MORE HISTORY-RADIO ON THE NORTH SHORE

[NO DAG]

I think he does the voice for New England Toyota Dealers on radio.. He used to be Channel 31 WNNE's voice at one time..

 

[WFNERBSHX]

WNSH 1570 Beverly had been WMLO. Was country at one point, IIRC.

You're right about that, Raccoon. I remember one of the old 1570 jocks (whom I believe worked under all three sets of call letters) telling me of their joy the day that the station flipped back from country to AC. As the story goes, there is apparently quite a collection of country vinyl at the bottom of the Danvers River!

WNSH actually held onto the live and local AC format for a long time, even after the move to Endicott. I think the talk programming started showing up sometime in the mid-1990s. Did the fire at the transmitter site precipitate the move from Pickering Wharf to Hamilton, or had that plan been in the works before that?

 

[JIBGUY]

The last time I was at the TX site, a tower was still standing. Short little tower, but it was definitely an AM tower, and near it, the burned-out shell of the studio building. Tower looked rusty and weak. I wonder why it's still there, and/or why it wasn't ever used again. But shouldn't there have been TWO towers, since the station was directional to the east then?

 

[Time Traveler]

I remember WMLO going to a unique Oldies format aound 1973. It was 40s in the morning and 50s/60s in the afternoon. WLYN AM/FM were kind of full service in the early 70s. However by the mid/late 70s, WLYN-FM 101.7 was ethnic by day, and country at night, in mono if I recall correctly...I believe that the Y-102 Modern Rock format started up in 1981, or at the very end of 1980....

 

[WFNERBSHX]

The last time I was at the TX site, a tower was still standing. Short little tower, but it was definitely an AM tower, and near it, the burned-out shell of the studio building. Tower looked rusty and weak. I wonder why it's still there, and/or why it wasn't ever used again. But shouldn't there have been TWO towers, since the station was directional to the east then?

I stumbled upon this link awhile ago. Apparently, a couple of local photographers did a piece for the Hallmark Channel's morning show where they toured the old WMLO/WNSH TX site: http://www.dijitalphotography.com/newmorning/Urbex.wmv

 

[SERy694]

WMLO was my first gig....board op for the Steve & Kay Polka Review, plus a few Sunday air hours when sunset allowed! Mellow Country, For City People, 1570 WMLO Beverly/Danvers. Worked with/for Jim Murphy (who also had ties to WMWM, WLYN and later WDLW). Some memories from my time there.............
* first radio industry paycheck during Blizzard of 78, cuz staff couldn't get there but I, still an intern, could because I lived nearby. Wow that means 30 years in the Biz as of next month. Whodathot?!
* Raccoon may remember the WBVD T-shirts but I remember the boxer shorts (seriously!) with logo silk-screened on one "leg." Most went to clients. I gave mine away....dang!
* Then-owner Bob Pauley decided to mow the field around the towers one day. Snagged and broke one guy wire with bucket on front of mowing tractor. Guy slammed into tower....Pauley was lucky he wasn't beheaded. I was on air at the time....felt like somebody whacked my cans. Watched plate current meter on xmitter (Gates.....with 3 lovely 833As glowing brightly) do things I never saw again.
* Leather plant at end of street (Clinton Ave., Danvers) plugged up sewer line. It backed up via the nearest available un-plugged outlet on the street: the toilet in the lower level of WMLO/WBVD's Broadcast House, laying a nice puddle all over xmitter room, news room and air studio. Had to use upstairs prod studio for on air for several days, til bldg was de-stinkified.
* Guy anchor replacement project on east tower (the anchor point that sat in the channel of the Crane River/swamp was suspected of being weak). Instead of removing the anchor they added a fourth anchor point and another set of guys to beef up support. Somebody forgot the towers were top-loaded. You can imagine what that did to the directional pattern.

