After 74-Year Career, World’s Longest Running Broadcaster Dies
Having been on the radio in Rochester for over 30 years, I guess you could say I’m a radio veteran. But I’ve got a ways to go before I catch the on-air record of Luther Masingill. Luther started working at a radio station (WDEF) in Chattanooga, TN on New Year’s Eve in 1940 and stayed there until recently. That’s an amazing 74-year career making him the longest running broadcaster in history.
Luther is the only radio personality to have covered both the Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) and the 9/11 attacks (September 11, 2001). One of Luther’s on-air benchmarks was helping people find lost pets. Sadly, Luther died Monday at the age of 92, following a brief illness.
CBS News did a feature about Luther a couple of years ago on his 90th birthday. Watch the video to learn more about this broadcasting pioneer and legend.