Atlanta Stations Carrying American Top 40

[jabba17]

October 1982, a WHEQ in Athens.  Anyone know anything about this station?

Could that be WAGQ (which sounds the same if you same them out loud?) That was 104.7 when it was CHR in Athens all through the 80s. Formerly WDOL-FM in the 70s. I'm sure one of the north Georgian radio historians will be able to add the HAAT and coordinates of the tower, etc.

I stand corrected...it was indeed WAGQ (listening to a recording on dar.fm of WMJJ out of Birmingham). 

Side note--it was leading into the only Top 40 hit by that one-hit wonder, Rush (New World Man).

So, we have the following stations so far:
WSTR 94.1 Atlanta
WAPW 99.7 Atlanta
WZGC 92.9 Atlanta
WFOX 97.1 Gainesville
WWID 106.7 Gainesville
WFOM 1230 Marietta
WIIN 970 Atlanta
WAGQ 104.7 Athens

Nothing doing on the southside?  Or west of town?

 

[jabba17]

Cross-posted this on Radio Insight...

Listening to AT40 The 70s last weekend and they announced WZGC (Z-93) as new to the show as of this week in 1977. I guess they picked up the show after WIIN flipped out of the format. Didn’t WIIN become WKLS-AM around this time?

 

[jabba17]

RIP Casey Kasem.

 

[jabba17]

Found one more--in 1971, WBIE in Marietta was carrying the show.

I think WBIE-FM (101.5) was already country (I think they have been country continuously since 1968, according to the late Marshall Leach at Georgia Tech), so this must have been the AM side at 1080 (as would befit a early-70s top 40 station).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WFTD

 

[ron]

Growing up on lake Hartwell, I recall WFOX as the only station we could pick up that played AT-40 in the 70's. Normally Sunday afternoon. In Atlanta, I only recall hearing it on Z-93. I worked at 106.1 in Toccoa from '74-79, we wouldn't use AT-40 because we were too close to Gainesville and FOX. In '83-84 I was at at Q105 in Athens (now the 104.7 The Fish), we still played AT-40 on Sundays.

 

[jabba17]

I worked at 106.1 in Toccoa from '74-79, we wouldn't use AT-40 because we were too close to Gainesville and FOX.

That's odd...both 97 FOX and Wide 107 (106.7) were carrying AT40 in 1980-1981, and they were both in Gainesville. Different times, though--Wide 107 had it 10a-2p and 6p-10p, and Fox had it 2-6p.

Maybe things had changed by 1980.

 

[RadioDoogie]

That's odd...both 97 FOX and Wide 107 (106.7) were carrying AT40 in 1980-1981, and they were both in Gainesville. Different times, though--Wide 107 had it 10a-2p and 6p-10p, and Fox had it 2-6p.

Maybe things had changed by 1980.

I’ve been listening to the old AT40 80s versions off the iHeart Radio App from Sunny 103.1 in Myrtle Beach. They play them Sat 8am-noon and Sun noon-4pm. Good stuff. Very entertaining. Keep trying to listen for an Atlanta station pop up during the “American Top 40 is heard in the 50 states and around the world on great radio stations like...”

 

[Studio]

That's odd...both 97 FOX and Wide 107 (106.7) were carrying AT40 in 1980-1981, and they were both in Gainesville. Different times, though--Wide 107 had it 10a-2p and 6p-10p, and Fox had it 2-6p.

Maybe things had changed by 1980.

Some clarification, Jabba.

We ran The Weekly Top 30, hosted by Mark Elliott at Wide 107, not AT 40.

I worked there from '79 through '81 under PD John Chapell (Keli) and then moved across town to WFOX, the Gainesville home to American Top 40.

Ironically, I later worked many years at WAGQ following FOX (starting about the time Ron above took off with that beautiful girl) and we of course ran Kasey there. AT40 was on Q-105 for essentially it's entire existence and was of course a long time mainstay on FOX.

We slotted it Sunday mornings at WAGQ since there was some overlap in coverage with WFOX, where it ran Sunday afternoons, starting at 12.

The Weekly Top 30 with Mark Elliott was a quality production by Drake-Chenault and sounded every bit on par with rival AT40.

My daughter still has a few of the discs from my old collection, I'm sure. Might have to pull those out for a listen!

An interesting aside- Mark Elliott filled in for Kasey on AT40 many times after The Weekly Top 30 ended.

Those were the days, my friend.

 

[ron]

Some clarification, Jabba.

... Ironically, I later worked many years at WAGQ following FOX (starting about the time Ron above took off with that beautiful girl) and we of course ran Kasey there. AT40 was on Q-105 for essentially it's entire existence and was of course a long time mainstay on FOX.

