1971 Radio

[954]

I'm updating my web site, and thought there might
be some curiosity about my 1971 radio station list:



<img src=http://www.univox.com/radio/AM1971.jpg>

(Can you find the two typos?)

73s from 954<P ID="signature">______________


http://www.univox.com/radio/2005june.html><img</P>



PS -- The stripe at the top is not a halftone.
It's scotch tape on my only copy!<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by 954 on 06/09/05 05:16 AM.</FONT></P>

 

[RadioGuy2004]

> I'm updating my web site, and thought there might
> be some curiosity about my 1971 radio station list:
>
>
>
> (Can you find the two typos?)
>
> 73s from 954
>
710 in those days waas WGBS, and 1240 from the Bahamas was ZNS-2, not ZNZ.

Do I get the gold star??

 

[954]

> > I'm updating my web site, and thought there might
> > be some curiosity about my 1971 radio station list:
> > (Can you find the two typos?)
> > 73s from 954
> >
> 710 in those days waas WGBS, and 1240 from the Bahamas was
> ZNS-2, not ZNZ.
>
> Do I get the gold star??

YOU SURE DO!

(I learned at a young age not to believe
everything you read in the newspaper.)<P ID="signature">______________
<center><hr>

Listen to samples from
<A href=http://www.univox.com/radio/saddamz.html>The Ballad of Saddam Hussein</A>
(comedy/parody on CD)</P>

 

[pbmostwanted]

I was told a story by a former jock at WLIZ (now WWRF)that the control room that still exists in their studios (they still have pot controls) came from the original SUN records in Memphis during the Elvis years. Can anyone tell me if that's accurate.




> > > I'm updating my web site, and thought there might
> > > be some curiosity about my 1971 radio station list:
> > > (Can you find the two typos?)
> > > 73s from 954
> > >
> > 710 in those days waas WGBS, and 1240 from the Bahamas was
>
> > ZNS-2, not ZNZ.
> >
> > Do I get the gold star??
>
> YOU SURE DO!
>
> (I learned at a young age not to believe
> everything you read in the newspaper.)
>

 

[bossmsx]

> I was told a story by a former jock at WLIZ (now WWRF)that
> the control room that still exists in their studios (they
> still have pot controls) came from the original SUN records
> in Memphis during the Elvis years. Can anyone tell me if
> that's accurate.

Not sure, but when I was working an overnight shift at the Buzz (late 98 or early 99), and taking the Tri Rail to Miami after finishing my shift one morning, I ran into a lady in the train that had worked at the station.....Someone who had 'tried radio' and left, and she told me that there had been a microphone at the station from the Elvis era on display, IIRC...I know Sam Phillips (one of Elvis' guys) owned the station at one point, and that it had been called WLVS at one point (think it may have done an "All Elvis" format), and the WLIZ was because it had been "all female radio" at one point, as well.

-Anthony

 

[peppertree]

Re: 1971 Radio-WGBS How To Classify Format

Back in the early seventies, WGBS was a mystery to me as to whom they were trying to attract with their format. WIOD was totally MOR with much personality and even comedy bits recordings of comedians during the day.

WGBS played more Top 40 songs than WIOD but they were not Top 40 or Rock and Roll. I guess WGBS was an early soft adult contemporary? My father did not like rock and roll (WVCG listener) but in the car, WGBS was a compromise. He could have that on without turning it and getting me angry.

I don't know who would listen to WGBS. They were in between WIOD and WQAM and I always thought they would be lost in between the two other formats.<P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>

 

[bossmsx]

"Musicradio 7000-The New WGBS"

You can't forget the late 70s when you talk about WGBS...Charlie Cook (WGBS' PD at the time, who later went on to turn KHJ in LA Country), did alot of interesting formatics at the station...."We Always Play the Full Length Album Versions" is one that comes to mind. Then there was the basic slogan, short but to the point: "Playing The Music You Like Best"....Good jocks, too...Mark Denver, Ron St. John, Theresa Lee....Not sure if Arnie Warren was still there but he is one of the best South Florida broadcasters.

