Joe Pyne (September 22, 1924 â€" March 23, 1970) was an American radio
and television talk show host, who pioneered the confrontational style
in which the host advocates a viewpoint and argues with guests and
audience members. He was an influence on other major talk show hosts
such as Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Wally George, Alan Burke, Chris
Matthews, Morton Downey, Jr., Bob Grant, and Michael Savage.Joseph
Pyne was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. His father, Edward Pyne, was a
bricklayer; his mother, Catherine, was a housewife. Pyne graduated
from Chester High School in 1942, and immediately enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps. He saw combat in the South Pacific, where
he earned three battle stars. In 1943, during a Japanese bombing
attack, he was wounded in the left knee; he earned a Purple Heart as a
result of his injuries. In 1955, he lost the lower part of that leg
due to a rare form of cancer.Discharged from the Marines at the end of
World War II, Pyne attended a local drama school to correct a speech
impediment. While studying there, he decided to try radio. He worked
briefly in Lumberton, North Carolina, before he was hired at a new
station, WPWA, in Brookhaven, Pennsylvania. However, he argued with
the owner and was fired. Next, he got a job at radio station WILM (AM)
in Wilmington, Delaware, the first of three times he would work at
that station. He moved to WVCH, a new station in Chester, which went
on the air in March 1948. Seeing little chance to advance his career
in Chester, Pyne left after a year and a half. He moved to Kenosha,
Wisconsin, where he was hired at WLIP, owned by local station owner
William Lipman (hence the call letters). After six months of hosting
innocuous programs such as Meet Your Neighbor from various grocery
stores, he quit during a confrontation with WLIP management in which
he threw Lipman's typewriter against a wall. Pyne worked at several
stations in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and began to change his style
of broadcasting.Pyne gradually tired of being a disc jockey who made
comments about politics and current events. He developed his on-air
persona as an opinionated host who knew something about everything. He
returned to WILM, where he debuted as a talk show host in 1950. He
would later tell reporters that he first experimented with two-way
talk during his time in Kenosha. His new show was unique. He named it
It's Your Nickel, a popular idiomatic phrase when a call from a pay
phone cost five cents. The format was Pyne expressing his opinions on
various topics. Listeners would call to ask questions, offer their own
opinions, or raise new topics. At first, Pyne didn't put callers on
the air; he paraphrased for the audience what they had said. Soon the
callers and his interaction with them became the heart of the show.
Pyne became famous for arguing with or insulting those with whom he
disagreed. One of his trademark insults was "Go gargle with razor
blades."
and television talk show host, who pioneered the confrontational style
in which the host advocates a viewpoint and argues with guests and
audience members. He was an influence on other major talk show hosts
such as Bill O'Reilly, Glenn Beck, Wally George, Alan Burke, Chris
Matthews, Morton Downey, Jr., Bob Grant, and Michael Savage.Joseph
Pyne was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. His father, Edward Pyne, was a
bricklayer; his mother, Catherine, was a housewife. Pyne graduated
from Chester High School in 1942, and immediately enlisted in the
United States Marine Corps. He saw combat in the South Pacific, where
he earned three battle stars. In 1943, during a Japanese bombing
attack, he was wounded in the left knee; he earned a Purple Heart as a
result of his injuries. In 1955, he lost the lower part of that leg
due to a rare form of cancer.Discharged from the Marines at the end of
World War II, Pyne attended a local drama school to correct a speech
impediment. While studying there, he decided to try radio. He worked
briefly in Lumberton, North Carolina, before he was hired at a new
station, WPWA, in Brookhaven, Pennsylvania. However, he argued with
the owner and was fired. Next, he got a job at radio station WILM (AM)
in Wilmington, Delaware, the first of three times he would work at
that station. He moved to WVCH, a new station in Chester, which went
on the air in March 1948. Seeing little chance to advance his career
in Chester, Pyne left after a year and a half. He moved to Kenosha,
Wisconsin, where he was hired at WLIP, owned by local station owner
William Lipman (hence the call letters). After six months of hosting
innocuous programs such as Meet Your Neighbor from various grocery
stores, he quit during a confrontation with WLIP management in which
he threw Lipman's typewriter against a wall. Pyne worked at several
stations in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and began to change his style
of broadcasting.Pyne gradually tired of being a disc jockey who made
comments about politics and current events. He developed his on-air
persona as an opinionated host who knew something about everything. He
returned to WILM, where he debuted as a talk show host in 1950. He
would later tell reporters that he first experimented with two-way
talk during his time in Kenosha. His new show was unique. He named it
It's Your Nickel, a popular idiomatic phrase when a call from a pay
phone cost five cents. The format was Pyne expressing his opinions on
various topics. Listeners would call to ask questions, offer their own
opinions, or raise new topics. At first, Pyne didn't put callers on
the air; he paraphrased for the audience what they had said. Soon the
callers and his interaction with them became the heart of the show.
Pyne became famous for arguing with or insulting those with whom he
disagreed. One of his trademark insults was "Go gargle with razor
blades."
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