• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

For AM fans only

These stories are priceless, both of them!

Jim, if that had ever happened to me I could see myself doing the "Wayne's World" bit when they meet Alice Cooper backstage. They're down on their knees bowing and saying "We're not worthy".

I always wanted to work in Buffalo but never got the chance. I did okay though, maybe it works better as an unrealized goal! Jim and Bob, you guys got the chance to do what lots of guys only dream of. I have worked with lots of really good guys who wanted to work at KB.

While I'm thinking of it I worked with Pat Fagan (of WGR fame) in Florida and also a guy who was from Buffalo and claimed that he had worked at KB. He was a great guy, does anyone remember Paul Cavanaugh? He certainly had the pipes and style to work at KB.

Mike
 
Guys, I know there were many other people who had entirely different experiences with Jeff Kaye. I can tell you that in the seven months I did that overnight weekend shift, I never received any reaction from Jeff about my work on the air. No direction, no calls, no critique...nothing. I would aircheck my shift and leave reels of tape outside Jeff's office asking for direction, and never got a response. Finally, in the summer of 1970, one early Sunday there was a rapping on the plate glass door to the production studio. I answered during a long record and found a young guy there named Jeff Star. He informed he was there to train for the shift yours truly had been doing. And THAT was Jeff Kaye's idea of letting me know I'd been fired! I know Jeff was very kind to some people, and I also know he was inexplicably cruel to others. To this day, I don't know. Maybe he just hated me.

Mike, I also know plenty of radio people had their run-ins with Paul Drew, but he was always wonderful to me. Not only did he give me my first break in big-market radio at Philadelphia's WIBG, I got plenty of encouragement and quality direction. I also got my butt kicked if I ever tried to finesse anything; Paul could be very blunt. But that was a good exercise for a sometimes erratic 19-year old; it taught professionalism and discipline. Paul was never a genial guy and he accepted no nonsense. But he was fair and an absolute pro.

I encountered Paul again nine years later when he helped pave the way for me to take the PD seat at 13Q Pittsburgh. And I was to return to 1520, in the form of WWKB, in the spring of 1986, where I did PM drive. It was an entirely different experience compared with 1969-70. It was great working with Jim Meltzer, Danny, Tom Atkins, the late-great Rob Stoddard and many other fine pros. It wasn't the great WKBW any more, but it was a pleasant experience.
 
Bob, I for one appreciate you candor and I believe what you and Jim said to be true. Thanks for a great glimpse of what it was like to work at KB.

The story of your replacemet reminded me of a part timer that was fired at a station where I worked. Actually he was never told about it, his name just never showed up on the schedule anymore. I thought it was a real crummy thing to do. What goes around comes around. The PD got his...twice.
 
Hey! That happened to me at my first paying job...all of a sudden, I just wasn't on the Saturday morning schedule one week, and I had to call the new news director to find out that I'd been fired.

I found out later that the ND was jealous that I'd gotten another part-time gig down the road at WBZ and he couldn't get hired there. And it was nice, 15 years later, to go back for a station reunion (no hard feelings on my end) and find that nobody could even remember that ND's name, much less what had become of him in the years since. That felt good. :D
 
The 'KB story is a blast for anyone who's ever spent any of the 50's n 60's in Buffalo. My (older) sister listened to "The Hound" on KB at night - -and one weekend I was at my cousin's house in Brockport. They had an old big-time radio that picked up 'KB clear as a bell- it happened to be the weekend they switched to Top 40. We'd never heard anything like it.

Speed ahead when I worked at WSAY in Rochester. You must realize that in the early -mid 60's there were several union shops in Rochester Radio. (WSAY wasn't one) - -but we all seeemed to have friends at WBBF and WHEC. Paul Novelli (RIP) and I decided to trek to Buffalo one afternoon and visit 'KB on Main Street. We got as far as the outside hallway when Neaverth was on the air. Got to watch him and the engineer do some totally incredible things with those old huge RCA turntables and that ancient RCA console. A couple of younger girls came into the hallway, Neaverth invited them in. We were -to say the least a little pissed, but in retrospect I think I would have done the same thing. It was a very magical place at the time. The studios hadn't been updated from the old network days - Neaverth had an RCA 44-B Mic - and after that we wanted one. (Didn't get one -at least not at 'SAY).

