Love 98 in Indy is gone

[MightyFrenchman]

Since the discussion of what happened to The Song in Indy has turned into a discussion of local radio versus satellite radio, I thought I'd bring up the subject of another Indianapolis CCM station, Love 98 WXIR. We used the same slogan that was being used at the time by a CCM station in Tulsa somewhere in the 98 FM area that called itself Love 98. We were on the air in Indy for over 22 years. Among other things that made our station personal was the Love 98 Christian Album Project in which area musicians/songwriters could enter their noncopywrited, non-previously recorded song and the best 10 songs would be recorded professionally on an album and we'd have a concert featuring the 10 winners. A grand prize winner got their recording sent to various Christian record companies. The first grand prize winner of the first album project was an area listener by the name of Ray Boltz. We did five of them from the mid 80s thru the mid 90s. Another personal activity Love 98 did was with the local AAA baseball club, the Indianapolis Indians. Love 98 Christian Family Day at Victory Field featured music by a local group, a baseball player from either the Indians or the opposing team sharing how he became a Christian, and a grand prize giveaway during the middle of the 3rd inning. When the station's Jewish owners decided to sell, the largest offer was from ABC who turned the station into Radio Disney.

 

[GaryTheThompson]

So THAT's how Ray got started. I had heard that he recorded his first Album in his bedroom. But the the Love 98 reference is part of the story I knew nothing about.

BTW, Love 98 in Tulsa (KCFO) was the first all music contemporary Christian FM in the US. Was on the air from about 82-85

 

[MightyFrenchman]

Anyone else who reads this board have any connections to, or memories of Love 98?




[Note: some posts have been relocated to TIO: See redirection topic in this board.]

 

[MightyFrenchman]

Okay, I guess I'll go ahead & share a few more memories of Love 98 in Indianapolis, concerning some of the personalities who were there over the years. One of our first morning drive DJs was Tony Lamont who now of course is the afternoon drive man at WTLC-FM, the nation's top urban station. He & Roger Holloway changed places. Roger had been the morning man at WTLC-FM for years but wanted to get into CCM radio. Tony had always told me that his goal was to someday work at WTLC. So one day, they switched places. How blessed we were to have had Tony as long as we did. Leigh DeNoon, who does news on WIBC in Indy, did her college internship at Love 98. Teresa Ross, a national voice on Way FM, was first the afternoon drive host on Love 98. Jeff Brown, now with Way FM in Nashville, was PM drive host before Teresa. Debbie Richards, who did overnights on Love 98, worked in Champaign/Urbana for awhile then ended up back in Indy in sales for Emmis. IndyDan, who posts on radio-info, if he's who I think he is, used to be our mid-day man when we still had to do a portion of our broadcast day from our city of license, Plainfield.
He was part of a remote broadcast from Target in Carmel, Ind., when Carman made an appearance there before his concert that evening. Dan also worked at the Brownsburg station. And Love 98's first GM was an outstanding man named Gary Arnold. How much talent did he have?...Let's put it this way, one of his first jobs was being an on-air personality at WBBM-TV in Chicago. He also worked at CBS during the planning days for 60 Minutes. He wasn't in Christian radio for the money but to serve Jesus.

 

[justalurker]

I never had the chance to listen, but it sounds like Love 98 was a great station.
The next big Christian station in Indy has big shoes to fill.

 

[Closer Cart Voice]

Okay, I guess I'll go ahead & share a few more memories of Love 98 in Indianapolis

- When WART in Plainfield decided to change from country to Christian radio, because of all the offers to buy the station to program Christian.
- My next door neighbor, knowing that I was out of work, telling me I should apply when WBRI finally bought that station in Plainfield.
- Hearing "Solar Man" Roger Holloway play CCM.
- Hearing some guy named Sallee talking about the death of Keith Green.
- Listening to a special tribute to Keith Green that following Saturday night.
- Driving down 465 on a Saturday night, after a bad relationship had ended, and hearing Rich Mullins "Verge of a Miracle."
- Mike Bush helping me get a suicidal kid in touch with a suicide prevention hotline late one night.
- John Porter Wynn endorsement spots in every commercial break.
- Sandi Patty singing the Romar jingle.
- Skate nights at U.S.A.
- First meeting Gary Arnold.
- Gary Arnold's integrity and servant's heart.
- The tears upon hearing of Gary Arnold's passing.
- The joy in knowing we'll see Mr. Arnold again someday.
- Having lunch with Dave White, and finally figuring out his "Jay Carpenter" air name.
- Power Source Videos with Jay and Phil Foley.
- Jay's story of not taking a picture of the empty tomb because there was nothing there to see.
- Good News from Tab - with Gary Sallee, and then Phil Foley.
- Phil's distinct delivery of the name "Michael W. Smith!"
- A young Jeff Brown jocking nights.
- Jeff and Ralph Pitner co-hosting "SOAR" on Saturday nights.
- Fred Schaffer filling in for Phil on Tab, and calling the show "Good News FOR Tab" the entire hour.
- Chip Gibson interviewing Steven Curtis Chapman before his first Indy concert.
- Those awkward changes from the Indy to Plainfield studios each day.
- Chip Gibson playing new music on his Plainfield midday show.
- Dan Stevens opening his show every day by saying "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad."
- The snowy day that Dan followed up that open by saying "Boy, isn't that weather awful today."
- Rick Tarrant voice liners.
- The fun I had hanging around the radio station, recording the closer cart to the Sunday night show my church aired on Love 98.
- Jay always calling me a "friend of the station."
- How Love 98 was never quite the same after Mr. Arnold's passing.
- How Love 98 was never quite the same after people like Jay, Chip, Jeff, Phil, Gary Sallee and Nancy went off the air.
- The smile you could hear in Nancy Toomey's voice each afternoon.
- Thinking that Nancy never sounded quite as happy on WTPI.
- Steve White's "cutting the ends off the frying ham" story.
- Dick Sickels calling me "young brother."
- The sorrow I felt in being told that "reality had set in for young Craig Boyer."
- The sorrow I felt in being told that Love 98 had been sold.
- The sorrow I feel when I still see the call letters WXIR on the sign in front of WBRI.

