17 Facts About Porky Chedwick

Porky Chedwick's career lasted from 1948 to shortly before his death in 2014.

Porky Chedwick's was a close-knit, culturally and racially diverse neighborhood, which he often compared to "a secluded island", where things such as one's skin color simply didn't matter.

Porky Chedwick began his career at WHOD in Homestead, when the low-power AM signed on, August 1,1948.

Porky Chedwick even had a few youths remanded to his custody from juvenile court.

Porky Chedwick introduced the new material to his "movers and groovers," never accepting payola though payola was the norm at the time.

For much of his life, Porky Chedwick was plagued with impaired vision, which led him to the practice of wearing prescription eyeglasses with dark lenses, which aided in hiding his crossed left eye.

Porky Chedwick eventually returned to Florida but hated the tranquil community of the trailer park, likening a stroll through it to "walking through a graveyard".

On September 2,2011, Porky Chedwick returned to the air on WEDO in McKeesport, where he hosted a Friday program from 11AM to noon, eastern.

On October 26,2011, Porky Chedwick announced to his audience that management had told him that unless his radio show could secure some sponsors, the following week would be his last on WEDO.

Lee and Porky Chedwick even had to beg people to stop coming to the radio station.

The next day, members of the media and WIXZ listeners speculated that Porky Chedwick had found a new radio home, but it was not the case.

Porky Chedwick made regular Sunday night appearances at a restaurant near his home.

Porky Chedwick walked into the hospital's emergency room under his own power, but died a short time later.

Porky Chedwick has been recognized on the floor of the United States Senate for his pioneering contributions to radio and rock and roll, and countless times around Pittsburgh, including a day-long 50th anniversary oldies concert called "Porkstock" in 1998 at Three Rivers Stadium and another in 1999.

Porky Chedwick was among a group of radio disc jockeys honored in the "Dedicated to the One I Love" exhibit at Cleveland, Ohio's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in 1996.

Porky Chedwick was the only Pittsburgh DJ to be recognized in the Hall of Fame.

At age 88, Porky Chedwick celebrated his 58th anniversary on the air at the Hall of Fame's Alan Freed Radio Studio on August 12,2006.