EDWARD F. MCLAUGHLIN

Born in 1926, Edward F. McLaughlin began in radio in 1958 as a salesman for an Oakland radio station. In 1964, ABC hired him as general sales manager for KGO AM, before he went on to become VP / GM of KGO until 1972.

McLaughlin left San Francisco for New York in 1972, to become president of the ABC Radio Networks. During his 14-year tenure as president, McLaughlin increased the number of ABC affiliates and purchased Watermark, the radio syndication company responsible for Casey Kasem’s American Top 40.

In 1987, McLaughlin founded EFM Radio, a production company devoted to talk radio. The following year, he produced The Rush Limbaugh Show, a daytime talk show centering on political issues, featuring an opinionated, up-and-coming commentator from Sacramento. By 1990, The Rush Limbaugh Show had become a fixture on over 200 stations and revived the struggling talk-radio genre.

Through EFM Radio, McLaughlin also produced and syndicated The Dr. Dean Edell Show, a medical talk show that airs on over 400 stations.

In 1998, McLaughlin became Chairman of the Board at the Broadcasters Foundation, an organization devoted to helping broadcasters in need.

Edward F. McLaughlin was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995.