He hosted Dining Around with Gene Burns, a food wine and travel program, which aired Saturdays on NewsTalk 810 AM in San Francisco.

In addition to San Francisco, he also hosted radio programs in Baltimore, Boston, New York City, Orlando and Philadelphia.

[5][6] Following high school graduation, he attended Rutgers University before becoming involved in the local politics of Hornell, serving as chairman of a young citizens' committee.

[8] Following a brief stint with WEEI in Boston, Burns served as a talk show host as well as program director at WKIS in Orlando, Florida, beginning in 1971.

[8][11] In 1993, Burns moved to New York City and began hosting a nationally syndicated talk program from the studios of WOR.

[7][8][10] Talkers magazine ranked Burns #24 on its list of The 25 Greatest Radio and Television Talk Show Hosts of All Time, in 2002.