ed walker

Ed Walker is a Washington, DC radio personality and the host of WAMU-FM 88.5’s longest-running program, The Big Broadcast. Featuring a collection of vintage radio programs from the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s (including Gunsmoke, The Lone Ranger, Suspense, Fibber McGee and Molly, and Superman), The Big Broadcast airs Sunday evenings and has been a weekly feature on WAMU-FM 88.5 since 1964. 

After graduating from the Maryland School for the Blind, Walker went on to become the first blind student at American University in Washington where, in 1950, he helped launch the campus radio station WAMU-AM, the predecessor of WAMU-FM. While in college, Walker met Willard Scott, who became his good friend and radio partner for 20 years, calling themselves The Joy Boys. The duo began on WOL-AM in 1952, then moved to WRC-AM and then to WWDC-AM in 1972. In 1974 the team split up as Scott moved into television. 

To the delight of fans worldwide, American University released some of The Joy Boys broadcasts on CDs. Walker also worked at WPGC-AM, WMAL-AM, and WWRC-AM. He worked in television at WJLA-TV from 1975 until 1980, and News Channel 8 in the early ‘90s.

Ed Walker was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2009.

Ed Walker died on October 26, 2015.