Brannigan looked the part. A dark wavy pompadour was his hairstyle. The Boom Boom wardrobe included leopard-skin tuxedo coats, velvet jackets, ruffled shirts and big boots.
Boom Boom with kids in 1961.Personal appearances were part of the job, including parties, talent shows, bar mitzvahs and sock hops.
Brannigan was going by the name Ronny Victor at a Buffalo radio station when he landed the job at WPTR during the early 1960s. In a 1998 interview with The Daily Gazette, Brannigan said he was trying to think of a new name for the Capital Region market when he tuned in his new employer and learned his stage identity had already been chosen.
February 19, 1965Brannigan remained at WPTR until 1975, when the popularity of disc jockey-driven rock ’n’ roll had been replaced by album-oriented rock formats and talk radio. He secured slots at other local stations, including WABY, and did some television work on local cable access.
During the WPTR days, Boom Boom had chances to move to bigger broadcasts in New York City and Philadelphia. Station chiefs wanted him to compete against national talents such as Dick Clark and Wolfman Jack, but he didn’t want to move.
In 1964, two guys named Paul and John phoned WPTR — the two most famous Beatles wanted to talk to Boom Boom.
Brannigan was just a really nice man. He was not particularly egotistical, and he could have been because he so dominated the market. He was never taken by himself, just a simple, fun-loving rock ’n’ roll jock. He passed away on October 19, 2010 at the age of 82.
