techie2 said:
Interesting that you mention Notre Dame’s WNDU... It was my first job in radio. I worked there for nearly nine years. How many here can attest to a first-hire that developed into a well-blessed nine-year tenure? NOT MANY, I suspect! I feel comfortable in saying: “That could only have happened at WNDU!” That Radio-TV operation was an “upfront” commercial tax-paying entity that happened to be connected to the Golden Dome. Management there was stellar in every respect. Guys like Bob Nowicki (radio GM/SM), Steve Delaney (radio PD), Dave O’Shea (TV SM), and Baz O’Hagan (the top brass) were the very finest—and not just professionally... They were great human beings and really cared about their staff. In the Father Hesburgh era, managers there enjoyed relative “autonomy” from the university (and they wanted to keep it that way). WNDU was a citadel of professional class, ethics, and community service... There is insufficient space here for me to truly express my admiration for that EXCEPTIONAL operation!
Allow me to clear up the SNL accusation. WNDU DID air SNL while I was employed there—in the early years they DB’d it in favor of a long-established LOCAL variety/comedy show called “Studio 16”. It featured YOUTH from the community who collaborated with Channel 16 personnal to “do their thing”—imagine that in this modern broadcast world. The show preceded SNL by many years. WNDU saw this program as part of their “mission”, and delayed SNL to a latter time so as to not “bury” a long-standing local tradition. Later it moved to a weekend afternoon slot and SNL aired directly from the net.
Now I can tell you about several instances of humorous “censorship” at WNDU RADIO. In Fall ’79, they flipped their automated Drake AC FM to a very aggressive live CHR consulted by Ron White. It quickly buried the standing CHR in town and went on to achieve legendary ratings and revenue in the South Bend market. Imagine the SJs owning a radio station that rotated the likes of “Tainted Love” and “One Night in Bangkok” every 70-minutes—but it would not be Murray Head that would invite the wrath of the Dome. I remember one spring morning in 1980 when the wrong university employee turned on 92.9 to hear Billy Joel’s “Only the Good Die Young”... What a ruckus that created! Nobody lost their job, but that tune immediately lost its position on the U93 playlist.
A few years later, Chi-Chi’s came into the market wanting to advertise their Happy Hour Margarita specials. WNDU’s FULL TIME STANDARDS DIRECTOR would have no part of it. The agency actually did a special recut referring to that popular drink as an “adult beverage” so the spot could air on WNDU-FM.
Then there was the Bob and Tom fiasco... The weakest horse in WNDU’s stable was their 1kw “graveyard” AM station on 1490. Rarely did that signal ever break a 3-share. In the 90s, they launched an all-70s format and promptly got in line for the syndicated Bob and Tom offering. The station climbed to a nearly 8-share, but the ink was barely dry on the ARBs before the party would come to an end. Initially B&T survived the “uppers” under the Dome, but later became opportunistic fodder for ND’s notorious vocal alums (who probably listened to them religiously in their own hometowns). Under pressure from that circle, WNDU VOLUNTARILY spun the show off to a competitor and the AM station quickly tanked—never to recover.
By now you understand that of all WNDU’s assets—their reputation was foremost—and they guarded it fiercely. In a business as ethically-challenged as radio, I find that admirable. Today, large corporations like Bonneville and Emmis are but a scant few that aspire to a similar mode. I don’t know that either would leave TOO many dollars on the table in their altruistic pursuits (as WNDU did), but if I were depending on a paycheck to support my family—I’d feel a bit more relaxed knowing that it was coming from that style of company!
