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Goodbye 1960 Union Ave.

D

DeadElvis

I don't mean to wax too nostalgic, but...

I saw that earlier today, Ron Olson noted on FaceBook that tomorrow FM100 moves to its new facility across I-240 from Clear Channel. While I am sure that the new studios will be fabulous, it just seems odd somehow, different and unsettling.

I enjoyed my days at 1960. You had the Midtown vibe -- Huey's (The REAL Huey's) was within walking distance. Otherlands was just down the street. And the boys in Cooper-Young ("Not that there's anything WRONG with that"). FM100 WAS Midtown.

Now, it's done.

-DE
 
I can relate to that setiment DE along with some personal recollections and the same emotions for 112 Union, the home of Plough.....or how about the very early days of WREC in the Peabody, or even more recently the Beale Street home of CC. Time marches on.
 
In my nostalgic world, WHBQ should always be at 485 S Highland, WREC in the Peabody, WMPS at 112 Union, WMC at 1960 Union, WDIA on Central, KWAM in the quonset hut on Flicker, and 1430 in the Mid City Building with the Morrison's Cafeteria at Union & Cleveland.

Of the major Memphis stations, only WLOK on S 2nd would still be in the "traditional" location.
 
I can dig what you folks are saying. Hell I go back to WZZQ in '75, but the new digs for all the Entercom stations are state of the art. It's a ten studio Axia system that offers incredible flexibility and redundancy and will be way more comfortable for the air staff than either Union or Ridgeway. The project has been a tough one because of some problems with the building, but you just keep hammering on it and it gets done. Wait till you see the film at 11.
 
ust remember...especially the days of Everett Flagg at 'REC....
Click to expand...

Ok, just one or two memories. Ev opening the drawer in WREC-FM's studio in the Peabody basement where he kept the tintypes from the little old ladies who sent him their girlish pix in hopes he'd mention them on the air; Dan Rather strolling down the corridor chatting with us; Hoyt Wooten's office with the faux casement windows complete with curtains and backlighting to make our home under 3rd Street seem like it had a western exposure; the leather banquette in the corridor outside the wire room where the band members would sit while awaiting their paychecks; Charles Kurault admiring the Peabody lobby and the ducks; and, of course, a couple of people who died down there while on duty over the years - Louis Fosse in the record library and the guitar player on "Above the Clouds" in the storeroom area outside the old Channel 3 studio with the black and white tiles and the boom mic mounted on that giant support column -remember "...that's another good take, Mr. Potter." Somebody stop me!
 
I haven't thought about "Above the Clouds" in years. Wasn't that a minister named Jimmy Stroud from something called "Calvary Colony?
 
DE,
I haven't been on this board in, well...FOREVER..and then I see this post. Wow.
I knew it was coming, but it still makes me nostalgic.
Started my career there in 1987 and had my first SOLO apartment right down the street (times were VERY lean back then). I figured, if my car broke down (as it tended to do), I was within walking distance.
Plus, there was the Square. Hanging out with my old friends from WMC 79 and FM 100 at various watering holes.
It didn't get any better for me as a kid in my early 20's. :)

DD
 
Two quick memories on 1960 Union... I worked as AM Production director and midday jock on 79 in the mid-80's (while Rock 103 did the "Z103" thing). Stepping into the AM production studio gave me a small deja-vu shiver, as it reminded me of a photo of the FM100 jocks taken in that room in the early progressive rock days. Greg Hamilton sent me a copy of the photo, and I misplaced it a few crashed hard-drives ago, but I first saw the picture it as a kid when it ran in the Commercial Appeal (which we received every morning way down in Greenville, MS).

At that time, FM100 was still in the closet which eventually became engineering.

The second memory comes from meeting and working with all the people I watched on channel 5 while growing up, in particular Dick Hawley and Dick Williams. One of the perks of being on staff came every Christmastime, when the employees with kids got to bring them in for a special taping of "Magic Land". The year that I brought Shelby in, Mr. Williams performed the trick where his wife stepped into a cabinet, and somehow slid the torso of the cabinet to the side so that her head and legs were still aligned, but her middle was about 2 feet to the side. It's hard to describe without the visuals, but at any rate I still have no clue how that one worked.

My greatest disappointment came some weeks later, when I encountered Mr. Williams on his way to the break room. He asked me if I had change for a $5 bill. I thought to myself... "Come on... you're Mr. Magic... "
 
robgrayson said:
Two quick memories on 1960 Union... I worked as AM Production director and midday jock on 79 in the mid-80's (while Rock 103 did the "Z103" thing). Stepping into the AM production studio gave me a small deja-vu shiver, as it reminded me of a photo of the FM100 jocks taken in that room in the early progressive rock days. Greg Hamilton sent me a copy of the photo, and I misplaced it a few crashed hard-drives ago, but I first saw the picture it as a kid when it ran in the Commercial Appeal (which we received every morning way down in Greenville, MS).

