Ratings from Coastal NC market from (nearly) 20 years ago.

[RobynWattsV2.0]

Since WSFL was brought up I have a question:

Why did WSFL leave the CHR format? Was it a ownership change or did 93DLX's debut in 1986 forced it out?

Thanks,
Robyn

 

[Surfside]

Who knows.... maybe no big AC at the time? I think 103.3 was still Z103- Rock. Caravelle changed it the night they took over the station. If I recall correctly, it was kinda a Hot AC anyway. The owners themselves played the first few hours of music and positioned it more as a softer mainstream AC - calling it "The Right FM"...

 

[w00t]

^ I thought "The Right FM" was 95.9/96.3?

 

[Surfside]

you're thinking of The Hot Fm I think...

 

[w00t]

Before it became Hot it was The Right FM

 

[RadioFan2J3]

The history is that is used to be on 92.1 and was a semi automated country station for years. It was only 3kW at the time & was sister station to AC WJNC.

Yep. Back in the mid 1970s, there were five stations in Jacksonville, WJNC/WRCM, WBBS and WLAS/WXQR.

WLAS/WXQR were owned by Sidney Popkin at the time. I seem to recall that Sidney also had a furniture store (was it BoomTown Furniture?) in the heart of old Jacksonville, and his brother "Itchy" owned Furniture Fair.

WBBS was a daytime AMer, owned by a gentleman who was also an FBI agent in the area. The late Jim Kelso moved from WBBS to LCC to teach radio broadcasting at the college.

WJNC was probably the first station in Jacksonville. I don't how long Bob Mendelson owned the stations, but sometime in the mid-1970s, he sold the pair to Beasley Broadcast. At that time, Beasley was still headquartered in Goldsboro.

I did find a reference to Bob and WJNC at:

http://books.google.com.kw/books?id...6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=bob mendelson WJNC&f=false



WRCM had a homebuilt automation system, built by its engineer, Jim (something). Seems to me it had maybe three or four Carousel cart decks. Its "brain" was a series of peg-board like pin controller boards and a series of mechanical stepper switches to step things. The peg-board units controlled which tray of the Carousel was played. Live in the morning from sign-on and then automated mid day.

When WRCM went stereo (1977?) with the installation of a Ramko 8-pot board and an Orban Optimod, the automation system was no longer used, since it was a mono system.

The WRCM antenna was side mounted on the WJNC tower, and had a Collins Rockwell FM transmitter. WJNC was running the 1960s vintage Gates BC-1T on 1240. The tower was a folded unipole system, where the tower structure was grounded but there was an insulated skirt, three wires around the tower, insulated at the ground and bonded to the tower quarter wave or so up.

Mike Shadeed was the WJNC morning guy and he did "Ask Your Neighbor," the call-in show. Gene somebody was the WJNC/WRCM manager, but he left and Ron Brown became manager. Gene also had his hands in a western wear store.

Back in those days, 1976 or so, WJNC ran a Friday night remote broadcast from Big Ed's Bowery Club. Tim Downs did the remote, using the record system of the club for the music with his commentary on the activities at the club. As I recall, he could not fully describe every little movement on the stage.

 

[B Lewis]

