OLD 1977 FCC Third-Class LICENSES FOUND at WJTO

[JIBGUY]

Found at WJTO in Bath, Maine, are several 1977-issued "third-phone" FCC license certificates. If your name is here, and would like yours back, I'll mail it to you. You may want a souvenir of your radio career.... then again, maybe you don't.
Licenses found are those of:

Winslow Porter, Jr
Alfred Green
Jane Welsh
Roger Bertolini
Dale Arnold
William Murphy Jr
Gary LaFrance

----email me [email protected]

 

[Neggy]

are they the pre "mail it in just like the new CB radio license" tickets?

Any "element 9" endorsements?

The REAL ones had to be renewed every 5 years, with a one year grace period before they went dark.

I remember going to the Customs House in Boston to take my 3rd when I was 13. I remember all the DJ school students failing the element 9... 20 of my voc. school classmates and I walked in and took the test in 10 minutes.. all passing. We did the same thing with our Seconds a year later... Some of us went on to take the First in our senior year.. I was 16 when I got mine..again laughing at the Jr College/ School of Broadcasting students crying in the hallway when the results were released. I remember the license was this fancy engraved paper thing suitable for framing. Now all I have is a 2 by 3 laminated card I carry in my wallet.... PG-1-XXXXX

I wonder if that is THE Dale Arnold of Boston radio fame?

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

are they the pre "mail it in just like the new CB radio license" tickets?

Any "element 9" endorsements?

The REAL ones had to be renewed every 5 years, with a one year grace period before they went dark.

I remember going to the Customs House in Boston to take my 3rd when I was 13. I remember all the DJ school students failing the element 9... 20 of my voc. school classmates and I walked in and took the test in 10 minutes.. all passing. We did the same thing with our Seconds a year later... Some of us went on to take the First in our senior year.. I was 16 when I got mine..again laughing at the Jr College/ School of Broadcasting students crying in the hallway when the results were released. I remember the license was this fancy engraved paper thing suitable for framing. Now all I have is a 2 by 3 laminated card I carry in my wallet.... PG-1-XXXXX

I wonder if that is THE Dale Arnold of Boston radio fame?

not all of us Junior College kids left the building doing the walk of shame - some of us aced it and got our 1, 2 & 9 ticket on the first try. still have mine.

and yes, that is THE Dale Arnold. he was a baby DJ at WJTO/WIGY and did his early pbp stuff at Bowdoin plus some high school games on JTO. he started his Pro-level career with the Maine Mariners (at the time, the Flyers affiliate), then when they became the NJ Devils AHL team, that became his springboard to upper-level pro sports - Devils, Patriots, Bruins and has even had a turn or two at Fenway, among others.

 

[newsbot]

Winslow Turner Porter, Jr. was the station owner at the time. WIGY 105.9, also licensed to Bath, was co-located at the WJTO facility. He also owned WERZ/WMYF in Exeter, NH and later attempted an ill-fated "full-service AC on FM" with WWGT 97.9FM in Portland, ME sometime in the 80s before flipping to CHR. His mother died in 2003; his dad, who died in 1968 (also named Winslow Turner Porter) founded WJTO as WMMS in 1957. As far as I know he still lives in Exeter.

 

[raccoonradio]

I remember picking up WJTO down in Nahant MA (right on the coast) --when they'd sign off at sunset
they said that people could keep listening via their sister station at 105.9... then they ran a jingle
for WIGY, "Y-106"...

"IGY" also can stand for "International Geophysical Year", the inspiration for a Donald Fagen tune.
"What a beautiful world this will be/ What a glorious time to be free..."

 

[Underminer]

At the time, jocks at 'BLM weren't allowed to front or backsell that song by title. Only as "What a Wonderul World." Little paranoid, eh Jose?

 

[Time Traveler]

At the time, jocks at 'BLM weren't allowed to front or backsell that song by title. Only as "What a Wonderul World." Little paranoid, eh Jose?

