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Part Two - Early Career
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Bob Hagen's first publicity
photo from WHKK in 1958
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In July 1956, Bob got his
first professional job, a part-time gig in Akron’s WADC. Bob’s crisp, clear
style was engaging and it got him an offer of full-time work at another
Akron station WHKK.
WADC's studios on State Street in Akron. |
While
Bob's career was taking off, so was his love life. At Kent State, he met a fellow
student named Marcheta. Keta loved Bob’s wit, good looks and great common sense.
He loved her beauty and intelligence.
The two laughed at each other’s jokes,
shared a passion for sports, and had a similar outlook on life. They fell in
love and were married in 1958.
Bob was
starting a family and needed an income commensurate with that
responsibility. |
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Bob at WERE in 1961
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He was ready to move
to the big time. That meant Cleveland.
It seemed possible—Akron radio talent was frequently being called up to
Cleveland. Alan Freed, the father of Rock and Roll radio, got his start in
Akron before being called to the majors.
Bob wasn't far behind. In 1958, he was
hired at WHK, one of the premier rock and roll stations in the country and
home to such innovators as Pete Meyers, who invented his Mad Daddy persona
while working with Bob at WHKK Akron. |
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Realizing that the home of “Mad Daddy” might not be the best environment for
doing serious news, Bob moved on to another Cleveland station with a more
substantial commitment to news—WERE.
It was at WERE that Bob honed his skills
a reporter, covering the sensational case of Sam Shepherd and scoring an
exclusive interview with the former Axis Sally.
In
1962, AFTRA, the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, tried
to organize WERE. It was a tense, dramatic time. Word got out that
announcers who insisted on joining the union would find themselves
unemployed. Everyone stopped paying their union dues.
Everyone except Bob. |
Bob Hagen scored an exclusive interview with Mildred Gillers, the former
"Axis Sally" in 1961
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Bob with Ken and Laura
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Bob paid the price for staying true to his values: he was fired.
He was in no position to be out of a job. The young newsman was also a
family man. Bob and Keta had been joined by their much-loved daughters
Cheryl and Laura and son Kenneth.
But the blow was soon softened—he was
immediately picked up by the biggest station in Cleveland, Westinghouse
Broadcasting's KYW. |
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While he continued to cover the routine
stories that make up much of radio news, Bob was drawn to focus on the
burgeoning civil rights movement in Cleveland.
His contacts among civil rights leaders enabled Bob and KYW to provide
superior coverage of the one of the most important issues of the day. In
1965, Bob was made news director.
Shortly after his promotion, Bob got
caught up in one of the strangest episodes in radio history. |
Bob at KYW Cleveland, 1965 |
Part 3 - On The Move
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