At that time, FM100 was still in the closet which eventually became engineering.

The second memory comes from meeting and working with all the people I watched on channel 5 while growing up, in particular Dick Hawley and Dick Williams. One of the perks of being on staff came every Christmastime, when the employees with kids got to bring them in for a special taping of "Magic Land". The year that I brought Shelby in, Mr. Williams performed the trick where his wife stepped into a cabinet, and somehow slid the torso of the cabinet to the side so that her head and legs were still aligned, but her middle was about 2 feet to the side. It's hard to describe without the visuals, but at any rate I still have no clue how that one worked.

My greatest disappointment came some weeks later, when I encountered Mr. Williams on his way to the break room. He asked me if I had change for a $5 bill. I thought to myself... "Come on... you're Mr. Magic... "
Click to expand...

I heard that Dick was having a hard time after a fall and I saw his DVDs were on sale to help pay his medical bills. How is he? Anybody know?
 
Union has now been stripped to the drywall. It's sad in a way to stand there and imagine the history of the people that went through and the work involved in making that facility what it was, only to be subjected to the ignominious end of much of her guts being thrown into a dumpster. Many parts and pieces were salvaged, and wonderful old promotional items were discovered under hideously filthy storage areas and crevasses of beautifully made cabinetry. Some parts and pieces have already found new use and extended life. A new history begins at Moriah Park. Will we be talking about that facility with reverence thirty years hence, telling stories of the people and the work involved? I hope so.
 
"Will we be talking about that facility with reverence thirty years hence, telling stories of the people and the work involved? I hope so."

I also hope we will, but I doubt it. Times have just changed too much.

WMC radio moved to 1960 Union in December of 1958.

During that time 790 was one of the premier NBC/MOR stations in the country. In the 1960s they were the flagship station for Holiday Inn's Dolly Holiday easy listening program. In 1973, they became one of the highest rated country stations in the nation. By 1989, they were a first class news/talk station that was a lifeline for Memphians during the ice storm of February 1994.

Unfortunately, they threw it away and became a sports station with few listeners. Today, 790 has been reduced to a satellite country oldies station with even fewer listeners.

FM 100 became one of the first FM stations to play contemporary rock music in 1966. Later under John Scott, they became a legendary and very influential rock station and were responsible for breaking lots of new acts including David Bowie. In the 1970s and 1980s, under Gary Guthrie they were one of the classiest sounding top 40 stations. They were the home to djs that became Memphis radio icons like Tom Prestigiacamo, Steve Conley and Ron Olson and had double digit ratings during much of that era.

Today, despite being the second most powerful FM station in the country, they barely have a 2 share.

I hate to be such a pessimist, but some of the best radio of the 1960s, 70s and 80s was done at 1960 Union Ave at both WMC and WMC-FM. I don't see how the radio done in the future at Moriah Park can ever compare.
 
Remember Sat Morning Wrestling. All of the guys would sit in our breakroom and watch Sat morning cartoons on another channel. Also they seemed to be the best of friends just after hitying each other with a folding chair.
Ah the good old days [/size] 8)
 
I did Saturday middays for quite some time while wrestling was going on downstairs...

I can recall several occasions going into the breakroom, and seeing the "competitors" practicing throws and basic blocking before going on. But, for the Record, despite the fact the show was staged, those dudes were major athletes. And, fun guys, too.

DE
 
So, it went out with a whimper instead of a bang. That says a lot about the state of the industry today. There was a lot of my blood, sweat, and tears that went into the dumpster.

In fact, that was also the case with 5904 Ridgeway.

Now that I think about it, there were until last week stations still using my engineering handiwork from as far back as 27 years ago. Now there is nothing left.

I think WMC-AM is still using the antenna switcher I built, and the FM 100 transmitters are still there…but no studio stuff any more.
 
Ridgeway is still in operation Radiosaur, if you're referring to the Entercom operation.

There's so much space on Union I don't see how WMC-TV will make much use of it. I would imagine they'll look for another tenant but I can't imagine who would or could use it, at least for broadcast purposes. Maybe they'll offer to donate a small portion of it to WEVL but they may not be interested in leaving their downtown digs.

You could taste the history of the place as it went through demo. It was sad to see so much of that stuff hit the dumpster but it was in fact worthless and useless. Technology has long since passed the Auditronics consoles and Denon CD players. You could tell by the layers of wiring that much had been changed and redone over the years. Everything of value was salvaged, including processors, XLR's, and intact cables. Even the on-air lights were harvested and will be reused at Moriah Woods. As these stations go into state of the art facilities today, it will be interesting to witness the next level of the art down the road.
 
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