machine in the studios. Now Mary Thompson delivers the wires to Alan while he's on the air.
AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, November 13, 1949: 'ROUND RADIO
WAKR is revamping its Sunday afternoon programming again today. "The Sunday Bandstand" is being cut to make room for an hour of mystery shows....Alan Freed comes back with "Akron's Top Tunes" at 4:30....
ABOVE: AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, December 25, 1949:
Announcer Alan Freed led carol singing at Akron U-William and Mary basketball game during halftime as collections were made by students.
Last Updated: 6/5/20 Original Start Date: 5/23/20
E-mail: PART TWO (1950 - 1954) HISTORY.
