PROJECT: 105.7 FM ATs

[Alan Criswell]

Project: Compile a list of all the live/local air talents heard on Central PA's 105.7 FM. * WNOW-FM (19xx - 19xx)* WQXA-FM ~ "Q-106" (Top-40/CHR: 197x - circa 11/89)Brad Flick, Johnny Ringo, Bobby Quinn, Jim Cooke, The Captain, Mark MacKenzie, John St. John, Casey Summers, Uncle Bob* WQXA-FM ~ "Hot 105.7" (Urban/Dance: circa 11/89 - 1/93)Johnny Storm* WQXA-FM ~ "The New Q-106" (Hot AC: 1/93 - 5/95)Wild Bill Cox, Scott McFadden, Alan Roberts, Tricia Mohn, Johnny Storm, Rocky Spino, The Ugly DJ* WQXA ~ "1057 The Edge" (Alternative/Modern Rock: 5/95 - 9/97)Scott McFadden, Claudine, Number One Son, John Moschitta, Bill Hanson* WQXA ~ "1057 The X" (Active Rock, etc: 9/97 - present)Jen Shade, Claudine DeLorenzo, Michelle Cruz, The Handyman, Nixon, Nipsy, Rick Becker, Bill Hanson, Steve Knight, Earl, Number One Son

 

[travist102]

1991 Hot 105.7: Bobby Quinn & Kip The Part-Timer, John Saint John, Mark Feather, CS Keys, Dave Shafer, Eric Michaels, Chris Carpenter, and I think Casey Summers.The only 105.7 The X'er I know of (from the past) is Jeremy... he used to do afternoons at T102 in '98.

 

[crazyate]

Do the same for 104.1.

 

[Alan Criswell]

1991 Hot 105.7: Bobby Quinn & Kip The Part-Timer,

Yeah, Kip. Last saw Bobby at Citadel Harrisburg in 1999, workin for Cat Country.IIRC, that [brief] morning show was Bobby, Brad and Earl.

John Saint John,

So that's how it's spelled...

Mark Feather, CS Keys,

Yeah, Mark Feather, and C.S. Keys did PT weather for WGAL-TV.

Dave Shafer, Eric Michaels, Chris Carpenter,

Dave from WZIX, WSOX, etc.?

and I think Casey Summers.

Yeah, Casey Summers stayed on. At first, given the fresh format, I wondered whythey kept any of the old Q-106 jocks. Also wondered why the studio mic had thatnarrow, bottom-of-a-trash-can reverb. Odd memory: Imagine my surprise when, in '93, I discovered hundreds of cartedHip-Pop and Dance songs in a closet at the old WQXA building. I'd just assumedthat, excluding the Dance mix stuff, Hot 105.7 spun music on CD.Thanx for your contribution, Travis.

 

[travist102]

I listened to Hot 105.7 when I would travel from Wilkes-Barre to Harrisburg when I helped pick up my grandmother... I could pick it up from the Minersville exit off I-81 all the way to the old Dutch Pantry in Paxtonia (except for the rock cuts after Pine Grove). When I was at High School Science Olympiad at HACC in April 91, I airchecked as much as I could. Darn Radio Shack 120 tapes weren't the best.Got a few airchecks of August 91, March 92, and some of their CHR from Sept 92.

 

[hammerpants]

Boomer on nights at Hot 105.7... he, Kip, Bobby and Feather signed on a top 40 in Kansas City together after leaving the haunted studios on the hill.

 

[tube man]

I'm going to do an initial post on this subject and come back with more later, including names of on air talent I can remember.

WNOW FM signed on the air the same day as WNOW AM, March 17, 1948. It was owned by the Helm Coal Company, which was owned by H.J. Williams construction company. Son Lowell Williams was the original manager. What happened between March of '48 until Rust Communications bought it in August of 1957 is unknown to me. Whether it was a simulcast of the AM or programmed independently is unknown to me. Lots of early FM's tried playing "good music" but when that proved not to be financially viable, they simply simulcasted their AM counterparts. When Rust bought it, I know it then began simulcasting the AM as central Pa's first top 40 rock & roll station. The simulcast lasted through the top 40 era (which ended in 1964) and continued through the country & western era, until the simulcast of the AM finally ended on March 3, 1974, the day Q-106 was born.