I returned to the then-WNSH briefly in 1987, by which time the station was at Pickering Wharf in Salem. Broadcast House in Danvers was still standing and intact, but only used for storage and the xmitter site. Strange to walk into a silent building....the old Gates "Yard" console still there. I've been back once since the fire and it was sad to see. Somewhere in my collection of "stuff" I have WMLO's xmitter log from Day One in December, 1963.....found during a cleanup project. Guess I should find it one of these days. Hope you enjoy these recollections....it's been fun activating the memory cells. Happy New Year.

 

[willow]

WESX seemed to be at its most vibrant in the 70's.
Nelson Bragg held down the morning show, while Al Needham handled morning news
and a popular "call in" show "As You See It", every morning from 10:30AM to 11AM.
Jerry Howard aka "Slim Pickens" had an hour in the afternoon, and Norm Durkee, station manager
did a North Shore Happenings show from 10AM to 10:30AM.
Other personalities included Jerry Greenberg sports (now deceased), Bill Newell sports, Carl Chandler,
Chip Whitmore (deceased/helicopter accident while reporting for WEEI), Diane Irons, Clint Brown,
Malcolm Alter, & Lee Stacey. Those are all the names I can remember. Hope this stirs up some memories!

 

[NO DAG]

Certainly remember "Slim Pickens", WESX was the first place to tune into for school closings as a kid growing up around there.. WBZ's lists seem to go on forever !!

 

[WFNERBSHX]

WESX seemed to be at its most vibrant in the 70's.
Nelson Bragg held down the morning show, while Al Needham handled morning news
and a popular "call in" show "As You See It", every morning from 10:30AM to 11AM.
Jerry Howard aka "Slim Pickens" had an hour in the afternoon, and Norm Durkee, station manager
did a North Shore Happenings show from 10AM to 10:30AM.
Other personalities included Jerry Greenberg sports (now deceased), Bill Newell sports, Carl Chandler,
Chip Whitmore (deceased/helicopter accident while reporting for WEEI), Diane Irons, Clint Brown,
Malcolm Alter, & Lee Stacey. Those are all the names I can remember. Hope this stirs up some memories!

The "Peanut Butter Lady", Betty Stavis, was a WESX mainstay for years as well. Bill Newell recently called the Salem-Beverly game on WMWM. I wonder how Al Needham is faring in his retirement? Didn't he go to WBOQ for awhile after leaving 'ESX?

 

[WFNERBSHX]

I returned to the then-WNSH briefly in 1987, by which time the station was at Pickering Wharf in Salem.

What was 'NSH doing back in '87? They'd gone back to AC by that point, correct? I have vague memories of walking by the Pickering Wharf studio as a little kid and watching them broadcast. Its too bad the station couldn't have stayed there, it was a great location.

Getting back to WLYN for a moment, didn't they abandon those calls for a brief period in the 80s? WNSR, right?

 

[pqgeorge]

I returned to the then-WNSH briefly in 1987, by which time the station was at Pickering Wharf in Salem.

What was 'NSH doing back in '87? They'd gone back to AC by that point, correct? I have vague memories of walking by the Pickering Wharf studio as a little kid and watching them broadcast. Its too bad the station couldn't have stayed there, it was a great location.

Getting back to WLYN for a moment, didn't they abandon those calls for a brief period in the 80s? WNSR, right?

Yes, they did abandon the WLYN call-letters on the AM side in 1976. The FM stayed with WLYN-FM. WNSR stood for North Shore Radio. But they reclaimed the 'LYN call-letters some time shortly, thereafter. WLYN-FM did not go Stereo until July, 1977. During the day, the FM was brokered ethnic in mono. But as soon as 6:00 PM rolled around, the Stereo pilot went on and all of a sudden WLYN-FM went somewhat mainstream with a hodgepodge of varied and sundry programming. The funny thing was that the same ethnic announcer (prior to 6 PM) all of a sudden lost his accent in lieu of his usual "WLYN-FM Leeeeeen" once 6:00 PM came around. It's like night and day. Once the Stereo came on, he would say "101.7/WLYN-FM Stereo, Lynn". Only in Lynn.

