Mr. Wayne H. Cannon, a popular disc jockey and dedicated member of the Ocean City, Maryland community, passed away on April 19, 2021 after a brief battle with Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis. He was 72.
Born and raised in Delmar, Maryland, Mr. Cannon received a professional degree from the Career Academy of Broadcasting in Washington DC in 1968, graduating as valedictorian of his class. He then served as a medic in the Army, stationed in Germany, from 1969 through 1972. Upon returning to the states he moved to Ocean City where he began his career as a broadcaster in a small local radio station, which in time led him to become the “voice” of Ocean City.
Wayne worked at WETT AM / WWTR FM “96 Rock” from 1976 through 1988 and again from 1991 through 1993, and WSEA AM / WZBH FM from 1988 through 1991, before joining WGMD FM in 1993, where he remained for 20 years before retiring from radio in 2013. Wayne also served as WBAL Baltimore’s “Man in the Sand,” providing weekly insights on the goings-on in Ocean City for Baltimore residents looking to head “down the ocean” for a week at the beach. Simultaneous with his radio career, for 20 years Mr. Cannon produced and hosted the cable access show “This Week in Ocean City,” which provided an interview forum for “movers and shakers” of the Eastern Shore community.
Known locally as the unofficial “Mayor” of West Ocean City, Wayne was awarded the Key to the City twice, including in 1988, when the City issued a proclamation that March 11 of that year be known as “Wayne Cannon Day” in recognition of Mr. Cannon’s “hard work and dedication to Ocean City.” He was the Master of Ceremonies for the Berlin Christmas Parade, Ocean City St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Ocean City Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, the Princess Royale Penguin Swim, local Epilepsy Telethon, and numerous other local events.
Mr. Cannon served as Past President of the Chamber of Commerce, Past President of the Ocean City Paramedics Foundation, member of the Ocean City Lions Club, where he mentored youth members of the Ocean City Leo Club based at Stephen Decatur High School, member and past Trustee of the First Presbyterian Church in Ocean City, past board member of the Lower Shore Chapter of the American Red Cross, and past member of the Maryland State Chapter of the United States Olympic Committee, Ocean City Tourism Committee, the Governor’s Drug and Alcohol Abuse Committee, and Governor’s Economic Development Committee.
His many honorifics include the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce’s “Citizen of the Year” award in 2004, the Grant-a-Wish Foundation’s “Humanitarian of the Year” award in 1996, a commendation from the State of Delaware House of Representatives for “Outstanding Public Service through Broadcasting” in 1996, the Ocean City Elks Lodge’s “Citizen of the Year” award in 1998, and the Ocean City Lions Club Melvin Jones Fellow Award for Dedicated Humanitarian Services – the highest award offered by the Lions Club International.
Despite his many accomplishments, both professionally and in service to his community, Wayne’s greatest reward in life was his wife, Christie, their two kids, Amanda and Jeff, and his grandson, Jameson (aka “Crazy Man”). A true family man, Wayne’s love of and devotion to his family surpassed even his dedication to Ocean City.
In tribute to Wayne’s legacy of service, mentorship, and dedication to the craft of radio, his family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Radio, Television, and Digital News Association’s Scholarship and Fellowship program. Donations can be made online or mailed to:
RTDNA, attn: Scholarships and Fellowships
The National Press Building
529 14th Street, NW, Suite 1240
Washington, D.C. 20045
It will be hard to fill the shoes of this man who willingly donated so much of his time and energy to the town and surrounding areas that he loved. He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.