THIS IS COMPLETELY TRUE!!! It was even specified on the printed music log not to mention I.G.Y!!!!....Backsell only as "What a Wonderful World"!!! Also, right around that period, Michael Jackson's "Beat It" with Eddy Van Halen on guitar, which BLM was playing at the time in 1983, was to be back sold as Van Halen with Michael Jackson. These decison's were probably not Jose's, his reign of terror came later on... (what ever happened to him?) At the time of "I.G.Y" and "Beat IT", the Program Director was Mike Bushey...Speaking of WIGY, they were an interesting station around 1982-1983. Essentially they were using high energy Top 40 jocks, to play AOR music. It was kind of cool...It reminded me of the early days of WVBF, from a decade before...

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

At the time, jocks at 'BLM weren't allowed to front or backsell that song by title. Only as "What a Wonderul World." Little paranoid, eh Jose?

and at WGAN (music a/c at the time), announcers were allowed to say the entire title or the shortened "What A Wonderful World," but not the IGY abbreviation. only made sense from every-other-station-in-the-market's standpoint.

so it wasn't just Jose.

 

[oldrover]

Wow... I've worked with quite a few names on that list... brings back some memories.

 

[OldPort]

I wonder who last played IGY in Portland, you NEVER hear that one anymore.

whoever did gets a six pack of Schlitz!

Cheers,
OldPort

 

[Andy Taylor]

Winslow Turner Porter, Jr. was the station owner at the time. WIGY 105.9, also licensed to Bath, was co-located at the WJTO facility. He also owned WERZ/WMYF in Exeter, NH and later attempted an ill-fated "full-service AC on FM" with WWGT 97.9FM in Portland, ME sometime in the 80s before flipping to CHR. His mother died in 2003; his dad, who died in 1968 (also named Winslow Turner Porter) founded WJTO as WMMS in 1957. As far as I know he still lives in Exeter.

I was living in the area back in 1970 when WJTO-FM was on 95.3.Casey Kasem was on 95.3. Porter also bought a station in the Buffalo market at 98.5 and turned into a CHR, "BUffalo's HOT fm"

 

[Time Traveler]

[[/quote]
I was living in the area back in 1970 when WJTO-FM was on 95.3.Casey Kasem was on 95.3. Porter also bought a station in the Buffalo market at 98.5 and turned into a CHR, "BUffalo's HOT fm"
[/quote]

Actually...Porter bought Buffalo Rock station WZIR, changed the call letters to WRXT and hired Mike Bushey from WBLM to program it. This was at the end of 1983. WRXT remained a Rock station at that point. However, WRXT didn't take off as quickly as Porter expected, and after about a year and a half, the format was scrapped, Bushey was let go, and Scott Robbins from WIGY was hired to take it CHR as WKSE, which is what it remains today...

 

[JIBGUY]

Yes, the licenses at WJTO, are the full-sized 3rd-Class ones, printed on light blue or that strange orangish color paper, and with E-9 endorsement.
=========================
Anyone remember WWGT-1440? On air, you hgeard "W-G-T"... Maine's answer to
W-B-Z, with news and info. Was about as successful as 870 when it was news more recently; altho Winslow Porter had a great idea with that. - I came close to buying WWGT-1440 around 1987 from Winslow Porter Jr, but didn't quite scrape up the cash to do so. 10 years later I nabbed killer-signal WJTO, and the most beautiful station location in the northeast, so no regrets.

 

[NO DAG]

I thought (W)WGT was on 97.9, not sure what the AM 1440 was doing at the time. Didn't 1440 have the WMER calls at one time too ? I remember quite well when "The Great 98 WGT" was blown up in favor of a great sounding CHR at the time as "G-98", (The new G-98) and the AM simultcasted except for Red Sox baseball, and maybe some auto racing at the time and that was it.. I believe Don Huff who is at WBZ was part of the news department at "WGT".

 

[JaxWebGuy]

Yes, Bob refers to "the" Dale Arnold of Boston. I worked with him at WCME (now WCLZ) in Brunswick and he also worked at JTO.

