Ed Christian Obituary, Death – Edward K. Christian, age 78, of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan and Longboat Key, Florida, passed away in peace on Friday, August 19, 2022, following a brief battle with illness. He was a longtime resident of both places. Ed Christian’s calling was to a profession in radio, which he began in 1958 as a young teen running the control board at numerous FM radio stations in Detroit; he lived true to this calling every day since then as an active and unparalleled force in his chosen field up until the day he passed away.
Ed Christian’s career in radio began in 1958, when he was a young adolescent running the control board at several FM radio stations in Detroit. During his time as a student at Michigan State University, he worked as a radio reporter for a number of stations in the Lansing area. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Wayne State University in 1966, he started working as an account executive for WCAR-AM-FM in Detroit shortly after graduation.
Christian made the decision to purchase a radio station in a small market when he was twenty-six years old. Prior to this, he had held a few different jobs and earned a master’s degree in management from Central Michigan University. In 1971, he bought WCER-AM-FM in Charlotte, which is located in Michigan. Soon after that, in 1974, he was hired to revive the failing WNIC AM/FM, which was in grave financial problems at the time. His responsibilities included serving as vice president and general manager. Ed had only $100,000 in funds to operate the station, so he laid off employees, paid the bills, and changed the radio format to “Detroit’s Nicest Rock.
” The station was profitable once more within three months. when three years, Josephson Communications purchased it for $4 million when it was put up for sale. Christian stayed with WNIC and eventually became the general manager of the station. The CEO of Josephson International, Marvin Josephson, had the idea to establish a radio division, and Christian was chosen to assist in the establishment of the new company. In 1986, Josephson made the decision to sell the division rather than continue to acquire stations.
