After the AM would sign off each day, a minimum wage college student would baby sit the WBIE automation all night. I talked to one of them who said they were under strict orders to not touch Mr. Wilder's chair in the control room. Also, no matter what happened, they could not talk on the air. Mr. Wilder's voice was the 24/7 voice of WBIE. Between every song we heard him. I used to listen while I was in my teens with fascination of being heard on a station 24/7.
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ATLANTA'S GREATEST STATIONS--FROM THE PAST
- Thread starter BIGSTICK
- Start date
I have a 25th anniversary record I bought at a flea market in the late 1980's, it's a CBS special products LP, has some great country classics. WBIE FM 101.5, MARIETTA-Atlanta. I always knew 101.5 came from Shepherd's tower, but Wilder used to have his studios at 19 Atlanta St on the square, next to what is now the state probation office. There was an article posted right before his death in 1981 from the AJC on either this site or GRHOF, where he said he got offers to buy his stations from all around the country from the major players, but made the statement "if I quit working, I'll be dead". Ironically, he passed not too long later, and his estate took up one of those golden offers and thus, out with WBIE and in with WKHX, but the format has always been country in one form or another since.
With WFOM gone, we don't really have any Cobb county English speaking radio in any format, which is surprising, considering we have one of the most affluent populations (700,000 plus as of last census) but we're so served by ATL sticks it doesn't matter.
In the early days of WBIE and WFOM, Marietta was a day trip, like going to Callaway gardens, if you lived in ATL proper.
With WFOM gone, we don't really have any Cobb county English speaking radio in any format, which is surprising, considering we have one of the most affluent populations (700,000 plus as of last census) but we're so served by ATL sticks it doesn't matter.
In the early days of WBIE and WFOM, Marietta was a day trip, like going to Callaway gardens, if you lived in ATL proper.
taylorengineer said:
One "regular" was Dr. Damon Hokey. The midday jock was Sebastian and he afternoon guy was Steve Hanson, later James O'Neal (James Oatmeal). Joan Cravey did some weekend shifts.
I don't really know, but I'm guessing that at one time, 101.5 was on one of the 1060 towers, which look like they're in somebody's backyard on a side street off I-75 north of Marietta.
that would be the old Franklin Rd site, the tower was still there about 10-12 years ago.
RoddyFreeman said:
I am confused I thought 1080 was the AM part of WBIE and their towers were viable just east of the old Canton Road GA 5 (pre 575) between I 75 and Peidmont north of Marietta in the 1970's.
secondchoice said:
I typed 1060 but meant 1080.
secondchoice said:
WBIE might have been somewhere else at one time. But if you drive northwest on I-75 past Marietta, there's a road on the left called Loring Road. WBIE's towers are a couple of blocks up that road, off the road to the right. That might be Kennesaw.
BarryATL said:
Their studios were at 835 South Cobb Dr, which is now a flophouse dump fleabag extended stay hotel known as Cumberland Lodge. CCPD ZN 3 18 beat spends most of their time, as does Metro hauling meth addicts to Kennestone from there.
Anyway, IIRC the FOM transmitter was on Franklin, near what used to be Preston Chase apartments, another fine living establishment that the city of Marietta finally took out of it's misery a couple of years ago doing a controlled burn for the MFD. They need to do that with all of Franklin road from one end to the other IMO.
Not sure about WBIE's FM before they were on Shepherd's in DeKalb, that was before my time on earth.
WFOM's current tower is off Franklin Road behind an apartment complex. It was way before my time in Atlanta, but I was told that the original 1230 tower was next to the studio building on South Cobb Drive.
MRFLASHPORT said:
Agreed. But leave the Quiktrip.
jabba17 said:
That is the truth. Do you remember when Power 99 played "Situation" by Yaz? It was not a hit yet they felt it matched their sound at the time; then a few weeks later Z-93 started playing it. (Situation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D3udbawA1Q)
Gawd, Power 99 was such a great station; we didn't know what we had at the time. Z-93 was good but don't think it ever matched Power 99 in terms of being larger-than-life.
Another great station will always be 99X, though. Their imaging, energy and sound, especially when they switched on were second to none.
I wonder if today's teens and 20-somethings are passionate about today's stations: V103, Star, Hot107.9, Q100, etc., like we were with X, Power, Fox, etc.
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