Larry O'Brien

Larry arrived in Tampa Bay from Toledo’s WTOD in 1964 and did mid-days at WALT.

An electrifying deejay at WALT in 1964-65 era, the mid day machine gunnist was awesome to listen to. He had a rapid fire delivery, always on the upbeat positive side, and made your day to listen to someone with so much zest for life.

Larry did not stay long in Tampa, he had so many offers from around the country. In 1965 he bolted for The Mighty Soul KSOL in San Francisco where he ran an entertaining morning show and was known on the air as Charlie “Baby” Brown. Coincidentally, KSOL was the same station that Ron Hart headed for following his short stay at WALT and Lakeland’s WONN.

The Great Chesapeake Bay Rowing Contest in June of 1968. [ LISTEN ]
Here's an air check montage from June 1968, when WGH's Gene Loving challenged airmates Larry O'Brien and Tom Scott to a rowing contest from Ocean View in Norfolk to Buckroe Beach in Hampton. (16:43)
Larry on the air at WGH in December of 1968. [ LISTEN ] (10:59)
The station Christmas office party from the old Mercury Boulevard studios was in full swing during Larry's show. There are special appearances by a jolly Bob Calvert, who occasionally left the festivities to join Larry on the air.

c.1968-69.
Other stops in Larry’s radio career included WYSL in Buffalo, two stations in Chicago, WGRT and WCFL, WGH in Norfolk, and in 1972, the first of two stints at Pittsburgh’s WTAE.

December 1970.
In November 1972, the new 1250 WTAE was born. Bernie Amrstrong hired Larry O'Brien from WCFL in Chicago where he was doing mornings with Bob Dearborn, who would alsojoin WTAE some time later. Larry asked that his long time friend John Garry be hired as well. John was doing afternoons at WIST in Charlotte, N.C. Larry and John had worked at WTOD in Toledo years earlier. In 1975, Larry suggested that the two should team up - and after a few experimental outings, management agreed, and the O'Brien & Garry Show was born.

The duo developed many characters including Ace Pilot in the Nifty 1250 Heckycopter, Mr. Science and Jimmy, Lt. Macho and others. The O'Brien & Garry Show aired on both WTAE AM&FM until 1977.

(Left) Young Larry O'Brien. Later on behind the mic in 1968. Larry teaming up with John Garry at WTAE.

Later, in 1994, he returned to WTAE before retiring to Hilton Head, South Carolina three years later.

Some materials found on this page were originally published by the following: Aloha News, Joe Collins Youtube.