Best Dayton Radio Moments

[knowbetter]

How about WTUE's Top 40 format in the 1970s..someone can correct me but I'm not sure there were that many FM Top 40s in markets that size. Of course, WVUD's AOR format.<P ID="signature">______________
I'll get back to you when I think of a cute quote</P>

Loved how the quadrophonic sounded in the studio! that legal id was phenomenal, it litterally walked arround the whole room, and the announcer chair was right in the middle... it was cool, but of course, not a lot of folks heard it that way!

 

[KevinFodor]

How about WTUE's Top 40 format in the 1970s..someone can correct me but I'm not sure there were that many FM Top 40s in markets that size.

I think there were only two others in the area at that time... Q102 Cincy (Fall '72) and WNAP Indy (late '67 or early '68)?

Remember when “ONE turned TWO” (WTUE)? 104.7 was automated oldies WONE-FM (in mono) until 1970 when FM-stereo arrived as W-2 or WTUE. Their top-of-the-hour ID was: “Now another hour of stereo muuusic power – power – power – power” bouncing between the left and right channels. A few years later, they tried it “clockwise” when they went SQ Quad.

Gosh...I'm glad you actually remember that. So many people think that TUE began in 1972 or 1973 as a top 40 station.
I've been telling them they're wrong for 30 years!

I remember Beuwanna Johnny (I’m sure I’m misspelling his alias)... The guy weighed about 400-pounds and rode around on a motorcycle... And it was NO large “hog bike”—rather small caliber if I remember... IKES!

Anybody else like WDJX 103.9?

I found about 10-minutes of old reel>reel tape on them the other day. I was recording “The King Biscuit Flower Hour” on the Sunday night after Thanksgiving in 1980 from 103.9 WRBR South Bend, IN. There had been an ice storm there – a car slid off Day Road near their site – hit a power pole – knocked out the AC – and took them off the air to immediately reveal WDJX skipping right over 103.9 WXKE in Fort Wayne.

“Hold On” by Ian Gomm was playing. I’ll never forget that back-sell from the weekender trying hard to sound hip: “That’s Ian Gomm holdin’ on to what little he’s got”... Followed by the unforgettable “Everyone’s Got to Learn Sometime” by The Korgis. I almost DID forget that tune until I heard the tape—26-years later! That was the only time I heard The Korgis on the radio... And the only time I heard WDJX at 103.9... Didn’t those calls hike south to Louisville?

Bucks was on a station with Dick Wagner (WSAI) or who is more well known as Dick Braun. The one day, Dick Braun played a commercial about the old Sinton Hotel where the old WSAI studios used to be, before the move to Price Hill

O-M-G... I wasn’t even in “double-digits” then! I remember Dick Wagoner followed Kirkee (when he worked at WSAI in AM drive) at 9AM... ‘SAI jocks did three-hours shifts then... Bucks was on at noon followed by Tom Kennington at 3PM. Remember the “Kirk-Kennington Feud” where we had to vote on which one got to stay at 1360 and remain one of the “WSAI Good Guys”... Kirkee won, but felt sorry for Kennington “cause poor Tommy K just wasn’t hip ‘nuff to keep another job and his kids would surly starve” as Kirkee told the listeners... So he volunteered to grow wings and fly off to get a real job at “High-Flyin’ WING” in Dayton.

 

[audiodude]

Not only did Gary Spears & Buddy Scott move on to big gigs. Greg Mason/Terry Dorsey to Dallas, John King corporate big wig with Clear Channel/ Citadel, Mark Greco Chicago WLS TV, Al Morgan/Connors to 93 KHJ Los Angeles, Bill Struck to Denver, Dave Michaels to everywhere. Sorry, to hear that Patti Spitler had to retire do to health issues at WISH in Indy, a great person. The 70's in Dayton produced some pretty nice talent & great memories.

 

[keys2]

I think there were only two others in the area at that time... Q102 Cincy (Fall '72) and WNAP Indy (late '67 or early '68)?

