Born September 8, 1941, in Syracuse, New York, Cavanaugh was exposed to radio drama at an early age, his father Donald Cavanaugh, died broadcasting live t in the summer of 1948.
[1] Thanks to a local Parish's Catholic youth ministry, teenage Cavanaugh got his first chance to broadcast.
He also met his future wife Eileen Scaia through the Catholic Youth Organization.
After high school, he worked full-time as a disc jockey, earning a BA in political science from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, before moving to Flint, Michigan where he began work as a local DJ.
Cavanaugh moved from the air to control the radio and served as general manager of WTAC.