I think 'Right FM' WAS on 95.9/96.3 - also comments on the former WMBL-AM 740

What I remember about stations around Atlantic Beach/Morehead City and the surroundings is from the perspective of a middle-school and teenage summer tourist, so I may be in error on some of this. However, I agree with w00t. I do believe 95.9/96.3 was "The Right FM". Here's the way I remember it. Prior to this, WMBL-AM 740 was an A/C or possibly the then equivalent to Hot A/C. The AM was daytime-only, but I think went to flea-power at night, before going dark. Some time during the early 1980's; they put an FM on 95.9 as WMBJ, billing it "J-96". It had something like a Hot A/C sound. I believe after 95.9 went on, they simulcasted WMBL and WMBJ for sometime. A few years later, I believe there was an ownership change and WMBJ-FM 95.9 (which later moved to 96.3) became WRHT (this, "the RigHT FM") and went to more of a mainstream or soft A/C format. Also, as a sidenote, they switched WMBL AM to Music Of Your Life. I remember this part well for two reasons. I remember hearing WMBL AM playing in lots of the shops around Sanitary Fish Market, along the waterfront. Also, my late father, who was in radio at the time, and I would visit radio stations when we traveled. I remember going to visit WMBL/WRHT when it's studios were in a double wide (I think it was a double wide). When we got into the FM's on-air studio, dad introduced himself to the afternoon drive guy and said something like, "we have been listening and thought we'd come by to check out your studio". The afternoon drive guy responded with exactly these words, "yeah...major, huh?!". (nothing like good ole' morale!!!). So, I am almost sure that "The Right FM' format was on 95.9 (which was moved to 96.3 at some point). When it was on 95.9, it was 3kw, and I think the tower was behind Waccamaw Pottery in Morehead City.

On another couple notes about stations in that area at that time, I understand that WMBL AM was taken off to protect another station in the same company. That was still sad, as for a 1kw AM, it had a great signal. I remember hearing WMBL somewhere far away...east coast of Florida, I think. Also, I remember that Music Of Your Life, at that time was heavy on Big Band Era Music. Though MYOL has changed, I think that one of the smaller AM's in that market would do well to run an older-targeted format. With retirees owning a fair amount of real estate in the area, it would probably make sense, even today, to put something like MYOL or 'True Oldies' on a small AM.

Also, does anyone remember WSFL's AM station? I believe it was on 1580?? I think it was 5kw. As I remember it, for a station on the high end of the AM dial, it had a signal that went on forever. I remember that, before it went dark, it was being run by a New Bern church, with a Contemporary Christian format (this was in the early 90's).

 

[vchimpanzee]

Re: I think 'Right FM' WAS on 95.9/96.3 - also comments on the former WMBL-AM 740

Also, does anyone remember WSFL's AM station? I believe it was on 1580?? I think it was 5kw. As I remember it, for a station on the high end of the AM dial, it had a signal that went on forever. I remember that, before it went dark, it was being run by a New Bern church, with a Contemporary Christian format (this was in the early 90's).

1380. I read that around 1996 they were part of an R&B oldies network with stations in Myrtle Beach and Norfolk. The one in Myrtle Beach just disappeared.

 

[tanner]

WSFL's am started out as WGSE at 1380 daytime only.

 

[dosmond]

The engineer was James (Jim) B Hartline who built the automation system. I was his assistant and helped maintain it and worked as a DJ on WRCM nights and weekends. I worked there when Bob's son Rick did the night shift on WJNC. Most people knew me as "Oz".

 

[RadioFan2J3]

The engineer was James (Jim) B Hartline who built the automation system. I was his assistant and helped maintain it and worked as a DJ on WRCM nights and weekends. I worked there when Bob's son Rick did the night shift on WJNC. Most people knew me as "Oz".

Yep, that's right. I met Hartline only in passing.

I wasn't aware of the Braodcasting yearbooks which I found later, otherwise, I'd have written Hartline's name.

Hartline left WJNC/WRCM in the middle of 1976. Where did he go?

 

[RadioFan2J3]

The engineer was James (Jim) B Hartline who built the automation system. I was his assistant and helped maintain it and worked as a DJ on WRCM nights and weekends. I worked there when Bob's son Rick did the night shift on WJNC. Most people knew me as "Oz".

There is another discussion on Jacksonville air names under WHERE ARE THEY NOW.

 

[unitron]

The history is that is used to be on 92.1 and was a semi automated country station for years. It was only 3kW at the time & was sister station to AC WJNC.

Yep. Back in the mid 1970s, there were five stations in Jacksonville, WJNC/WRCM, WBBS and WLAS/WXQR.

WLAS/WXQR were owned by Sidney Popkin at the time. I seem to recall that Sidney also had a furniture store (was it BoomTown Furniture?) in the heart of old Jacksonville, and his brother "Itchy" owned Furniture Fair.

WBBS was a daytime AMer, owned by a gentleman who was also an FBI agent in the area. The late Jim Kelso moved from WBBS to LCC to teach radio broadcasting at the college.

