Chuck Dunaway

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From Wikipedia

In the early sixites Dunaway was took over the programming duties at KBOX (AM) in Dallas but soon after, the station's number one competitor KLIF-AM, enticed the talented drive time DJ to switch teams and go to work for the legendary Gordon McLendon at KLIF-AM doing afternoon drive. In 1964, McLendon transferred Dunaway to Houston for the afternoon drive shift at KILT-AM

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Listen to Chuck Dunaway
on KILT - Houston - July 1966

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From Bill Young in "Dead Air"

In his recent book, "Dead Air", Bill Young describes Chuck Dunaway this way: "Chucky Wucky - as one of his singing jingles called him was arguably the most exciting radio disc jockey in America. He has been recognized multiple times by Radio Halls of Fame in Texas, Ohio, The Radio/TV Hall of Fame, listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the Media, Who's Who in the South & Southwest, included in the official publication of Radio's 75th Anniversary, and there is even more…"
Young goes on to describe some of Dunaway's tours of duty and then reveals his own encounter with Chuck, KILT's Music Director, when Young became KILT's Program Director.

From Wikipedia

Following KILT, Dunaway joined WKYC, NBC owned and operated power house in Cleveland, Ohio, for afternoon drive. In early 1969, when NBC decided to flip the “top 40” rocker to a softer music format, Dunaway bolted to WKYC's number one rival, WIXY, Cleveland, where he served as both Program Director and afternoon drive personality, After a few brief stops in Austin at KHFI and KLBJ, Dunaway landed his first job as a radio station manager.
Read More about Chuck Dunaway in Wikipedia
About Chuck's tour at WABC, New York
Courtesy http://www.musicradio77.com/WABCDJ.html

Chuck came to WABC (at the age of 24) from WKY, Oklahoma City. As one of the original "Swingin' Seven from Seventy Seven", Chuck originally handled the 7:15 to 10PM time slot. Unhappy with the long play list that Mike Joseph was using to program the station in 1961, Chuck turned in his notice to leave.

Here's Chuck's recent video about
vaulting to WABC, New York

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While searching for Chuck's replacement, the station switched his and Scott Muni's time slot and Chuck did the 10 to Midnight shift during his last two months on the station. When Chuck left in August of 1961 he went back to WKY in Oklahoma City. Later he worked at KLIF in Dallas and also in Houston. From 1967 to 1974, Chuck was program director for WIXY Cleveland and its sister station WIXZ in Pittsburgh. In 1974 he returned to Houston where he helped put KILT-FM on the air. This was followed by program director jobs at KHFI and KLBJ in Austin. Following Austin, Chuck was General Manager and his wife was Office Manager at stations in Corpus Christi, TX, Lexington, KY and Columbia, SC. In 1994, Chuck and his wife along with her father and cousin bought a radio station in Joplin, MO. Over the next two years they bought three more stations in Joplin and they became the top four rated stations in the market under Chuck's leadership. Chuck sold the stations in 1997 and after staying with the new owners for a one year transition period, he retired to Houston, TX.
(Thanks to Richard Warrick and MusicRadio77.com for this info on Chuck!)
In 1998, after selling his Missouri radio stations, KIXQ, KJMK-FM, KXDG and KSYN, Chuck retired from active broadcast management, ownership and programming. 
A forty-year veteran of the broadcasting industry, Chuck was born in Porum, Oklahoma.  He graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in Houston and immediately went to work at KBST in Big Spring, Texas. 
His career includes positions at KXYZ, KXOL, WRIT, KNUZ, WKY, WABC, KBOX, KLIF, KILT, WIXY, KAFM, KLBJ AM-FM and KHFI.    From 1977 until 1979 he was co-owner of Radio Music Report.  
He and his partners acquired radio stations in Joplin, Missouri that they built into the fifth highest rated (Shares) cluster of Radio stations in the United States before selling them to Zimmer Radio. 
Chuck is the recipient of many awards and is listed in several national "Who's Who" publications.  South Carolina's governor chose Chuck to serve as a South Carolina Athletic Commissioner.  Chuck is the father of four children (son John passed away in 1996). 
His three daughters have presented him with six grand children and one great grand child.  He married Kendall Alizon in 1982 when the two met while Chuck was lecturing on broadcasting at the University of Texas in Austin.  They reside in Houston and travel extensively.
Chuck was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in October 2002 and serves as a member of the founding board of directors of the organization.
More details about Chuck Dunaway's Life and Career
 
Charles Ray Dunaway (December 1, 1934-present) is a retired radio personality and owner best known for his work at radio stations in Texas, Ohio, Oklahoma and New York City.
 
