• 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

Historic broadcast building empty?

U

uh_clem

I hadn't been on Meridian Street in Indianapolis for awhile and noticed that WXIN Fox 59 had moved from their longtime address 1440 North Meridian Street. It's probably the first time that building (formerly known as the Riddick building) has been without a broadcast studio since the 40s. WISH radio and then television used to be headquartered there. WIFE stayed in the building after the 1963 WISH radio sale to Don Burton and Star stations.
WISH-TV moved to their present address, I believe, in 1965. WIFE continued with their "Window on the World" studio for many years. WZPL also broadcast from the building after WIFE left, and WPDS-59 came on the air from the building in 1984. If only the walls could talk. What a broadcast history!

PS: I know it's probably been awhile, but like I said, I don't get downtown often. <P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by uh_clem on 02/01/06 08:46 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> I hadn't been on Meridian Street in Indianapolis for awhile
> and noticed that WXIN Fox 59 had moved from their longtime
> address(I assume to the WTTV building on Bluff Road.) It's
> probably the first time that building (formerly known as the
> Riddick building) has been without a broadcast studio since
> the 40s. WISH radio and then television used to be
> headquartered there. WIFE stayed in the building after the
> 1963 WISH radio sale to Don Burton and Star stations.
> WISH-TV moved to their present address, I believe, in 1965.
> WIFE continued with their "Window on the World" studio for
> many years. WZPL also broadcast from the building after WIFE
> left, and WPDS-59 came on the air from the building in 1984.
> If only the walls could talk. What a broadcast history!
>
> PS: I know it's probably been awhile, but like I said, I
> don't get downtown often.
>

I thought you were talking about 40 monument circle
 
WFYI was also in that building. The only thing close to the old "window on the world" is now on monument circle. WXIN actually moved to a new location on the northwest side.


> > I hadn't been on Meridian Street in Indianapolis for
> awhile
> > and noticed that WXIN Fox 59 had moved from their longtime
>
> > address(I assume to the WTTV building on Bluff Road.) It's
>
> > probably the first time that building (formerly known as
> the
> > Riddick building) has been without a broadcast studio
> since
> > the 40s. WISH radio and then television used to be
> > headquartered there. WIFE stayed in the building after
> the
> > 1963 WISH radio sale to Don Burton and Star stations.
> > WISH-TV moved to their present address, I believe, in
> 1965.
> > WIFE continued with their "Window on the World" studio for
>
> > many years. WZPL also broadcast from the building after
> WIFE
> > left, and WPDS-59 came on the air from the building in
> 1984.
> > If only the walls could talk. What a broadcast history!
> >
> > PS: I know it's probably been awhile, but like I said, I
> > don't get downtown often.
> >
>
> I thought you were talking about 40 monument circle
>
 
Re: historic/another question

> WFYI was also in that building. The only thing close to the
> old "window on the world" is now on monument circle. WXIN
> actually moved to a new location on the northwest side.

Did WTTV move there as well? They were at Bluff Road since getting dual ID
in the early 60s (Bloomingington/Indianapolis.)
 
Re: historic/another question

> > WFYI was also in that building. The only thing close to
> the
> > old "window on the world" is now on monument circle. WXIN
> > actually moved to a new location on the northwest side.
>
> Did WTTV move there as well? They were at Bluff Road since
> getting dual ID
> in the early 60s (Bloomingington/Indianapolis.)
>

Yeah, both WXIN and WTTV are up on the northwest side in a fancy industrial park just west of 465 on 71st street. I saw a while back that the building on Bluff Road was for sale, but don't know if it got sold or not. I remember going there as a kid with my dad and brothers and watching the wrestling matches (Dick the Brusier ruled in those days!)...they would videotape it in the afternoon, then you could see yourself in glorious black and white later that evening! The place was kind of a dump as I recall. A buddy of mine and a few of the guys that started WGRT in Danville worked there back in the 70's. They referred to it as Indiana's largest ash tray. It also housed WATI-AM before it got sold. A lot of history in that building as well.
 
> WXIN
> actually moved to a new location on the northwest side.
I'd say they moved in Fall 2004...they had just built a new sets on Meridian Street before moving, right? Both sets are ugly -- orange wasn't meant for use as a color for an anchor desk.

Having 2 sets one for morning and one for evening is something a lot of stations wish they could do I bet. And wish is not implying WISH.

The history you all mentioned is very interesting.

