Jerry Cesak, a Radio Hall of Fame member who had a memorable run on the air in Detroit, has died at 74, according to reports from San Diego news stations.
Cesak and Jeff Detrow, then working under the names Jerry St. James and Jeff Elliott, were a well-known FM morning host team during the Motor City radio wars of the 1980s, a heyday era when stations battled to land top personalities. Their comedic style brought them ratings success at the at the old WMJC-FM (94.7), now WCSX-FM.
Former WWJ-AM anchor Roberta Jasina shared memories of Cesak on a Jan. 7 Facebook post, writing: “I worked closely with Jerry for several years at WMJC in the 1980s. He was the voice of ‘Bill Biceps’ and many other hilarious characters on the ‘Jeff and Jer’ show. Jerry was so talented, so funny … and it broke my heart when he left Detroit radio for Chicago (and eventually San Diego.). God bless you, Jerry. Thank you for the laughter.”
Born in Maryland, Cesak was veteran radio star Jim Harper’s morning partner when he left Detroit’s WNIC-FM in 1982 to team up with Detrow on WMJC. In 1985, Cesak and Detrow moved to Chicago’s WFYR-FM for a three-year run. By 1988, the duo landed on the air in San Diego. Their “Jeff and Jer Showgram,” which had stints at several San Diego radio station, was a beloved hit in the southern California city for 27 years.
Cesak retired in 2015. The Jeff and Jer Showgram was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2016, where it is praised on the official website for its mix of “music, candid conversation about current events, celebrity interviews and the duo’s madcap, often self-deprecating humor” and for not being shy “about discussing emotional and often serious topics, ranging from addiction to parental custody to animal welfare.”
Instead of flowers, Cesak’s family asks that donations be sent to the Rancho Coastal Humane Society, where the longtime animal advocate was a board member.
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at jhinds@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Former Detroit morning radio star Jerry Cesak dies at 74
Reporting by Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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