WJNC was probably the first station in Jacksonville. I don't how long Bob Mendelson owned the stations, but sometime in the mid-1970s, he sold the pair to Beasley Broadcast. At that time, Beasley was still headquartered in Goldsboro.

I did find a reference to Bob and WJNC at:

http://books.google.com.kw/books?id...6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=bob mendelson WJNC&f=false



WRCM had a homebuilt automation system, built by its engineer, Jim (something). Seems to me it had maybe three or four Carousel cart decks. Its "brain" was a series of peg-board like pin controller boards and a series of mechanical stepper switches to step things. The peg-board units controlled which tray of the Carousel was played. Live in the morning from sign-on and then automated mid day.

When WRCM went stereo (1977?) with the installation of a Ramko 8-pot board and an Orban Optimod, the automation system was no longer used, since it was a mono system.

The WRCM antenna was side mounted on the WJNC tower, and had a Collins Rockwell FM transmitter. WJNC was running the 1960s vintage Gates BC-1T on 1240. The tower was a folded unipole system, where the tower structure was grounded but there was an insulated skirt, three wires around the tower, insulated at the ground and bonded to the tower quarter wave or so up.

Mike Shadeed was the WJNC morning guy and he did "Ask Your Neighbor," the call-in show. Gene somebody was the WJNC/WRCM manager, but he left and Ron Brown became manager. Gene also had his hands in a western wear store.

Back in those days, 1976 or so, WJNC ran a Friday night remote broadcast from Big Ed's Bowery Club. Tim Downs did the remote, using the record system of the club for the music with his commentary on the activities at the club. As I recall, he could not fully describe every little movement on the stage.

Jerry Popkin owned Boomtown.

David Manko owned Sun Broadcasting which bought BBS from the Brown Brothers (one of whom was father of Ron Brown who was GM of JNC/RCM in '77, and the other of whom was the father of Raeford Brown of Channel 3, WWAY, in Wilmington).

Mendelson started JNC in 1946.

RCM's automation was named Maynard.

They went stereo in late '77, early '78.

 

[RadioFan2J3]

Jerry Popkin owned Boomtown.

David Manko owned Sun Broadcasting which bought BBS from the Brown Brothers (one of whom was father of Ron Brown who was GM of JNC/RCM in '77, and the other of whom was the father of Raeford Brown of Channel 3, WWAY, in Wilmington).

Mendelson started JNC in 1946.

RCM's automation was named Maynard.

They went stereo in late '77, early '78.

OK, so Jerry owned Boomtown and Sidney owned Furniture Fair? I always thought it was the opposite.

Boomtown was on New Bridge and Furniture Fair was on Bell Fork, not very far from the WLAS/WXQR building.

Maybe I got 'em mixed up. It has only been 35 years sinced I left Jacksonville.

Interesting on the name for the old automation system. I never heard it called that, or at least I don't remember using that name.

I met Manko a few times. The first time I ever talked with him was in regards to his day job with the FBI. Ron came into the station and said that someone had reported me to the FBI for being in either the commissary or base exchange on Camp LeJeune and I wasn't supposed to be in them. I called Manko and we set up a quick meeting and I showed him a valid Reserve ID card. He said that was enough and no need to worry about it any further. I always wondered who "turned me in" and based on the timing of Ron taking over as manager, I have a good idea.

I think we abandoned the automation system about the time BJ the DJ was hired and we had enough people to do 18 hours of live operation.

 

[unitron]

Jerry Popkin owned Boomtown.

David Manko owned Sun Broadcasting which bought BBS from the Brown Brothers (one of whom was father of Ron Brown who was GM of JNC/RCM in '77, and the other of whom was the father of Raeford Brown of Channel 3, WWAY, in Wilmington).

Mendelson started JNC in 1946.

RCM's automation was named Maynard.

They went stereo in late '77, early '78.

OK, so Jerry owned Boomtown and Sidney owned Furniture Fair? I always thought it was the opposite.

