Dick Bartley

[Don62]

If the station you are listening to breaks from the network to play local spots, you don't hear the "forgotten gem" as it is covered by the local station's commercials.

Stations which do not have fully sold-out shows do not break for commercials at that point, and in those cases and on those stations, the "forgotten gem" plays.

It's a perfectly realistic way of playing the songs at a strategic point in the hour where, when placed between 2 "hits", the "gem" is not as likely to drive a listener away. But, in the more major makets where programmers and managers demand a show "plays the hits", those "drop songs" almost never play.

I know that doesn't satisfy the oldies purists who would pine for a station that played 5,000 different oldies, but that's what I remember Bartley's format clock to be.

True in one sense. But Bartley did used to play less familiar, less "tested" songs.

I remember him opening one hour during the early '90s with
Baby Come Back by the Equals (from '68) followed by Runaway, Del Shannon.
Now the latter was a real oldie.

The Baby Come Back (Eddie Grant song) was certainly not a "tested" song, much like "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night," or "Nobody But Me" by the Human Beinz.

Bartley also often played "Little Black Egg" by the Night Crawlers.

I also remember after the last break of the hour, Bartley would often play a gem such as "So Fine" by the Fiestas or "One Summer Night" by the Danleers. Those were certainly gems.

That's why when I returned to listening to Bartley's and Harvey's show how disappointed I was to only find compartative drek such as Black is Black, Sugar Sugar, Dizzy played ad nauseum.

That's the fast-food like songs found every day on oldies stations. Why repeat the weekday experience just to satisfy greedy PDs who only want Oh Pretty Woman, My Girl, etc.?

 

[hipporadio]

Don, I can sum your “right on” post up in TWO WORDS: Perfect analogy!

BTW... About a year ago, I FINALLY found a copy of The Equals’ “Baby Come Back” on import CD. I had to pay $27 for it to a private seller on Amazon—but it is worth every penny. Unfortunately, some very good songs are kept out of the top-ten by the very tunes we still hear played “ad nauseum”.

I was introduced to Dick Bartley, by a friend employed in the news department of WFYR, as he dutifully did his morning show (all alone) on New Years Eve in 1981. He encouraged me to hang-out in the 103.5 control room for two hours. He is a delightful man—not for even a minute did he cause me to feel like I was in the presence of “greatness”. Of ALL the “personalities” I have met in radio, Mr. Bartley was by far the most affable.

I can assure you that he has no penchant for “Top Ten” playlists. I suspect that this is the product of his producers.

 

[Don62]

Don, I can sum your “right on” post up in TWO WORDS: Perfect analogy!

BTW... About a year ago, I FINALLY found a copy of The Equals’ “Baby Come Back” on import CD. I had to pay $27 for it to a private seller on Amazon—but it is worth every penny. Unfortunately, some very good songs are kept out of the top-ten by the very tunes we still hear played “ad nauseum”.

I was introduced to Dick Bartley, by a friend employed in the news department of WFYR, as he dutifully did his morning show (all alone) on New Years Eve in 1981. He encouraged me to hang-out in the 103.5 control room for two hours. He is a delightful man—not for even a minute did he cause me to feel like I was in the presence of “greatness”. Of ALL the “personalities” I have met in radio, Mr. Bartley was by far the most affable.

I can assure you that he has no penchant for “Top Ten” playlists. I suspect that this is the product of his producers.

I like Bartley personally as well. To me, he was the Casey Kasem of oldies radio, the way he introduced many listeners to great rock and roll oldies. Too bad he can't keep that nickname.

Regarding the Equals' song, a quick Google search indicates it did go Top 10. It hit No. 1. I don't recall it getting that high, though.

 

[AZJoe]

The Equals did hit #1 with "Baby Come Back" but it was in the UK, not the USA in the fall of 1968. They peaked at #32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #26 on Cashbox Survey. It was a much bigger hit in many other markets, including LA where it went to #6 on KHJ.

 

[therealjm12]

WSEN in Syracuse runs Dick Bartley" American Gold on Sunday mornings and Mike Harvey on Saturday nights. I have never been a big fan of Harvey's show. I alway's prefered Dick Bartley's show. I have board Op'd both over the years and would listen to Dick Bartley's on my own time.
Right now (don't tell my boss) I am board opping the originial American Top 40 with Casey Kasem from April 1978. These shows seem to be going over very well with the listeners. I 've gotten a lot of calls of positive response. The show seems to be sold out.
Meanwhile, is Dick Clark's Rock, Roll, & remember on anywhere?

 

[ChrisInMI]

Does anyone remember when Dick Bartley had the Sunday-night all-'70s show? I remember listening to it on WLHT 95.7 in Grand Rapids around 1999-2000 - I was in college at the time and went to a Catholic school that had Sunday-night Mass services in the on-campus chapel, and always enjoyed listening to that '70s show afterward. I liked it because, unlike most all-'70s stations in the '90s, he didn't play only Classic Rock/Classic Hits... you got to hear the pop, bubblegum and even disco hits of the era as well. I also remember this show being carried on WHMI 93.5 FM in Howell, MI (which aired Bartley's Rock & Roll's Greatest Hits on Saturday nights). WLHT eventually picked up Delilah and ran her "best of" shows on Sunday nights, so that was the end of that. I understand the show was cancelled afterwards.