I'll have to search my archives and memory and try to come with as many on air names as I can.

 

[Pastywhitethighs]

For the Edge / The X

Lyndi Starr, Randy Rock Johnson, Moe Rock, Maria (One of the best voices around),

 

[tube man]

Back again...as promised, here is a list of all I can remember.

Late 1950's early 1960's.....John Allen, Jack O'Rourke (went on to NBC), Johnny Canton, Dave Burns, Chuck Conway, Pete Johnson, Bill Mahoney, Doc Daugherty (local legend), Al Bethel, Charlie Trussell and "Leroy".

Early 1970's....Danny Reese, Joe Colombo, Joel Kaye, Lou Dark (legend from WRAW in the '50's), George Grey, Steve Randall, Charlie Frogg, Jack North, Corkey Yeaple. Newsmen from this era included Jim Sinkovitz (now on Channel 8 WGAL) and Jeff Bitzer.

All of the above were heard on WNOW FM by virtue of them being on WNOW AM.

Once the station split programming and became WQXA, the original Q-106 air staff was: Frank Ceasar (later on Jones network-country format), Dave Simmon, Steve "Iron Man" Orr, Mike Pintek (later in news KDKA) and Charlie Frogg. Later additions included Steve Randall, Jay Smoke and Lowell Briggs.

When Q-106 was at it's peak in the early '80's, the staff was Jim Cooke, "The Captain", Dan Steele, Brad Flick, Jim Buchannon (weatherman on Fox 43), Kevin Troy, Casey Summers, Johnny Ringo, Charlie Reinhart. Later additions included Mark McKenzie, Tom Shannon and Dick Fenessy.

I know there were MANY more and if I think of any, I'll be back.

 

[JOCKSTAR]

Wasn't there a morning guy named Bob Rider (or something like that) who worked with The Captain, perhaps shortly after Jim Cooke left? One of their morning show staples was the fake President Reagan news conference. When he left there was talk that he became a writer for David Letterman. Anyone remember?

 

[tube man]

Wasn't there a morning guy named Bob Rider (or something like that) who worked with The Captain, perhaps shortly after Jim Cooke left? One of their morning show staples was the fake President Reagan news conference. When he left there was talk that he became a writer for David Letterman. Anyone remember?

YES!...I forgot him....the show was "Ryder and the Captain"....his on air name was Don Ryder....real name Edd Hall. He later was the announcer for the "Tonight Show" for about 10 or 12 years.

 

[FreddyB]

Wasn't there a morning guy named Bob Rider (or something like that) who worked with The Captain, perhaps shortly after Jim Cooke left? One of their morning show staples was the fake President Reagan news conference. When he left there was talk that he became a writer for David Letterman. Anyone remember?

YES!...I forgot him....the show was "Ryder and the Captain"....his on air name was Don Ryder....real name Edd Hall. He later was the announcer for the "Tonight Show" for about 10 or 12 years.

http://www.eddhall.com/

 

[JOCKSTAR]

tube man, thanks for the info! Ryder, as I recall, was extremely talented and you just knew he was headed for bigger and better things.

 

[Multiplexor]

Don't forget that Dave Crockett, the good one that's on WSOX, joined Jim Cooke, as Cooke & Crockett in the morining slot after The Captain left.

 

[RockofHBG]

As I recall, Q106 called themselves "The New Super Q" for awhile in late '74 into mid '75. In those days, the jocks never talked over intros. They used a lot of lazer-fire sfx in their sweepers. They used a lot of sweepers, but had no jingles. Then in about October of 1975, they went automated. Real bad, home-grown automation as I recall. You could hear a low oscillation sound during low passages. Then in August of 1977, they briefly flipped format to "Mellow Music" Q106. That too was really horrible. By March of 1978, they were Top 40 again and returned to live jocks.

