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A 106.7 Question

T

thebeach33445

Hey Guys And Gals:

I have a 2 questions about 106.7. Does anybody know:

1. When did WGLO's Beautiful Music Format Start and end?

2. Was 106.7 WFTL A Beautiful Music/Classical Hybrid before becoming WGLO?
(I found this info on this site from a post called "Miami radio 48 years ago")

Thanks again for your help!!!

T.J.
 
t.j. said:
Hey Guys And Gals:

I have a 2 questions about 106.7. Does anybody know:

1. When did WGLO's Beautiful Music Format Start and end?

2. Was 106.7 WFTL A Beautiful Music/Classical Hybrid before becoming WGLO?
(I found this info on this site from a post called "Miami radio 48 years ago")

Thanks again for your help!!!

T.J.
Click to expand...

Don't forget the brief interlude as Studio 107.
 
I was down the hall from WGLO from 1974-1978 so I know more than you might want to know about 106.7.

I don't have the exact date that it changed from WFTL-FM but it was sometime in 1972-1973. My guess is early 1973.

I was hired in early 1974 to work weekends on WFTL. One of the things that may have helped me get the job was I knew how to program the WGLO automation. This meant the WGLO traffic person (not auto traffic but the person who does the station log) did not have to come in and program the automation on the weekend. I also changed the music tapes when they ran out.

All the WGLO music tapes were made in house. There was a separate music production room with a very nice McCurdy console audiophile Thorens turntables and special gear to produce the 25 Hz tone that was inserted at the end of each song to cue the next event.

Shortly after I left WFTL in February 1978 WFTL and WGLO moved to a modern new building out at the WFTL transmitter site in a rather bad neighborhood on NW 23rd Street in Fort Lauderdale. The format and call letter change on 106.7 happened not long after the move.

WFTL-FM started as WGOR on 106.5. I found a listing for it in a 1949 Broadcasting Yearbook. That year both WFTL and WGOR were owned by the Gore Publishing Company who also published The Fort Lauderdale News. If you check some other Broadcasting Yearbooks that came out later the date of WFTL-FM's sign on might be listed as 1962. That's possible since many FM stations stopped broadcasting in the 1950's and turned in their license because there wasn't enough FM radios out there to make FM profitable.

The station was WFTL-FM for many years. The change to WGLO is one that I remember best but after changing to Studio 107 WSDO there were many more call letter changes. Here are a few I can remember:

WSDO (various formats from Disco/Jazz to almost a top 40 sound), WWJF (the Joy of Florida A/C format), WJQY (still Joy A/C), WTPX (Tropics 106.7 still A/C) and then WRMA Romance 106.7.

Ralph Chambers who was one of the WFTL/WGLO engineers back in the 1970's is once again in charge of the station since he is the chief for the SBS Miami group. Funny how you sometimes come back to a station you worked for before and everything has changed!
 
Hey Mike:

THANKS DUDE!!! You info on 106.7 helped a lot and the info you gave me about you job there. That is something about automation back then especially for a youngin' like me!! Also the info on Studio 107 too. I did not know about the disco/jazz format, I thought it was beautiful music too like EZ 107 that oldiesaholic gave me.

THANKS AGAIN. YOU ROCK DUDE!!

T.J.
 
Hey Oldies, you're right I knew there was another one in there that I forgot WEWZ.

TJ for some pictures of WFTL and WGLO check out my website: www.WFTL14.com.

It was fun working there we had a great bunch of people!

You're welcome, thanks for asking.

Mike
 
Hey Mike:

I have checked out the site a while back!!! I forgot to mention that before. I LOVE THOSE OLD PICS!!!
You should put some of that info you gave me on 106.7 on that site.

Hey by the way: wftl 1400 the MOR format what kind of MOR Music did they play?? Was it more ACish or big band/pop or both? I have so many listings saying it was AC, POP or Big Band. Could you help me out on this one.

Thanks!!
T.J.
 
t.j. said:
Hey Mike:

I have checked out the site a while back!!! I forgot to mention that before. I LOVE THOSE OLD PICS!!!
You should put some of that info you gave me on 106.7 on that site.

Hey by the way: wftl 1400 the MOR format what kind of MOR Music did they play?? Was it more ACish or big band/pop or both? I have so many listings saying it was AC, POP or Big Band. Could you help me out on this one.

Thanks!!
T.J.
Click to expand...

The years that I was there MOR radio was heading in a more contemporary direction so if there was any Big Band it was very limited. Stations did not embrace the Big Band music until the Al Ham "Music of Your Life" started having an impact in the early '80's.

WFTL in the '70's played older established artists Friank Sinatra, Perry Como, Peggy Lee, Henry Mancini etc. It was carefully mixed with current soft hits from Linda Ronstadt, America, Elton John, Billy Joel, Barry Manilow as well as MOR and top 40 oldies. Just as long as the sound was not too hard, no screaming guitars or really juvinile lyrics. Think of a sound more conservative than an A/C format around the same timeframe.

Even though I was a jock and we tend to see our own job as the most important I have to say WFTL had a great news department. If there was something going on in Broward WFTL was the place to hear about it. That's a big reason people tuned in.

The WFTL listeners were fantastic. They cared about the people on the air and best of all they paid attention to what was said. If I gave out the wrong time, sombody would always call to tell me about it! The listeners were more like friends I never saw.

Radio to me will never be as good as it was in those days. I can say that because I just heard a very inexperienced voice on the air rush through a couple of liners and end long before the music bed ran out. I know it's voice tracked, you think they might care enough to do it over? Nah!
 
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