AM-1240 WGBB

[sNEWSer]

I happened to catch this station along the coast in Jersey and it had a fairly decent signal as most the LI AM's do frmo the salt-water path and I was surprised to hear such a "variety" of programming on the station which seems to be "Chinese" during the week. I realize where AM stands here in 2012 and that they have a heritage but has this format based on a melange of programming worked for them? Just curious... Lost them in northern monmouth County to adjacent 1250 WMTR. :-\

 

[FrankF]

From looking at their schedule, aside from the Chinese programing the rest of the station is pay for play which they have been doing for years. It looks like they picked up some programing from WNYG when they left the building.
http://www.am1240wgbb.com/home.htm

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

@ Frank : Do they have any broadcasting at all from the old Broadcast Plaza in Merrick? I'd heard that some programming eminated from the WNYG studio on Route 109. And in my deliquency I missed any details about the WNYG entity itself! Aren't they in Medford now?
(I've been away for a while, hi)

@ sNEWSer : A pal of mine heard WGBB, broad daylight, at the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 1974, off a pretty good portable -- water path, of course.
Once you go east on Long Island and clear the New Jersey land mass blockage, the reception is reciprocal. An everyDAY catch on the south shore was WOBR 1530 from the Outer Banks.
The old WBOF 1550 from Virginia Beach was a clock radio catch in West Babylon -- and inland by a few miles.
WTYD 1270 Portsmouth, WZAM 1110, the great A/C WTAR (SEVVVVV enntyyyy niiiiiinnnnnnne!!') was an actual car button. One sunrise, WTHE Mineola was off and not WKBW but WTGR 1520 from Myrtle Beach was there .... 'Tiger Radio', with their Oldies-A/C mix. Ridiculous.
I believe the water path to those places 400 miles away gets clear and free roughly around the Nassau-Suffolk line, and, of course, everywhere east of that general spot.

Thanks for the memories!

 

[FrankF]

@ Frank : Do they have any broadcasting at all from the old Broadcast Plaza in Merrick? I'd heard that some programming eminated from the WNYG studio on Route 109. And in my deliquency I missed any details about the WNYG entity itself! Aren't they in Medford now?

Sorry, I have no clue of WGBB doing any shows out of Merrick. The last time I visited 404 RTE 109 was in 2008. I had worked for WNYG from 1988-1994. While it may have been nice to see new equipment, I had missed all of the old stuff I used to do my shows on (turn tables, cart machines, cassette decks and C/D players, not to mention reel to reel. If memory serves me correctly WNYG is all in Medford now with some Spanish Religious format.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

WGBB broadcast for years from studios located across the parking lot at the LIRR station in Merrick. Station ID's claimed Freeport as their home, but the studio was in Merrick.

 

[cspence]

@ Frank : Do they have any broadcasting at all from the old Broadcast Plaza in Merrick? I'd heard that some programming eminated from the WNYG studio on Route 109. And in my deliquency I missed any details about the WNYG entity itself! Aren't they in Medford now?
(I've been away for a while, hi)


Little Stevey, are you on the airy? That building across from the Merrick train station has been some kind of a home heath care bussines (bedpan changers) for almost twenty years.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Oddly, CSpence, in two months I will have been living in NEPA for exactly those same twenty years. Plus, it had been a while beforethat since I'd passed the old Broadcast Plaza.

If you mean 'on the air' ; no, not for those same twenty years.

'In the know' ; again, no, vis-a-vis Long Island radio. I lost all interest in the field, except for some cup-of-coffee weekend shift. Heck -- it was perhaps as many as fifteen years ago when I spoke with a buddy of mine who said, obviously exaggerating, that 'three companies own all the Long Island stations now'.

So, if I don't know, I post here and other places and ask.

(And it's STEVIE ! Sheesh! :- )

 

[radioguy39nj]

WGBB broadcast for years from studios located across the parking lot at the LIRR station in Merrick. Station ID's claimed Freeport as their home, but the studio was in Merrick.

Memories of my LI high school days and my '67 Mustang! The last preset was on 1240 WGBB "The Choice of the Island". Sorry Staten Island! The Island to me means Long Island!

WGBB was top 40 and oldies at night when most of we baby boomers were in our cars. WGBB during the day was mom and dad's station, similar to WINS in the early 60s before to flip to all-news.

When you were driving home from Nathan's in Oceanside after 11 PM and WMCA had on Barry Gray's talk show and WABC got too repetitive, 1240 WGBB was so refreshing. Thanks again WGBB for the memories!

 

[Al_Case]

For those of us who were there in "The Susquehanna Days", it's nice to know that there are still some people out there who remember. Thanks for posting. It brightened my day.

--Al--

 

[radioguy39nj]

For those of us who were there in "The Susquehanna Days", it's nice to know that there are still some people out there who remember. Thanks for posting. It brightened my day.

--Al--

And thank you Al for all your shows! I think you used to say on air, "Al Case loves gold!" BTW, did you do "Flashback Hour"?

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

Memories of my LI high school days and my '67 Mustang! The last preset was on 1240 WGBB "The Choice of the Island". Sorry Staten Island! The Island to me means Long Island! WGBB was top 40 and oldies at night when most of we baby boomers were in our cars. WGBB during the day was mom and dad's station, similar to WINS in the early 60s before to flip to all-news. When you were driving home from Nathan's in Oceanside after 11 PM and WMCA had on Barry Gray's talk show and WABC got too repetitive, 1240 WGBB was so refreshing. Thanks again WGBB for the memories!

