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50 Years Ago this Week on WABC

R

rtetro

It was 50 years ago this fourth of July weekend that Dan Ingram began his career on WABC in New York. Now, you may be asking, why is this relevant to a Philly Radio message board?

For two reasons. Firstly, because WABC covered most the Philadelphia metro with a huge signal, and was listened to be many people here. But secondly, and more importantly, that weekend is concerned by many to be the point at which WABC really came into its own as a Top 40 station and became what many feel is still the gold standard of the format. The formatics that WABC developed soon began to appear in other markets, including Philly. While WIBG already had an established identity in the early sixties, with the switch of WFIL to Top 40, Philly got a huge taste of much of what was being done at WABC. One can say that WFIL had much more in common with WABC than it did with WIBG.

Here is a link to a grea article about the anniversary:
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertai...ed_make_wabc_an_am_radio.html?r=entertainment
 
so very true. and for any personality who beat themself up for making dumb mistakes on the air, it was dan who taught me that once it's said, you can't climb the tower and get it back, so forget it and move on. like his very first day on 77 WABC in 1961 when he proudly exclaimed to the world 'This is Big Dan Ingram on W I L, St. Louis!...er wabc newyork"
 
When Dan Ingram started at WABC in July 1961, the station's handle was "Channel 77". Cousin Brucie started at WABC that same summer. Dan and The Cuz became the pillars upon which WABC was built. :)
 
To me, growing up in Delaware and thus the Philly market, it was still WABC that was THEE radio station. And during the day, it was loud and clear.
 
It was so loud & clear through the entire state of New Jersey, it's what we listened to at the Jersey Shore. I still remember the sound of Herb Oscar Anderson (HOA in the morning), before the IBOC hash and all the other interference. It came in as if the transmitter and stick were accross the street. WIBG also had a decent signal and so did WFIL later in the sixtes. (I still remember driving to the shore with Dave Parks on WFIL early Sunday mornings). WFIL also came in Loud & Clear. But up and down the beach it was WABC that ruled.
 
I saw Art Garfunkle perform a few years ago. During a song his mic cord came off the mic, the band played a little longer as he looked for the mic cable and plugged it back into the mic. The band kept playing low as Art explained how people love to see a performer occasionally panic...it shows they are human and gives more insight to what they are really like without their polished routines. The audienced clapped and it gave them a memorable moment they can tell others. People miss that reality radio with goof-ups that we no longer have thanks to computers, big business and research. Radio can't be funny because someone might be offended. Art also had a funny line about why they did not call the group Garfunkle and Simon....does any know it?
 
Art Garfunkel can be forgiven for an error like that. Milli Vanilli on "Club MTV"... not so much. ::)
 
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