Add WNCI Columbus to that list of early Top 40 FMs.

And not to be picky, but Q102 didn't begin using that moniker until 1975 when they began broadcasting in Quadraphonic. In 1972 they used their call letters WKRQ and also referred to themselves as "Super Q." Around '73 or '74 during a CHR/AOR hybrid phase, they called themselves "KRQ."

Remember when “ONE turned TWO” (WTUE)? 104.7 was automated oldies WONE-FM (in mono) until 1970 when FM-stereo arrived as W-2 or WTUE. Their top-of-the-hour ID was: “Now another hour of stereo muuusic power – power – power – power” bouncing between the left and right channels. A few years later, they tried it “clockwise” when they went SQ Quad.

104.7 was automatated WONE-FM until about 1970 or '71, but it was Top 40, not oldies.

 

[microbob]

http://home.cinci.rr.com/cincyradio/history.html#WKRQ


WKRQ "Your Friends At The Wireless" (AOR) became "Q102" in March of 1975 when Randy Michaels took his first PD job there. They'd had five pd's and five formats in the previous five years. They experimented with Quad in 1974.

March 17, 1947: WCTS began operation.
1950: WCTS changed calls to WKRC-FM.
1970: WKRC-FM switched from Classical to Top 40 "Stereo 102".

1972: WKRC changed calls to WKRQ

 

[Cary Pall]

My favorite time in Dayton radio history was when WONE flipped to Top 40 in 1965 as "Channel 98", giving High-flyin' WING its first real competition. Both stations got really exciting to listen to. WING brought in Jim Quinn to battle the hot night guy on WONE (who later went to San Francisco as I recall...although I'm having a braincramp trying to remember his name...Tom Campbell??), and hearing WONE's "Award Winning News" with the late ragin Cajun Julian Mouton (a character in his own right...he used to do the ripoff of J.Paul Huddleston on KHJ when he gave his name..."this is JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLIAN MOOKTAWNNNNNN....W-O-N-E Award Winning NNNEEWWWWWWSSSSSSSSSS!")

Always dug the Man On The Street noontime thing on WING, and the "street-level temperature". And I've always wondered who the PD of WING was in summer of 1964...they sounded radically different that year than before or after....very tight, almost Drake-like with short jingles that said "14-Wing" instead of the PAMS "High Flyin" stuff. The following year they were back into the PAMS sound. (I only got to hear Dayton radio in the summer when I came to visit family.)

 

[Time Traveler]

I lived in Cincinnati around 1964-1965, and I definitely remember WONE, during their Top 40 phase, although I didn't realize that they didn't flip to Top 40, until early 1965, but that was about the time, that I started listening to them. In fact their signal in Cincy, was significantly better than WING's. When did they flip from Top 40 to Country, and why? I was long gone from the area by that time....

 

[hipporadio]

Loved how the quadraphonic sounded in the studio! That legal id was phenomenal, it literally walked around the whole room, and the announcer chair was right in the middle... it was cool, but of course, not a lot of folks heard it that way!

Rick Sellers once told me that they played that ID off a mechanical (non-solenoid) Sony 4-channel reel-to-reel deck right next to the console... The DJ would have to reach over and twist the function knob to “play”... Was that true?

And not to be picky, but Q102 didn't begin using that moniker until 1975 when they began broadcasting in Quadraphonic. In 1972 they used their call letters WKRQ and also referred to themselves as "Super Q." Around '73 or '74 during a CHR/AOR hybrid phase, they called themselves "KRQ."

Ah yes... I remember when Cat Simon coasted into town from LA and blew up Chris Bailey’s delightful Bartel “Super-Q format” in 1973... I was in mourning for months! WKRQ finally “found their way back” by about the summer of ’74? We used to call them "WKR-skew" 'cause they played carted music that was ALWAYS out of phase in mono... And remember their overnight automation that "wowed" many songs on reel>reel startup? The overnight ID used the riff from Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein".

