John Gorman (radio executive)


John Gorman is a radio personality, executive, and author from Cleveland, Ohio. He has a long history in media, but most notable is his 13 years at WMMS in Cleveland. His marketing of WMMS in the 1970s helped revive the station, which became known for promoting local and upcoming talent at a national level. Gorman adjusted the format of WMMS based upon a broad interpretation of the category of rock and roll music. He is the recipient of various industry awards and acknowledgments.
In 2007, Gorman published his first book, The Buzzard: Inside The Glory Days of WMMS and Cleveland Rock Radio.

Early years

John Gorman was born and raised in Massachusetts. He began operating a private radio station out of his family's attic when he was 12 years old. As a teenager he worked in the commercial radio industry as a programming assistant, music director, and talk show producer where he remained until his move to Cleveland in 1973.

Career and achievements

Gorman was awarded "The Radio Consultant of The Year" at the Annual Pop Music Convention. He was also named "Operations Director of The Year" by Billboard in 1995. In 2006, he received the Perseverance award from the Cleveland Entertainment Coalition.
In 2000, Gorman was inducted into the Broadcaster's Hall of Fame. Gorman was also inducted into the Cleveland Association of Broadcaster' Hall of Fame in April 2008. He was inducted into the Rock Radio Hall of Fame in the "Legends of Rock Radio–Programming" category for his work at WMMS in 2014.
Gorman currently serves as chief content officer of oWOW Radio, an Internet radio station based in Cleveland.