Buffalo, NY (WBEN) A legend in Buffalo broadcasting has died. Tom Shannon, one of KB's biggest stars in the 1950s and 1960s, passed away from pancreatic cancer Wednesday at age 82.
Shannon was born in South Buffalo and graduated from Bishop Ryan High School. After a brief stint as a newsman for WXRA, Shannon moved to WKBW in 1958. "Tommy Shannon was part of an all-star lineup," says Hank Nevins, host of the Saturday edition of "A New Morning" here on WBEN. That lineup included Russ "The Moose" Syracuse, Dan Neaverth, Joey Reynolds, and Dick Biondi.
Buffalo radio legend Dan Neaverth recalls Shannon as a person easy to work with. "He was always a gentleman. He was a very talented guy but he was a gentleman, and he was a great businessman too," says Neaverth. He notes "Wild Weekend," a song Shannon co-wrote which became his WKBW Radio theme song, became a top 10 hit and was used in an episode of "Friends." "One of the women was working in a 50s themed diner, and that was playing in the background as they were talking. When I interviewed Tommy a couple of years ago, I asked him how much he got for their playing that record. He told me, 'let's just say they were very generous.'"
Neaverth said Shannon's good looks were a big part of his success. "During the 60s, he was the local handsome man on radio, driving around in his Corvette, and women of a certain age were all in love with Tommy Shannon," recalls Neaverth.
Shannon went on to host "Buffalo Bandstand" on Channel 7, and then onto CKLW in Windsor/Detroit. His career also took him to Denver and Nashville, where he hosted a home shopping program.
Shannon retired in 2005 after working at WHTT.
