Burt Sherwood, whose long career in radio spanned more 70 years and included roles as General Manager of Country WMAQ-AM 670 in Chicago and as a WMCA/New York “Good Guy” in its Top 40 era, has died.
Streamline Publishing confirmed Sherwood’s passing on Thursday via communication from retired Cox Radio Chief Operating Officer Dick Ferguson.
Ferguson noted how Sherwood was “a great radio guy, a former boss of mine at WNHC.”
That’s an AM radio station in New Haven, Conn., where Sherwood held GM duties. He’s also been the GM of WMEE in Fort Wayne, Ind.; and WIBG-AM in Philadelphia.
Sherwood, who turned 95 years of age in May, died peacefully while in Hospice care in Sarasota, Fla. He is survived by his wife, Anne; daughter, Ellen; and son, Jason.
Sherwood’s arrival at WMAQ came in June 1977. And, it came after Bob Pittman, today the Chairman/CEO of iHeartMedia, and GM Charlie Warner exited as Program Manager of WMAQ and WKQX-FM to take on similar duties at “66 WNBC.”
Sherwood’s arrival as WMAQ GM was concurrent to the naming of Bill Hennes as Program Director; both had arrived from former Top 40 WIBG, “Wibbage,” which fought WFIL for years and had recently found international fame by being featured in the film Rocky. They both left NBC Radio-owned WMAQ in April 1981 to establish a consultancy. This led Sherwood and Hennes to become radio station owners, with the 1982 purchase of WRJZ in Knoxville. By the mid-1980s, Sherwood served as a media broker, for Chapman Associates.
Sherwood remained active as a broker through the 1990s. In May 1992 he served as a broker on the sale of WCNN-AM 680 and WALR-FM 104.7 in Atlanta from Ring Radio Inc. to Midwestern Broadcasting Co. The buyer was headed by Lew Dickey Sr.
The Radio & Records 1997 Broker Scorecard listed Burt Sherwood & Associates as having two deals totaling $530,000 that year.
