Regis John Cordic (May 15, 1926 â€" April 16, 1999) was an American
radio personality and actor.His career in entertainment was divided
roughly in half. From 1948 to 1965, he was the dominant morning
drive-time radio host in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From the late 1950s
to the mid-1980s, he was a successful voice, television, and film
actor in Los Angeles, California.Cordic was born in the Hazelwood
neighborhood of Pittsburgh and attended Central Catholic High School.
He started in radio as a staff announcer and substitute sportscaster
at WWSW-AM. When morning host Davey Tyson left the station in 1948,
Cordic was one of a number of staffers given the opportunity to
replace him. At first a straightforward announcer, Cordic began
introducing comedy to his programâ€"first in subtle ways, such as
reading a sports score for "East Overshoe University" along with the
real scores, and later by adding a repertory company of supporting
comic characters. The morning show, renamed Cordic & Company, became
the most popular in Pittsburgh.In 1954, Cordic & Company moved to KDKA
(AM) on Labor Day, one of the first times that an American radio
station had hired a major personality directly from a local
competitor. Popular Bette Smiley had decided to retire from her
full-time KDKA wake-up show Radio Gift Shoppe of the Air and move to a
Sunday-only condensed version on WCAE in August 1954 in order to raise
her young son Robbie. Cordic's immediate predecessor in the morning
slot was the Ed and Rainbow show, featuring Ed Schaughency with Elmer
Waltman cast in the role of Rainbow, the janitor. Waltman was dropped,
and Schaughency was moved to the afternoon with a show called
Schaughency's Record Cabinet. Schaughency lasted less than two years
in that role before he was replaced by Art Pallan, who also came over
from WWSW. Schaughency took on a new role as a news reader and moved
back to mornings, delivering the newscasts during Cordic & Company.
The show's ratings continued to grow until, at some points, it had an
85 shareâ€"meaning that 85% of all radios in Pittsburgh were tuned to
Cordic & Company while it was on. By the end of his tenure in
Pittsburgh, Cordic was reportedly earning $100,000 a year, a huge sum
for a radio host at the time.
radio personality and actor.His career in entertainment was divided
roughly in half. From 1948 to 1965, he was the dominant morning
drive-time radio host in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From the late 1950s
to the mid-1980s, he was a successful voice, television, and film
actor in Los Angeles, California.Cordic was born in the Hazelwood
neighborhood of Pittsburgh and attended Central Catholic High School.
He started in radio as a staff announcer and substitute sportscaster
at WWSW-AM. When morning host Davey Tyson left the station in 1948,
Cordic was one of a number of staffers given the opportunity to
replace him. At first a straightforward announcer, Cordic began
introducing comedy to his programâ€"first in subtle ways, such as
reading a sports score for "East Overshoe University" along with the
real scores, and later by adding a repertory company of supporting
comic characters. The morning show, renamed Cordic & Company, became
the most popular in Pittsburgh.In 1954, Cordic & Company moved to KDKA
(AM) on Labor Day, one of the first times that an American radio
station had hired a major personality directly from a local
competitor. Popular Bette Smiley had decided to retire from her
full-time KDKA wake-up show Radio Gift Shoppe of the Air and move to a
Sunday-only condensed version on WCAE in August 1954 in order to raise
her young son Robbie. Cordic's immediate predecessor in the morning
slot was the Ed and Rainbow show, featuring Ed Schaughency with Elmer
Waltman cast in the role of Rainbow, the janitor. Waltman was dropped,
and Schaughency was moved to the afternoon with a show called
Schaughency's Record Cabinet. Schaughency lasted less than two years
in that role before he was replaced by Art Pallan, who also came over
from WWSW. Schaughency took on a new role as a news reader and moved
back to mornings, delivering the newscasts during Cordic & Company.
The show's ratings continued to grow until, at some points, it had an
85 shareâ€"meaning that 85% of all radios in Pittsburgh were tuned to
Cordic & Company while it was on. By the end of his tenure in
Pittsburgh, Cordic was reportedly earning $100,000 a year, a huge sum
for a radio host at the time.
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