Charlie Tuna

This article is about the TV announcer and radio personality. For information about the StarKist mascot, see Charlie the Tuna. For the rapper, see Chali 2na.

Charlie Tuna is the stage name of Art Ferguson (born April 18, 1944), a radio personality based in Los Angeles, California currently working at KRTH-FM.

Born in Kearney, Nebraska, Ferguson was a high school athlete and sports editor of his school newspaper.

Career

Radio

At age 16 Ferguson began working at his hometown's radio station, KGFW. Then, he went to work at KLEO in Wichita, Kansas for a year with the air name Billy O'Day. He then worked for KOMA Radio in Oklahoma City in 1966, where he was given his Charlie Tuna pseudonym, taking over the moniker from Chuck Riley who had used it for one show the week prior to Ferguson's arrival. Ferguson then moved on to WMEX in Boston for the first 9 months of 1967.

In late 1967, KHJ in Los Angeles offered Charlie the 9 to noon slot where he debuted on Thanksgiving Day 1967, and Charlie has worked in the LA area ever since. On February 9, 1971 at 6:00 a.m. he had just commenced his morning show on KHJ when the San Fernando Earthquake occurred. In 1972, he became one of the original DJs at KROQ-AM, a new Top 40 station (formerly Country KBBQ). Among the other stations he worked at were KKDJ, KIIS-AM&FM (where he was Program Director and Morning Personality), KTNQ, KHTZ (later KBZT), KRLA, KODJ (later KCBS-FM), KMPC, KIKF, and KLAC.

He most recently worked at KBIG 104.3 where he hosted a show Charlie Tuna in the Morning which aired from 5 to 9 am. His last show aired on September 17, 2007, when the station flipped to a non-rhythmic-based adult contemporary format, as 104.3 My FM. He returned to radio February 9, 2008 when he became the weekend personality on Los Angeles oldies station K-Earth 101.

Tuna served as announcer for Casey Kasem on his 1980s television program America's Top 10. Two decades later, on the weekends of October 8/9, 2005 and August 12/13, 2006 Tuna stepped into Kasem's role for his radio programs American Top 20 and American Top 10 for the weekend. In addition to filling in for Kasem, he also co-hosted Your Good Time Oldies Magazine from 1992 to 1995, and he produced and hosted Back to the 70s. Only 52 episodes of Back to the 70s were produced, but re-runs continued to air on stations across the country until 2008, even though Tuna had long since left the program.

Tuna had a year long run in 2009, of a 5 hour classic hits daily and weekend show, syndicated through United Stations Radio Network in New York. Tuna joined Black Card Radio in Los Angeles March 1, 2010, as host of a new 5 hour weekend show Charlie Tuna - The 70's, which is distributed nationally and internationally, and added a 5 hour daily and weekend show for all radio formats on June 14, 2010. Tuna also moved his radio station voice imaging business to Black Card Radio on October 25, 2010, with clients nationwide. On January 3, 2011, Charlie introduced his newest syndicated feature available through Black Card Radio, "Charlie Tuna's Hollywood Minute", 4 to 5 top entertainment stories each day in a fast paced, fully produced headline stories, plus "audio" clips one minute radio feature!

Tuna has a significant distinction for his 25-year run (1971–1996) of approximately 6,000 radio shows on the American Forces Network.

Television

In addition to his radio work, Charlie has hosted Cinema, Cinema, Cinema for 30 years, an internationally syndicated TV show, featuring the top movies in the US each week with clips from the films, and another international TV show Inside Hollywood the past two years. He has been the announcer on a number of television game shows, including Time Machine, Scrabble, Scattergories, The $25,000 Pyramid, The Quiz Kids Challenge, and The New Battlestars.

Tuna was also the announcer for the last two years of television's syndicated Mike Douglas Show and Alan Thicke's late night TV show Thicke of the Night. He was also featured in the 1970s in the Universal film Rollercoaster and an independent film Racquet.

Event host

Charlie raised nearly US$2.5 million for Children's Hospital Los Angeles with his annual Tunathon (2004–2007), hosted the red carpet and emceed the Revlon Run/Walk for five years (2003–2007), and emcees the annual 4th of July Warner Park in Woodland Hills celebration which attracts annual crowds of over 50,000 spectators.

Recognition and awards

Tuna received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame January 10, 1990, was inducted into the Nebraska Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame, August 19, 1999. On July 18, 2008, he was voted into the National Radio Hall of Fame (NRHOF).^[1] He was inducted in Chicago by his longtime friend Larry Lujack on November 8, 2008. On September 18, 2010, Tuna was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award and inducted into the Route 66 Cruisin' Hall of Fame in San Bernardino, California. In 1997, Los Angeles Radio People readers voted Charlie one of the Top 10 L.A. Radio Personalities of All Time, and in 2007, Charlie was once again elected by his LARadio.com broadcast peers as one of the 2007 Top 10 Los Angeles Radio Personalities.

Personal life

Charlie Tuna resides in Tarzana, California and has served as its honorary mayor since 1977.

Notes

1. ^ National Radio Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2008

External links

• Official website
• Tuna at KEarth101.com
• Black Card Radio

Persondata
Name	Tuna, Charlie
Alternative names	Ferguson, Art
Short description
Date of birth	April 18, 1944
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death