If you're in northern lower Michigan on a Saturday night between 7 p.m. and midnight and you're looking for oldies on the radio, you're out of luck if you don't like Bartley. Traverse City's WCCW-FM 107.5 (simulcast on WCZW-FM 107.9 Charlevoix) and WHAK-FM 99.9 in Rogers City/Alpena both air Rock & Roll's Greatest Hits.

As for "American Gold," I heard it on an oldies station in eastern Kentucky driving back up to Michigan from Georgia last December, and I was not at all impressed. Nor was my mother who was traveling with me and isn't even a music junkie like I am. The only reason she wanted to keep listening was that they were spotlighting The Supremes. Bartley is a good jock, so it really is a shame that apparently management won't allow him to do more with his shows than stick to the typical 300-song lists of most stations.

Haven't heard "SuperGold" in years but if they're now playing "Jessie's Girl," that really is disheartening.

 

[Don62]

Haven't heard "SuperGold" in years but if they're now playing "Jessie's Girl," that really is disheartening.

Yeah, Super Gold is bad. Mike Harvey the other weekend opened every single hour with a late 70s - early 80s song. My Sharona, Jessie's Girl. Yuck.

Them 'taint oldies.

 

[Radiologist]

Harvey's taking the show to more of a "Greatest Hits of All Time" as opposed to a true Oldies. I think you're gonna be hearing more and more songs like "Jesse's Girl", "My Sharona" and "Come On Eileen."

 

[Don62]

Harvey's taking the show to more of a "Greatest Hits of All Time" as opposed to a true Oldies. I think you're gonna be hearing more and more songs like "Jesse's Girl", "My Sharona" and "Come On Eileen."

So it's an MTV-type show. That ought to attract oldies listeners. Right.

I heard him call 1972 a "red hot year for rock and roll."

This from a supposed oldies host?

 

[BobOnTheJob]

Meanwhile, is Dick Clark's Rock, Roll, & remember on anywhere?
[/quote]

Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember (talk about dull) is on WASE 103.5/Louisville on Sunday Nights. But at least he doesn't play late 70's/early 80's crud like Mike Harvey seems to live for. Mike Harvey is an embarrassment to the whole concept of oldies radio...IMHO.

 

[Don62]

Harvey's taking the show to more of a "Greatest Hits of All Time" as opposed to a true Oldies. I think you're gonna be hearing more and more songs like "Jesse's Girl", "My Sharona" and "Come On Eileen."

I don't consider any of those - and very few from that era - as "greatest hits" of any time.
The mid-80s was a particularly weak era for popular music, with 90s and late 70s following closely.

This coming from someone who graduated from high school in '80.

 

[KevinFodor]

Harvey's taking the show to more of a "Greatest Hits of All Time" as opposed to a true Oldies. I think you're gonna be hearing more and more songs like "Jesse's Girl", "My Sharona" and "Come On Eileen."

So it's an MTV-type show. That ought to attract oldies listeners. Right.

I heard him call 1972 a "red hot year for rock and roll."

This from a supposed oldies host?

Don:

I love the music as much as you do. And, you can debate the use of the term "oldie" as much as one would like.

But the songs you are ridiculing are, like it or not, the "oldies" enjoyed by 40 year old women today. These are
hardly "kids"...just a different generation.

I dispise the fact that the original "oldies" format is going by the wayside. I believe it's got more life than people currently believe. But, to get it back, the attitudes of advertising buyers and radio managements and sales departments have to change.

 

[Don62]

But the songs you are ridiculing are, like it or not, the "oldies" enjoyed by 40 year old women today. These are
hardly "kids"...just a different generation.

If you'll read, I never called them kids. I didn't ridicule them either, just the vanilla bland music.

I dispise the fact that the original "oldies" format is going by the wayside. I believe it's got more life than people currently believe. But, to get it back, the attitudes of advertising buyers and radio managements and sales departments have to change.

There are enough stations that play 80s music, soft AC, light rock, all elements that are in today's suck-o "oldies" stations.

(When they include Led Zepplin, Abba or Madonna in their playlists, they suck).

So let's all go after the same audience.

In this age of satellite radio ( 15 million listeners strong ) and Ipods, let's accentuate our strength and go after the whiter shade of pale audience. [size=10pt][size=10pt][size=10pt] Kick the age group most loyal to listening[/size][/size][/size] (who grew up with the radio) to the curb and do everything we can to screw this industry up.

3 Classic rock stations here? Why not 4? All the while ignoring a guaranteed listener base.

This market already has a lite rock station? Let's use our 70s and 80s artists to draw away listeners on this dopey and increasingly obnoxious oldies station.

Think that will attract more listeners? How about DJ, announcers, news and board op jobs? Nope. Sorry. No room for them. We're too interested in the mighty dollar.

"We don't care about our most dedicated listeners (customers), so why should we care about the employees we pay dirt for?"

This race to the bottom will end up cutting radios' throat.

Maybe someday radio's apologists - and especially its low paid workers - will finally wake up.

 

[Goodtimesandgreatoldies]

Dick Bartlry`s shows are great. I entered a contest on his website about 8 years ago called 'Ask the Quiz man" and he called my house and put me on the air!