TV, Radio Legend John Zacherle Passes

Zacherley

Pioneering TV and radio legend JOHN ZACHERLE has passed away recently at age 98. Born in PHILADELPHIA, ZACHERLE used pseudonyms such as "ROLAND" and "ZACHERLEY" when launching the first campy horror film TV host shows in the '50s and '60s, which paved the way for SVENGOOLIE, ELVIRA and others. He also was an air personality on major NEW YORK radio stations.

He started his horror career as host of WCAU-TV/PHILADELPHIA's Shock Theater in 1957. Dubbed "The Cool Ghoul" by friend DICK CLARK, ZACHERLE began recording horror parody singles Cameo Records, including the top-10 hit, “Dinner with Drac,” in 1958, and he occasionally filled in for CLARK on road touring shows of AMERICAN BANDSTAND.

In 1958, ZACHERLE moved the concept of his show to WABC-TV/NEW YORK, where the station added a "y" to the end of his name. While in the metro, he also hosted a teenage dance show for three years at WNJU-TV/NEWARK called Disc-O-Teen.

In 1967, he became a morning radio host for WNEW, then segued to late-nights when the station flipped to Progressive Rock in '69. Two years later, he crossed the street to WPLJ, where he stayed for 10 years.

« see more Net News