Boomtown was on New Bridge and Furniture Fair was on Bell Fork, not very far from the WLAS/WXQR building.

Maybe I got 'em mixed up. It has only been 35 years sinced I left Jacksonville.

Interesting on the name for the old automation system. I never heard it called that, or at least I don't remember using that name.

I met Manko a few times. The first time I ever talked with him was in regards to his day job with the FBI. Ron came into the station and said that someone had reported me to the FBI for being in either the commissary or base exchange on Camp LeJeune and I wasn't supposed to be in them. I called Manko and we set up a quick meeting and I showed him a valid Reserve ID card. He said that was enough and no need to worry about it any further. I always wondered who "turned me in" and based on the timing of Ron taking over as manager, I have a good idea.

I think we abandoned the automation system about the time BJ the DJ was hired and we had enough people to do 18 hours of live operation.

Itchy always had Furniture Fair, Jerry had Boomtown, and Sidney had the stations, although I've heard it said that Sidney was the "Big Boss", implying that all of the Popkin holdings were interconnected somehow.

The Boomtown name came from I think it was their father or uncle's Boomtown Grocery down around Verona or Holly Ridge back in the WWII Camp Davis days.

Shadeed's father had a store down in that area as well back then, he showed me the site where it had been one Sunday morning back in the '80s as we were riding around.


Ron was already GM when I started at JNC, but from what I've heard I don't think Gene left behind too many friends and admirers at the place when he underwent an abrupt career change.

 

[RadioFan2J3]

Jerry Popkin owned Boomtown.

David Manko owned Sun Broadcasting which bought BBS from the Brown Brothers (one of whom was father of Ron Brown who was GM of JNC/RCM in '77, and the other of whom was the father of Raeford Brown of Channel 3, WWAY, in Wilmington).

Mendelson started JNC in 1946.

RCM's automation was named Maynard.

They went stereo in late '77, early '78.

OK, so Jerry owned Boomtown and Sidney owned Furniture Fair? I always thought it was the opposite.

Boomtown was on New Bridge and Furniture Fair was on Bell Fork, not very far from the WLAS/WXQR building.

Maybe I got 'em mixed up. It has only been 35 years sinced I left Jacksonville.

Interesting on the name for the old automation system. I never heard it called that, or at least I don't remember using that name.

I met Manko a few times. The first time I ever talked with him was in regards to his day job with the FBI. Ron came into the station and said that someone had reported me to the FBI for being in either the commissary or base exchange on Camp LeJeune and I wasn't supposed to be in them. I called Manko and we set up a quick meeting and I showed him a valid Reserve ID card. He said that was enough and no need to worry about it any further. I always wondered who "turned me in" and based on the timing of Ron taking over as manager, I have a good idea.

I think we abandoned the automation system about the time BJ the DJ was hired and we had enough people to do 18 hours of live operation.

Itchy always had Furniture Fair, Jerry had Boomtown, and Sidney had the stations, although I've heard it said that Sidney was the "Big Boss", implying that all of the Popkin holdings were interconnected somehow.

The Boomtown name came from I think it was their father or uncle's Boomtown Grocery down around Verona or Holly Ridge back in the WWII Camp Davis days.

Shadeed's father had a store down in that area as well back then, he showed me the site where it had been one Sunday morning back in the '80s as we were riding around.


Ron was already GM when I started at JNC, but from what I've heard I don't think Gene left behind too many friends and admirers at the place when he underwent an abrupt career change.

OK, I'd fogotten about the third Popkin brother.

Here is an interesting piece on the origination of the FM days:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...VztjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NXQNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4573,130050

I am not sure if that will link properly or needs to be pasted into a browser.

Found an obit on Sidney - he has been dead only about 5 years.

http://www.jdnews.com/news/popkin-52109-jacksonville-sidney.html

Re Itchy:

http://www.jdnews.com/articles/community-102522-recognizes-kindness.html

Thanks for reminding me of some of this and a good look at some search results.

 

[unitron]

Jerry Popkin owned Boomtown.