 

[Oldiesaholic]

Re: 1971 Radio-WGBS How To Classify Format

> Back in the early seventies, WGBS was a mystery to me as to
> whom they were trying to attract with their format. WIOD
> was totally MOR with much personality and even comedy bits
> recordings of comedians during the day.
>
> WGBS played more Top 40 songs than WIOD but they were not
> Top 40 or Rock and Roll. I guess WGBS was an early soft
> adult contemporary? My father did not like rock and roll
> (WVCG listener) but in the car, WGBS was a compromise. He
> could have that on without turning it and getting me angry.
>
> I don't know who would listen to WGBS. They were in between
> WIOD and WQAM and I always thought they would be lost in
> between the two other formats.
>
"We play favorites" was the WGBS motto in the early '70s. To me, it was one of the best stations in So. Fla. It had personality (Arnie and Amos, Robby George, and Larry Shannon). It had a great playlist (some currents, oldies, and even an occasional old standard). It also had a great daytime signal (50,000 watts). It came in good at night where I lived too. My folks weren't crazy about rock and roll either but didn't mind this station either. It was an all-around crowd pleaser. They leaned more towards WIOD, and WVCG. WINZ did a simular format briefly (around 1974). If you liked country music (I was country when country wasn't cool!) WWOK was fun to listen to as well (Bill Taylor, George Means, Pat Appolson were some of the personalities there). WQAM and WFUN were the top 40 competitors back then WFUN's Towers were practically in my back yard so it always came in clear on my little 8-transistor radio regardless of the weather or signal strength. Radio was sure fun back in the '60s and early '70s! How things have changed!

 

[mike704]

Re: 1971 Radio-WGBS How To Classify Format

> Back in the early seventies, WGBS was a mystery to me as to
> whom they were trying to attract with their format. WIOD
> was totally MOR with much personality and even comedy bits
> recordings of comedians during the day.
>
> WGBS played more Top 40 songs than WIOD but they were not
> Top 40 or Rock and Roll. I guess WGBS was an early soft
> adult contemporary? My father did not like rock and roll
> (WVCG listener) but in the car, WGBS was a compromise. He
> could have that on without turning it and getting me angry.
>
> I don't know who would listen to WGBS. They were in between
> WIOD and WQAM and I always thought they would be lost in
> between the two other formats.
>

Prior to the '70's WGBS was very conservative, even more so that WIOD. Then Lee Rogers came in as Program Director with "WGBS Plays Favorites".

Call it AC/Gold there was a good mix of oldies with a few current softer top 40 hits. This format was done by quite a few stations at the time. WGR Buffalo, WBT Charlotte are two which come to mind. It was meant for those who grew up with top 40 but were starting to age out of the format.

The format worked up until 1978. FM stations like A1A were taking the adult contemporary audience away. Then Lee Rogers the Program Director was shown the door or was offered a job at one of the other Storer stations WJW Cleveland.

Arnie Warren took over and hired me away from WFTL in Fort Lauderdale to do evenings on WGBS. I followed Dale Reeves who did all kinds of bits and character voices, he was very funny. Unfortunatley that only lasted a couple of weeks before Dale left too.

Two weeks later "Musicradio 7000 The New WGBS" came in. By the way we had to say it just like that every time we gave the station's name, try it, what a mouthful. It was a very tight format and I was just not getting the hang of it. Teresa Lee got promoted to evenings and I got bumped back to all nights. Not the best time in my career. In 1978 there were four P.D.'s Lee Rogers, Arnie Warren, Dan Halyburton, and Charlie Cook. Dan had been a country jock at WWOK and went over to WQAM to take it country. Charlie Cook was the first P.D. to ever fire me, but hey that's show biz. The Musicradio 7000 format was the brainchild of Storer corperate PD Ed Salamon. I asked one time why 7000 and Arnie told me they wanted a number that was higher than Y-100, which didn't make sense to me...?<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by mike704 on 06/13/05 08:34 PM.</FONT></P>

 

[954]

Re: 1971 Radio-WGBS How To Classify Format

> I don't know who would listen to WGBS. They were in between
> WIOD and WQAM and I always thought they would be lost in
> between the two other formats.