Remember when “ONE turned TWO” (WTUE)? 104.7 was automated oldies WONE-FM (in mono) until 1970 when FM-stereo arrived as W-2 or WTUE.

104.7 was automatated WONE-FM until about 1970 or '71, but it was Top 40, not oldies.

I’m sure that ‘TUE was around and in stereo by the fall of 1970. It was the first station I heard Mashmakhan’s “As The Years Go By” and BS&T’s “Lucretia Mac Evil” on. ‘Ya jogged my memory about ‘ONE-FM being Top-40 Keys2... I remember first hearing them at a park in Dayton on my first RCA 9-transistor portable in August of 1969. They were playing Andy Kim’s “Baby I Love You”—you're right - that tune would have been a “current” at that time.

 

[hipporadio]

104.7 was automatated WONE-FM until about 1970 or '71, but it was Top 40, not oldies.

I’m sure that ‘TUE was around and in stereo by the fall of 1970. It was the first station I heard Mashmakhan’s “As The Years Go By” and BS&T’s “Lucretia Mac Evil” on. ‘Ya jogged my memory about ‘ONE-FM being Top-40 Keys2... I remember first hearing them at a park in Dayton on my first RCA 9-transistor portable in August of 1969. They were playing Andy Kim’s “Baby I Love You”—you're right - that tune would have been a “current” at that time.

Now you have my memory rockin' and rollin'... COULD I have been hearing the final days of WONE-FM in the fall of '70? I DO remember them having live (sounding) DJs then - specifically afternoon and evening - but I'm wondering if the "ONE Turns TUE" shtick took place in (maybe) spring of '71? At that time I was much more inclined to listen on FM to WNAP, so I'm not a really good 104.7 historian.

I didn't get my first reel>reel until Christmas of '72, so I have no tape to reference.

Anybody here with a better memory wish to clear this up for me?

 

[hipporadio]

Undisputedly the best were: PAMS jingles on "High Flying WING" in the mid 60s

Those were GREAT... But so were the Heller jingles “FM-93” (pre-1970) and later “Stereo-93 WNAP” (beginning on New Years day ’70 when “NapTown” went stereo on 93.1) at WNAP Indy. They dropped “the Drake tymp” in right before the close—great effect!

Steve Kirk's telephone "put ons" on WING

I will NEVER FORGET those CLEAN—and naturally funny phone bits he did. Kirkee was the “king of his own kingdom”... And that laugh... “HAAAA-cha-cha-cha-chaaa”... There was no better role model for a ten-year-old dreaming to be a morning man!

"My Three Songs" on WULM in the afternoons.

I heard 1600 WBLY for the first time in the summer of ’66 in the parking lot of my mother’s Richmond, IN obstetrician... They seemed to be an MOR that wandered into Top-40 territory possibly because of 1340 WIZE. They were playing “Pied Piper” (Crispian & St. Peters) followed by an early Swallens commercial... “You’ll do better at Scandlen-Swallens where underselling IS our name”. The first time I listened to WULM (on a trip to Columbus), I caught the “My Three Songs” feature. I was somewhat surprised that the licensee Urban Life Ministries would be operating an Top-40 Oldies station.

Stanley Coning's farewell on WCTM

I first met Stanley in the summer of 1975. The engineer at a station that gave me my first part-time job contracted to 92.9 in Eaton. Stanley was an “original”! He carried his automated “time-announce” from 92.9 over to 1130... “STUDIO TIME—11-20”. The last time I heard him on-air was Thanksgiving weekend of ’03 when he was promoting WCTM’s decision to play “real” Christmas music for the entire month leading up to that holiday. 'Seems some in the industry followed his lead.

the late Bwanna Johnny on WTUE in 1972

I had the opportunity to meet him in the summer of ’73 when Rick Sellers of 97.7 WOXR in Oxford was conducting a free-of-charge “radio school” at night in an MU classroom (that was classic Rick Sellers). B’wanna traveled from Dayton on his rather demure motorcycle to make an appearance and talk with all the “wannabes” in attendence. I remember him being just a “regular guy” despite his “fame” on WTUE. I was saddened by his passing... He was a very good guy!

