Meet some of the most eccentric personalities in Cleveland radio history! These tales, mostly from the 1960s to 1990s, share on-air and off-air antics of radio hosts who performed in the nude, battled station owners (and sometimes brawled with each other), broke news stories, discovered new musical acts, and tried any stunt to draw listeners.

These 57 short stories are an entertaining introduction to the history of Cleveland, Ohio, for natives or newcomers. They highlight exceptional people and notable events from log cabin days to the mighty industrial era, and cover subjects from sports to fashion to crime. For any Clevelander who wants to know a little more about the old hometown.

More behind-the-screen stories from the golden age of local television! Let’s warm up the old family TV set, step through the screen, and see what was going on behind the scenes with some of our favorite Cleveland television personalities of the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. We’ll look back at the rise of glamorous news anchors (including more than one Miss America contestant) with perfect smiles, perky noses, and really big hair . . . Late-night horror-movie hosts battling to take over the legacy of the legendary Ghoulardi . . . The strange, sad saga of the former daytime host who shot himself after a bizarre sex scandal . . . A weatherman who was a lightning rod for coworkers’ endless practical jokes . . . The investigative reporters whose sting operations caught wrongdoers with their pants down—sometimes literally! . . . The gutsy reporter who interviewed Danny Greene hours before the mobster was blown up in his car . . . The Cleveland mayor who co-hosted a children’s show with a ventriloquist’s dummy . . . and many other true tales.

This volume captures the radio scene during the 1970s and 1980s, chronicling how a small FM rock station, WMMS, became the top-rated station in Northeast Ohio and made Cleveland one of the most important radio markets in the world. It includes interviews with radio legends.

Remember when TV was just three channels and the biggest celebrities in Cleveland were an outrageous movie host named Ghoulardi, a gentle elf named Barnaby, and a tough-as-nails newswoman named Dorothy Fuldheim? These pioneering entertainers invented television programming before our very eyes while we watched from our living rooms. Revisit the early days of local TV in these fun and fact-filled stories featuring . . . Paige Palmer, the fitness host who smoked four packs a day . . . Smooth-voiced Captain Penny, who reminded us, “You can’t fool mom” . . . Volatile talk show host Alan Douglas, who pushed guests’ hot buttons—sometimes until they punched back . . . Gene Carroll, longtime king of the amateur hour . . . Woodrow, the Woodsman . . . Romper Room’s Miss Barbara . . . Jungle Larry . . . and many other local favorites.

These stories go backstage at legendary Cleveland rock music venues of the 1950s to '90s--clubs like the Agora and the Phantasy; halls like Public Auditorium and the Cleveland Arena; bars like the Euclid Tavern and Leo's Casino; haunts like Swingo's; the cavernous Municipal Stadium--and more. Told by and about the people who worked and rocked there.

These 57 short stories are an entertaining introduction to the history of Cleveland, Ohio, for natives or newcomers. They highlight exceptional people and notable events from log cabin days to the mighty industrial era, and cover subjects from sports to fashion to crime. For any Clevelander who wants to know a little more about the old hometown.