Ron Joseph

Ron Joseph (born 1941, Philadelphia) is an American television producer known for his dance shows. On his shows, he is usually referred to as RJ.

Early life

Ron Joseph began his broadcasting career in 1950 on "Ghost Riders," a children's show on WCAU Philadelphia. Four years later, in 1954, Joseph was a panel member on "Radio Rangers," a dramatic show on WCAU Radio. It aired on Sunday mornings and was hosted by Phil Sheridan.

In 1955, as a teenager, RJ published and edited a local newspaper, "The Upper Darby Tower" in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

TV and radio career

The next year (1956) Ron began a regular teenage dancer on the locally aired"Bandstand", hosted by Bob Horn and carried over WFIL.

When Dick Clark took over the show, RJ stayed on as a regular. A year later, when Bandstand went national (as "American Bandstand"), Ron continued as a steady dancer. Ron Joseph (RJ) was the only member of ABC's American Bandstand to have a dance show of his own like Dick Clark.

In 1960, Ron Joseph graduated from Upper Darby High and it was about that time that he joined the staff of WEEZ Radio (then licensed to Chester, Pennsylvania). He did a nightly top 40 music show on the station.

In the meantime, there was a new TV station in town, WPCA-TV, Channel 17 in Philadelphia. The new channel 17 owned by Rev. Percy Crawford offered RJ his first television show, Spotlight on America. At that time, regular TV receivers couldn't pick up Channels 14 and higher without attaching an UHF converter to the set. The show was not very successful.

By 1966, RJ opened an "under twenty-one" discotheque on the University of Pennsylvania's campus at 40th and Walnut Streets. He also started another club, "Groove" at Broad and Locust where WIFI, 92.5 on the FM dial broadcast live. WIFI, at that time, was owned by Mel Gollub.

Ron Joseph went to the same church as Philadelphia's Legendary TV newsman, John Facenda. John quite often would pass along broadcast tips to RJ after the 11:15 morning mass at St. Bernadette's in Drexel Hill.

By 1966, Ron began his own TV dance party on Philadelphia's WIBF-TV, Channel 29, and WPHL-TV, channel 17. He created his own version of a teen disco on television and syndicated his television show independently to such cities as Newark/New York City's WBTB-TV 68, KEMO-TV 20 and KTSF-TV 26 in SanFrancisco, KBSC-TV 52 in Los Angeles, KSCI-TV 18 in Hollywood and KFTY-TV 50 in Santa Rosa.

In 1982, Ron Joseph was broadcasting over XPRS, a Mexican radio station serving Los Angeles. The outlet had 50,000 watts and blanketed the sixteen western states plus parts of Canada and a large part of Mexico.

Then RJ had another TV program, Teen Scene Magazine, which was carried in the Philadelphia area overWRBV-TV, Channel 65. The station was licensed to Vineland, NJ, about 40 miles from Philadelphia. The show also aired over KFTY-TV, Channel 50 in Santa Rosa, California.

In 1985, RJ returned to radio on the Philadelphia Wireless Institute's station, WPWT-FM. At this same time, Ron created "Beach Party USA" which originated from Hunts Pier in Wildwood, NJ. The program aired over Wilmington's Channel 61, WTGI (now WPPX, Pax).

The next year, Ron Joseph traveled to Europe for a new teenage motion picture, "Gemini Twin Stars" starring Gene Patrick as McGinty who was "discovered" by RJ at his teen club on South Street in Center City Philadelphia.

In 1990, RJ pioneered a new field, low-powered television (LPTV). He was the moving force behind W07CB-TV,Philadelphia. The station aired old TV shows like The Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, RJ's old dance shows and a telephone talk show. 1992 also saw Ron starting "Open Mike" over Channel 53 in Atlantic City, WWAC-TV.

In 1993, he opened low power television station, W05AX-TV in Wildwood, Cape May and four years later, in 1997, WELL-TV, Channel 8 in Willow Grove.

In 1998, RJ began a disco "block party" Sunday afternoons on WNJC Radio and Friday evenings in 2000 at [Cruisin' 92.1, WVLT] . He has syndicated "Disco USA" to independent stations across the nation including KECG-FM in Oakland, California serving San Francisco. His TV dance show is still seen around the country as "The Nostalgia Dance Party."

Ron Joseph was inducted into the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers in 2003.

TV projects

In 2007, Ron Joseph appeared in the motion picture Fabulous, the life story of Charlie Gracie, and in 2008, The Wages of Spin, which chronicles the Philadelphia music scene from 1952 to 1963.The film primarily focuses on Dick Clark.

External links

* [http://www.RJdiscousa.com Ron Joseph's Website]