Big Wilson (born Malcolm John Wilson Jr.; October 3, 1924 – October 5, 1989) was an American

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

personality. He worked as a disc jockey at WNBC AM in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from the early 1960s until 1974 and moved to Miami in 1975 where he worked for

WIOD WIOD (610 AM) is a commercial radio station in Miami, serving South Florida. It airs a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, The studios are on SW 145th Avenue in Pembroke Pines. WIOD's transmitter site is on Krome Avenue in Wes ...

and WCIX-TV. Prior to moving to NYC, Wilson and his wife Jody lived in a riverfront home in

Rocky River, Ohio Rocky River is a city in western Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. A suburb of Cleveland, it is located along the shore of Lake Erie approximately west of downtown Cleveland. The city is named for the Rocky River (Ohio), Rocky River that for ...

. He commuted to

KYW (AM) KYW () is a commercial AM radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest continuously operating radio stations in the United States, originating in Chicago before moving to Philadelphia in 1934. KYW's unusual ...

Radio

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

where he was the leading radio personality for some years, interviewing

Tim Conway Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway (December 15, 1933 – May 14, 2019) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. Conway is perhaps best known as a regular cast member (1975–1978) on the TV comedy ''The Carol Burnett Show'' where he port ...

and other well-known persons at their homes. Wilson was one of the last two hosts of the NBC network radio program ''

Monitor Monitor or monitor may refer to: Places * Monitor, Alberta * Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States * Monitor, Kentucky * Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States * Monitor, Washington * Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...

''. Big Wilson also served as the announcer for the weekly television program, '' Jack Horkheimer: Star Hustler''. Wilson's voice was heard reading the following poem during the program's opening sequence: After Big Wilson's death in 1989, ''Star Hustler'' continued to use Wilson's pre-recorded voice in the television program's introduction as a "living memorial" to the man. This ended in 1997 when the show was renamed ''Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer''. Wilson, who was tall, and weighed more than , died from a heart attack, two days after his 65th birthday at a hotel in

Selma, North Carolina Selma is a town in Johnston County, North Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,073, and as of 2018 the estimated population was 6,913. Selma is part of the Raleigh-Durham-Cary combined statistical area. The area has a populatio ...

. He was sometimes referred to in advertisements as "Mrs. Wilson's little boy 'Big'".

References

External links

''The New York Times'' obituary, October 7, 1989''Sun Sentinel'' obituary, October 7, 1989
American radio personalities 1924 births 1989 deaths Ithaca College alumni Radio personalities from Miami People from Schenectady County, New York {{US-radio-bio-stub