Old School WYCR...

[Alan Criswell]

Curious if anyone remembers...


* Early '80s; the 2AM Sign-Off.
(sung) M-I-C
(announcer) "See you soon"
(sung) K-E-Y
(announcer) "Why? We're WYCR York-Hanover...
............ and microwave transmitter, KXY-59"
(sung) M-O-U
(announcer) "Good night AND good morning from
the music people."


* Early '80s;
Feed-A-Friend Marathons.


* 1985
98YCR's simulcast of NBC's "Friday Night Videos."


* Summer 1989
"The Morning Flakes" morning show with Don O'Brian,
Axel Marley and traffic w/ Paul Scott.


* Summer / Fall 1989
98YCR's music video show on Fox 43 (WPMT-TV).


* Summer 1991
Their "Kiss Our Car" contest at a Hanover Chevy dealer.
IIRC, they eventually gave away TWO cars, just to stop
the madness.





Alan

 

[otter63]

AgingXer writes of 98YCR (and microwave transmitter KXY-59):

> * Early '80s; the 2AM Sign-Off.
> (sung) M-I-C
> (announcer) "See you soon"
> (sung) K-E-Y
> (announcer) "Why? We're WYCR York-Hanover...
> ............ and microwave transmitter, KXY-59"
> (sung) M-O-U
> (announcer) "Good night AND good morning from
> the music people."

I *do* remember the overnight sign-offs. Didn't YCR initially sign off at midnight -- and ultimately, by the late 70s, extend operation to 2 a.m.?

Working there briefly in '80 and '82, I pulled the 9p-2a shift a couple times. I found it kinda eerie to kill the transmitter, turn off the lights, lock the front door and just ... go home. (Of course there was a sense of security -- having the owner, John Bare, and his family sleeping upstairs.)

 

[Alan Criswell]

>
> I *do* remember the overnight sign-offs.

Cool. But who voiced that close, Captain John Lawrence?


> Didn't YCR initially sign off at midnight -- and ultimately,
> by the late 70s, extend operation to 2 a.m.?

Well, according to an old newspaper ad, the station spun music
from 3pm to 11pm in 1965.

That's about all I know of YCR's pre-1980s era, other than the
station was once automated, and I remember an engineer telling
me the station went dark during the 1950s.


> Working there briefly in '80 and '82, I pulled the 9p-2a
> shift a couple times. I found it kinda eerie to kill the
> transmitter, turn off the lights, lock the front door and
> just ... go home.

It was odd on the other end, too. Q-106, the post-2am
option, just didn't have that beefy processing or cool
imaging, and Johnny Ringo was gone by 1981.


>(Of course there was a sense of security -- having the owner,
> John Bare, and his family sleeping upstairs.)

I'v heard about the family living upstairs, and that John shut
down at night so his family could sleep.

If that were the case, then maybe the station was, at one time,
off the air by midnight. A good six hours of sleep...





Alan

 

[Pastywhitethighs]

Nobody did phones like the Ugly DJ. He was good.



> >
> > I *do* remember the overnight sign-offs.
>
> Cool. But who voiced that close, Captain John Lawrence?
>
>
> > Didn't YCR initially sign off at midnight -- and
> ultimately,
> > by the late 70s, extend operation to 2 a.m.?
>
> Well, according to an old newspaper ad, the station spun
> music
> from 3pm to 11pm in 1965.
>
> That's about all I know of YCR's pre-1980s era, other than
> the
> station was once automated, and I remember an engineer
> telling
> me the station went dark during the 1950s.
>
>
> > Working there briefly in '80 and '82, I pulled the 9p-2a
> > shift a couple times. I found it kinda eerie to kill the
> > transmitter, turn off the lights, lock the front door and
>
> > just ... go home.
>
> It was odd on the other end, too. Q-106, the post-2am
> option, just didn't have that beefy processing or cool
> imaging, and Johnny Ringo was gone by 1981.
>
>
> >(Of course there was a sense of security -- having the
> owner,
> > John Bare, and his family sleeping upstairs.)
>
> I'v heard about the family living upstairs, and that John
> shut
> down at night so his family could sleep.
>
> If that were the case, then maybe the station was, at one
> time,
> off the air by midnight. A good six hours of sleep...
>
>
>
>
>
> Alan
>

 

[Alan Criswell]

> Nobody did phones like the Ugly DJ. He was good.

Yeah, and he had a fairly broad audience.

Circa 1994, Ugly bounced from 98YCR over to The New Q-106,
where he did mornings for about one year.





Alan

 

[Steele1080]

Yes! The old rickety cart was tripped at 2am by me and others at the time and it was voiced by the "nastyman" himself Capt. John! Hey I heard he died??!! Any info on that one?

Steve Raymond YCR (1979-81) (WZXL)

 

[RayThomas]

1975:

6-Noon--John Lawrence (didn't yet call himself "Captain" John Lawrence)
Noon-6--Dennis Alan
6-Midnight-Ray Thomas
Midnight-6--Off the air

Over on the AM....

6-Noon...The Legendary Ned Rutledge "Mr. Hanover." The greatest voice in the history of Midstate radio. Was once offered a job as a network announcer in New York City, turned it down because he liked the small-town life and was never sorry. What a great guy, too...drove a beat-up old AMC Pacer. A Radio God!

