Book Review: Pittsburgh’s Golden Age of Radio, by Ed Salamon

“I am glad to have the opportunity to write this book because it preserves history that is important to a lot of Pittsburghers,” says Ed Salamon, in the Introduction of his new book, Pittsburgh’s Golden Age of Radio, [$21.99, Arcadia Publishing; Available at local retailers, online bookstores or through Arcadia Publishing.com or (888) 313-2665]. The book will be released on March 8 as part of Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” series. 

This book is a must-have for anyone who remembers, or has an interest in the history of Pittsburgh radio. Ed Salamon has made the effort to write about stations and personalities ignored by other sources over the years. As is the case with the majority of the Images of America books, Pittsburgh’s Golden Age of Radio features over 200 vintage pictures, broken up in 3 chapters, showcasing behind-the-scenes stories never told outside of the industry. Many of the photographs are the property of the author, but also featured are pictures from the private collections of Jack Bogut, Carl Eckels, Terry Caywood, Bobby Vinton, Mike McGann, the late Ira Apple and more! I found photos of a young Frank Gottlieb and a young Clarke Ingram – neither one of whom have aged a bit!

When was the last time you thought about stations like WPEZ (94.5) or WAMP (1320)? When did you last hear of on-air personalities like Frank Tomasello or Buzz (Aston) and Bill (Hinds)? Did you know that WPGH was once an AM station at 1080 and “PGH” didn’t stand for Pittsburgh? Whether you lived it or whether you’re learning about it for the first time, you’ll be enthralled by Pittsburgh’s Golden Age of Radio.

Ed Salamon is no stranger to Pittsburgh radio. In 1970, the Pittsburgh native was hired by KDKA Radio to publicize the station’s 50th anniversary.  From there he had a successful career in radio including programming a New York radio station, partnering with Dick Clark in a radio network and serving as the president of programming for Westwood One. He also taught radio programming at two universities.

Salamon will be doing a book tour the week of the book’s release. On Friday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m. he will be at Borders at the Northway Mall in Pittsburgh’s North Hills. On Saturday, March 13 at 1:00 p.m. he’ll be at the Barnes & Noble at South Hills Village; and 4:30 p.m. at the Borders in East Liberty.