As long as I have been around there has always been WSOC... I remember my parents listening to SOC and as I grew up I also enjoyed listening to WSOC... Some of the Jocks I remember were Bill Dollar, Big Paul before he went to the triangle, our very own Mike who post on the board here and a host of others... You could always count on SOC to be there live and local day and night... The one big mistake I remember WSOC making was letting NASCAR get away from them which led me to another great country station WFMX... Once SOC got its hands back on NASCAR they were a NASCAR power house... As country changed so did WSOC keeping up with the times yet still Serving-S Our-O Community-C... For the longest of times SOC was the country king and was unstoppable... There were other attempts from other station, but Clear Channel has given SOC a good run for the money with KAT COUNTRY... There are other comments I will chime in with, but want you guys and gals to share your thoughts on WSOC... Have a great week... CC1
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STATION PICKS WSOC CHARLOTTE
- Thread starter CrazeeCarroll1
- Start date
Lest we not forget some other WSOC alumni: Mike Terry (now at WSM); Bill Ellis (now at WSSL, Greenville); Bob Brandon; Kitty Ledbetter; Edd Robinson and some guy who's barely remembered, Paul Schadt ;D
I remember WSOC was the first station I heard automated reels with generic voices and knew it, this was in the mid-seventies. I remember thinking "Why does this solemn, calm guy keep saying "THAT WAS... AND BEFORE THAT..." and never says the name of the station?"
I don't know how long they used the automated reels with v/o, but I do remember being able to detect what it was early on, and I was still in Jr. High!
They did have some very ear-catching jingles at the time.
Kahuna
I don't know how long they used the automated reels with v/o, but I do remember being able to detect what it was early on, and I was still in Jr. High!
They did have some very ear-catching jingles at the time.
Kahuna
There has been a lot of great talent that has gone through the doors of SOC... If I feel home sick Terry is on Sirius Prime Country where I can re live the glory days of WSOC... As for the automation I could tell they were using it as well, but at the time I did not understand what automation was... Heck back in those days of the mid seventies I was only five or six... I just knew when a reel was put on with the heads the wrong way and always sounded like the music was under water... Hell I was guilty of that a few times at PUB before we ditched Revox/SMC Carousels... CC1
WSOC-FM was automated from its beginnings as a country station, except the morning show, originally done live by John Harper.
It's first automation was done in-house with Harper doing the music programming and voice tracks. In the late 70's, they switched to the T-M Country reels and generic voice, and shortly afterward, John Harper left for WAME.
The T-M country format ran 24/7 (even AM Drive) for a few months until Bob Call was hired as morning guy/operations manager. He stayed a few years, untill Jefferson-Pilot hired him to head up their Denver operation (I believe he's still there).
What followed next was the "glory days" so-to-speak, with Don Bell as PD, Bill Dollar in mornings and Bill Ellis in middays. The rest of the story we pretty well know.
Later....
Matt Smith
WGSR-TV
It's first automation was done in-house with Harper doing the music programming and voice tracks. In the late 70's, they switched to the T-M Country reels and generic voice, and shortly afterward, John Harper left for WAME.
The T-M country format ran 24/7 (even AM Drive) for a few months until Bob Call was hired as morning guy/operations manager. He stayed a few years, untill Jefferson-Pilot hired him to head up their Denver operation (I believe he's still there).
What followed next was the "glory days" so-to-speak, with Don Bell as PD, Bill Dollar in mornings and Bill Ellis in middays. The rest of the story we pretty well know.
Later....
Matt Smith
WGSR-TV
I, too, remember WSOC's automated days with the T-M announcer. He almost always back announced the last two songs, which were currents. I was 8, 9 or 10 years old at the time. I could also pick up 103.3 WAKG, Danville, VA. They were apparently automated, too, using the same package...so I thought it was odd hearing the same announcer on two different stations quite a distance apart.
Eric
Eric
I was will always have great memories of WSOC but for a different reason. I was hired by PD Don Bell to do afternoon drive on what I call "The Invisible AM" WSOC 930. My last day on WNGS in West Palm Beach was Friday and my first day on WSOC-AM was the following Monday! My brother in law drove the UHaul with all our woldly goods and we followed with our newborn daughter, she was a little more than a month old. When we got to Charlotte working in that big building on North Tryon with AM-FM-TV it was the big time!
That was the old days of Cox, sometime around 1984 I think a new breed of people came into Cox Broadcasting and things begain to change. For one thing they gave up trying to do anything with the AM and I was out early in 1985. I was offered part-time but I wanted to move on. I was lucky enough to wind up at WBT overnight for awhile them weekends and vacation fill. Those were good times too.
The WSOC of today really doesn't have much connection with it's past. All the people who were there, even the behind the scenes folks (except for one engineer who returned to the station) are mostly gone. Cox sold the station a long time ago to EZ Communications who owned Mix 104.7 (now K-104.7). These days WSOC-FM is one of the CBS stations and resides at 1520 South Blvd. which they share with WPEG, WBAV, WFNA and WFNZ.