Alfred "Al" Green now lives in Buffalo where he moved when Turner Porter bought 98.5 FM in 1983. He owns a very successful wine and liquor store and a UPS store.

are they the pre "mail it in just like the new CB radio license" tickets?

Any "element 9" endorsements?

The REAL ones had to be renewed every 5 years, with a one year grace period before they went dark.

I remember going to the Customs House in Boston to take my 3rd when I was 13. I remember all the DJ school students failing the element 9... 20 of my voc. school classmates and I walked in and took the test in 10 minutes.. all passing. We did the same thing with our Seconds a year later... Some of us went on to take the First in our senior year.. I was 16 when I got mine..again laughing at the Jr College/ School of Broadcasting students crying in the hallway when the results were released. I remember the license was this fancy engraved paper thing suitable for framing. Now all I have is a 2 by 3 laminated card I carry in my wallet.... PG-1-XXXXX

I wonder if that is THE Dale Arnold of Boston radio fame?

 

[grover750]

WIGY AND WGT

I worked for TURNER PORTER in 1980 at WIGY Mornings
walked out after about 8 months..I STILL have Nightmares
The WORST Owner I EVER WORKED for in all my career
THEN in 1986 He Buys WJBQ in PORTLAND
I was back doing Mid-days at the Time
he Puts me on Mornings at WGT
WAY too Much News and lousy music
after a year he FIRES everybody....EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!
Even though TOP 40 was what I Did Best!
No consideration about Families Nothing!!!!
I owned a house In Windham Me at the time
and had 2 small Daughters
What a NIGHTMARE!
Joe Mc Millan
www.JoeMcMillan.voice123.com
Mornings at WNSX Ellsworth/Bangor Maine
going on 2 years

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

(snip)
after a year he FIRES everybody....EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!
Even though TOP 40 was what I Did Best!
No consideration about Families Nothing!!!!
I owned a house In Windham Me at the time
and had 2 small Daughters
What a NIGHTMARE!(snip)

the duck, joe. you forgot the duck! and i know, i know - you ate the duck. (i'm grinning here)

best story you ever told was in relationship to the end of your tenure at WIGY (when you found out you were going to be "oursourced," "downsized," "deep-sixed," etc, so you put Hey Jude on the radio while Turner was about the only warm body in the Berry's Mill Rd building and you told him he had about 6 minutes to find a new announcer). that story was further amplified by Don Huff himself who regaled a few of us one day with the story about the beginning of your tenure at WWGT (Portland Press Herald: "This is the LAST station I'll ever work at.") when Hey Jude was scheduled out of the newscast one morning, and about 30 seconds into the song, the door flies open and there stands Turner and Bertollini. Turner mutters something to the effect of "oh - no problem - he's HERE" and they both go back to their offices. Mr.Huff said he had to peel himself off the floor.

we miss the duck in Portland, Joe. c'mon back.

 

[grover750]

A DOG "ATE"THE DUCK!!

After MOVING to PLYMOUTH MA (Lived there for 17 years)
after TURNER PORTER CANNED everybody at WGT..Portland
a Neighbors Dog ran in My Yard and ATE the DUCK!
While in Plymouth I returned to WHDH....
...actually did talk on the weekends
Then 4 years weekends at OLDIES 103
Then WROR/Boston..ALSO Mornings at WATD 95.9 2 times...
a Time at WCOD Cape Cod working for ERNIE BOCH
"COME ON DOWN"...Afternoons at KABL San Francisco..GREAT CITY!
(My family stayed in Plymouth)
Sure glad to be BACK in MOOSE country
Joe Mc Millan
Mornings WNSX Ellsworth/Bangor

 

[dabutler]

WNSX plays I.G.Y. and we say I.G.Y.... I want my beer!

 

[JIBGUY]

WWGT AM & FM

Really, there was a (W)WGT AM doing all news for that short while, on 1440. It appears that no one on this list remembers it.... .which I guess is a parallel reason why it didn't last very long. I think the WMER calls had just disappeared at that time; changed to WWGT(AM).