The only thing I remember ever listening to was Arnie Warren and Amos Rutlege in the mornings and WGBS's Wednesday night jazz program. That (and Willis Conover's jazz program on the Voice America) were the only jazz I ever heard on the radio until I "discovered" WBUS, just months before their demise in '75.

<center><img src=http://www.univox.com/radio/wgbs.jpg></center>

73s from 954<P ID="signature">______________
See "Unforgettable" WJNA and WFTL "Live 85"</P>

 

[Ai4i]

Re: "Musicradio 7000-The New WGBS"

And when 710 was English there were no Cuban jammers and you could hear the station up into Georgia in the daytime and throughout much of the Carribean at night...strongest signal in South Florida.<P ID="signature">______________
_____________________________________________
Proud 2 B a pioneering satellite radio subs¢riber
Ai4i is always on the trailing edge of technology</P>

 

[peppertree]

Re: 1974 WINZ

Around 1974, I remember WINZ competing with the FM's, including WAXY which was top 40 (Magic Music) for six months.

WINZ's line was, "The AM that sounds like an FM."

> They leaned more towards WIOD, and
> WVCG. WINZ did a simular format briefly (around 1974). <P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>

 

[peppertree]

Re: Arnie Warren

I think around 1983, Arnie Warren was on WNNW-The Winner's News Network, playing motivational tapes during the morning drive.

I loved the WGBS address. 710 Brickell Avenue. A nice building too.

> You can't forget the late 70s when you talk about
> WGBS...Charlie Cook (WGBS' PD at the time, who later went on
> to turn KHJ in LA Country), did alot of interesting
> formatics at the station...."We Always Play the Full Length
> Album Versions" is one that comes to mind. Then there was
> the basic slogan, short but to the point: "Playing The Music
> You Like Best"....Good jocks, too...Mark Denver, Ron St.
> John, Theresa Lee....Not sure if Arnie Warren was still
> there but he is one of the best South Florida broadcasters.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>

 

[bossmsx]

Re: 1974 WINZ

> Around 1974, I remember WINZ competing with the FM's,
> including WAXY which was top 40 (Magic Music) for six
> months.
>
> WINZ's line was, "The AM that sounds like an FM."

Yeah, I have an aircheck of Chucker on WFUN, and Alan Michael on WINZ from April of 1975, where the two played the same exact songs for about an hour, and closed by calling each other, and saying "I sure am glad you're not playing the same songs those other stations are!!"...This was when WINZ was doing the "AM on FM" formatics. Format seemed like what was then called "Chicken Rock", AC.

--Anthony

 

[bossmsx]

Re: Arnie Warren

> I think around 1983, Arnie Warren was on WNNW-The Winner's
> News Network, playing motivational tapes during the morning
> drive.
>
> I loved the WGBS address. 710 Brickell Avenue. A nice
> building too.

Yeah..Warren was at WNN in the 80s...Format started in '87 and the calls exist to this day, it really never 'signed off', the motivational tapes were just slowly removed by attrition from the airwaves, I don't know they may even be aired on 1470 at times (which is now WWNN)...I know that by 97 or 98 they were calling it "Personal Achievement Radio" and mixing it with "Health Talk", the "Health Talk" is still there but I haven't heard about the Tony Robbins stuff.

The WGBS building still stands, in stark contrast to the skyscrapers that have gone up all around Brickell replacing the mansions that once stood..Even the WCIX circular building is long gone....I worked at WAXY 790 on 441 briefly as a summer job in '95 between semesters in UF, which was the final spot for WGBS before being sold in 1985..There was still a plaque in the studio that said "WGBS Station Log", and a couple of other subtle WGBS reminders if you looked carefully.

