On December 6th, 1965 a familiar voice changed microphones. It wasn't a move across the street or uptown. But rather from one studio to another.
John Fraim had been named the morning host of WTVN radio. Citizen Journal reporter Jo Reed reported in that mornings paper that the 38 year old former news director for the station would now be "a platter spinner and disc jockey conversationalist".
Fraim replaced interim morning host Dave Logan who had in turn replaced a handful of hosts since 1960 that included Maurice Jackson, Dave Hull and Johnnie Dollar.
Fraim had an interesting background. Besides being a news reporter/director for such stations as Cincinatti's WSAI, he was interested in exploring underground caves, even needing to be rescued Eureka cave in Kentucky when he and others in his group became disoriented. The rescue was even reported in a 1959 edition of Newsweek Magazine.
From that December 6th morning in 1965 until sometime late in 1979, Fraim would begin a reign to be the top rated morning host in the Columbus market, and during that time unseated longtime morning kingpin, Irwin Johnson. Johnson, known to his fans as the Earlyworm, had hosted mornings on across the dial WBNS for many years. Johnson had been a WBNS host since the 1940's and had developed a loyal following.
Fraim would later join WRFD for a short time after leaving WTVN and soon after be wooed by WCOL to host mornings on that station.
WCOL gave Fraim a birdseye view of the city when he broadcast from the former observation deck of the Leveque Tower downtown. After a few years there, he was news director for WBBY until that station was closed by the FCC as an indirect outgrowth of the Wild Bill incident and the character issues of the owner as seen by the FCC.
Fraim now resides near Laurelville, OH.
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