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Bill BallanceAmerican radio talk show host
Country:
 USA |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Radio Career
- "The Woman's Forum"
- The San Diego Years
- Retirement and Legacy
- Controversy
- Death
Early Life and Education
Bill Balance, born in 1918 in Peoria, Illinois, was the son of a prominent Peoria family. His great-grandfather, Charles Balance, settled in the area in the 1830s as a lawyer to resolve disputes with French settlers. Bill attended the University of Illinois, majoring in journalism before serving in the United States Marine Corps, where he rose to the rank of Captain.
Radio Career
After his military service, Balance worked at radio stations in Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, and San Diego. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he became known as "Radio's Number One Roving Reporter" with syndication on major radio stations.
"The Woman's Forum"
In 1971, Balance gained notoriety as the host of "The Woman's Forum" in Los Angeles, a spicy radio talk show targeting female listeners. He challenged callers and was not shy in his treatment of women's rights activists who called into the show. "The Woman's Forum" went off the air in 1973, after which Balance launched "The Bill Balance Show."
The San Diego Years
In 1978, Balance relocated to San Diego, where he worked for the next fifteen years. While his early ratings were successful, his San Diego audience was smaller than his Los Angeles one. Balance continued his signature style of combining call-ins with guest interviews and monologues, but his popularity waned in the late 1980s.
Retirement and Legacy
By 1993, a 75-year-old Balance retired, marking the end of a career spanning over half a century. Despite declining ratings, Balance's show served as a precursor to the provocative talk radio style later made popular by hosts such as Tom Leykis and Howard Stern.
Controversy
In 1998, Balance became embroiled in a scandal when a court authorized the publication of nude photos of psychiatrist and radio talk show host Laura Schlesinger. Balance, then in his 80s, sold the photos to a company, claiming they were taken during an affair in the 1970s while Schlesinger was married. Schlesinger acknowledged the affair but insisted she was separated and had filed for divorce at the time. The age difference between Balance and Schlesinger was 30 years.
Death
Bill Balance passed away on September 23, 2004, at the age of 86, following a stroke and bypass surgery three months earlier.
