Johnny Holliday Radio and TV Sportscaster, Actor and Former Top 40 Disc Jockey

Published: Jan. 31, 2017, 10 a.m.

Johnny Holliday on Howard Cosell -\n \n"He takes my headset, puts it on, "Angel, let's go. Let's go." He goes, "3, 2, 1. Hello, everyone. Howard Cosell, the Sports Arena in Los Angeles. Time to talk about the American ... Back in a moment." Takes a break, comes back, does the second half. Now we're going to do the show for National. Does the same thing, takes his headset off, throws it down in front of me, picks up the cigar, looks at me and says, "That's how you do a show" and walks away. He had no stopwatch. He was right on time."\n\nJohnny Holliday, TV and Radio Sportscaster, Actor and Former Top 40 Disc Jockey\n\nA Ockershausen: This is Andy Ockershausen. This is Our Town. I was just singing the song about, "Oh, Johnny, oh, Johnny." I don't know. It's an old song but I'm an old song too. Johnny Holliday is one of the most favorite, favorite wonderful people in the world and a very dear friend of mine and of WMAL. I followed his career even before he didn't even know it because he hopped around the country. Johnny, thank you for being with us. This is Our Town, Johnny. This is College Park, Vienna.\nJohnny Holliday: This is your town basically.\nA Ockershausen: At one time it was. \nJohnny Holliday: But still is. Believe me. \nA Ockershausen: This has been yours but when you came to WMAL you lit a light on us that never went out and all the things you did here for us and what you did for the University of Maryland. Remember we started with this broadcast and I even recall Johnny Holliday in something called the Washington Federal.\nJohnny Holliday: I do remember that. Yes. The now defunct Washington Federal. That was a good experience, though. \nA Ockershausen: You know what, Johnny? We went first class with that if you remember. There were three of you. \nJohnny Holliday: That's right. \nA Ockershausen: Pete Wysocki worked with you and you did the play by play and you had one of the extra Redskins\u2026\nJohnny Holliday: I think, didn't Kim McQuilken was the guy? \nA Ockershausen: He was the quarterback. \nJohnny Holliday: He was one of the analysts, yeah. \nA Ockershausen: Kim McQuilken. Son of a gun. \nJohnny Holliday: Yeah, back-up quarterback with the Redskins. \nA Ockershausen: Who else was on the broadcast? His son became a Redskin later. The football player. He played for the Cardinals. He was traded to the Redskins. \nJohnny Holliday: Oh, that would have been ... Was it Terry Metcalf?\nA Ockershausen: Terry Metcalf. Yeah. He was a sideline reporter.\nJohnny Holliday: Right. Exactly. \nA Ockershausen: With Jack Scarbath. We've had some great people work at WMAL, but Johnny, not as great as you. Everybody knows you from the University of Maryland. They don't know about you as I do because I found out many years ago your talents are so many. One that particularly impressed me is the radio disc jockey. The days are gone, Johnny. I don't know of any disc jockeys. \nTop 40 Disc Jockey - WHK - Cleveland\nJohnny Holliday: Yeah, I tell young guys today that it's too bad that they couldn't have been in yet back in the '60s, late '50s, '60s, '70s before the broadcast whole industry changed.\nA Ockershausen: World changed. Absolutely.\nJohnny Holliday: In those days the disc jockeys were like pied pipers. The kids could connect, the young adults could connect with the guys. The recording artists could connect with them as well. It was a whole different atmosphere as compared to what it is today. I'll never forget in Cleveland I had two record hops every weekend to supplement my income. \nA Ockershausen: You always did that, Johnny. Have you ever worked anywhere when you weren\u2019t supplementing your income?\nJohnny Holliday: I'm still doing it today after all these years. In Cleveland I had a dance on a Friday night and a dance on a Saturday night sponsored by Coca-Cola. We had WHK color channel 14 ...\nA Ockershausen: Powerhouse radio station.