How's that?

 

[GaryTheThompson]

Wow...

Some great memories.

Jeff Brown on nights at Love 98 in Indy.

Never knew that.

 

[MightyFrenchman]

I can't figure out who you are, Closer Cart, but many thanks for the memories. Those triggered more of my own, some of which include names you mentioned. For example, not only did Nancy go to WTPI to do weekend shifts but Mike Bush went to work there in the traffic department. Fred Schaffer and Brett Keys (a Ben Davis student from the first days of Love 98) both went into full-time ministry. Mike Blythe, also a Ben Davis high school student from those early days, is also in full-time ministry as a pastor in the Chicago area now. So has Phil Foley & his wife into full-time music ministry. I still have a reel full of Jon Rivers doing liners for Love 98 back when he was at a secular station in Dallas. If Radio Disney were ever to be sold back to a group of Indianapolis business leaders it would be fun to use Jon Rivers' voicers about Love 98 since K-Love now has a rimshot station in this area. Scott Robinson, production manager at Emmis Communications here in Indy and occasional fill-in personality on their stations, got his start at Love 98. Don Rennolet, Scott's friend, started at Love 98 and last I heard was the chief engineer at Channel 23 here in Indy. And lastly, (at least for now!), a memory about the first skating party at USA West in September, 1981, 10 months after our start-up. The rink has a capacity of 1200. As PD I told the promo guy at USA West that we'd fill it at least half full. He was counting on 300 and only had enough staff to come in to handle 300. How many did we have? After they let 1260 enter the rink and had long ago run out of skates to rent, we had a line of people to turn away and 3 church buses that had to turn around and go back. Oh me of little faith back then.

Okay, I guess I'll go ahead & share a few more memories of Love 98 in Indianapolis

- Mike Bush helping me get a suicidal kid in touch with a suicide prevention hotline late one night.
- Skate nights at U.S.A.
- Fred Schaffer filling in for Phil on Tab, and calling the show "Good News FOR Tab" the entire hour.
- Rick Tarrant voice liners.
- The smile you could hear in Nancy Toomey's voice each afternoon.

How's that?

 

[renindy]

Mr. Frenchman, I think I know who you are. I was on the air on WXIR back at the days of the front porch. I have several "old" memories from the early 80s of WXIR Love 98.

Leigh DeNoon (sp?) calling me to roust me out of bed (whoops!).

Doing sign on of the WBRI transmitter.
Doing the "buy & sell show" in the afternoon for Barb Loudermilk
Stumbing around with an Interview Joe English of Paul McCartney and Wings fame while on the air
Getting caught by my program director deviating from the playlist during an overnight at Plainfield.
Clyde the tape monster
watching my very good friend Scott McElroy long before I ever got on the air
Debbie Richards talking endlessly about Ty (off mic)
Gerry Fellows giving me the tour of the plainfield facility
Taking Transmitter readings
Brett Keys introducing me to this "new" band calle U2
Being so envious of Brett Keys ability to deviate from the playlist during REQUEST NIGHT.
Getting the REQUEST NIGHT show after Brett Keys left and loving being able to DEVIATE from the playlist!
Gary Sallee borrowing some of my personal albums in order to do the first SOAR show.
Roger Holloway coming in to relive this overnight roookie roookie operator, and hime being SOOOOO encouraging. Watching him work, was incredible.

I'm sure I have more..

 

[RequestNighter]

Wow...great to see the memories...and cool to see someone remembers me - Brett from Request Night. It was a blast! Wondering who renindy and frenchman are??? I remember getting hired right when it was changing from WART to WXIR...while still a Jr. in High School, just turned 17. Amazing anyone would hire me. I do remember getting to play practically any kind of Christian music there was on Request Night... metal, new wave, U2, children's, southern... what a hodge-podge... but I'll bet it was the first radio show in the state to play real Christian rock (like Rez Band). I remember some of the Request NIght "groupies" who would call in every week to request songs by the band "Barnabas" and other heavy stuff. And I would get phone calls from people complaining that I was playing the devil's music. I didn't know anything about Christian rock until I joined the station. The only "rock" I knew was the Imperials. But I found a couple of albums in the office there at the Plainfield station by DeGarmo & Key ("Straight On") and Joe English ("Lights in the World"), and I couldn't believe Christian music could sound like that... I remember "Clyde" very well, and taking meter readings. I remember the little corner quickie-mart that sold donuts... I do remember that skating party in '81...that was so cool. I remember many of the DJs (personalities) with fake "radio names" and wondering what was the point of that... After I graduated Ben Davis High in '82, and left the station, I did go to seminary and into the ministry-- I started a church in the Detroit suburbs in '92 [www.southpointccc.tv].

 

[Unregistered]

Gary Arnold

Truly one of the best! A good heart, a loving husband and father and a faithful servant to Our Lord

 

[Dodi77]

Die hard fan seeking old songs to add to my collection.

 

[anotherguyTN]

Die hard fan seeking old songs to add to my collection.

Check You Tube and search for whatever artist you're looking for. Unless it's someone really obscure you'll probably find something. There's also a lot on Pandora and Spotify.