When you think of the phrase “larger than life radio personality”, one Jack Armstrong is the first name that comes to mind for many who have heard him.
A number of radio trade sites report today that Armstrong died over the weekend in his North Carolina home.
In Cleveland, the man born John C. Larsh took the air name Jackson Armstrong, and “Your LEEEEEEADER” blazed his trail on the old WIXY/1260 and then-WKYC/1100 (now Radio Disney’s WWMK and Clear Channel talk WTAM, respectively).
He gained fame, fortune and followers in many large markets, from Boston to Toronto to Los Angeles.
In recent years, Jack had been holding down morning drive at an FM oldies outlet in his home market of Greensboro, and his voice made it into Northeast Ohio at night on one of his old radio homes – 50,000 watt then-oldies blowtorch WWKB/1520 Buffalo – a show voicetracked out of North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad that sounded every bit “live and local”.
It was on this non-live show that your Primary Editorial Voice(tm) first heard “Big Jack”, as we were far too young to appreciate him when he was on the air here in Cleveland.
Thus, we only know second hand that he apparently was forced to give up the “Jackson Armstrong” air name when he landed on “Radio 11” – the name, from what we were told, was “owned” by WIXY. He then adopted the “Big Jack” air name for WKYC.
Much more at our friend and colleague Scott Fybush’s NorthEast Radio Watch…
Speak Your Mind