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Automated Oldies Formats of the 1960s and 1970s

J

Johnf

At age 51, I am old enough to remember when Drake-Chenault had its automated "Hit Parade" format on hundreds of radio stations from coast to coast in the late 1960s and early 1970s. I always thought that was a terrific format, and I wish we had it today (Maybe I'm weird, but I always preferred automated stuff which just gave the music, to the ongoing yak-yak of DJ chatter between songs).

I grew up in Seattle, and heard "Hit Parade" as a kid on both KIRO-FM 100.7 in Seattle and KFKF-FM 92.5 in Bellevue. KFKF also later carried Drake-Chenault's "Solid Gold" automated format.

I have been pleased to find a few GREAT audio samples of Hit Parade on the Web, One is at www.bossradioforever.com/hitparade68.mp3. Another is at www.reelradio.com/gifts/dcdemos.html
What memories!

But I am wondering if anyone is also familiar with another automated format of the 1970s that was called "Olde Golde." It was produced by a company called Draper-Blore (I assume that is longtime broadcast consultant Chuck Blore). I also enjoyed that format, which I heard on KISM-FM 92.9 in Bellingham, Wash. All I can find out about it on the web is that it also was carried on WDZ in Decatur, Ill., and WBNQ in Bloomington, Ill.

I would love to hear some old airchecks with that format. Anyone know where some might be circulating?

John Fortmeyer
Newberg, Oregon
 
I don't have any airchecks, (that I know of), but I do remember Chuck Blore.

Chuck was a genius, (underrated in my opinion), with radio imaging at the time.

There was also Carl Peterson (sp?) who was the man behind the IGM automation. I worked at several stations that used the "pegs" to program Ampex 350 reel machines, IGM 250 and 350 carousels, and the time announce system with (2) AAA carts.

I would suspect that Carl had a hand in KISM because his company was located there.


EDIT: The system with the pegs was the IGM 500, which I recall in 1968 cost $29,000 for a station. The Schaffer systems as I recall were more expensive.
 
Thanks for your reply, Fred. I eventually repeated this question on the Radio-Info board related to airchecks. I got some replies there, although no one had any Olde Golde airchecks to offer.

I also reached Chuck Blore himself by e-mail. He said he has no Olde Golde tapes left. Pity.

But a few days ago, I actually DID succeed in finding ONE Olde Golde aircheck on the Web! What memories.

Here it is...

http://airchexx.com/other/assorted-airchecks/old-gold-2-upper-midwest-sampler-1971
 
Only automated oldies I ever heard of was "Classic Gold" ..all 50s and early 60s produced by Drake-Chenault and was used as a weekend package on WLBC-FM in Muncie in the mid 1970s. WLBC-FM already was using D-C's "Solid Gold" Top 40 automation tapes during the week. Their automation system was a monster back in the day. Four Scully reel to reel decks (which can accomodate IGM's incredibly large reels if they wanted to) plus three IGM instacart decks with an auto time and temp announcer used to "talk-up" the song as if it almost sounded live. It was automation that didn't sound so automated.
 
Johnf said:
Thanks for your reply, Fred. I eventually repeated this question on the Radio-Info board related to airchecks. I got some replies there, although no one had any Olde Golde airchecks to offer.
Click to expand...

I have been going through all my tapes and records, slowly converting things to CDs. Along the way I found seven inch reel with these demos of Drake formats on them. "Solid Gold", "XT-40", "Classic Gold", "The Golden Years", "Hit Parade", and a few others. It was interesting to listen to those again after all this time.

BTW, does anyone collect any of the format clocks from Hit Parade or the Drake format that CKLW had? It would be interesting to look at those old clocks again. Good memories of some good radio at that time.
 
In the Detroit market, WHFI 94.7 FM used the "Olde Golde" package for a short time, around 1972-1973. I have a compilation aircheck CD sent to me by an Internet penpal featuring some Olde Golde jingles, IDs, and song intros/outros from WHFI.

"Olde Golde" metamorphosed in 1973 into WHNE, "Honey Radio," which was originally also automated but later added a live air staff. (WHNE became AC WMJC circa 1976 and classic rocker WCSX in 1987, but the "Honey" format, which is legendary in its own right, continued until the mid-90s on sister WHND AM 560.)
 
kirkiefan said:
Only automated oldies I ever heard of was "Classic Gold" ..all 50s and early 60s produced by Drake-Chenault and was used as a weekend package on WLBC-FM in Muncie in the mid 1970s. WLBC-FM already was using D-C's "Solid Gold" Top 40 automation tapes during the week. Their automation system was a monster back in the day. Four Scully reel to reel decks (which can accomodate IGM's incredibly large reels if they wanted to) plus three IGM instacart decks with an auto time and temp announcer used to "talk-up" the song as if it almost sounded live. It was automation that didn't sound so automated.
Click to expand...

Add RKO General stations KRTH, Los Angeles, WFYR, Chicago, WROR, Boston and WAXY, Fort Lauderdale to the list. I worked at WAXY we had an AR-2000 automation system with 6 Scully decks (2 were spares). Classic Gold was a great format, a regular Rock & Roll history lesson!
 
WJJB-FM in Hyde park (Poughkeepsie) , new york (JIB-98) was one of the earliest automated stations in the area; I believe it was a setup where an elevator would actually run the carts from the first floor to the second floor where they were played. Worked pretty well as I remember. Station was housed at the old WHVW studios on Rt 9G....anyone have any more info??? ???


warm590 ;D
 
KAKC-FM 92.9 in Tulsa ran the Drake-Chenault oldies format in the mid seventies, but also simulcasted Top 40 KAKC-AM 970 from 6-to-midnight because the AM side (now KCFO-AM) only had 250 watts at night and barely covered Tulsa.

KAKC-FM dropped oldies in mid 1976 for "KC-93" (automated Top 40) which lasted for a year and then became Beautiful Music KBEZ.
 
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