A classic voice has been silenced. Jerry Williams who was the last of the classic old-time talk radio hosts has died at 79. He wasn’t a shock-jock and didn’t descend into prurient interests to gin up ratings. Jerry did what he did best and that was to hold conversations with callers, conversations that were interesting enough to listen to on the radio.
I remember as a kid, anytime I’d be out driving with my dad somewhere he’d had talk radio on and it would usually be Gene Burns or Jerry Williams or one of their crowd. They would talk local and state politics or sports or what was on the top of the news. In a way, I think that was my first introduction to news and current events and politics. Thanks Dad and thanks Jerry Williams. Rest in peace, Jerry.
Ah well, I didn’t remember that. It must have been after I had stopped listening to him. I went through a period of time between listening to the radio with my dad and returning to talk radio in adulthood that I didn’t hear Boston talk radio at all.
My tribute to Jerry Williams—the dean of talk radio—was to drive up and down Storrow Drive today sans seat belt. (While listening to Howie Carr, who devoted his whole show to classic Williams clips today…the one with the Dean beating up John Kerry particularly cracked me up.)
Colleen, I think maybe you’re thinking of Barbara Anderson from the I Hate Taxes group. Didn’t she, Williams, and Carr do a weekly thing called “The Governor’s Council” aimed at exposing ridiculous Massachusetts expenditures and pork?
Kelly