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Bygone Stations/Formats/DJs/Etc
- Thread starter LetsShakeOnIt
- Start date
You realize Fast Freddy is still on daily with Gregg Daniels on afternoons at Mix 104.1
That show was called Nite Owl, and featured all kinds of music by request, Chicken Man, and a bunch of features that could only have been thought up at MIT, including the WTBS Waveform of the Week, which was aired "for all of you who monitor WTBS on your oscilloscopes." Nite Owl even had a theme song, sung to the tune of "Some of These Days."
I was listening to it in the early '70s in Swampscott. Was TBS still running only 10 watts in 1971-72 or thereabouts?
Not yet mentioned - ANYTHING Dale Dorman did. 1960s - final retirement.
In 1972, WTBS moved the ten watt transmitter and antenna from the roof of the low lying Walker Memorial Building (where the studios are) to a 60’ tower on top of the 28-story former Eastgate Building.
The additional height gave it about the equivalent of 20 watts, and more “line of sight” coverage with the same transmitter. I remember that it carried “across the water” to the coastal North Shore well.
Their first actual power increase wasn’t until going up to 200 watts with the callsign change to WMBR in 1979. It’s now 640 watts.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember that the original WTBS calls were sold to Ted Turner, and that WTBS/WMBR had some financial benefit (possilby the power increase?)
I've read that Turner donated $50,000 in return for the call letters.
Yes, that’s what happened. Ted’s donation actually saved WTBS/WMBR. The station had to upgrade to 100+ watts to comply with a then-new FCC reg. that all class D FM stations had to upgrade, or be subject to interference from other stations, or be forced to another slot on the dial, or possibly lose their license and frequency to a challenger who would run 100+ watts (and there were challengers).
WTBS was close to broke and could not afford the new transmitter, Turner happened to swoop in wanting the WTBS calls for his mothership TV station of his cable TV network, and he and WTBS made that agreement for his donation for the calls.
WTBS became WMBR and could then afford a new 200 watt transmitter, and keep their frequency 88.1 unchallenged.
WMBR began doing an annual on-air fundraising pledge drive week a few years later, and has sustained themselves well with it since (it’s now 640 watts, the most allowed for spacing of co-channel or adjacent stations on their frequency in the area).
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You can feel the nostalgia in so many of the comments and memories. It also shows that many of us on here are closer to the end than the beginning. 
How about the birth of 'FM' top 40 in Boston, Stereo 105 WVBF. Air Staff Magic Christian, Jo Jo Kinkade, Loren and Wally, Bill Freeman, Ron Robin, Dale Dorman, Harry Chase, Sonny Joe White, 'Major' Tom Lewis, and so many more. At that time in the early 70's the top 40 format in Boston belonged to WRKO AM 680 and AM 1510 WMEX.
The old WRKO-FM 98.5 was playing all automated Top 40 in 1966. It got such response that they turned their AM station 680 WNAC into Top 40 680 WRKO in 1967.
WRKO-FM became the original WROR the next year.
I'm not sure I'm remembering correctly, but I think WRKO-FM went commercial-free for the first few months which certainly helped their success. I don't think it was the brand name "Sonovox" but I still remember Arko's voice "🤖This is Arko...your automated all music station in Boston🤖"🎵WRKO-FM all muuusic!🎵
Remember the short jingles used before certain songs?
"FM Flashback!" (before an oldie)
"FM Top 10!" (before a song in that week's top 10, other than Nos. 1 and 2)
"It's Happening!" (before one of that week's playlist adds)
"Arkomatic!" (before a recent hit, what today would be called a recurrent)
IIRC, the No. 1 and No. 2 songs on the survey would be played at the tops of alternating hours, with "Arko" voicing "Numberrrr Onnnnne" before the former.
Before Loren and Wally, it was Tom and Jeff. Jeff (Baker?) then landed down the street at Providence's JB-105 (now WWLI) as half of the Mike and Jeff morning show.
I thought Frank Kingston Smith did mornings at VBF before L&W, no?
I think he went to WHDH before VBF. I believe he was part time at WABC New York, and moved to Boston to go full time at WHDH.
This was around the time that "Please Come To Boston" was popular, and I remember the late great Dan Ingram would play that song and make comments about going up to Boston to help out Frank Kingston Smith. Probably one of the only people in radio who could tell an inside radio joke on the air and make it sound good!
JB105 has BIG...HITS!
There is a great online history of them, WPJB (JB 105) History, that goes right up to the late '10s.