I had seen old pictures of the WISH-AM studio but didn't know where it was.
 
it has been it and channel 4 are now on the west side near 71st


> I hadn't been on Meridian Street in Indianapolis for awhile
> and noticed that WXIN Fox 59 had moved from their longtime
> address 1440 North Meridian Street. It's probably the first
> time that building (formerly known as the Riddick building)
> has been without a broadcast studio since the 40s. WISH
> radio and then television used to be headquartered there.
> WIFE stayed in the building after the 1963 WISH radio sale
> to Don Burton and Star stations.
> WISH-TV moved to their present address, I believe, in 1965.
> WIFE continued with their "Window on the World" studio for
> many years. WZPL also broadcast from the building after WIFE
> left, and WPDS-59 came on the air from the building in 1984.
> If only the walls could talk. What a broadcast history!
>
> PS: I know it's probably been awhile, but like I said, I
> don't get downtown often.
>
 
Re: historic/another question

Wow...I had no idea that WTTV moved away from Bluff Road. Thanks for the update.

--Bomba


> > > WFYI was also in that building. The only thing close to
> > the
> > > old "window on the world" is now on monument circle.
> WXIN
> > > actually moved to a new location on the northwest side.
> >
> > Did WTTV move there as well? They were at Bluff Road
> since
> > getting dual ID
> > in the early 60s (Bloomingington/Indianapolis.)
> >
>
> Yeah, both WXIN and WTTV are up on the northwest side in a
> fancy industrial park just west of 465 on 71st street. I saw
> a while back that the building on Bluff Road was for sale,
> but don't know if it got sold or not. I remember going there
> as a kid with my dad and brothers and watching the wrestling
> matches (Dick the Brusier ruled in those days!)...they would
> videotape it in the afternoon, then you could see yourself
> in glorious black and white later that evening! The place
> was kind of a dump as I recall. A buddy of mine and a few of
> the guys that started WGRT in Danville worked there back in
> the 70's. They referred to it as Indiana's largest ash tray.
> It also housed WATI-AM before it got sold. A lot of history
> in that building as well.
>
 
Re: historic/another question

> Does the "two story brick on North Illinois" still exist?

You mean 2835 North Illinois? The former home of WIBC and WNAP was either sold or given to Butler University shortly after the move to 9292 North Meridian. (Lots of community leaders didn't like WIBC's move away from downtown at the time. Of course they were very happy when Emmis brought it to the circle.) 104.5 FM was then Butler's WAJC. Butler moved the station into that building. Then later they sold the frequency to Susquehana who originally turned it into The Bear. The last time I drove that far north on Illinois, the building was still there. Maybe Butler is still using it for something.
 
Re: historic/another question

> It also housed WATI-AM before it got sold. A lot of history
> in that building as well.

I had forgotten that Sarkes Tarzian had put 810 AM on the air. The original calls were WIGO. There were a lot of commercials for the station on WTTV. Not a bad signal north. My dad listened to WATI quite a bit after his retirement in the mid 70s.
 
WIFE - Meridian Street Window Studio

> WIFE stayed in the building after the 1963 WISH radio sale
> to Don Burton and Star stations.
> WISH-TV moved to their present address, I believe, in 1965.
> WIFE continued with their "Window on the World" studio for
> many years.

Ahh, the Meridian Street window on the world. I was in that studio a couple of times in the 70's. Randy M and I drove up from Cincinnati when Jack Armstrong was doing nights at WIFE. If you can find a copy of the first ever Art Vuolo Video AirChex, that station was featured (the PD of 13WIFE was Art's best friend Steve Cooper, what's happened to him?). The lovely and close to my heart night jock Diane Shannon played a starring role in that production.
Somewhere around the house, Diane has a picture of her and Leif Garrett in that studio, with screaming teenage girls trying to bust thru the window to touch Leif.
 
Re: WIFE - Meridian Street Window Studio

. If you can find a copy of the first ever Art Vuolo
> Video AirChex, that station was featured (the PD of 13WIFE
> was Art's best friend Steve Cooper, what's happened to
> him?).

If my sources are correct, Steve most recently did mornings on WTPI, until they turned it into "The Track." Was Cooper one of the three "screamers" from early 70s, 6 to 10 pm, top 40 in Indy, along with Buster Bodine on WNAP and Marvelous Mark on WNDE?
 
