Jay Miltner

Francis Jay Miltner (born 1918? – died April 29, 1991), known professionally as Jay Miltner, was an American radio and television announcer and news anchor, long associated with WKYC-TV in Cleveland, Ohio and its onetime sister radio outlet for four decades.

Miltner's association with the then-NBC-owned Cleveland outlet began with its radio station, WTAM, in 1947, where he frequently appeared as a singer. [ [http://clevelandclassicmedia.blogspot.com/2008/03/wkyc-35th-anniversary-judd-hambrick.html Cleveland Classic Media, March 2008 entry on WKYC-TV's 35th anniversary special from 1983, with audio clip of one of Miltner's musical numbers ] ] When in 1948 NBC launched its television station, originally called WNBK on channel 4, Miltner joined as announcer and newscaster. He was reportedly one of the first to interview survivors of the Bataan Death Marchfact|date=May 2008. He remained with the station all through its nine-year (1956-1965) run under Westinghouse Broadcasting ownership as KYW-TV, and stayed after NBC was forced back to Cleveland in 1965.

After the station adopted its current call letters of WKYC-TV, Miltner was one of the first hosts (with Bud Dancy and Linda Hunt) of a mid-afternoon show, "Three on the Town", which ran with a succession of hosts through 1968. He continued, over the years, as a live booth announcer with channel 3, to the point where he became known as the "Voice of WKYC." In his final years with the station, he was the opening announcer for the morning show "AM Cleveland". He retired from WKYC in 1986.

Miltner died in Cuyahoga County, Ohio of lung cancer at age 73.

References, sources and links

* Obituary in Variety, June 17, 1991.
* [http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?rank=1&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=&=1%2C+&=&=&=1%2C+&gsfn=Jay&gsln=Miltner&=&gsby=&gsb2co=1%2CAll+Countries&gsb2pl=1%2C+&gsdy=&gsd2co=1%2CAll+Countries&gsd2pl=1%2C+&=&=1%2C+&=&=&=&=&=&=&=1%2C+&=&=&sbo=0&sbor=&ufr=0&wp=4%3B_80000002%3B_80000003&srchb=r&prox=1&db=&ti=0&ti.si=0&gl=allgs&gss=ansmp&so=3 Ancestry.com page for Jay Miltner]
* [http://clevelandclassicmedia.blogspot.com/search?q=Jay+Miltner Articles in Cleveland Classic Media blog relating to Jay Miltner]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv0dCRO5LHk Video clip of 1976 sign-off of WKYC-TV by Jay Miltner]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMKq4_T9V8Y Video clip of opening of "AM Cleveland" from 1984 announced by Miltner]