John Lyon, Retired Announcer and WMAL Swingman, was very well known to WMAL listeners although they constantly mis-pronounced his last name. It’s Lyon, not Lyons. No “S”. Speaking of “S”, Lyon tells a story about his “S” word on-air slip and looking up from the mic to see Andy O (his boss back then), looking back at him from the engineer’s booth! John’s 22-year career at WMAL ended abruptly in 1990, but he took with him good memories: Count Basie calling in to Felix Grant’s show while John was filling-in for Grant; Charlie Byrd playing Christmas Carols at Christmas Eve at the Kennedy Center just because Lyon asked him to; making his way to the station, thanks to Larry Krebs, in a huge snow storm one week while filling in for Harden and Weaver; the Gross National Parade; and, the love affair WMAL had with its listeners. Andy O describes Lyon as a really important person to the success of WMAL. Andy and John also talk about the abduction of John and Mary’s young daughters’ 44 years ago this month. They have never been found. Lyon tells Andy that he and his family are forever grateful for the support they received from the community and says its "an impossible situation to comprehend." He also says that even though just last year, the police found the guy, he was found guilty, and is now in jail, that closure is not a thing. Lyon worked at WMAL for 15 years afterward and says that he “was affected very adversely about that whole thing” and that he knows it negatively impacted his career. It took him a couple of years after leaving WMAL, but he found a second career in Montgomery County’s Victim Assistance Program and retired after 20 years of service. You’ll be taken back to the good old days at WMAL the minute you hear John Lyon’s voice, and hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did.
The entire transcript for this podcast episode can be found on our website here:
https://ourtowndc.com/john-lyon-wmal/ A special thanks to Our Town sponsors GEICO, as well as Attorney Mike Collins, Tony & Joe's Seafood Restaurant and Nicks Riverside Grill, and Living Health Integrative Medicine Regenerative Medicine.