Old line-ups

[MsMusicRadio]

Since nobody remembers who was at WMCK in the early Sixties, does anybody remember these:

1) Who was at WCAE when it was Top 40?

2) Who was at WPNT when it flipped from B/EZ to Lite.

3) WWSW when it was "double -double"

4) Who was on WPEZ when it was Top 40 before becoming 3WS and who was on 3WS at first when it was AC?

5) Who was on WFFM in it's AC days.

6) WTAE in it's O'Brien and Garry days.

7) WJAS in it's Hilary Bogden days

 

[DToTheJ]

I guess what you're specifically trying to ask is: Does anybody remember when radio was live and local?

 

[Whiplash]

WTAE: O'Brien and Garry Mornings, Jim Quinn Mid-Days, Don Berns Afternoons, Johnny Williams Nights (Myron's Show as well) and Susie Barbour at night. 1979-1982 or so!

 

[hypwr]

WCAE tried to make a run against KQV and the only guys I remember were Tommy Sheaffer, Tom Keefe, and Jerry Land. Jerry was a CR tech and was promoted to "Staff Announcer" when they were able to automate the transmitter during the daylight hours. They brought in some of the Xmtr. technicians to work the CR and Jerry would have be let go.

I"m not sure, but Tommy Riggs may have still been there. Bill Nesbett may have still been doing the evening shift. This, of course, was before the WRYT days.

 

[FreddyE1977]

WTAE: O'Brien and Garry Mornings, Jim Quinn Mid-Days, Don Berns Afternoons, Johnny Williams Nights (Myron's Show as well) and Susie Barbour at night. 1979-1982 or so!

or shortly before that, O'Brien and Garry mornings, Chuck Brinkman mid-days, Bob Dearborn afternoons, Johnny Williams nights (with a break for Myron), Susie Barbour late nights.

 

[mikes65gal]

Not sure what shift he worked.......but I just remember thinking how "cool" it would have been to be known on-air as "Striker Mcguire" on WPEZ.

 

[kaysguy]

WWSW had Joe Tucker for Steeler games, Dave Shallenberger, Hilary Bogden, Bill Hinds, Frank Thomasello...well, those are the ones I can think of.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

WCAE tried to make a run against KQV and the only guys I remember were Tommy Sheaffer, Tom Keefe, and Jerry Land. Jerry was a CR tech and was promoted to "Staff Announcer" when they were able to automate the transmitter during the daylight hours. They brought in some of the Xmtr. technicians to work the CR and Jerry would have be let go.

I"m not sure, but Tommy Riggs may have still been there. Bill Nesbett may have still been doing the evening shift. This, of course, was before the WRYT days.

What I never got was why WCAE signed off from 2:30 AM to 5:30 AM . They had a better signal than KQV and no ABC shows, but they failed too. All these names from way back sound really familiar. Thanks

PS-----I think the two coolest names in radio had to be Striker McGuire and Bumper Morgan.

 

[hypwr]

Way back then most stations signed off at 1AM or so. I used to warm up the WJAS transmitter on my way to school. The xmtr. engineer would take a nap and I would turn it on at low-power for 10 minutes, and run downstairs and switch to high-power. These were tube transmitters and they had mercury vapor rectifiers so they had to get hot.

WWSW (on 1490 and later 970) was our only 24 hour station. KDKA went to 24 hr. because of CONELAD. When ABC bought KQV, they made it the 3rd. 24 hour staion.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

I know that WMCK went 24 hours when it became "Mighty 1360". That made 4. I don't remember if WKJF was on 24 hours a day. KDKA and KQV signed off Monday mornings after 12AM for most of the Sixties if I remember. I think WWSW was 24/7.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Way back then most stations signed off at 1AM or so. I used to warm up the WJAS transmitter on my way to school. The xmtr. engineer would take a nap and I would turn it on at low-power for 10 minutes, and run downstairs and switch to high-power. These were tube transmitters and they had mercury vapor rectifiers so they had to get hot.

WWSW (on 1490 and later 970) was our only 24 hour station. KDKA went to 24 hr. because of CONELAD. When ABC bought KQV, they made it the 3rd. 24 hour staion.

I was just curious about this warm-up period. Did you run a dummy load, or let an open carrier go out?
Were you playing anything or just dead-air?

 

[hypwr]

We just ran the xmtr. into the antenna. We had no dummy....at least not a dummy antenna. The xmtr. was a Western Electric unit, built in the mid thirties. It had a motor generator for the filament supply and an MG unit for the bias supply. We reversed the filament polarity each morning to promote even wear. It was an adventure and since I was only 17, I loved it!

 

[ScottyBman]

WPNT -

I think it was Nat Humphries in AM Drive (He hired me as an intern in 1984-1985), John Gallagher and Jon Summers. Jean Lamb overnights. Always liked their top of the hour ID, "The Sounds in the Spirit of the Point <Boat Horn> WPNT Pittsburgh.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

WPNT shoulda stayed that way.

 

[FreddyE1977]

We just ran the xmtr. into the antenna. We had no dummy....at least not a dummy antenna. The xmtr. was a Western Electric unit, built in the mid thirties. It had a motor generator for the filament supply and an MG unit for the bias supply. We reversed the filament polarity each morning to promote even wear. It was an adventure and since I was only 17, I loved it!

ahh....interesting! Had some experience with those MG units. They can be cranky beasts!

 

[hypwr]

We just ran the xmtr. into the antenna. We had no dummy....at least not a dummy antenna. The xmtr. was a Western Electric unit, built in the mid thirties. It had a motor generator for the filament supply and an MG unit for the bias supply. We reversed the filament polarity each morning to promote even wear. It was an adventure and since I was only 17, I loved it!

ahh....interesting! Had some experience with those MG units. They can be cranky beasts!

To make things more interesting, we had no backup transmitter for neither the AM or the FM. So the pressure was on when we went off the air.