Indeed AM AM AM AM AM AM.. Joey Reynolds ruled with his right-on-the-mark way of getting people to REMEMBER what they listened to!!
The second incarnation of my tenure at WHLW/WOBM-AM happened from '81-'84, with new owners (same as OBM-FM). That's when we met buddy. It WAS a hoot both times there for me. Lots of cool memories. INcluding the snakes in the basement, and the Olivia-Newton & Elton Johns. The "ballroom" was used by many a jock there for after hours activities as I've now been told. Hell, some did it during the broadcast day (then sunrise--sunset--**all sing**) Eleven-Seven Jersey Shore!
(sung to the theme of Seasons In The Sun!!!! True. Hear the line "goodbye to you my little friend". Then sing "Eleven Seven Jersey Shore". Cool. I really wish I could contact several of the people who did time there from my FIRST time around from '72--'76. Guys like: Cliff Bakely, Harry Kalish, World Famous--Jerald Jefferey Christopher, Jr., Charlie Roberts (I know where HE is).. SO many cool people came through there during those years. Some are gone from this earth, some have vanished off the air. (Gee that sounds familiar). It may have been a little daytimer on Clayton Road in downtown Southard, but it was VERY well liked by a loyal bunch of locals. The people across the street used to hear the station in their phones.
For that matter, so did WE inside the station. The 'RF' was reallllllly bad there, as ANYone who did production can attest to. Remember the red plaid carpet on the walls of the studio? It should have been in Scotland. How about the old Gates President board with the push buttons running two pots. If ya got confused, it was impossible to get things to get on the air. Noisy cart decks. Turntables with worn needles...364-5830. I got that number because I couldn't get a local exchange with 1170 in it. NOW it could be done easily with so many exchanges available. They STILL use the number for OBM-AM! Scary. Then the NEW version of 11/7...in '81. It was a kick-ass top-40 balls to the wall rockin' station as some of you remember. Hell, we played "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" by the Clash, and it was #1 for 7 weeks in local record stores. Good times.
Three things that will ALWAYS stand out for me about my two tenures there..
One, playing my first song on Top-40 radio ("Doctor My Eyes" by Jackson Browne)...
Two, remembering Joey when he arrived at a remote on an ASS. Yep..he rented a DONKEY to come to the pizza joint in what is now the Shop-Rite shopping center on Rt. 9 in Lakewood...
Three, becoming PD in '75-'76 when Charlie Roberts quit.
Make it FOUR, when we got the call letters OBM-AAAAAAAM...and traveling to Memphis to get the jingles sung. I had to make this poor girl sing AM about 100 times because she kept doing it with a southern drawl..AAAAEM.. No...it's Aaaay M. After what seemed like an hour we nailed it. We kicked JRZ's butt with a DAYTIMER in '82..and almost beat WNBC and WOBM-FM. OBM-AM was #3 in Ocean County reaching a cume of 56,000..unheard of for that station when Ocean County still only had about 250,000 people. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. MANY talented people walk through those doors during both of my stays. I miss EZ Ed Johnson and his engineer who used to come to work on his tractor..Lenerd.
We even had Emperor Hal Murray doing mornings at one point back in the 70's version.. HE had been HUGE in Pittsburgh...introducing the Beatles in that city back in the 60's. How about the dean of local newsmen, Bob Barry! I could write a book about that place alone. But nobody cares about radio anymore so I'm told. It's a dead medium they keep telling me. Bull. As I mentioned above, when people come up to me and say they loved Jay The Jock, World Famous, Harry Kalish, JOEY, George Benson (loved that man..sad to have lost him a few years back) and SO many others including Eric Johnson, Mike Boyle, Mark Sheppard, Marc Stout, and countless others, it makes me pause and realise that station DID leave a mark on it's audience. THAT'S what RADIO is SUPPOSED to do. How many stations can say that NOW? Handful at best. Shame on us as an industry. With many people on the beach from shore stations just this past week, it really is a damn shame that things have gotten to the current state they're in. It is happening all over the freakin' country! It ain't just here. So what do we collectively do? Wish I had the answer, but I'm working on it. Those of you who still HAVE jobs in what used to be the most fun profession on earth, better look over your shoulder and make alternate plans, because YOUR butt could be next EVEN if you are the best person at the station. Owners don't seem to CARE anymore about the PEOPLE involved. What a shame. It's always BEEN a fickle biz, but tell me what high school kid would want to get into a business where the downfall is likely if not certain at one point or another!
Then, when things change for the better...when the economy allows more talent to be hired, where is the POOL OF TALENT going to COME from???????
For those of you NOT in radio, this is our reality. And it blows. For those of you IN the business...likely NONE of your will post for fear that YOU will be NEXT by simply speaking publically about your PROFESSION being whittled away daily.
Sorry this took so much cyber-space. I just had to get all that off my chest.
If anyone wants to write to me privately, go for it. I'll answer everyone.
Go to
www.bigjayandanita.com and click on E-mail..I'll get the message and return it asap.
BE BIG..or try to.
