‘Ladies & Gentlemen, Dr. Kid Leo’
• Lawrence James Travagliante — better known to several generations of Clevelanders by his on-air moniker “Kid Leo” thanks to his lengthy tenure at the legendary WMMS back in the day, currently serves as GM and afternoon personality on SiriusXM’s Little Steven’s Underground Garage. Next month, Leo will add another, more formal title to his handle: “Doctor.” Leo’s alma mater, Cleveland State University will confer upon him the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa during CSU’s Fall Commencement exercises on Dec. 18. He will also address graduates during the ceremony.
The big announcement of Leo’s impending honor was made last week by CSU President Laura J. Bloombergon the school’s student-run radio station, 89.3 WCSB during its annual Radiothon fund drive. Leo originally enrolled at CSU for the fall quarter of 1968 with the intention of studying engineering, but later changed his focus to business and finally, (and thankfully for our industry), to communication.
Leo left CSU prior to graduating and joined Cleveland’s WMMS (100.7 The Buzzard), initially as a fill-in disc jockey, and ended up staying for 16 years, during which time WMMS was consistently regarded as one of the highest-rated radio stations in the country.
While at WMMS, Leo (pictured here with Heart’s Nancy & Ann Wilson) became involved in the campaign to bring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland. For his efforts, Senator George Voinovich (former Cleveland Mayor and Governor of Ohio) presented him with the key to the city in 1990. In 1988 Leo left WMMS and spent the next 14 years working as an A&R executive at Columbia Records. He later launched his own consultancy, LJT Entertainment, and has been involved with SiriusXM since 2004. [Photos courtesy of Janet Macoska and the CSU Michael Schwartz Library]