 

[MattBAA]

Re: 1974 WINZ

> > Around 1974, I remember WINZ competing with the FM's,
> > including WAXY which was top 40 (Magic Music) for six
> > months.
> >
> > WINZ's line was, "The AM that sounds like an FM."
>
> Yeah, I have an aircheck of Chucker on WFUN, and Alan
> Michael on WINZ from April of 1975, where the two played the
> same exact songs for about an hour, and closed by calling
> each other, and saying "I sure am glad you're not playing
> the same songs those other stations are!!"...This was when
> WINZ was doing the "AM on FM" formatics. Format seemed like
> what was then called "Chicken Rock", AC.
>
> --Anthony
>
This is one of my favorite all time airchecks, and I actually have it posted on my site as an mp3 if anyone wants to listen to it. www.bigappleairchecks.com and go to the Florida page. Chucker told me that he and Alan were "young" kids at the time, and decided to have some fun. <P ID="signature">______________

Co/Moderator: New York,Miami,Airchecks,Classic Radio and Where Are They Now?</P>

 

[954]

Re: Arnie Warren

> I think around 1983, Arnie Warren was on WNNW-The Winner's
> News Network, playing motivational tapes during the morning
> drive.

Late 80s or early 90s.

I think that in '83 it was still WPIP (M-O-R), the successor to WLOD and predecessor to WBSS "Blue Suede Radio" ... a great oldies station more in line with what Jon Sommers plays on WJNA now.

<center>

</center>

> I loved the WGBS address. 710 Brickell Avenue. A nice
> building too.

Yeah. When we first drove by the new Channel 6 building many years ago, my mother said it looked like the thing on top of an old refridgerator. <P ID="signature">______________
See WJNA and WFTL</P>

 

[Ed_Salamon]

"The Musicradio 7000 format was the brainchild of Storer corperate PD Ed Salamon. "
Thanks for the credit.
"I asked one time why 7000 and Arnie told me they wanted a number that was higher than Y-100, which didn't make sense to me...?"
Nor to me. Maybe it was our creative guy Dale Pon's (later of "I Want My MTV" fame) idea. I still have a Fleetwood Mac bus poster with the slogan. I'm happy to take credit for the format, but not the 7000 part of the slogan, since I can't recall its origin. This was the last rally of the AM music startons; at the same time, Dale and I were doing Top 40 10-Q in Los Angeles, which ultimately beat legendary KHJ. Later we would call Chicago's WCFL Musicradio 1000. "Musicradio" was a tribute to WABC.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

"The Musicradio 7000 format was the brainchild of Storer corperate PD Ed Salamon. "
Thanks for the credit.
"I asked one time why 7000 and Arnie told me they wanted a number that was higher than Y-100, which didn't make sense to me...?"
Nor to me. Maybe it was our creative guy Dale Pon's (later of "I Want My MTV" fame) idea. I still have a Fleetwood Mac bus poster with the slogan. I'm happy to take credit for the format, but not the 7000 part of the slogan, since I can't recall its origin. This was the last rally of the AM music startons; at the same time, Dale and I were doing Top 40 10-Q in Los Angeles, which ultimately beat legendary KHJ. Later we would call Chicago's WCFL Musicradio 1000. "Musicradio" was a tribute to WABC.

You're welcome...I think! Dale Pon , now there is a name I haven't heard in awhile, and I do remember him.

The Fleetwood Mac poster was good, so was the Linda Ronstat one. WGBS kinda missed with Elton John though, his career was at the bottom around that time. I remember we played his song "Ego". I haven't heard it since. Paul McCartney had "With a Little Luck" out around this time (1978)

I can look back fondly at WGBS today but my time there was a bit bumpy. I didn't get the new format since I had been doing free form MOR radio previous to working at WGBS. Two hours into the new format my confidence was shot and you probably thought I was dumb as a post. If that had happened today I would have tossed you out of the studio....<grin>.

The whole "Musicradio 7000 the NEW WGBS" was a bit like putting a miniskirt on grandma, to make her look cool, it just didn't work. The kids had gone to FM years before. WGBS should have gone personality intensive with more talk or maybe Country, but hey that's easy to say now.

All this seems like a lifetime ago!

 

[Hockeyfan]

I'm just a "fan" and not a personality or production person and not sure how I even stumbled onto this site but thanks for sharing. I remember WQAM back in the Roby "The Big Kahuna" Days Yonge, and listening to "77 WABC, Super Hit 1, hit 1, hit 1" at night when you could pick it up. And Cousin Brucie from Palisades Park. Sorry to bore you all but Radio seemed much more alive and vibrant back then.