Let's move ahead to the fall of 1969 when I was home on leave from the Army. I got to spend a wonderous overnight shift with Savage at 'KB. About 4am, I was really bored . . . thought that the 50kw blowtorch would have the phones lit up all night..but that was before 800 numbers. We did get some local calls-- and I think I got one phone number that I never followed up on. It was still a very cool thing to actually be SITTING in the 'KB control room - knowing full well that the entire East Coast could hear what was coming from that room.
(and the Savage thread about the engineer incident was not unheard of at the time.)

Now we move on to WAXC in Rochester- when someone had set up a bicycle race between 'KB (Neaverth) and 'AXC. I was lucky enough to do the WAXC riding -- and I DID beat Neaverth in the race. He was a bit older -and I also think he felt sorry for the kid from Rochester.

Speed ahead some more when I was pd at WGR. We decided to share an April Fool's joke with the world -and thought it would be cool to get 'KB in on it. Stan Roberts was GR's morning guy, Danny was on 'KB. We had lunch with Bill Irwin (GR GM), Danny and KB's PD at the time, whose name escapes me. We all agreed that it would be fun. Stand and 'GR was promoting that "...on April 1st, GR55 will throw the switch on the second channel". Simultaneously, Danny and "Artie" (his alter ego) were discussing how that week Artie was re-wiring the studio. At precisely 7am on 4/1/82, we threw the switch - -and so did 'KB. It's enough to make a grown man cry. Stan Roberts showed up simultaneously on 'KB and 'GR, and Danny was also on both. For the next hour we had fun. We shared promoting our book promotions- - 'KB had Disney World tickets and WE had $10,000. Certainly we felt we were offering the bigger prize. We actually worked out an AM Stereo bit- because we could split the channels (or so they thought at 'KB) and we were to feed the RIGHT channel of "Downtown" by Petula Clark to KB-and the Left Channnel on 'GR. For about 15 minutes we were asking people to try along with us -- two radios. .bla bla bla. At the alotted time, I fired up both turntables in the GR control room. We were playing Petula Clark. On the other turntable we fired up Mrs. Miller's version. (For those who don't know, Mrs. Miller was a 50 year old lady who recorded a Capitol album of off key, out of tempo songs). It was our way of "stickin' it to 'em."...but having fun at the same time. Remember, the Taft Programming guru at the time was Randy Michaels.
It was all in good fun.

The following winter was a big blizzard of 81 (or 83)..and a memorable event took place. The proximity of the KB, GR (and WYSL/WPHD) studios, plus the TV stations allowed the Buffalo Broadcasters to set up a deal with the downtown Holiday Inn. The morning shows could bunk there for the night if it snowed a lot. The morning after a huge snowfall - (I stayed to come in and help with the school closings) - we dutifully got up to head on over to our respective stations. Someone had taken a HUGE Pepsi machine -and put it in front of Danny's door.
(I didn't do it. honest. Hell you needed to be as big as one of the other morning show guys to move that thing.)

Just about 5 years ago, we embarked on our Clear Channel Oldies cruise to the Carribean. We had people from all over the U.S. on board-and promoted it with CC and other companies' stations - including WHTT. Danny was the Buffalo leader that year - and still (whether he wanted to or not) intimidated the hell out of me. I got to introduce him (as the Clear Channel/Cruise Home Office rep) and then he did his magic on the stage. A true genius. He never lost it.

Following year Danny had (I think) retired, and Tom Shannon cruised with us from 'HTT. Another unforgettable week with just one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

I can't tell you though, how ones heart sank when driving by 1430 Main after the departure of 'KB. It especially hit me hard when driving into WBUF one morning after a really bad snowstorm. I idolized that station from the get-go, never got to work there - but did get to share moments at the transmitter with Tom Atkins....