Dunaway did afternoon drive at KILT: Houston, KLIF: Dallas, WKY: Oklahoma City, WABC: New York City, and WIXY: Cleveland. He finished his career as Owner/Operator of six FM and two AM radio stations in Joplin, Missouri. He is retired in his hometown of Houston, Texas where he lives with his Wife Kendall Dunaway who was his partner in the operation of several radio stations.
 
BIOGRAPHY
 
The Early years
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While growing up in Houston Dunaway’s interest was peaked while listening to pop music station KNUZ. His inspiration in those days was local DJ Paul Berlin. His first “on air” experience came while a senior at Stephen F. Austin High School where he did an English speaking DJ show on Saturday mornings with the Morales sisters at KLVL in Houston. It was the only English speaking hour on the all Spanish radio station owned by the Morales family. After graduating high school in 1952 he secured his first real radio job at KBST in Big Spring, Texas at the hourly rate of 65 cents.
 
In 1953 he secured a job at KPRC in Houston as an announcer. His dream job was to be a Disc jockey so he left to pursue that career. After brief stints in Galveston and Freeport, Texas he returned to Houston at KNUZ where he stayed for two years before leaving to work at doing afternoon drive on WKY in Oklahoma City. In Oklahoma City he received TV experience and was featured as a character on Foreman Scotty’s Circle 4 Ranch. It was atop rated kiddies program on WKY’s channel 4. Dunaway was offered and accepted a DJ position at WABC in New York due to extremely high Ratings at WKY. His 72.9 share of audience was the reason WABC took notice of Dunaway in Oklahoma City and after a trip to the market by Mike Joseph to listen to Dunaway the New York job was offered. Chuck was disillusioned with the broad play list at WABC and was the second to resign and leave to return to Texas after only 16 months in the big city. Dunaway returned to WKY for a brief stint until offered a Program Directing job at KBOX in Dallas. Soon KBOX competitor KLIF offered Dunaway the opportunity to work for the legendary Gordon McLendon at KLIF doing Afternoon drive. Dunaway was transferred to Houston to work at McLendon’s KILT and remained in afternoon drive positions the rest of his on air radio career which lasted which encompassed 35 years. Following KILT Dunaway went to Cleveland to work for NBC owned and operated WKYC doing afternoon drive. When NBC decided to change formats from “top 40” Dunaway crossed the street again to work for WIXY in Cleveland where he became program director and remained most of the rest of his on air career with the exception of a stop in Austin at KHFI and KLBJ before obtaining his first position as manager. For the sake of condensing the resume some call letters were omitted.
 
POST ON AIR
 
In 1982 Dunaway married his third wife, Kendall, who became his partner in rebuilding failing radio stations for a percentage of the appreciated value. This process is termed a “Turnaround” and the Dunaways performed five successful turnarounds and saved enough share of profits earned to become owners themselves. Chuck was in charge of Sales and programming and Kendall was in charge of traffic, billing and the office staff. It was very hands on. With other investors the first property purchased was a Class C FM with a 5,000 watt AM. The company was named Big Mac.  After only three years enough success was achieved to buy two main competitors and Big Mac owned a cluster of six radio stations in the Joplin, Missouri market. When consolidation became the norm the Dunaway’s cashed in and returned to Houston in retirement.
 
RECOGNITIONS
 
Chuck Dunaway has been featured in virtually all radio trade publications during his 45 year radio career. He is included in several college textbooks related to radio and radio programming. Dunaway is listed in the International Biographies published by the international Biographical Center in Cambridge, England as well as several editions of Marquis Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the South and Who’s Who in the Southwest. In addition Chuck is featured in the official publication of radio’s 75th Anniversary where he is given credit, along with Kent Burkhart, for the first printed and distributed top forty play list in radio. Dunaway is also featured in many books about radio including Rock N’ Roll and the Cleveland connection which is sold at the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame.
 
 
 
AWARDS
 
Chuck Dunaway was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame (2003 and 2004) once for DJ work and once for programming. The Radio/Television Hall of fame in Ohio (2004)