Old WHDH-FM 1960's MOR format?

[fybush]

You can make a good case that the WHDH callsign has been used continuously in Boston longer than any other.

WHDH first appeared in Gloucester in 1929, but by 1930 it had been moved to Boston. It was used on AM continuously from then until 1994, as well as on FM from the late 1940s until 1974 and on channel 5 from 1957-72.

To clarify: Mugar bought WHDH radio in 1989, looking to add a radio component to channel 7 to better compete against the WBZ radio/TV juggernaut. He put the WHDH-TV calls on channel 7 in the spring of 1990 and moved the AM studios from Stuart Street to the top floor of the channel 7 building at Government Center. (That space had been vacant for almost a decade since WRKO/WROR moved out after RKO sold them.)

Mugar then sold WHDH radio to ARS in 1992; that made WHDH a sister station to WRKO and there was just too much duplication of talk formats for them to both survive. WRKO survived as the talk station and the WEEI sports format moved to 850 from 590 (flush!) in 1994, leaving the WHDH calls only on TV.

But wait, you say - how has WHDH been in use in Boston longer than WBZ? Because the WBZ calls didn't move to Boston until 1931. The Boston station was WBZA from 1924 until it swapped places with WBZ East Springfield.

 

[Cap-n Spackle]

Thank God that WBZ RADIO has not decided to minimize its identity.

I remember they for a short time (90s? 00s?) aired an amusing promo,
"Gimme a W" - 'Double you!'
"Gimme a B" - 'Beee!'
"Gimme a Z" - 'Zeee!'
"What's that spell?" - 'Wubbizz!'

It reminded me of the old Jess Cain show when I was a kid and his reading of the weather forecast would include "winds up to 15 muh puh huh".

 

[fybush]

I remember they for a short time (90s? 00s?) aired an amusing promo,
"Gimme a W" - 'Double you!'
"Gimme a B" - 'Beee!'
"Gimme a Z" - 'Zeee!'
"What's that spell?" - 'Wubbizz!'

It reminded me of the old Jess Cain show when I was a kid and his reading of the weather forecast would include "winds up to 15 muh puh huh".

That would have been the work of the talented Mike Coleman - who did the same promo early in the 90s when he was at WZLX, or "Wizzlixx" if you prefer.

 

[nowradioguy]

That would have been the work of the talented Mike Coleman - who did the same promo early in the 90s when he was at WZLX, or "Wizzlixx" if you prefer.

I, for one, REALLY miss the antics of the creative and talented Michael Coleman on WBZ Radio!!!

 

[audiskman]

According to Wikipedia, WHDH-FM signed on the air in 1948.

Until 1965 ... Simulcast WHDH's MOR (full-service, middle of the road) format.

1965 to 1967 ... Automated MOR (The FCC required FM stations in large markets to have separate programming 75% of the week.)

1967 to 1969 ... Automated AOR Album-0riented Rock (Just before WBCN also flipped to progressive rock.)

1969 to 1972 ... Automated Beautiful Music (After the CEO objected to his FM station playing rock music.)

1972 to 1975 ... Automated Beautiful Music continues but with new call letters WCOZ (for cozy).

1975 to 1984 ... Live DJs host heavily researched AOR format known as "Superstars." Only the top songs from the biggest selling artists.

I would like to know what the 1965 to 1967 Automated MOR format sounded like? I guess it was Sinatra, Streisand, Nat King Cole, Perry Como and Andy Williams singing MOR songs but with no announcers? It wasn't Beautiful Music because it was vocal, not instrumental?

1975-around 1980 not the Superstars format but programmed by Clark Smidt. After that a tightly programmed format much like the Superstars but it was not that format because that was a trade name from consultants Burkhart Abrams. I don't believe WCOZ used them. If they did and anyone knows, I'm sure they will add a comment. That's the problem with Wikipedia and now AI sources, they can have wrong information but people believe it because they see it in print.