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

WLYN is alive and well, with offices and studios in Woburn since December, 2002. Our transmitter site is still one of the more unique ones around - in the middle of Cap's Auto Parts junkyard (!) in Lynn, on the Saugus line. The FM antenna was removed several years ago, during major transmitter reconstruction work. We ran AM stereo until about a year ago, when it was finally disconnected.

As for the current ID's - with a non-ethnic announcer - that would be yours' truly! ;D

 

[raccoonradio]

For awhile (early 80s?) WLYN-FM tried alternative rock/album rock as "Y-102", with DJs like
Rich Anzalone. The programming would be simulcast on the AM, so you'd hear stuff like
Mission of Burma's "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" on the _AM_ dial! (Then again,
there are some college stations on AM--Dartmouth's comes to mind...I'd be up in the
"Upper Valley" and notice some reggae on AM...
There was a record--by the Mighty Ions, I believe--which had a quote on the back
from "Coach Tom Lane, Y-102"...

A quick web search suggests this was in 1982, and one person says their slogan
was "Dancing at the Y, Y-102"

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Not quite North Shore, but I remember listening to album rock on WNTN in Newton back in 1974.
Dad's 1972 Pontiac only had an AM radio in it - we tried the ol' FM converter in the glove box,
but those were iffy at best....

 

[NO DAG]

Was there a time when WLYN A/F and WNBP were ever under common ownership ?? I knew WESX and WJDA Quincy were. WNBP used to be a daytimer on 1470 (with either 500w or 1kw) before moving to 1450..

 

[choicevoicepro.com]

WLYN (and North shore radio in general) saw some good talent through the years:

WLYN: Anthony Silva (now at ‘BZ) did the morning show for a while in the 70’s and Ted Larsen was there as well. He too ended up at WBZ.

WMLO groomed Glenn Ordway… and WESX (as aforementioned) gave us Chip Whittmore, later at WEEI AM & FM.

I “started” at WESX as well… sort of. Back in the 70’s Chip was the supervisor for a teen program called Abraxis that aired on Sunday afternoons right before sign off.

Now happy to be doing voiceovers and imaging. (Just signed WCAP – which I imagine is about as close as I’ll get to being heard on the North Shore again)

Tom Pagnotti
choicevoicepro.com

 

[willow]

Lest we forget the ever popular Polka Show on WESX starring Frank Litwin on Sundays!

 

[WFNERBSHX]

WLYN (and North shore radio in general) saw some good talent through the years:

WLYN: Anthony Silva (now at ‘BZ) did the morning show for a while in the 70’s and Ted Larsen was there as well. He too ended up at WBZ.

WMLO groomed Glenn Ordway… and WESX (as aforementioned) gave us Chip Whittmore, later at WEEI AM & FM.

Silva was a WMLO vet as well, along with Diane Stern of 'BZ. I believe that one of Norm Nathan's earliest gigs was at WESX. He was fired from there, IIRC. Apparently, the GM didn't think he had the greatest radio voice. Bill Marlowe spent some time at WLYN, but I'm sure if that was early or late in his career.

 

[Time Traveler]

Not quite North Shore, but I remember listening to album rock on WNTN in Newton back in 1974.
Dad's 1972 Pontiac only had an AM radio in it - we tried the ol' FM converter in the glove box,
but those were iffy at best....

WNTN was a great little station! I actually preferred their programming to that of WBCN, WCOZ, WAAF and WCAS.
Their Progressive Rock format lasted for about six years too. It started during the winter of 1970 when the station was about two years old, and lasted until January, 1976, after the station had been recently sold.

 

[NO DAG]

How about when WNBP was under the call sign of WNCG for while.. WNCG was for "Were Newburyport, the Coast, and Gloucester".. since the signal blasted into Gloucester over the water.. It was owned by a couple of ex-BZsters, including Ted Larsen.. Nice studios right on the "Inn Street Mall" in Newburyport.. Certainly a good model of serving the communities, and more..