Charlie Van Dyke
Charlie Van Dyke (born Charles Leo Steinle, on December 19, 1947) is a former radio disc jockey who is best known for the voice work he has done for radio and television stations and is recognized by his deep, booming voice.
Originally from Dallas, Texas, Van Dyke was working in major-market Top 40 radio, at local powerhouse KLIF, by the time he was 19. Bill Drake brought Van Dyke to his stable of stations, first in morning drive at CKLW in Windsor/Detroit in 1968 and 1969, then to KFRC in San Francisco where he did morning drive in 1969 and 1970. Van Dyke later did mid-days and, eventually, mornings and was program director at Drake's "flagship", KHJ in Los Angeles. Other stops included WLS Chicago, WDGY Minneapolis, and WRKO Boston.
Charlie Van Dyke's spoken-word record "The Flag" charted nationally, peaking at #116 in the Record World survey of June–July 1976. He appears as the narrator on Albert Brooks's second comedy album, A Star Is Bought (1975), which includes "Phone Call to Americans," a parody of patriotic spoken-word records.[1]
Throughout most of the 1980s, he was a frequent guest host on American Top 40. He sub-hosted on 31 shows in all, including the first regular episodes from 1983 to 1988.
In the 1990s, he worked in radio from his Phoenix, Arizona home. From 1998 to 2000, Van Dyke succeeded the late Robert W. Morgan in morning drive at KRTH Los Angeles. He continues to work as a voice talent for television and radio stations, including WOWT-TV in Omaha, WBAL-TV in Baltimore, WAVY-TV in Hampton Roads, KPNX in Phoenix, WABC-TV in New York City, KABC-TV in Los Angeles, WPVI in Philadelphia, WTVJ in Miami, WBTV in Charlotte, WTVT and, later WFTS in Tampa/St Petersburg and WPTV-TV in West Palm Beach and WTVD-TV in Durham, WBRC-TV in Birmingham, and, previously, KPRC-TV in Houston, and KDFW in Dallas/Fort Worth.
Van Dyke is not presently a disc jockey, but in 2011, his son Christopher "Brotha' Fred" Frederick joined KISS-FM in Chicago as a morning personality.
References
- ↑ Brooks, Albert. "Phone Call to Americans". YouTube. Retrieved 31 December 2015.