Looking back to the 1980's: WBBQ (Augusta) and ABC NEWS BREAKS

[electroboy73]

Was kind of reflecting on the old days of TOP-40 WBBQ (sigh...I miss it) and how looking back, these days, it sure seems strange a Top-40 station even had newsbreaks. I think they were at 55 or :56 past the hour)

I can remember listening to WBBQ on, say, a Friday night at like 10 or 11pm, hearing songs like DEPECHE MODE's "People Are People", EURYTHMICS "Would I Lie To You" or even a dance mix of JANET JACKSON's "Nasty Boys" then at :55 past the hour, go right into....(SFX:news-sting)..... "Hello I'm David Leslie, ABC Contemporary News........"

I think it was for just 2 or 3 minutes, then a short commercial, then a funny-related news story. then,
"BOOM!" (A kickin' legal ID)......(WOOSSSHHH), "W-B-B-Q! AM and FM (woooshhh)......."AUGUSTA!" And then you're right back into......SALT 'n' PEPA's "Push IT!".......LMAO!

Anyone else remember these days? AND, besides the "ABC Contemporary News", didn't they also...(playing the same kind of CHR music) run "PAUL HARVEY NEWS" about 5 times a day??

My, how WBBQ and just TOP-40/CHR in general have changed since this time!!

Thanks 4 listening!

OH, ANY THOUGHTS?

 

[fortmill]

Well, for one thing the FCC actually required stations to broadcast news (too bad they don't now). But WBBQ AM and FM raised radio news to an art form. With their mobile news crews popping into programing at any time, and their "news tipsters," they made news an important and exciting part of their total sound. WBBQ was not the only top 40 station that used news to enhance their station's total image (WKBW in Buffalo is one that sticks in my mind). BTW, some may wonder why an Augusta station would get so much play on the SC board, but we must remember the WBBQ studio was in NORTH AUGUSTA during it's heyday, and, of course, the FM TX was/is in SC.

 

[Ssummers]

Great radio! Back then, BBQ was one of those stations that was a "pace-setter" instead of a "trend-follower". Geez, fellas, my eyes are gettin' a little bit misty...

 

[RobynWattsV2.0]

Credit for the station's success goes to people like former PD Bruce Stevens for keeping the station consistent for many years, rather than to react to every programming trend that came along, and to owner George Weiss (RIP) for recognizing that news is an important part of "serving the public interest". WBBQ was probably the last CHR in our area to offer news outside of morning drive.

As I said many times before, it's a shame that Cumulus came in and dismantled what took decades to build and Clear Channel to finish it off. WBBQ now is just a shell of it former self.

Robyn

 

[MarantzFan]

Credit for the station's success goes to people like former PD Bruce Stevens for keeping the station consistent for many years, rather than to react to every programming trend that came along, and to owner George Weiss (RIP) for recognizing that news is an important part of "serving the public interest". WBBQ was probably the last CHR in our area to offer news outside of morning drive.

As I said many times before, it's a shame that Cumulus came in and dismantled what took decades to build and Clear Channel to finish it off. WBBQ now is just a shell of it former self.

Robyn

AMEN! Couldn't have said it better!

 

[SCMidlands]

I remember the Tiger Twins( WBBQ AM/FM) IN 1967 in the early days of FM when there were few stations. They were the hotest stations with great music, teriffic DJ's, and WBBQ news cars with instant on the scene news. They had no completion in GA,SC and NC and they had the clear channel and power to cover three states. I use to monitor the stations' owner on 408 mc. two-way radio as he dispatched the news crew and monitored the station operation from all over Augusta when I was visiting the area. I forgot his name but he loved his stations. Upon his early death he gave the stations to Augusta College. They have never been the same since his death.

 

[Al Timiter]

The Q was "pushin' it real good" right up to the last Top 40 song. And a previous poster is right...they didn't react to every programming trend nor did they knee-jerk to every competitor in the market. They just kept doing what they did best. Maybe they were due for a minor overhaul of sorts but to change format and dismantle the news department, well.............I was in Augusta a few days ago during the River Blast and it was sad to see the WBBQ van sitting forelornly by itself. In the day, there would have been a crowd gathered around. People LOVED that station. I used to listen to the FM from Columbia! In fact, I listened more to WBBQ than to the local stations, they were just good! Shame on deregulation, Cumulus and Clear Channel.

 

[Jim Graham]

Credit for WBBQ’s success goes to Harley Drew. Of course, there were other talents involved, but it was Harley’s leadership. Yes, listeners loved WBBQ for well over 2 decades and they had phenomenal ratings! BBQ’s owner George Weiss actually pulled the trigger on the station’s demise as he made some very bad decisions in 1989 and he lost Harley.

