WCCO Radio Loses an Icon, Charlie Boone Passes at 88.

I worked for the WCCO Radio Family for 33 years, 10 years doing Mornings on WCCO-FM starting in 1973, Then at the great “Real Radio”, WCCO-AM, from 1983-1993 and 1997 to 2010. But I grew up listening to the AM Giants like Charlie Boone and Roger Erickson. In 1969 my family had an office in the WCCO Radio building and were involved in promoting a state wide Cue Signal Emergency Alert System, something that could turn your radio on in the event of emergencies, civil or weather related. I helped put special radios in fire stations around the state to receive test signals from the WCCO transmitter. I had just quit Law School at the U of M, and was wondering what to do with my life. Each day on the road I would tune in to hear Charlie Boone and Roger Erickson work their magic in the afternoon. Charlie used his magnificent voice to create a variety of characters to bring Roger’s comedy scripts to life, their “Worst Jokes” segment was always wonderful. Later in the day you could hear Charlie do all the voices on “Point of Law” a daily recreation of various courtroom dramas. I thought, wow, I wish I could do something like that, which prompted a year in broadcast school and a job in Dubuque, IA. When I started as the first morning man at WCCO-FM in 1973. It was Charlie and Roger who set the standard for me. We stole everything we could from them to entertain our fledgling audience. When I moved to WCCO-AM, middays, I paid special attention to Charlie’s interview skills, he always let the guest shine, never hogging the microphone to show how smart he was, a valuable lesson for someone like me. Charlie was a beam of sunshine around the station and never failed to give a word of support and encouragement. My sympathies to his wife and family for the loss of this Master of “Real Radio”.