 

[Wimmmex]

I, for one, REALLY miss the antics of the creative and talented Michael Coleman on WBZ Radio!!!

Is he the guy that did those funny promos, such as:

Q: "Where is Albania?"
A: "I'm not sure, but I think she was in the kitchen."

 

[davideduardo]

David,

While I agree that pronounceable call signs were coming into play, as well as monikers like Color Radio or Now Radio, I think call signs really began to disappear after 1999. Thank God that WBZ RADIO has not decided to minimize its identity. I do recall that CBS wanted its O&O TVs to use monikers like CBS-Boston, or CBS-LA, and was overjoyed when WBZ-TV changed back to its rightful identity. ("CBS4 New England" was absolutely horrid.)

Remember that in most of the world, using calls was unusual. One time I asked the licensing bureau if my 590 AM in Quito, Ecuador, if I could just use call letters with no additional name. I thought that doing that would make us unique. I was turned down and told not to use the call letters on the air and to come up with a name for the station.

 

[Gregg.]

1975-around 1980 not the Superstars format but programmed by Clark Smidt. After that a tightly programmed format much like the Superstars but it was not that format because that was a trade name from consultants Burkhart Abrams. I don't believe WCOZ used them. If they did and anyone knows, I'm sure they will add a comment. That's the problem with Wikipedia and now AI sources, they can have wrong information but people believe it because they see it in print.

I assumed it was the Superstars format but it's not in Wikipedia. That's what it sounded like when I heard it and I thought I read it in a trade publication. But as you said, it was an approximation crafted by Clark Schmidt.

 

[fybush]

Is he the guy that did those funny promos, such as:

Q: "Where is Albania?"
A: "I'm not sure, but I think she was in the kitchen."

He is!

And the first of those award-winning"Dumb Guy" promos, back around 1994 or 1995, had me as the guy asking the questions!

It was a blast to do those with him.

 

[Wimmmex]

He is!

And the first of those award-winning"Dumb Guy" promos, back around 1994 or 1995, had me as the guy asking the questions!

It was a blast to do those with him.

I always wondered why they didn't continue the theme of the "dumb guy" promos!

 

[fybush]

I always wondered why they didn't continue the theme of the "dumb guy" promos!

Well, I moved on in early 1997...🤣

Seriously though, promos like that burn out after a while. Gotta keep it fresh.

 

[nowradioguy]

Is he the guy that did those funny promos, such as:

Q: "Where is Albania?"
A: "I'm not sure, but I think she was in the kitchen."

Michael Coleman is a treasure. Besides all the funny bits, he did humorous ads for clients such as Mackinnon's Meat Markets.

And whenever there was an historical event of particular significance, such as 9/11 or the Marathon Bombings, he would produce a "collage" of news footage from that day, with moving, somber music in the background that would give you goosebumps - and often a lump in your throat - when aired, and they would last anywhere from 3-4 minutes.

For whatever the reason, when WBZ Radio moved to their new digs in Medford in 2018, Michael did not get a key to the building. Unfortunate, considering he had been a top-notch producer for WBZ NewsRadio 1030 since the early 90s.

 

[Time Traveler]

WCOZ was never a "Superstars" formatted station. Although from mid 1980 until 1983....They did something that was similar. Back in that era WAAF was the actual "Superstars" formatted station which they started doing in mid-1976. WCOZ came on in mid 1975 doing what they called "Modified Progressive Rock" and their format had a significant amount of music depth to it. WHDH-FM's Progressive Rock format that lasted from 1967-1969 was actually a really good sounding Rock format that had a lot of depth to it. And it overlapped with WBCN for well over a year before the format was ditched late in the summer of 1969. And than about six months after the demise of WHDH-FM as a Progressive Rock station...WAAF flipped to Progressive Rock in March, 1970...

 

[W1DAN-]

Hi Scott and all!

I have been busy discussing these tapes with some retired folks who worked at WHDH-AM and FM both during that time and afterwards. A lot of details have been revealed. Once I get a full picture of these tapes, and their permission I will report here.