David Manko owned Sun Broadcasting which bought BBS from the Brown Brothers (one of whom was father of Ron Brown who was GM of JNC/RCM in '77, and the other of whom was the father of Raeford Brown of Channel 3, WWAY, in Wilmington).

Mendelson started JNC in 1946.

RCM's automation was named Maynard.

They went stereo in late '77, early '78.

OK, so Jerry owned Boomtown and Sidney owned Furniture Fair? I always thought it was the opposite.

Boomtown was on New Bridge and Furniture Fair was on Bell Fork, not very far from the WLAS/WXQR building.

Maybe I got 'em mixed up. It has only been 35 years sinced I left Jacksonville.

Interesting on the name for the old automation system. I never heard it called that, or at least I don't remember using that name.

I met Manko a few times. The first time I ever talked with him was in regards to his day job with the FBI. Ron came into the station and said that someone had reported me to the FBI for being in either the commissary or base exchange on Camp LeJeune and I wasn't supposed to be in them. I called Manko and we set up a quick meeting and I showed him a valid Reserve ID card. He said that was enough and no need to worry about it any further. I always wondered who "turned me in" and based on the timing of Ron taking over as manager, I have a good idea.

I think we abandoned the automation system about the time BJ the DJ was hired and we had enough people to do 18 hours of live operation.

Itchy always had Furniture Fair, Jerry had Boomtown, and Sidney had the stations, although I've heard it said that Sidney was the "Big Boss", implying that all of the Popkin holdings were interconnected somehow.

The Boomtown name came from I think it was their father or uncle's Boomtown Grocery down around Verona or Holly Ridge back in the WWII Camp Davis days.

Shadeed's father had a store down in that area as well back then, he showed me the site where it had been one Sunday morning back in the '80s as we were riding around.


Ron was already GM when I started at JNC, but from what I've heard I don't think Gene left behind too many friends and admirers at the place when he underwent an abrupt career change.

OK, I'd fogotten about the third Popkin brother.

Here is an interesting piece on the origination of the FM days:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...VztjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NXQNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4573,130050

I am not sure if that will link properly or needs to be pasted into a browser.

Found an obit on Sidney - he has been dead only about 5 years.

http://www.jdnews.com/news/popkin-52109-jacksonville-sidney.html

Re Itchy:

http://www.jdnews.com/articles/community-102522-recognizes-kindness.html

Thanks for reminding me of some of this and a good look at some search results.

Maybe I was wrong about Jerry owning Boomtown, maybe he just ran it, or maybe he owned it first and Sidney took over after he passed away.

Just found this

http://www.msje.org/history/archive/nc/jacksonville.html

which shows me I've misheard or misremembered some things over the years.

I haven't been able to find an obit for Jerry yet, and can't remember just when it was he passed away.

Curious that the article mentions Mendelson already owning JNC but makes no mention of the Popkins' involvement in WLAS.

 

[w00t]

^ that link says

"Jerry and his brothers also put WLAS on the air in Onslow County in 1954, launching themselves into the broadcasting business."

 

[unitron]

^ that link says

"Jerry and his brothers also put WLAS on the air in Onslow County in 1954, launching themselves into the broadcasting business."

I wasn't talking about the Jewish Encyclopedia or whatever it was article that I found, but the Wilmington Star-News article that RadioFan2J3 dug up about the applications for what would eventually become WRCM and WXQR, which mentioned that Mendelson was already in broadcasting, but failed to mention that the Popkins were, which is even more curious since Paul Parker worked the Wilmington market before coming up to WLAS.

(Kelso had a cassette of an old 78 transcription of Parker from his Wilmington days that I got to hear a little bit of one day at JNC/RCM back in the '80s, and even back in the early '50s, the then young Parker was just so smooth and relaxed sounding you'd think he'd already been in the business a lifetime or two)

 

[RadioFan2J3]

I was aware of the Popkin family involvement with the synagogue in Jacksonville. Fascinating side of the Popkin family.

Yea, I had seen that article in my search the other day, but it wasn't really radio related, so I did not post it.

Thanks.

Wow, a lot of history uncovered in just a few weeks of discussions.