Arnie Ginsburg facts for kids

Arnold William Ginsburg (born August 5, 1926 – died June 26, 2020) was a famous American disc jockey. People knew him best as Arnie "Woo-Woo" Ginsburg. He worked in the Boston radio scene from the mid-1950s to the 1970s.

After his time as a DJ, he moved into the business side of radio. He became a business manager, president, and even an owner of a TV station. Later, he worked as an executive and program manager for other radio companies.

Arnie Ginsburg's Early Life and Radio Start

Arnold William Ginsburg was born on August 5, 1926. He grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts. His dad, Paul Ginsburg, ran a hat company, and his mom, Sophia, was a singer. Arnie finished high school in 1944.

His first job in radio was as an engineer at WORL/950. He didn't plan to be an announcer. But one day, he spoke on air with another announcer and people really liked him! Even though he didn't have a deep radio voice, listeners wanted to hear more.

In 1956, Arnie moved to WBOS 1600 AM. There, he started his own night-time show playing popular music, called a "Top 40" show. This experience helped him get ready for a big move to WMEX/1510 in 1958. WMEX was a full-time Top 40 radio station in Boston.

Becoming a Top 40 Radio Star

Arnie Ginsburg became super popular at WMEX. He was Boston's top night-time radio personality from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s. He was unique, not just because of his high-pitched voice. He even joked about it, calling himself "Old Leather Lungs."

He was best known as "Woo Woo" Ginsburg. This was because he used lots of fun sound effects, like a train horn. His show was called the Night Train. Unlike many DJs who used made-up names, Arnie kept his real name.

Arnie also made a special deal with the station owner. Instead of a regular salary, he got 25% of all the money his show brought in from commercials. He said this made him "the highest-paid jock on the station." By 1959, he was earning $10,000 a year, which was a lot of money back then!

The "Ginsburger" and Making Hit Songs

Arnie often talked about his advertisers on air. One of his most famous ads was for Adventure Car Hop, a drive-in restaurant. They even sold a special "Ginsburger"! The restaurant owners said Arnie's radio ads brought thousands of teenagers to their place on summer nights.

Arnie was also great at making songs popular. For example, a song called "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour (On the Bedpost Overnight?)" by Lonnie Donegan was not popular in the U.S. Then, in 1961, Arnie got a copy from a listener. He played it a lot on his show, and soon, the song became a big hit in America!

Testifying in Washington, D.C.

In 1960, Arnie Ginsburg and other Boston DJs were asked to speak at a special hearing in Washington, D.C. This was part of a big discussion about how record companies worked with DJs. Arnie said he had received some "gifts" from record promoters over three years.

However, Arnie was never found to have done anything wrong. It was not proven that he played certain songs because he was paid to. Reporters at the time had different ideas about what happened. Some thought Arnie was honest and believed he wasn't influenced. Others were more unsure.

Throughout his career, Arnie was seen as a trusted voice for teenagers. People said that if he played a song on his show, it could become a hit. Record companies often saw their sales go up when Arnie did commercials for their songs. This happened for hits like "Roses are Red" by Bobby Vinton and "The Monster Mash" by Bobby (Boris) Pickett.

Arnie also shared his "picks" (songs he thought would become hits) with music magazines like Billboard. He also hosted "record hops," which were dances held at local places like the Surf Ballroom.

Working Seven Nights a Week

Most DJs in the Top 40 era worked six nights a week. But Arnie Ginsburg was heard all seven nights! He did this by recording some of his shows beforehand. He would record one show for Saturday night and another for Sunday. This was very unusual back then. It only became common in radio much later.

Arnie's Trademark "Woo-Woo" Style

Arnie Ginsburg was famous for his collection of bells, whistles, horns, and other sound effects. He used them all the time on his show. People called him "Woo-Woo" because of the train whistle he used. This sound was part of his Night Train show, which started when he was at WBOS.

His theme song, recorded by a group called the 3Ds, even mentioned the "Night Train" show. When he moved to WMEX, he kept the theme song and the "Night Train" name.

You can still hear Arnie's unique style on the "Cruisin'" series of albums. These albums featured famous Top 40 DJs from different cities. The "Cruisin' 1961" disc featured Arnie Ginsburg. Even though these were re-enactments, they showed how Arnie used his sound effects, played commercials, and chatted with his audience.

Arnie Ginsburg was even mentioned in a song! Jonathan Richman's song "Fender Stratocaster" (from his 1989 album) includes the line: "Like Woo Woo Ginsberg at the juke box joint/ You hear the sound and you get the point."

Arnie Ginsburg's Later Career

While Arnie Ginsburg is best known for his time at WMEX, he also worked at other Boston radio stations. In 1967, WRKO wanted him to join their new Top 40 station. But Arnie's old boss, Maxwell Richmond from WMEX, stopped him. There was a rule that said Arnie couldn't work on air at another station for 18 months after leaving WMEX.

So, Arnie couldn't be on the radio for a while. But he stayed in the business! WRKO moved him into sales. He also sold all the ad time for WRKO-FM. Later, in 1970, he became the general manager of WBCN. This was a big change because WBCN played album rock music, which was very different from Top 40.

By 1972, Arnie was back on the AM radio side as the General Manager of WWEL. In 1973, he joined Boston's biggest station, WBZ. He hosted a Saturday-night oldies show there, using all his fun sound effects and jokes. In 1975, he went back to WMEX to do similar Saturday-night shows.

Arnie also created his own weekly oldies show that was sent to other radio stations in New England. By 1979, he became a partner at WXKS-FM "Kiss 108." He also managed WXKS-AM.

In 1985, Arnie became a co-owner of V-66, Boston's video music channel, WVJV-TV. This station showed hit music videos and had local announcers talking about music. Arnie said it was like "a radio station on television." However, the station was very expensive to run and was sold in 1986.

In his later years, Arnie Ginsburg sometimes appeared as a guest on Boston radio shows, like WBZ 1030 AM's "Steve Leveille Program." In 2008, he was honored and added to the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Personal Life and Retirement

Arnie Ginsburg's partner for many years was Carlos A. Vega, who was a Spanish professor.

When Arnie got older and retired, he moved to Ogunquit, Maine. He had spent summers there when he was younger and loved the town. Ogunquit residents often saw Arnie riding his moped around town. He became a well-known person in the community. Before he passed away, Arnie lived in a small house near Perkins Cove, a beautiful area visited by many tourists.

Arnie Ginsburg passed away on June 26, 2020, from Alzheimer's disease.