Jim Kerr Marks 50 Years + 1 Day
• As promised, Jim Kerr‘s monumental half-century on New York radio celebration got off to a strong start yesterday, March 18, on iHeartMedia Classic Rock WAXQ (Q104.3)/New York — it was 50 years to the day — March 18, 1974 — when a 21-year-old Kerr first cracked the mic in mornings on WPLJ/New York. New York Mayor Eric Adams joined Jim live in-studio bearing a special proclamation celebrating the official 50th anniversary, and Fox 5’s Good Day New York did a live shot with Kerr from the studio, a segment that was captured for posterity (below) by “Radio’s Best Friend,” Art Vuolo.
And in a nod to broadcast television’s enduring love and respect for “local radio stations,” please note that at one point mid-live shot, Fox 5’s on-screen Chyron helpfully reads: “Jim Kerr was the youngest radio host at WPLG,” narrowly missing the “J” of WPLJ by two letters to the right on the keyboard.
This morning — a huge collection of fellow radio legends from all eras of Jim Kerr’s career will check in, including Scott Shannon, Elvis Duran, Ryan Seacrest, Broadway Bill Lee, Bobby Bones, Dave Stewart, Pat St. John, Jimmy Fink, Sid Rosenberg, Eddie Trunk, and the casts of The Breakfast Club and The Woody Show.
And, at 8am sharp, as we previously reported, none other than Howard Stern will join Jim for a live conversation to be simulcast on Q104.3 and SiriusXM. Be there.
This Friday, March 22, Kerr wraps up his anniversary week with a live broadcast from atop the Empire State Building from 5-10am with a special performance from Gavin Rossdale of BUSH, and conversations with Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and New York Jets’ linebacker C.J. Mosley. [Special thanks to Art Vuolo, who will be in New York for Friday’s activities and promises to send photos!]