The KB Processing story is very interesting!! I would always notice the Durroughs in the rack at 'KB and the Optimod 9000 and KB's processing always sounded lighter than GR - -but I fiddled with GR's Optimod (9000) at least 4 times a week.
 
Scottso F. will recall I recounted the Jeff Kaye "welcome memo" story as keynote speaker at the 2005 NRC national convention in Batavia. And I repeat it here because we were all reminiscing about WKBW and because it puts management styles of the period into context. There were a lot of great guys leading stations in the heyday of personality radio, but there were also crazed despots. Which category Jeff Kaye fell into depends on who you talk to. I'm glad Jim had a better experience with Jeff than mine; I know Kaye was also very nice to Greg Straubinger, who later worked for me at WBBF and 13Q. On the other hand I know of a newsman who told of being fired in the parking lot when his replacement walked up, as Kaye and the newsman chatted. Given my experience this tale rings true.

I can offer no explanation for this kind of treatment of employees. If Kaye thought I was such a loser he didn't need to hire me; it's not like WKBW had a shortage of applicants in that era. The message I took away from the experience was to try to treat employees with respect, even if you have to take away their livelihood. Departing employees should be allowed to leave with their dignity intact and with a fighting chance to succeed in their next career step, whenever possible.

On a personal note, I retell of the "welcome memo" not just to trot out some 38-year old beef, but to send a message to aspiring radio-types. It would have been easy to let the 1969 WKBW experience blow a giant hole in my self-esteem. That would have been a mistake. Always maintain a healthy amour-propre; don't let some guy with his own issues muck it up for you. If the current gig isn't a good fit, it's a big wide industry; go out and find the right one that will lead to personal growth and success. That's the sermon for today!
 
As long as we are going down memory lane let me share with you a lesson that I learned several years ago.

For most of my 30 plus years in radio I was one of the few who actually enjoyed getting up early mornings to anchor morning drive news.

Well one day a fellow employee comes up to me and said “Gee I hear you are going to afternoons/evening; what gives?” Needless to say that bit of news was a shock to me considering that not once did I hear any complaints about my work from the news director, program director or the higher-ups in the front office: On the contrary they seemed to like my abilities to not only report the news but follow up on other stories as well, along with gathering fresh stories for the following day.

So I go to the VP of radio and asked if the rumors about me being moved to afternoons are true? All I was looking for was an honest answer. Staring me straight in the eye her reply was “No it’s just talk.” Come to find out that the decision had already been made and the person replacing me was told the exact day that he was taking over morning drive news. Mind you know that this fellow had zero news experience. So when the deed was done the explanation from the same person who denied the “rumor” in the first place is that “They wanted a new sound for mornings.” My reply was “pray tell who are THEY?

To make a long story short the head honcho in the front office just didn’t like me so he figured that by taking me off morning drive I would up and quit. Unfortunately for him I stayed with the station for seven more years and then left on my own accord knowing (after seeing the book) that for the first time in the history of the station afternoon drive had higher ratings than mornings. Eventually the station hired someone with no professional experience just so they could fill their EOE quota. A few months after this woman was hired the GM tells a number of employees that he wished I had never left. Come to find out later it wasn’t that he missed me as much as he was embarrassed at the complaints he was getting from the public because my successor sounded so bad on the air.

Let’s face it folks all of us have had the opportunity to work for and with some great people and then we've had to endure some real morons.
 
If there ever was a week I needed a thread like this it's this week! The station I P/T for discovered the deal the former PD made with us to VT shifts. Now they think we should VT a 5 hour shift for $10! I'm not a shlub, I'm leaving at the end of the month. All of you and the posts here have been great reminders of how great radio can be. The management makes me glad I don't do radio full time anymore!
 
Hey, you any good at hangin' drywall and slappin' mud? Does the alure of inhaling paint thinner, paint remover and various and sundry solvents in dusty, hot, humid and unsafe environments make you giddy? Then you may have a career in the painting and drywall business!