Steve Cooper

> If my sources are correct, Steve most recently did mornings
> on WTPI, until they turned it into "The Track." Was Cooper
> one of the three "screamers" from early 70s, 6 to 10 pm, top
> 40 in Indy, along with Buster Bodine on WNAP and Marvelous
> Mark on WNDE?
>

Steve is (was) a great jock, don't think he screamed to the level of Bodine or ANY of the WNDE guys. I wondered if he landed after the WTPI thing. Think about this, WTPI lasted over 20 years with just two morning guys... one for one year - me - and the other for the rest of it.
 
Re: historic/another question

> > It also housed WATI-AM before it got sold. A lot of
> history
> > in that building as well.
>
> I had forgotten that Sarkes Tarzian had put 810 AM on the
> air. The original calls were WIGO.

Sure is a small world.......

My dad (George L. Davis) was one of the original WIGO jocks when the frequency went on the air in 1963. I was 3 years old and we moved from Syracuse, NY (from WOLF) to Indy. I still have an aircheck from 02-29-64, where he did middays. It was MOR music format, but with personalities. It's sure odd to hear all the "drops" that jocks used to use back then. A lot of sound effects and he even had a "Chinese weatherman" - sounds cluttered and pretty non-PC by today's radio standards, but still great to listen to.

He actually moved out to Indy a couple of months before the rest of us, and was holed up in an apartment in an older home downtown just off of Fall Creek South Drive. He took the daily drive to Bluff Rd. everyday. When we moved out, we all settled in on the eastside near 21st & Mithoffer, then near 46th & Emerson Ave.

When WIGO became WATI, he jumped over to WFBM 1260 where he stayed for almost 7 years.
 
Re: Steve Cooper/TPI

> Steve is (was) a great jock, don't think he screamed to the
> level of Bodine or ANY of the WNDE guys. I wondered if he
> landed after the WTPI thing. Think about this, WTPI lasted
> over 20 years with just two morning guys... one for one year
> - me - and the other for the rest of it.

My recollections of Steve Cooper involved him as the morning show co-host with Kerri Carlson on Q-95. Kerri and Coop were on for a year or so, I think, before Bob and Tom arrived in town.

Mark: Who was in the day one line-up at TPI?
 
Re: historic/another question

> My dad (George L. Davis) was one of the original WIGO jocks
> when the frequency went on the air in 1963. >
> When WIGO became WATI, he jumped over to WFBM 1260 where he
> stayed for almost 7 years.

Sorry I missed your dad on WFBM. My main connection was listening to Joe Pickett and Glenn Webber in the morning. (My dad controlled the radio, and he played it full blast.) I met Joe Pickett when he worked at WIBC, and I became acquainted with Glenn Webber over the phone when he was PIO for the Indiana State Police. I also got to talk with Lou Sherman and met Carolyn Churchman when they worked for Bill Shirk at WXLW.
 
Re: Steve Cooper

> > If my sources are correct, Steve most recently did
> mornings
> > on WTPI, until they turned it into "The Track." Was
> Cooper
> > one of the three "screamers" from early 70s, 6 to 10 pm,
> top
> > 40 in Indy, along with Buster Bodine on WNAP and Marvelous
>
> > Mark on WNDE?
> >
>
> Steve is (was) a great jock, don't think he screamed to the
> level of Bodine or ANY of the WNDE guys. I wondered if he
> landed after the WTPI thing. Think about this, WTPI lasted
> over 20 years with just two morning guys... one for one year
> - me - and the other for the rest of it.
>
Steve is a great jock and a great guy. I heard from him last week and unless he has something up his sleeve he didn't want to discuss, he hasn't landed anywhere yet.
 
I thought I heard they sold the 2nd set to another tv station out of the market ...

I can see the ad ..

Slighly used set, used only by small tv station ......lolol

> > WXIN
> > actually moved to a new location on the northwest side.
> I'd say they moved in Fall 2004...they had just built a new
> sets on Meridian Street before moving, right? Both sets are
> ugly -- orange wasn't meant for use as a color for an anchor
> desk.
>
> Having 2 sets one for morning and one for evening is
> something a lot of stations wish they could do I bet. And
> wish is not implying WISH.
>
> The history you all mentioned is very interesting.
>
> I had seen old pictures of the WISH-AM studio but didn't
> know where it was.
>
 
Re: Steve Cooper/TPI

> Mark: Who was in the day one line-up at TPI?
>

Me in mornings with Dave somebody on news, Tony somebody on sports and Dave Callabro as the INTERN. (I think, my memory is getting bad)

Steve Miller on middays

Steve Cooper afternoons, with wife Pam carrying a sales list

Paul Poteet on nights.

I have an old TPI aircheck on MP3 if anyone wants it.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom