American Radio Legend Dick Biondi, an Endicott Native, Dies at 90

Dick Biondi, who grew up on Endicott's North Side and eventually became a well-known radio disc jockey in several U.S. cities, has died. He was 90.

Biondi had worked for many years at WLS-FM in Chicago until 2017. He died in late June.

As a kid, he was always interested in radio. He had a chance to read a commercial on an Auburn station. Soon after that, Biondi was working at WINR Radio in Binghamton behind the scenes, assisting the station's sports director.

One of his coworkers at the time was Rod Serling, who later would make his mark as a television producer and screenwriter.

When Biondi was 17, he was playing music during Triplets baseball games at Johnson Field in Johnson City.

His first on-air job was as a sportscaster at a radio station in Corning. He worked at a few other stations in Pennsylvania and Ohio before he was hired by WKBW in Buffalo in 1958. He quickly gained a following as a disc jockey on the station that could be heard in much of the eastern United States.

Although Biondi was heard on several stations in many cities over the decades, he had his biggest impact on the radio in Chicago. He joined WLS-AM in the Windy City in 1960.

Biondi was known for his fast-talking style and some wild stunts. His antics frequently got him fired but he was always eventually turned up on the air again.

Biondi was 77 when an intersection in Chicago was named in his honor in June 2010.

A three-hour tribute to Dick Biondi is scheduled for Saturday, July 15 starting at noon on Rewound Radio.

LISTEN: Dick Biondi was remembered by Illinois radio personality Scott Miller during a live segment on WNBF Radio on July 10, 2023.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.