Ed Salamon
[4][6][9] Salamon began his radio career in 1970 as assistant promotions manager and director of market research for KDKA in Pittsburgh.
[1][10] His techniques led to his being hired, in 1973, for his first job as program director, at country-formatted WEEP, a Pittsburgh daytime-only AM station, which was virtually at the bottom of the local radio ratings.
[7][8] Using the techniques he refined in Pittsburgh, the format “mixed timely artists like George Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Dolly Parton with the timeless Hank Williams.
Also in the mix were contemporary country rockers, like The Eagles, crossover popsters like John Denver, and odd weepy novelties and off-center artists that New York just had to love, like Kinky Friedman.
"[13] While at WHN, Salamon partnered with Jim Halsey to bring an Oak Ridge Boys concert to Carnegie Hall.
Country artists heard on WABC at the time included Kenny Rogers, Crystal Gayle, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Eddie Rabbitt.
[17] Salamon was named National Program Director of the Radio Division of WHN’s parent company, Storer Broadcasting in 1978, supervising programming for its stations in Miami, Chicago, and in Los Angeles, where he served as acting general manager for KTNQ (10Q), hiring high profile air personalities including Charlie Tuna and Jack Armstrong.
[20] In 1980, he also received the Billboard award for National Syndicated Program of the Year for “The Johnny Cash Silver Anniversary Special”, which he produced for Mutual.
[20][21] In 1981, Salamon formed The United Stations Radio Network with Dick Clark and other former Mutual executives, where he created programming, which was carried at one time or another by nearly every County station in America, including “The Weekly Country Music Countdown” and “Dick Clark’s Rock, Roll and Remember”, both of which were still on the air 25 years later.
[4][5][7] In 2007, Salamon joined more than two dozen other radio and music industry luminaries as members of the Nominating Committee of the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