Ah yes! And, since we're milking memories, remember WGBB's High School report? Our's (Plainedge High School) was voiced by my class of '69 "crusin' buddy", Joe Culligan. Every Friday night, Joe and I cruised Sunrise Highway and Hempstead Tpk. We would stop at the WGBB studio in Merrick and hang out in the parking lot. I credit these experiences for motivating my own eventual leap into radio.

Joe went on to an inspiring 30-year career as a Hall of Fam PI. He was a frequent guest on daytime TV shows such as Maury Povich, Sally Jesse, Ricki Lake, and more recently, Montel. He often shocked show participants by reuniting them on-air with long-lost friends, family and lovers. Very emotional; TV at it's best.

Joe passed away June 14th. You can read my tribute to this Plainedge High shool standout on NATIONAL TV.

 

[JoeyBagODonuts]

For those of us who were there in "The Susquehanna Days", it's nice to know that there are still some people out there who remember. Thanks for posting. It brightened my day.

--Al--

I vividly remember getting excited on a road trip to Pennsylvania as a chile (possibly Hershey) and crossing the Suseuehanna River and thinking "wow, and WGBB is a Susquehanna Broadcasting Station, that must be pretty big stuff!"

 

[butchfm]

For those of us who were there in "The Susquehanna Days", it's nice to know that there are still some people out there who remember. Thanks for posting. It brightened my day.

--Al--

DIDO1

 

[RadioGuyInDenver]

I love how this chain has suddenly become a tribute site for the old WGBB from 1240 Broadcast Plaza in Merrick. I too credit WGBB for my continued career in radio and media in general. I was very young when a family friend, Hank Boerner took his kids, my brother, and me to the station. We sat in his car in the parking lot, where the DJ could see us from the studio window, and waved and waved until he said hello to us on the air. I went to every remote I could and met several of the DJ's including Gary MacFarlane, my favorite. I even corresponded with Roy Reynolds some ten years ago, "As you slide down the bannister of life, watch out for splinters". My grandmother was their original "contest pig" so I got to go there a lot with her to pick up her prizes. I even won Met's tickets and a vunch of stuff once. I probably listened to WGBB more growing up than I did WABC and WNBC combined.

I always said I was going to work there when I grew up. Although that did not happen, several of my college mates did, I did get to work with and even work for (as a private DJ) Gil David during my years with WHLI & WKJY. I also had the pleasure of working with other great personalities of days gone by including Dean Anthony, Jack Spector, Bobby Wayne, and even Bob Dayton for a bit.

Thanks for the great memories WGBB! You will always have a place in my heart...and my transistor radio.

P.S. Anybody have an extra WGBB carbox? Been looking for one on eBay for years. Would love to get one.

 

[Al_Case]

Wow! I can't believe that after 35 years there's still so many who still remember. But since there are, you may be interested in my personal website which has about 6 WGBB pages of pics and memories along with the old WGBB jingles in the background. Other L.I. stations that I've worked for are included there too. And yes I know, I need to update the site.. Enjoy.

--Al--

http://mysite.verizon.net/al_case

 

[Ai4i]

Here is a good one for you folks:
In the nineteen sixties, almost every AM radio station went down for transmitter maintenance during the wee hours of Monday morning, but not WGBB. A DX'er friend suggested I shoot for them, and viola, WGBB became the first and only graveyard channel station I had ever gotten and have ever gotten by skywave, and repeatedly, but only during that very special window which lasted only a few hours and only happened once a week.
My DX'ing was done from Miami Beach.

 

[jfrancispastirchak]

Here is a good one for you folks:
In the nineteen sixties, almost every AM radio station went down for transmitter maintenance during the wee hours of Monday morning, but not WGBB. A DX'er friend suggested I shoot for them, and viola, WGBB became the first and only graveyard channel station I had ever gotten and have ever gotten by skywave, and repeatedly, but only during that very special window which lasted only a few hours and only happened once a week.
My DX'ing was done from Miami Beach.

Miami?! WOW! Now that's what I call saltwater skip!

 

[cd637299]

Here is a good one for you folks:
In the nineteen sixties, almost every AM radio station went down for transmitter maintenance during the wee hours of Monday morning, but not WGBB. A DX'er friend suggested I shoot for them, and viola, WGBB became the first and only graveyard channel station I had ever gotten and have ever gotten by skywave, and repeatedly, but only during that very special window which lasted only a few hours and only happened once a week.
My DX'ing was done from Miami Beach.

Miami?! WOW! Now that's what I call saltwater skip!

I live not far from ai4i....I was a heavy AM DXer in the 70s, but never really spent much time on the graveyarders. I caught a couple of them in GA & SC, but that was it for distance....Remember, WGBB was all of 250 watts at night in those days!

cd

 

[APinDC]

What's moved into the old Merrick WGBB building now? ???

 

[Kevin411]

What's moved into the old Merrick WGBB building now? ???

Able Health Care Service. Go to Google Maps type in 1240 Broadcast Plaza, Merrick, NY & you'll see a picture of the building.