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'Mayer in the Morning' surrounded by memoriesBy JULIE WALLACE C-T Staff WriterELYRIA — The twinkling eyes and animated voice could have easily carried him through a television career.For Bill Mayer, however, it was radio all the way. Mayer, a resident at the Abbe Wood retirementcomplex, now sports a raspy voice, but its inflection is a dead giveaway that his former profession was as a deejay — the career which included a lengthy stmt at Cleveland's WGAR as the featured morning announcer for the program “Mayer in the Morning.”A 1934 graduate of Cleveland’s John Marshall High School. Mayer had a lively career which moved him around several statesC-7/Gene KrebsBut not without its downfalls, however.A laryngectomy in 1977 forced him to move away from the microphone and to a position as program director, but the move did not dull his ambition or the thrill he found in his job“I loved my job, ’ he said in the neat apartment he shares with his wife of 51 years, Elaine.Mayer’s career began ironically. After searching for jobs at stations throughout Ohio, he joined his father on a trip to Rochester, N.Y. in 1942 and ended up getting a position with WBEM Radio in nearby Buffalo.The audition for the job, he said, still makes himlaughIn those days, auditions consisted of reading news and tough words — in addition to reading titles of operas, all those difficult titles,” he said, smiling. “I ended up recording it for the general manager to listen to, and he came back and made me do it all over again.“I must've done okay, though, because he then came back and asked me when I could start ”As the ongoing conflicts in the world developed into World War II, Mayer began searching for positions m Ohio again to bring his wife back near her family. Through connections with NBC. which owned what was then WTAM Radio — now WWWE — he found he could transfer from the NBC-owned WBEM to WTAM, a move which he expected to be simple.It wasn't.” he said, laughing. “New York didn't want to let me out of my contract, but I managed it.When I arrived in Cleveland, the general manager introduced himself and said ‘Boy. you sure raised a lot of hell.' ” the gray-haired man said. I thought for sure I wouldn’t get the job. but he told me that was the best recommendation I could have because they didn’t want to let me go.”Mayer moved from WTAM to WGAR in 1946 after problems developed in contract negotiations The union put Mayer and another man in charge of developing a new contract for the employees, something he said he knew nothing about“We contacted the seven NBC-owned stations and got copies of their contracts and cut paragraphs out from them until we complied one*“ he said, adding the upper echelon of the station was not to pleased with the demands presented“I wonder if the hole is still in the ceiling of the general manager's office?’’ he mused, chuckling.After the contract was accepted, though, he said he and the other man were not so well-received by management.“The (other) man was 30 seconds late for rehearsal one day and he got fired,” Mayer said “They made it a point to get us both.MUSIC STILL PLAYS an im retirement. irtant role in the life o| former disc jockey Bill Mayer in his Elyria“My job ended when I called for the draft. I went to the draft board and they said I was average and sent me back to work“When I returned (to the station), however, they said they no longer had a* place for me, they had hired someone already.”His career at Cleveland's WGAR began after a man he had he worked with In New York recommended him to the station.Although he did not start out as the morning show host, he was moved there fairly quickly — a move which met the management’s hopes of improvingratingsHis theory of programming —which deejays still had control of in the late 1940s — was similar to his outlook on life — make it fun and make it lively.I tried to make the shows funny — there was too damn much sadness in the world, even then,” he recalled.Indicative of his dedication to his career, Mayer said he arrived at WGAR each morning at 4 a.m., even though he did not go on the air until 6 a.m. And in addition to his morning show, Mayer also traveled with the newly-formed Cleveland Browns for thestation.Career goals moved Mayer and family to a programming director position in Peoria. III. Although he called it a “step up,” he added, laughing, that “the money wasn’t.”Another move took the family to WRCV in Philadelphia. although it was shortly after arriving for the job that the throat problems which eventually ended Mayer’s on-air career began.Initially undergoing X-ray treatments for several weeks, he said even that simple procedure made a noticeable difference.The voice just wasn't what it had been — it was a lot raspier,” he explained.In 1977. any chances he had of returning to the microphone were dashed when doctors were forced tc remove his vocal chords.At the mention of this. Mayer points out that at one point in his career he was hired to narrate amedical community documentary -- about the laryngectomyWhile many who undergo this type of operation are forced to rely on a hand-held voice synthesizer. Mayer bypassed the instrument and put his dedica tion to workJ couldn't stand that thing against my throat, he said. Mv daughter bought me a tape recorder and 1 practiced saying my vowels until I was blue in the face ”The hardest part of adjusting to the hole which is now located at the base of his throat was “learning how not to drown in the shower.” he joked.Moving back to Ohio, Mayer finished off his career by spending 18 years with the Aqua Marine Ho^ tel Resort in Avon Lake as vice president ol G f D — get it done.”Seated in his apartment filled with photographs ol his two daughters. Beverly and Brenda, and severa! grandchildren and memorabilia collected through out the years — including several 78 rpm disci which contain recordings of his programs — Mayei again emphasized his love of the job would havt been enough for him.Rattling off names of recognizable radio personal ities whom he had worked with throughout thlt; years, he said the opportunities were limitless if the desire was there“T would have done it for free, but I’m glad t bosses^didn’t know that.”
Newspaper Details
The Chronicle Telegram
Elyria, Ohio, US
Sun, Sep 17, 1989
Page 54
Full Page
Clipped by
Nathan O.
OH, USA 08 Nov 2021
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