 

[RockofHBG]

When Rust took Q106 back to live Top 40 in March of 1978, it was a corporate edict as was just about everything Rust did. What they did in one market, they more or less did in all their markets, regardless of local conditions. Huh, sounds like not much has changed to. Here's the original lineup for the "new" Q106 in march of 1978:

Carey Stone 6 - 11 AM (Dave "Boom Boom" Cannon from WGTY)
Dennis John Cayhill 11-3 PM
Dave Dillon (PD) 3 - 7PM
Bob Michaels (of Arbitron fame) 7 - 12 Mid
Liz Curtis Mid - 6 AM

However By the fall of that year, the lineup changed completely:

Cooke and the Captain 6 -10 AM
Liz Curtis 10A- 3 PM
John St. John (not the one from WKBO) 3 - 7PM
Johnny Ringo 7 - Mid
Joe Columbo 12 Mid - 6AM

Casey Summers would join in early 1979 after starting her career at QV93, WQVE

 

[jlync1]

You know.....Q106 was my first radio station. I was a part-timer there from '81 to '83. Those names bring back many memories.....I later ran into Johnny Ringo when I worked at a rock station in Albuquerque back in the mid-80s and he worked for a Top 40 station there. Whatever happened to him...and Kevin Troy? ANd Casey Summers? Are any of the Q-Crew still in radio these days?
Joanna

 

[Steele1080]

Ryder from Ryder and The Captain on Q106 (1981?) REAL name Ed Hall was the Tonight Show announcer for Jay Leno for many years taking over after Ed McMann's retirement. Met him at LA hopitality function in 98'. Departed a couple years back and made way for Stutterin' John.

 

[GuyFry]

Doc Daugherty has to be the most memorable personality from the old WNOW AM-FM-TV.. One of you mentioned early WNOW man Al Bethel who (even earlier) appeared on the old WTPA-TV, Channel 71 in Harrisburg, the first day it signed on in 1953. Al's renown also spread because of his very excellent dance band which was much in demand. Lee Ferko, an early 1980's vintage WLYH-TV newswoman had also worked WQXA in the big WNOW building up on Pleasureville Hill. She said the old TV backdrops were still in what remained of the studio, including a roll-down used when the renowned "101 Ranch Boys" aired live there...as did Ruth Marshall of Yoe with her hilarious "Children's Hour" on Saturday nights. Will Groff was another WNOW-TV on camera announcer. He and station manager Dick Berg left WNOW in 1958 with Lowell Williams to put the new WEZN Radio 1600 on the air in Elizabethtown. I worked with them there, as did Art Greiner, who left his butcher shop to try radio. WNOW-TV signed off on May 31, 1958, shortly after William F. Rust bought the WNOW property. At the end, Ch. 49 was only on the air 3 hours a night, in what they called a "holding operation", showing vintage movies and Baltimore Oriole baseball. Doc Daughterty was superb on television..and I never understood why his later employwer (WSBA AM-FM-TV) only used him on radio..and not Channel 43. He could have made bigtime. I enjoyed WNOW-TV and 1250 radio, whose slogan and dandy jingle proclaimed them to be "Your Good Neighbor Station". If there are ghosts in the old, vacated 3 story WNOW building, they are TALENTED ghosts. The first ten year years of WNOW Radio/TV history are worth remembering.

 

[grandoleopry]

I will agree with you Doc Daugherty was not only a very talented
broadcaster but a very sincere kind person. I had the opportunity
to work with him several times over the years.
In fact after he retired from the business I asked him back to host
a Christmas Music special during the Holiday season when I managed
WOYK. Doc is among numerous radio personalities that were all part
of those golden years of radio. A few others that haven't been
mentioned that come to mind include Duane Beck on WNOW;
Val Gearheart who was in management and sales there at NOW & Q
for probably over 30 Years. And Lou Dark.