Starting the Golden Age of radio, a group of radio broadcasters laid the groundwork for Marion today. From Bob Mason to Charlie Evers, each one made a mark on the community.
Bob Mason: Mr. Radio Founded WMRN
One of the first memorable radio hosts was Bob Mason, who was known as “Mr. Radio” in town. He started founded WMRN, Marion’s first broadcast station, on December 23, 1940. It was located at 1500 AM. Mason hosted an editorial “As We View It” show each Sunday on WMRN.
“Without Bob Mason laying the broadcasting foundation in Marion, there would not be broadcasting n Marion today,” said Scott Spears, program director of WGH Talk.
Mason broadcast for 26 years until his death.
“When he died in 1966 someone wrote into the newspaper about Bob Mason: “family, church, friends, community, and his station, these were the abiding interests of his life, and we know no better epitaph.’” Spears said.
Madge Cooper: The Voice of Marion
Just a year after Bob Mason had his start in Marion, Madge Cooper went on air with WMRN in 1941.
“Madge Cooper went on air before there was TV in this country and became Marion’s first celebrity broadcaster. Her daily “Over The Coffee Cups” program became WMRN’s first hit talk show in the 1940s,” Spears stated.
Cooper grew up in LaRue and graduated from The Ohio State University. She broadcast for 52 years. This host was friends with Rod Serling, the creator and host of TV’s “Twilight Zone” who also worked at WMRN as a college student in 1949.
Spears said Cooper was the first to put WBNS-10TV anchor Dave Kaylor on the air. She interviewed celebrities such as Fran Allison who had a national hit TV puppet show called “Kukla, Fran and Ollie.”
Cooper Receives National Recognition
Cooper made annual trips to cover Fashion Week in New York City. In 1966, Cooper was among eight journalists to receive the first FRANY (Fashion Reporters Award New York) Awards for Outstanding Coverage of New York City as fashion center of the world.
“She was presented this award by New York City Mayor John Lindsay and movie star Joan Crawford. She was the first broadcaster in Marion to go into the broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2007,” Spears said.
Cooper married late in life, though she never changed her on-air name. The Guthery Room in Maynard Hall on the Marion Campus is named in her honor.
“Her last broadcast was at age 97 co-anchoring the 80th and final charity ball in 2007. When she died at age 99 in 2009, the front page of the newspaper, above the fold read in big letters ‘Area Mourns Loss of Voice of Marion.’”
Joe Ionno: Knowledgeable Local Newscaster
In 1952, Joe Ionno joined WMRN with his live daily newscast called “Neighborhood News.”
“It was one of the most popular segments on the station for ten years. It was so popular people still remember the intro, ‘This is Joe Ionno with Neighborhood News, news about people, places, and plans, brought to you by Jim Dugans,’” Spears said. “It was said of Joe that he knew more about what was going on in Marion than anyone else.”
Spears describes Ionno as fair and professional. The broadcasters liked to rib each other.
“Madge Cooper heard one of Joe’s newscast’s one day when they both were working together, and it was kind of short. She passed by Joe’s desk and said, “There wasn’t very much on the news today.’ Joe’s response was, ‘I don’t make it. I just report it.’”
Charlie Evers: Charming Listeners for 65 Years
In 1952, Bucyrus native Charlie Evers joined WMRN as an engineer. He took to the airwaves in 1968. His warm, friendly tones greeted Marion each day. In 1969, Evers started the traditions of the Peanut Push, where racers push a peanut across a road with their noses to raise money for the Christmas Clearinghouse. He created Buckeye Chuck, which became Ohio’s official groundhog forecaster in the 1970s.
Evers was among the residents who restored the statue of Lady Justice on the Marion County Courthouse in 1980. He later started “The Exchange Club” radio show with Scott Spears and Mary Ann Michaels which remains on air today.
“Charlie always showed up and never wanted to stop working. He did his last show on WGH six weeks before his death in 2020 at age 85,” Spears said. “He was a voice listeners in Marion of any age just could not turn off because he was so interesting.”
MarionMade! is a program of Marion Technical College.