 

[keys2]

Now you have my memory rockin' and rollin'... COULD I have been hearing the final days of WONE-FM in the fall of '70? I DO remember them having live (sounding) DJs then - specifically afternoon and evening - but I'm wondering if the "ONE Turns TUE" shtick took place in (maybe) spring of '71? At that time I was much more inclined to listen on FM to WNAP, so I'm not a really good 104.7 historian.

I didn't get my first reel>reel until Christmas of '72, so I have no tape to reference.

Anybody here with a better memory wish to clear this up for me?

WONE-FM added one jock, Bill Struck, who did a live program once a day and then either taped others or they replayed some of the live programs. I remember often hearing the same songs in the same order with the same comments from Bill. Eventually they dumped this bad idea in favor of adding two more live jocks....one of whom was Dave Michaels from our beloved WOXR. Can't remember who the other guy was. Anyway, it was at about this same time they switched it from WONE-FM to WTUE.

In 1972, they started using a new jingle package....I think they were what's known as the PAMS Solid Rock jingles....same ones WLS and a bunch of other stations used at the time. People on these boards seem to like them. I thought they were dreadful sounding.

 

[hipporadio]

Now you have my memory rockin' and rollin'... COULD I have been hearing the final days of WONE-FM in the fall of '70? I DO remember them having live (sounding) DJs then - specifically afternoon and evening - but I'm wondering if the "ONE Turns TUE" shtick took place in (maybe) spring of '71? At that time I was much more inclined to listen on FM to WNAP, so I'm not a really good 104.7 historian.

WONE-FM added one jock, Bill Struck, who did a live program once a day and then either taped others or they replayed some of the live programs. I remember often hearing the same songs in the same order with the same comments from Bill. Eventually they dumped this bad idea in favor of adding two more live jocks....one of whom was Dave Michaels from our beloved WOXR. Can't remember who the other guy was. Anyway, it was at about this same time they switched it from WONE-FM to WTUE.

In 1972, they started using a new jingle package....I think they were what's known as the PAMS Solid Rock jingles....same ones WLS and a bunch of other stations used at the time. People on these boards seem to like them. I thought they were dreadful sounding.

You jogged my memory... Bill Struck was afternoons in the fall of '70... And it WAS WONE-FM at that time. I found an old cassette tape from that era... 'Guess 'TUE came around the following spring. Anyway--those were great years in FM radio! I will never forget the "excitement" on FM as the medium ventured into Top-40 and other stations (like WEBN) presented "progressive" formats... A really GREAT ERA! 'Sorry the younger folks couldn't hear it "up close 'n personal".

 

[RadioBill]

My favorite time in Dayton radio history was when WONE flipped to Top 40 in 1965 as "Channel 98", giving High-flyin' WING its first real competition. Both stations got really exciting to listen to. WING brought in Jim Quinn to battle the hot night guy on WONE (who later went to San Francisco as I recall...although I'm having a braincramp trying to remember his name...Tom Campbell??), and hearing WONE's "Award Winning News" with the late ragin Cajun Julian Mouton (a character in his own right...he used to do the ripoff of J.Paul Huddleston on KHJ when he gave his name..."this is JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLIAN MOOKTAWNNNNNN....W-O-N-E Award Winning NNNEEWWWWWWSSSSSSSSSS!")

I too remember "Channel 98" and those Julian Mouton newscasts. Bob McCord and Mac Hudson are a couple other names that come to mind. Great radio back then!!

 

[RadioBill]

At that time I was much more inclined to listen on FM to WNAP, so I'm not a really good 104.7 historian.

"Naptown's" WNAP was probably the best FM-rocker in the three-state region at the time. Anybody remember Major Tom Lewis around 1970?

 

[hipporadio]

At that time I was much more inclined to listen on FM to WNAP, so I'm not a really good 104.7 historian.

