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Nostalgia Radio

R

Radio_Realist

Guest
The discussion over the two AM stations playing a retro format from the 60's got me to wondering. Are there any stations that can be picked up in Pittsburgh that carry the retro programming philosophy ever further back, and that broadcast programs from the Golden Age of radio, when scripted programs dominated the airwaves? I really enjoy listening to cassette recordings of shows like "The Shadow" or "The Bickersons".

I even put together a troupe of performers to re-create such old radio shows as live entertainment for senior citizens in retirement homes. Amazingly, as much as the old folks enjoy it out of nostalgia, the young staff members present at the shows enjoy it more, even though they're hearing the stuff for the first time.
 
> The discussion over the two AM stations playing a retro
> format from the 60's got me to wondering. Are there any
> stations that can be picked up in Pittsburgh that carry the
> retro programming philosophy ever further back, and that
> broadcast programs from the Golden Age of radio, when
> scripted programs dominated the airwaves? I really enjoy
> listening to cassette recordings of shows like "The Shadow"
> or "The Bickersons".
>
> I even put together a troupe of performers to re-create such
> old radio shows as live entertainment for senior citizens in
> retirement homes. Amazingly, as much as the old folks enjoy
> it out of nostalgia, the young staff members present at the
> shows enjoy it more, even though they're hearing the stuff
> for the first time.
>

KQV 1410 plays some of that stuff. (It might even be the replays of the Golden Age of Radio, as well as Stan Freberg.) Check their website www.wclv.com for archives and live stream; also, WNJR in Washington, PA runs it on Sundays, 11am. Listen to WNJR Live at

mms://media.washjeff.edu/wnjr (cut and paste...sorry, my HTML isn't that good)<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Johnny Morgan on 08/11/05 02:07 AM.</FONT></P>
 
WOW! How cool! All week long from 10pm-2am KQV airs "When Radio Was" segments, including stuff like the Lone Ranger, Burns & Allen, Bob Hope, and serials, plus the Twilight Zone, especially on weekends. Now all you gotta do is pack up all your $hit and sell your house and move to Avalon so you can sit under the tower, cuz it's too bad YOU CAN'T HEAR KQV all week long from 10pm-2am, huh!!!


> > The discussion over the two AM stations playing a retro
> > format from the 60's got me to wondering. Are there any
> > stations that can be picked up in Pittsburgh that carry
> the
> > retro programming philosophy ever further back, and that
> > broadcast programs from the Golden Age of radio, when
> > scripted programs dominated the airwaves? I really enjoy
> > listening to cassette recordings of shows like "The
> Shadow"
> > or "The Bickersons".
> >
> > I even put together a troupe of performers to re-create
> such
> > old radio shows as live entertainment for senior citizens
> in
> > retirement homes. Amazingly, as much as the old folks
> enjoy
> > it out of nostalgia, the young staff members present at
> the
> > shows enjoy it more, even though they're hearing the stuff
>
> > for the first time.
> >
>
> KQV 1410 plays some of that stuff. (It might even be the
> replays of the Golden Age of Radio, as well as Stan
> Freberg.) Check their website www.kqv.com for the schedule.
>
>
> Also, you might want to check out Weekend Radio, from
> Cleveland's WCLV. It's a potpourri of all sorts of
> stuff--classical music, comedy, scripted shows, etc. Check
> www.wclv.com for archives and live stream; also, WNJR in
> Washington, PA runs it on Sundays, 11am. Listen to WNJR Live
> at
>
> mms://media.washjeff.edu/wnjr (cut and paste...sorry, my
> HTML isn't that good)
>
 
> WOW! How cool! All week long from 10pm-2am KQV airs "When
> Radio Was" segments, including stuff like the Lone Ranger,
> Burns & Allen, Bob Hope, and serials, plus the Twilight
> Zone, especially on weekends.

I clipped the portion with the questionable word, but I fully agree with the sentiment, especially driving on Lincoln Way and getting some oldies station at AM 1410 in the pre-dawn hours and getting something halfway between WZUM (when it's on the air at night) and WPTT in quality. (WPTT north of Lincoln Way becomes nonexistent after dark.)

KQV streams its material at www.kqv.com.

WEDO-AM 810 in McKeesport airs Golden Age of Radio as part of its afternoon mishmash. (Everything from religion to stock cars to ethnic shows to Pat Boone to Gary G ... and, of course, quack radio! Need I say what "quack radio" is, doc?)

I'd check www.am81wedo.com for a schedule ... except they no longer have a Web site, for whatever reason.
 
> WOW! How cool! All week long from 10pm-2am KQV airs "When
> Radio Was" segments, including stuff like the Lone Ranger,
> Burns & Allen, Bob Hope, and serials, plus the Twilight
> Zone, especially on weekends. Now all you gotta do is pack
> up all your $hit and sell your house and move to Avalon so
> you can sit under the tower, cuz it's too bad YOU CAN'T HEAR
> KQV all week long from 10pm-2am, huh!!!

Oh, I dunno...if I turn off the TV, and all the fluorecents, and perch my radio precariously on the marble window sill, near my non-metal windows...