Noon to 6...Corky Yeaple, later did hard time on child pornography charges. A unique character to say the least. None of us knew this about him at the time.
My Most Fun...Being the night guy, I filled in on the AM when either Ned or Corky were off, then did the evening shift on the FM. at that point the FM was simulcast over onto the AM at night. WHVR Memories...that old early 50's RCA board, 45's on 2 old Gates turntables, 2 old Tapecaster 700 pull-the-lever-back cart machines. Cows grazing in the field behind the station...John Bare, the grizzled old owner walking around smoking unfiltered Pall Malls and mumbling...son, make sure you take those meter readings, we don't want an FCC Citation....Great old radio days gone by....gone but not forgotten...

 

[SteelRocker]

I also remember when Miami Vice was on Friday nights, WYCR simulcasted the show because of the music for a couple of years.

And, didn't someone named Paul Douglas do "Total Weather Forecast" or something?

 

[karlyle]

Yes, Paul Douglas was the weather guy...he was also the TV weatherman for a station in Wilkes-Barre, PA....he wore all sorts of outfits on-air depending on the forecast....

 

[bl40modulimiter2]

Did mornings there '83-'85; there was a pencil mark on the monitor control at about the "9:30" position--that was max. I was visited by John once and called another about it being too loud--and it was around the "11:00" position! The pisser with being off 2-5:30am is that the one morning I overslept in 18 months, we didn't get on til 6:45! There's no worse feeling than having your brother yell into your room "Hey Larry Rhoten's on the phone, are you supposed to be at work?"!!!

 

[TODDMAYOR]

i was in hanover last week and saw their building with the call letters on the outside for the am and fm. if it is anything from the outside... inside....it must be a palace. very nice for a locally owned broadcasters.

 

[radiodood]

The UGLY DJ, where every day was his birthday..(where is he now anyway??) and another great YCR alumni is former Baltimore talent Wllie B, when they were called "98-YCR".

 

[SteelRocker]

The UGLY DJ, where every day was his birthday..(where is he now anyway??) and another great YCR alumni is former Baltimore talent Wllie B, when they were called "98-YCR".

Remember all the calls he'd get from prisoners to his show? I always found that humorous too.

 

[karlyle]

last I heard, the Ugly DJ was working as a 911 dispatcher for a local county emergency services operation. Willie B, last I heard, was somewhere in Texas doing talk radio...

 

[ejjeff]

Willie B is doing 3 - 7 at the Track in Indianapolis. He is also APD. Here is his webpage http://www.wtpi.com/pages/2559090.php
There is a link to listen on-line.

Jeff Roteman

 

[DJDaryl]

The new building is nice, the studios are also nice. The computer that runs the station is so nice that the program director Ross Murdock voice tracks his entire show, and then sits in the studio and waits for the voice tracked weather to end so he can say the temp. The only people that are important to that station are the sales people and the consultant. It is sad, I loved the old YCR, the DJ's were able to be themselves. Listen to any break on "The Peak" Every break they back sell 2 songs this is the most important part of their programing. Rick McCauslin is still with the station, I love Rick, great guy stuck needing a job and working for the sisters who I am sure love Sarah Palin.

 

[grandoleopry]

SAY WHAT YOU WILL; AND CRITICIZE WHO EVER YOU WANT BUT
THE $$$ AND RATINGS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
PEAK BILLING LOTS MORE THAN OLD YCR; PEAK RATINGS HIGHER THAN
OLD YCR. RADIO STATIONS NOT TOYS THEY ARE BUSINESSES.
EVERYBODY GETS NOSTALGIC FOR THE GOOD OLE DAYS ...FACE
IT THEY ARE GONE...THIS IS RADIO IN 2008! JUST THINK OF WHAT
IT WILL BE LIKE IN 2058....HOPEFULLY THERE WILL BE AT LEAST
ONE LOCALLY OWNED STATION AROUND.

 

[DJDaryl]

SAY WHAT YOU WILL; AND CRITICIZE WHO EVER YOU WANT BUT
THE $$$ AND RATINGS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
PEAK BILLING LOTS MORE THAN OLD YCR; PEAK RATINGS HIGHER THAN
OLD YCR. RADIO STATIONS NOT TOYS THEY ARE BUSINESSES.
EVERYBODY GETS NOSTALGIC FOR THE GOOD OLE DAYS ...FACE
IT THEY ARE GONE...THIS IS RADIO IN 2008! JUST THINK OF WHAT
IT WILL BE LIKE IN 2058....HOPEFULLY THERE WILL BE AT LEAST
ONE LOCALLY OWNED STATION AROUND!


You are right on all your points. but

I am not entertained by a voice tracked show. (nights) I am nostalgic for a night show like the the old ycr where the phones were heavy and it was fun to listen to. The DJ's had fun and it showed on the air. I don't care about the business end of radio, let the nerds worry about that. DJ's should have fun and be themselves and not be consulted to death, they then become personalities. They have two, Crockett and Waters in the morning. Consultants do find out what the sheep want to hear and it is important, but set the DJ's Free! Voice tracking clearly sucks, so does Ross. I say bring in Gil Sheffer!