"Naptown's" WNAP was probably the best FM-rocker in the three-state region at the time. Anybody remember Major Tom Lewis around 1970?

YES YES YES! The "Major" was my favorite! I first discovered 'NAP in the spring of '69 on my mother's bedroom clock radio. The band was "open" and 93.1 managed to come in on that old tube GE radio. Tom Lewis was on that afternoon... The first song I heard on 'NAP was Tommy Roe's "Dizzy"--interesting, considering their later decision in '71 to focus more on rock music as "The Buzzard". Up to that point, they basically were a fast-add Top-40. I remember them playing even the Shocking Blue's "Mighty Joe"--the follow-up to "Venus" that barely charted in early '70.

Their Heller jingles "Stereo 93 W-N-A-PPP" were awesome... 'Loved that brass! The first time I ever saw a "stereo" light glow on FM was from WNAP in June of 1970. I will NEVER forget my affection for that station... HOLY COW! Those were great days!

Remember the others from 'NAP's early era... "Big John" Gillis mornings (now a traffic reporter for the very AM station (WIBC) that shared the Fairbanks building with 'NAP; Michael T. John Griffin, and "King FreaK" Chris Conner at night?

 

[I Herz Real Bad]

Great list by kirkiefan. That brought back a lot of great memories.

 

[kirkiefan]

Great list by kirkiefan. That brought back a lot of great memories.

Thank you...I am flattered! I grew up on Dayton radio wishing I could be a WING "lively guy." It never came to be.
I met and casually talked with Gene "By Golly" in person (as if he were a lifelong freind) at his record store off of north Main in Dayton across from the abandoned Peaches record store back in 1982. Was one of those few truly sincere people in the business I wished I could have known and worked with professionally. He did a Saturday afternoon oldies show on WAVI at that time..mixing 50s doo-wop and rockabilly with late 40s/early 50s big band...it was very much (in a way) "Swing With WING" redux for a very short time as WAVI eventually became WDAO transplanted from FM in 1984-85...there will never be another one like him...he was a true original who never talked down to you..he loved people and music...even in the 80s and 90s. He is missed dearly...and he genuinely and humbly lived up to the title "lively guy."

 

[Cary Pall]

WNAP is not a Dayton station, but was a GREAT station. I used to listen to their sister station in Boston, WVBF (PD: Big John Gillis) when I was in college in early 70s. Same Heller jingles (I have a dub of them) and TWO mics in studio set for left and right channel so the jock could play with your ears!

 

[KevinFodor]

Now you have my memory rockin' and rollin'... COULD I have been hearing the final days of WONE-FM in the fall of '70? I DO remember them having live (sounding) DJs then - specifically afternoon and evening - but I'm wondering if the "ONE Turns TUE" shtick took place in (maybe) spring of '71? At that time I was much more inclined to listen on FM to WNAP, so I'm not a really good 104.7 historian.

I didn't get my first reel>reel until Christmas of '72, so I have no tape to reference.

Anybody here with a better memory wish to clear this up for me?

WONE-FM added one jock, Bill Struck, who did a live program once a day and then either taped others or they replayed some of the live programs. I remember often hearing the same songs in the same order with the same comments from Bill. Eventually they dumped this bad idea in favor of adding two more live jocks....one of whom was Dave Michaels from our beloved WOXR. Can't remember who the other guy was. Anyway, it was at about this same time they switched it from WONE-FM to WTUE.

If my memory serves me correctly, the "other guy" you were referring to just might be a guy by the name of "Greg Mason",
who, in reality, is Terry Dorsey. Either that, or you'd probably be referring to Don Everhart, known on the air as
"Bwana Johnny".

In 1972, they started using a new jingle package....I think they were what's known as the PAMS Solid Rock jingles....same ones WLS and a bunch of other stations used at the time. People on these boards seem to like them. I thought they were dreadful sounding.

 

[tcsnrayp]

This is before most of you were hatched... anybody remember Don Williams? WING in late 60's?