Oh hell...even then I can't hear it.

Now you see why KQV-FM "102 and 1/2" was a big deal in the 60s!
 
If anyone is ever inclined to buy some OTR shows, try www.otrcat.com

They have collections of shows on MP3 CDs at $5 a pop. You can get a hundred shows for five bucks, with easy postage charges.
 
> >(Everything from religion to
> stock cars to ethnic shows to Pat Boone to Gary G ... and,
> of course, quack radio! Need I say what "quack radio" is,
> doc?)
>
So chiropractors are "quack radio"? One saved my back, and saved me alot of $$$$. But I guess you think we should be treating symptoms with drugs, and having unnecessary surgeries. You may know something about radio, but you are clueless about healthcare.
>
 
> > >(Everything from religion to
> > stock cars to ethnic shows to Pat Boone to Gary G ... and,
>
> > of course, quack radio! Need I say what "quack radio" is,
> > doc?)
> >
> So chiropractors are "quack radio"? One saved my back,
> and saved me alot of $$$$. But I guess you think we should
> be treating symptoms with drugs, and having unnecessary
> surgeries. You may know something about radio, but you are
> clueless about healthcare.
> >
>

The problem with alternative health care, especially as it affects radio, is that there is not the regulatory structure that exists over the drug companies and physicians. A chiropractor who is helping people is in the same universe with Kevin Trudeau and the people pitching Coral Calcium and Sea Silver. A law called DSHEA passed a few years ago gives the nutritional supplement industry license to make any claims it wants without having to get federal approval first. By the time the Federal Trade Commission catches up to the scamsters, they have already made their money and pay the fines as CODB. DSHEA helped to make small AM radio stations like 620 and 810 into constant streams of misinformation ("there are 40 pounds of impacted fecal matter trapped in John Wayne's colon").
 
> > > >(Everything from religion to
> > > stock cars to ethnic shows to Pat Boone to Gary G ...
> and,
> >
> > > of course, quack radio! Need I say what "quack radio"
> is,
> > > doc?)
> > >
> > So chiropractors are "quack radio"? One saved my back,
> > and saved me alot of $$$$. But I guess you think we
> should
> > be treating symptoms with drugs, and having unnecessary
> > surgeries. You may know something about radio, but you
> are
> > clueless about healthcare.
> > >
> >

I use a chiropractor and find no problem with chiropractors, agreeing wholeheartedly with you and the next writer regarding "helping people." My wife and father-in-law also have benefited from chiropractic medicine, which I believe is legitimate medicine.

But I also agree with the next writer regarding the universe of programs and promises that come under "alternative health care," some of which also can be found on mainstream TV and radio as well as the niche stations.

As clueless as you believe I may be about health care, I believe the infomercials to which the next writer refers are the modern incarnation of the snake oil ads that filled the airwaves of 500,000-watt stations along the Mexican border more than half a century ago.

And, to give you an idea of my appreciation of those stations, one of them, I believe in Juarez (but don't quote me), provided a first home to the late, great Wolfman Jack, so I see modern stations selling quack time as part of a mix of niche programming that some stations must run to keep the transmitters going ... even if they're only 1,000 or 5,000 watts, rather than 500,000.

>
> The problem with alternative health care, especially as it
> affects radio, is that there is not the regulatory structure
> that exists over the drug companies and physicians. A
> chiropractor who is helping people is in the same universe
> with Kevin Trudeau and the people pitching Coral Calcium and
> Sea Silver. A law called DSHEA passed a few years ago gives
> the nutritional supplement industry license to make any
> claims it wants without having to get federal approval
> first. By the time the Federal Trade Commission catches up
> to the scamsters, they have already made their money and pay
> the fines as CODB. DSHEA helped to make small AM radio
> stations like 620 and 810 into constant streams of
> misinformation ("there are 40 pounds of impacted fecal
> matter trapped in John Wayne's colon").
>

Thank you. I appreciate your background on the subject. I pray I have more of a clue as a result.
 
I like music as much as the next guy but many times I have wished there were stations that broadcast radio Drama, comedy, etc. In 0ther words radio before there was TV. Something like that would be great late at night on a long car trip, that is if one of the big 50KW AM's would do it.

When I was very young in the '50's there were still some radio programs on the air. In the '70's I often ran the board during the CBS Radio Mystery Theatre.

Mike


> The discussion over the two AM stations playing a retro
> format from the 60's got me to wondering. Are there any
> stations that can be picked up in Pittsburgh that carry the
> retro programming philosophy ever further back, and that
> broadcast programs from the Golden Age of radio, when
> scripted programs dominated the airwaves? I really enjoy
> listening to cassette recordings of shows like "The Shadow"
> or "The Bickersons".
>
> I even put together a troupe of performers to re-create such
> old radio shows as live entertainment for senior citizens in
> retirement homes. Amazingly, as much as the old folks enjoy
> it out of nostalgia, the young staff members present at the
> shows enjoy it more, even though they're hearing the stuff
> for the first time.
>
 
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