We slotted it Sunday mornings at WAGQ since there was some overlap in coverage with WFOX

Geez John Drake. You have a heck of a memory. Especially considering I only list my first name. Me taking off with that beautiful girl was 36 years ago this month! She's still here to my amazement. Athens, GA was a great place to be in radio during that time.

 

[Studio]

Geez John Drake. You have a heck of a memory. Especially considering I only list my first name. Me taking off with that beautiful girl was 36 years ago this month! She's still here to my amazement. Athens, GA was a great place to be in radio during that time.

Ron, I'm so happy to hear the two of you are still together. 36 years... That is great!

I was there for seven years mostly as Afternoons/MD and the only two Ron's during all that time where you, and Ron Johnson.

Bill Holloway hired me (a great talent who IMO had a national level voice). You left very shortly after I arrived, which opened things up for me (thanks!).

I will admit my memory fails to recall your last name, but you were solid on air and left an impression.

 

[gr8oldies]

I was in range of Z93 one February Sunday in 1980 (on my way to First Phone Wonder School in Sarasota). They spliced Casey's voice saying "on Z93" to the song intros, so it was "now at number 6, Andy Gibb on Z93".

Cross-posted this on Radio Insight...

Listening to AT40 The 70s last weekend and they announced WZGC (Z-93) as new to the show as of this week in 1977. I guess they picked up the show after WIIN flipped out of the format. Didn’t WIIN become WKLS-AM around this time?

 

[RadioDoogie]

I was listening to a classic AT40 from 1985 today on 97 Big FM (2pm-6pm) out of Lake Oconee on the way back into town. There really is nothing better than driving in the car and listening to Casey Kasem on live FM (from a radio - not streaming). Really takes me back to the good old days. I really wish one of the Atlanta stations would carry the classic AT40’s on the weekends.

 

[alleo]

American top 40 later

Was on I think WQXI FM 7 am Sunday morning with Rick Dee's I think in the 70 s .....

 

[ron]

Was on I think WQXI FM 7 am Sunday morning with Rick Dee's I think in the 70 s .....

Hi Alleo, I believe that the Rick Dee's show was something else, and it was called "The weekly top 30 or The Weekly Top 40" one of those two. Remember that stupid song that he did (Disco Duck)?

 

[secondchoice]

Hi Alleo, I believe that the Rick Dee's show was something else, and it was called "The weekly top 30 or The Weekly Top 40" one of those two. Remember that stupid song that he did (Disco Duck)?

I wish I would have had a "stupid song" that made me a "national" radio personality. There have been thousands of folks that never made it nationally.

 

[ron]

I wish I would have had a "stupid song" that made me a "national" radio personality. There have been thousands of folks that never made it nationally.

Secondchoice: Don't we all wish we had a song that could have done did that? I wasn't making fun of his success, just the song itself. I was referring to the fact that it was one of those records where you felt that if you got one more request for it, you would hang it on the wall and throw darts at it. I could have listened to Clap for The Wolfman all day in comparison. Otherwise, Rick Dee's is the man.

 

[alleo]

those were the days

WQXI -fm was the station for top forty,were did they lose it !

 

[secondchoice]

WQXI -fm was the station for top forty,were did they lose it !

IIRC during the Garry McKee show years, 94.1 wandered into a AORish / top 40 hybrid format after the 790 simulcast of Gary McKee. 790 was top 40 until it went oldies. I do not recall 94Q ever being a “pure” top forty but I didn’t live here just visited my parents. Z 93 was a top 40 powerhouse for a while. This was in the 1970”s which was a long long time ago. I do remember not too long after Gary McKee retired (in the 1980’s ?) 94.1 became Star 94. But that is another story.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Rick Dees already owned Memphis before Disco Duck as morning man on WMPS. He later moved to WHBQ after WMPS fired him for playing Disco Duck. But the record got him known around the country. He transferred to WHBQ's sister station KHJ in L.A. as that station was dying. I suppose his Disco Duck notoriety helped propel his later success in L.A. and nationally on his countdown show.

 

[jabba17]

IIRC during the Garry McKee show years, 94.1 wandered into a AORish / top 40 hybrid format after the 790 simulcast of Gary McKee. 790 was top 40 until it went oldies. I do not recall 94Q ever being a “pure” top forty but I didn’t live here just visited my parents. Z 93 was a top 40 powerhouse for a while. This was in the 1970”s which was a long long time ago. I do remember not too long after Gary McKee retired (in the 1980’s ?) 94.1 became Star 94. But that is another story.

94Q seemed to jump from "Rock 40" to some flavor of AC around 1980. Growing old with the boomers, I guess...

Jefferson-Pilot could have made 94Q a Z-93 head-on competitor after Z-93 started kicking 790's butt with everyone moving to FM. But they didn't, and ATL wound up with 6 stations chasing the same AC demo at one point.