After all, Uncle Oskie has been talking about retiring... which causes Aunt Sophie to talk about spending her remaining years in a jail cell doing 25 to life if he does retire.

Just kidding. Trying to add a bit of levity.

Sorry to hear about your impending departure from the glorious business known as broadcasting, Mike. Since you are gainfully employed with a fulltime gig outside said biz, chances are you will find that life goes on ("within you and without you" as George Harrison once warbled) and you may find life more enjoyable.

Who knows! The dopes that instituted the VT policy at you iPod with a transmitter may come to realize the error of their ways... some time in 2010... "Duh... y'know, our ratings slide really began in the summer of ott seven... could it be...?"

You're right about this thread. It's been an enjoyable read. Good luck Mike.
 
...mmmm paint thinner!.....groovy!

iPod with a transmitter. I like that, well said! Oh and the topper is this week would turn out the be the week that I'm subbing for the afternoon drive guy who's on vacation and doing my full time night job to boot. This is not a small market or a small station or a small owner but EYE don't want to mention the name of the group.
 
10 bucks for 5 hours? Yeeesh. That how much WJJL paid me in 1969. All through this thread i have been thinking about how much money the vintage KB raked in..to quote my CE from WHEN in Syracuse circa 1974:

"This company don't need deejays, or records or anything..they could just hook the tower up to a cash register and show up once a night to empty it"
 
Well the difference being it only takes 1 hour to VT a 5 hour show (we used to get paid for 3 hours even though it didn't take that long). Still it's not worth getting in the car and driving to the station for $10. If someone else wants to do it they are welcome, no hard feelings...have fun.

To quote a line from "The Emporor's New Groove" I'm all funned out!

Mike
 
Just stumbled on the middle portion of this long but fascinating thread, and read about Bob Savage's intro to KB....

""TO: ALL AIR STAFF NOVEMBER 7, 1969
FROM: JEFF KAYE

GENTLEMEN:

We will have some schedule changes. This weekend, Bob Savage (his real name) will be joining the staff. Bob is a student at Ithaca College and has worked summer replacement at Philadelphia's WIBG. If you see him in the halls, don't bother speaking to him or developing any close ties....he may not last.

He will be in tonight to observe the Reilly show. Pat will make him uncomfortable and stun him with his prowess on the air."

I stared at the memo, re-reading it several times, finally managing a nervous chuckle. Since by 11:45pm no "trainer" or management had arrived, I walked numbly into the control room, where I showed the memo to the implacable Norm Bruckner perched behind the board. He scanned the memo and asked, "so?"

I said, "this is a joke, right? Tell me Jeff Kaye is kidding with this memo."

Norm let go of a record he was slip-cueing. "Naw, he means it. If Jeff writes it in a memo, he means it. That's the kind of bastard he is."

I first met Jeff nine years later, early in the spring of '78 when joining his WBEN morning show as news co-anchor. He said something that, now that I recall it. may put a different light on it. He knew I was a recent arrival from the newsroom at 1430 Main, and said to me that back when he was PD over at KB he used to like to "haze" the new arrivals a bit, keep them on their toes 'till they got into the swing of things. And he admitted it didn't always work. (He never did it to me.) When you work closely with him every day for a while, you find out he has a dry, sardonic sense of humor.

I also got the sense he had mixed feelings about his years programming KB--liked the creative opportunities it gave him, but didn't much enjoy the pressure from above which he had to deal with all the time. On balance I don't think he missed it much, based on what he told me about it. The Jeff Kaye I knew when he was the morning show host/team leader at 'BEN years later was relaxed, warm and friendly, thoroughly precise and professional to be sure (and a good example for all of us in that regard) but an easy guy to work with.
 
Like working at KB wouldn't be enough pressure??? ;D

All PD's have to take pressure from above. The really good ones insulate the airstaff from it. I'm not saying that Jeff Kaye didn't mind you. I really have no way of knowing.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom