Ted Grossman, who hosted “The Night Train” program on WLRN radio for almost 50 years, died Saturday after a long bout with cancer. He was 83.
"Ted was a font of knowledge of all things jazz and garnered generations of loyal followers," said WLRN VP of Radio Peter Maerz in a statement Sunday. "Ted charmed and informed his listeners, week after week and touched us all with his humor and passion for the music he loved."
Maerz and Grossman worked together for more than 30 years.
Grossman retired from WLRN on Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, when he aired his last four-hour "Night Train" show live from the station's main studio in downtown Miami.
Born June 17, 1942, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Grossman moved with his family to Miami Beach in 1949 and graduated from North Miami Senior High School in 1960.
He was a Vietnam-era veteran and served in the Air Force as an air defense radar operator. He spent three decades with the U.S. Postal Service, retiring in 2009. He also worked at the Miami Seaquarium as an announcer.
Grossman pitched the idea of the Night Train to WLRN in 1975 after the public radio station ended a syndicated Big Band show. All the while, he kept his job with the post office because he joked, “the postal uniform paid the bills, while WLRN paid my ego.”
“I called the station and told them, ‘Listen, I have this material (Big Band records),'" recalled Grossman in his New York accent and distinctive baritone voice during an interview earlier this year with WLRN.
"I'm used to a microphone. I can speak. You should let me have a job.’ I went in. They said ‘we’re gonna try you out,'" he told WLRN.
The rest is Night Train history.
Grossman's audience came from a surprisingly broad cross-section of the South Florida population.
"When they listen to Night Train, older fans recall the music of their youth, and younger listeners are surprised that the past can be so enjoyable," said Grossman.
In a 2023 interview with the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Grossman said he knew early on in his radio career that he had to diversify his selection of music.
“I realized right away you just can't play big bands,” said Grossman. “You’ve got to mix it up. I'll play anything but smooth jazz and fusion. I can’t tell a sharp from a flat, but I know what good taste is.”
“I think we present it in the proper way,” he added. “Each week is different. We have features, we tell the backgrounds, we tell stories, who’s playing, the dates of the recordings. And I didn't mean it to be that way, but many people tell me it’s like going to a class. I am playing records probably older than a good portion of my audience.”
Over his many decades in radio, Grossman devoted himself to collecting and popularizing the jazz and big band music of the '30's and 40's. He also accumulated an enviable collection of vintage performances including World War II recordings, Glen Miller concerts and Armed Forces Radio Services broadcasts.
Funeral services will be held at Menorah Gardens & Funeral Chapels, 21100 West Griffin Road, Southwest Ranches, FL 33332.
Services are scheduled for Monday (August 18), from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., according to the funeral home.