Thanks for everyone's input!

Dan

 

[Fenway1912]

WHDH fought this FCC action to the last minute and WCVB had to show the commision they were ready to go on the air so they really had no choice but to build their own facility.

That was a calculated risk by WHDH-TV that almost worked as if the Herald-Traveler got one more delay WCVB would be broke and forced to surrender the CP.

 

[Fenway1912]

September 1968

Nobody told Harold Clancy who was the president of WHDH about the switch and one day whe was walking through the studios and heard it and they went to MOR in hours.

 

[Huff]

I bet WHDH-FM's MOR format did not do well in competition with Easy Listening and upcoming rock and top-40 formats.

WHDH-FM peaked with a 2.7 share in the Fall of 1967, that placed it 7th in the market overall that survey.
(Arbitron started measuring Boston in 1965)
WHDH-FM averaged a 1.4 share from 1965-70.
It was the highest-rated FM station in the market from 1965-67, with the exception of one survey, however the sign on of WJIB at the end of '67 pretty much wiped out its listening.

 

[DawsonM]

September 1968

Nobody told Harold Clancy who was the president of WHDH about the switch and one day whe was walking through the studios and heard it and they went to MOR in hours.

View attachment 6750

I wonder how much of this story was exaggerated? How can you be in charge of a major market AM-FM-TV tied to a newspaper and not know this was happening? I think he saw some traction WRKO-FM had as well as WRKO-AM and reluctantly let it happen. Objections from Tom Yawkee of the Red Sox who had much influence with WHDH because of the profitability of the Sox broadcast contract could have made them change their minds. Also set in their ways salespeople used to being order takers due to the success and easy sell of WHDH-AM didn't put any effort in to selling this format. Most of the players are dead and most of us were not even born so we may never know.

 

[Time Traveler]

I wonder how much of this story was exaggerated? How can you be in charge of a major market AM-FM-TV tied to a newspaper and not know this was happening? I think he saw some traction WRKO-FM had as well as WRKO-AM and reluctantly let it happen. Objections from Tom Yawkee of the Red Sox who had much influence with WHDH because of the profitability of the Sox broadcast contract could have made them change their minds. Also set in their ways salespeople used to being order takers due to the success and easy sell of WHDH-AM didn't put any effort in to selling this format. Most of the players are dead and most of us were not even born so we may never know.

That story has circulated for some time. In any case...I'm not dead but definitely listened to WHDH-FM as a Progressive Rock station when I was in junior high...I definitely used to hear people playing the station that were generally a few years older than I was at the time too. FM Rock had definitely taken off in the Boston area at that time...The various stations in 1969 included...
94.5-WHDH-FM (AOR)
95.7-WKBR-FM (Top 40) Manchester, NH
98.5-WROR (Top 40/Oldies) "Hit Parade '69"
103.3-WEEI-FM (Top 40/AOR) "The Young Sound"
104.1-WBCN (AOR)
105.7-WKOX-FM (Top 40)

The sudden flip of WHDH-FM from Progressive Rock to elevator music late in the summer of 1969 was kind of shocking...Also...With regards to WCOZ...Clark Schmidt only programmed it for it's first year of existence...Then George Taylor Morris programmed it from mid-1976 until the spring of 1978...when Tommy Hadges from WBCN took over. Then in the summer of 1980...John Sebastian took over and installed the "Kick Ass Rock" format. That format continued up until early 1983 at which time they initially modified it to a softer more mainstream Rock approach until the short lived flip to A/C in October, 1983...

 

[Hole in your radio]

At least one station found a "free"way to split AM/FM programming* in the mid 70s.
My alma mater, KROQ had interns in a cubicle with two Ampex 350 decks. One recorded the FM, the other played it back on the AM 24 hours later. Cheap and dirty but it survived a few FCC inspections!

* ICYMI, once upon time, KROQ/Burbank was on 1500. When the owners bought KPPC-FM it was a simulcast until the FCC mandated the non-simulcast rule.