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Nostalgia AM station-New Orleans
- Thread starter howardm
- Start date
C
cd637299
Guest
According to Radio-Locator.com, there are no more nostalgia AM's in Nawlins. There is oldies WTIX-FM 94.3, and that's probably as close as you will get.
WBYU 1450 is now Radio Disney.
cd
WBYU 1450 is now Radio Disney.
cd
According to Bob Walker's excellent NOLA radio history collection (found here http://www.walkerpub.com/radio_frequencies.html), 1450 has a long history in New Orleans, including being the original frequency for WTIX ! Specific to your question, yes 1450 operated a nostalgia format as WWIW, then WBYU from studios and offices on St. Charles Avenue which I recall as being around the St. Charles Tavern and other watering holes near Melpomeme.
In the mid-90's I was with Slidell's 106.1 The Zephyr when we looked long and hard at buying the then-empty office to move into. Of course in fine Zephyr tradition we were much more interested in the building's party-balcony located over the sidewalk, proximity to said bars and the fact that it was on the parade route, rather than such piffling practical matters as lousy parking, pricy real estate and the looming dark-cloud of radio consolidation.
After a stint at another St. Charles address as part of what is now the Cumulus downtown (Place St. Charles) cluster, 1450 is now a Radio Disney O & O. It's still WBYU, BTW.
In the mid-90's I was with Slidell's 106.1 The Zephyr when we looked long and hard at buying the then-empty office to move into. Of course in fine Zephyr tradition we were much more interested in the building's party-balcony located over the sidewalk, proximity to said bars and the fact that it was on the parade route, rather than such piffling practical matters as lousy parking, pricy real estate and the looming dark-cloud of radio consolidation.
After a stint at another St. Charles address as part of what is now the Cumulus downtown (Place St. Charles) cluster, 1450 is now a Radio Disney O & O. It's still WBYU, BTW.
I believe the WWIW/WBYU location was around the 1400 block of St Charles, wasn't it? Also at one time they had a studio inside the Superdome, and used the slogan "at home in the Super Dome." WWIW stood for the Way It Was, then they grabbed the BYU call letters when 95.7 let go of them. Does 1450 still broadcast from a tower atop a building on Tulane Av?
From memory: 1450's guyed tower was on top of the warehouse next to the Dixie Brewery. It moved to a self-supporter behind Xavier off of Carrollton for a decade or two, then moved to its current spot in Metairie on River Road just up from the Rivershack Tavern.
Oh look... another broadcast facility located close to a bar, hah.
Oh look... another broadcast facility located close to a bar, hah.
WWIW, "The Music Of Your Life". Bo Middleson (sp?) was a DJ, played big bands, pop standards from the 40's through 70's. Dean Martin, Sinatra, Nat King Cole, but The Carpenters, Linda Ronstadt, Streisand and Captain and Tenille made the playlists as well. Robert Goulet was there once for a meet and greet, he stood there like a cardboard cut out and didn't speak.
I created a Playlist on my iPod called WWIW1450 and filled it with the tunes they played, along with some vintage commercials from the 40's an 50's. I'd love to have a recording of their ID tag.
I created a Playlist on my iPod called WWIW1450 and filled it with the tunes they played, along with some vintage commercials from the 40's an 50's. I'd love to have a recording of their ID tag.
Adding my 2 cents 2 months (longer really) later...
WBYU was, indeed, WWIW and they operated from St. Charles Ave. studios with a Big-Band format after they moved from their Superdome studios where they briefly operated as a quasi-Top-40 station, WDLE. That after educational TV broadcaster WYES sold the 1450 license to a Tallahassee (I think) group who just knew how radio was done (does anybody remember WDLE?). Before the sale, 1450 operated as WNPS, the last format of which was "Progressive Country". Before that, WNPS operated as "Country Lovin' 1450" from studios in the soon-to-be-demolished Delta Towers (aka Claiborne Towers). Years before, WNPS was the radio station of the New Orleans Public Schools, with studios in the ground floor of an uptown grade school. When the school system decided to get out of radio, they ceded the license to the Greater New Orleans Educational Television folks, licensees of WYES.
A fire ravaged the WNPS studios the Friday after Thanksgiving in (I think) 1977 and for three months the air staff climbed a metal ladder up the side of the Dixie Beer warehouse on Tulane Ave. to operate from the transmitter shack, a bathroom-less site that housed a 1 KW RCA transmitter and an ancient (Collins? Gates?) transmitter that still sported "WTIX 1450 kc" on its meter faces. It was truly an adventure, playing music off of a single reel-to-reel, a 16" transcription turntable and a cart machine. The stuff memories are made of and yes, I was there!
Now, I read elsewhere on this board that 1450 has gone dark? Geez!
WBYU was, indeed, WWIW and they operated from St. Charles Ave. studios with a Big-Band format after they moved from their Superdome studios where they briefly operated as a quasi-Top-40 station, WDLE. That after educational TV broadcaster WYES sold the 1450 license to a Tallahassee (I think) group who just knew how radio was done (does anybody remember WDLE?). Before the sale, 1450 operated as WNPS, the last format of which was "Progressive Country". Before that, WNPS operated as "Country Lovin' 1450" from studios in the soon-to-be-demolished Delta Towers (aka Claiborne Towers). Years before, WNPS was the radio station of the New Orleans Public Schools, with studios in the ground floor of an uptown grade school. When the school system decided to get out of radio, they ceded the license to the Greater New Orleans Educational Television folks, licensees of WYES.
A fire ravaged the WNPS studios the Friday after Thanksgiving in (I think) 1977 and for three months the air staff climbed a metal ladder up the side of the Dixie Beer warehouse on Tulane Ave. to operate from the transmitter shack, a bathroom-less site that housed a 1 KW RCA transmitter and an ancient (Collins? Gates?) transmitter that still sported "WTIX 1450 kc" on its meter faces. It was truly an adventure, playing music off of a single reel-to-reel, a 16" transcription turntable and a cart machine. The stuff memories are made of and yes, I was there!
Now, I read elsewhere on this board that 1450 has gone dark? Geez!
WWIW played 40's/50's (and even some 30's) music while still located in the Superdome. I know because I played some of it. I still have recurring dreams about all those 2 minute songs on vinyl and rushing to get the next one cued up. Somewhere I still have my Superdome pass signed by Sherman Copeland who stole from - er, i mean MANAGED the place at that time under the SSI aegis.
"Music Of Your Life" format was on another AM station at which I also served a stint - WSHO - after its longtime run as a C&W station. :-*
"Music Of Your Life" format was on another AM station at which I also served a stint - WSHO - after its longtime run as a C&W station. :-*
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