I never worked there and have never lived in Augusta, so, I don’t know specifically how Harley did it. I was able to listen to them and the programming was GREAT! Their technical quality was superb, too. It certainly wasn’t the “cookie cutter” mentality of programming today. Instead, it was legendary! Someone out there should let him do his thing again. Here’s to you “Handsome” Harley Drew! - JG

 

[dw0508]

I also think it was a travesty to let Dick Shannon go in about '99. He was 'afternoon' forever! Also, who was the controversial BBQ morning guy from the late '70s who eventually died of cancer...he was hysterical!

 

[Jim Graham]

Buddy Carr! I used to know his real name, and he was quite young when he died. We're talking about an era of WBBQ which is similar to Johnny Carson. Nobody can do it like they did it. -JG

 

[Al Timiter]

...don't forget Bob Bolton and Mike DeNeene (don't think I spelled that right) and Charlie Foxx. Bob and Mike were hired by WQXI in Atlanta from WBBQ if memory serves me correctly....

 

[RadioFan2J3]

Buddy Carr! I used to know his real name, and he was quite young when he died.

Johnny Odom.

http://www.grhof.com/BUDDY CARR.htm

 

[RonRoberts]

Personally, part of what I think is wrong with our country these days is that the younger generation doesn't get ENOUGH news mixed in their programming choices. WBBQ had great numbers because it had great on-air talent, it blew money out like air off an oscillating fan, it's DJ's did school dances (they were a BIG deal to kids like me growing up, knowing a 'BBQ DJ was coming to OUR school to spin!!!), everybody had a 'Q Card, a WBBQ decal, too, in hopes we'd be spotted to win $50 and lunch or dinner for two from McDonalds...haha.

It's news department (many of whom I worked with when I was at WZNY after they swapped the formats) was second-to-none, especially considering they were servicing a pop station (then a pop and hot/ac afterwards) all those years. It helps to explain why WBBQ had monster numbers across many demographics. Of course, today, we can get information from our smart phones, but in it's day, if you needed to know what was going on, whether it was globally or the accident stopping your movement where you were, you tuned to WBBQ to find out.

I grew up WANTING to be a WBBQ jock, and I got (for it's time) the next-best thing; working WITH them in the same building, carrying on (briefly) the next generation of CHR radio in Augusta (before Cumulus poisoned Y 105 and Clear Channel took her out back with the shotgun).

 

[Thrills!]

Great radio! Back then, BBQ was one of those stations that was a "pace-setter" instead of a "trend-follower". Geez, fellas, my eyes are gettin' a little bit misty...

I'm right there with ya Scott!

 

[89]

Having worked in Augusta radio in the 70's it difficult to see where radio has ended up at this time. I worked at the then WAUG and knew Buddy, John, quite well. He was a prankster and was just as funny off the air as on. I also worked with Charile Fox, John Groves, Rob Collins, Bruce Stevens and the late Steve York. We were all good friends. It was a time when radio was King and the fun times never ended.....Scott...I understand the misty eyes.....I miss the real radio times so much...........................................................

 

[Ssummers]

Scott...I understand the misty eyes.....I miss the real radio times so much...........................................................

I hear ya, man. You know what the screwed up thing is? Back in the 80s, I'd get nostalgic for the 70s days when I thought every song in the world started with the dragging, crackling sound of cue burn, my chest would puff out a little bit bigger with pride whenever I slip cued a record perfectly out of a jingle and whenever I'd nearly break my foot if I dropped a bulk eraser or box of albums on my foot. Hell, these days, I'll get out a box of Kleenex if I see a picture of a Scotchcart II, for crying out loud.

 

[DudeFan]

I'll go searching through my garage and snap a picture, just to see Scott bawl like a baby.

 

[JohnQuincy]

I visited their studios in the mid-to-late 80s. Great jocks and jingles, but was surprised to find them still airing all of their music from records at time when most successful stations had been playing music from carts for years...and some were even playing CDs directly on air at the time. WBBQ's cart machines were mono (which explains no carted music) and instead of the EOM tone at the end of spots automatically firing the next cart deck, they made a light come on to tell the jock to fire the next cart manually. Didn't see any typed outcues on the cart labels either. The console was a stereo Collins with rotary faders, which looked like it had been in use since the late 60s. The stuff in the production rooms was new and state-of-the-art...but all of the promos I heard (voiced by Harley Drew) were dry voiced. (Didn't need multi-track for those!)

 

[Ssummers]

I'll go searching through my garage and snap a picture, just to see Scott bawl like a baby.

You're a cruel man, Steve.

 

[Unregistered]

I Remember Tiger Radio

I grew up listening to Tiger Radio and wished, more than anything, that I could work at WBBQ. That dream became a reailty in January 1973 and continued for almost 27 years working every single shif with my own show plus filling in for anyone who was off or there was a vacant shift. I would also work at two sister stations running between all three stations over a weekend ... rock, pop and country ... and never get confused as to which station I was working. Now I have an Internet station called TIGER RADIO at http://www.grooveytown.com playing the greatest hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s. The Tiger Radio logo? No one bothered to trademark that logo so I did in 2012! Check it out!!