Oh and WSOC-AM used tape reels from TM when I first got there. It was a real pain to change the tape reels becuase the automation was down the hall and not near the studio!
Ah the good old days!
That was the old days of Cox, sometime around 1984 I think a new breed of people came into Cox Broadcasting and things begain to change. For one thing they gave up trying to do anything with the AM and I was out early in 1985. I was offered part-time but I wanted to move on. I was lucky enough to wind up at WBT overnight for awhile them weekends and vacation fill. Those were good times too.
The WSOC of today really doesn't have much connection with it's past. All the people who were there, even the behind the scenes folks (except for one engineer who returned to the station) are mostly gone. Cox sold the station a long time ago to EZ Communications who owned Mix 104.7 (now K-104.7). These days WSOC-FM is one of the CBS stations and resides at 1520 South Blvd. which they share with WPEG, WBAV, WFNA and WFNZ.
Oh and WSOC-AM used tape reels from TM when I first got there. It was a real pain to change the tape reels becuase the automation was down the hall and not near the studio!
Ah the good old days!
You guys are pulling up a lot of great memories for me. Such as...
WSOC - AM carrying a major league baseball game everyday!
Huff, the chief engineer, putting our minds at ease in stressfull situations by assuring us to "just hang on and we'll pull your ass through".
The early days of "All Day Race Coverage" from the speedway with Chris Economackie, Eli Gold, Winston Kelly, Ralph Shaheen and a long list of others.
Paul Schadts hair!!!!! (I couldn't resist) and his three point jump shot.
Mike
Killing time in the channel 9 news room when we didn't feel like working.
WSOC - AM carrying a major league baseball game everyday!
Huff, the chief engineer, putting our minds at ease in stressfull situations by assuring us to "just hang on and we'll pull your ass through".
The early days of "All Day Race Coverage" from the speedway with Chris Economackie, Eli Gold, Winston Kelly, Ralph Shaheen and a long list of others.
Paul Schadts hair!!!!! (I couldn't resist) and his three point jump shot.
Mike
Killing time in the channel 9 news room when we didn't feel like working.
When AM simulcasted FM in the 80s, didn't the AM offer music for non-racing fans when the FM was carrying a race? They even promo'd it as such, I believe.
Mike,
I see Huff at some of the WSOC Alumni dinners. In his retirement he looks happier than I have ever seen him!
Another thing Huff would say if you passed him in the hall and asked "how ya doin' Huff". He'd say: "Not worth a damn!" After awhile I learned to stop asking!
Scott Hollingworth still works for WSOC-FM and all the other CBS stations. He has an incredible memory! He remembered the little Chevy Luv truck I drove back when I worked at WSOC-AM.
I see Huff at some of the WSOC Alumni dinners. In his retirement he looks happier than I have ever seen him!
Another thing Huff would say if you passed him in the hall and asked "how ya doin' Huff". He'd say: "Not worth a damn!" After awhile I learned to stop asking!
Scott Hollingworth still works for WSOC-FM and all the other CBS stations. He has an incredible memory! He remembered the little Chevy Luv truck I drove back when I worked at WSOC-AM.
The engineering triumverat was there when I arrived. Huff, Scott and Ralph.
I think there was a time when we promoted music on AM and races on FM. I also remember the short lived experiment of removing the races from the FM and fallout that followed. The was the start of the strong relationship between the station and the speedway.
I think there was a time when we promoted music on AM and races on FM. I also remember the short lived experiment of removing the races from the FM and fallout that followed. The was the start of the strong relationship between the station and the speedway.
Hey Mike glad to see you posting on here!!! What was the reason SOC dropped NASCAR back in the 86-87 time frame??? I never understood why that decision was ever made in the first place... CC1
Wasn't there also controversy at some point of WSOC stealing races away from WFMX for a season or two?
Eric
Eric
Don't know about WSOC, but in the 80s, there were a number of stations that dropped NASCAR because they couldn't get an exclusive. MRN would give the product to anyone who would run it - you might find four or five stations in a market with the races. Stations would stake out a position and MRN would say, too bad!
There were other stations all over the metro that carried MRN. Small town AMs, WFMX, a few class A FMs.
I think the thing that stands out most about WSOC-FM is the total lack of passion that it inspires. That's not always a bad thing. It sat on top the ratings for years by offering the most focused safe radio possible. No morning DJ controversy (that did come later), no risky songs, and a wide ranging appeal. A perfect fit for Charlotte.
You never hear radio people talking about how ground breaking and creative WSOC was. You don't hear how they broke young country artists like WTDR or maintained country oldies on their playlist like WFMX. They did what every AC station now aspires to do, they played it extremely safe. But when somebody big comes to town, what station had them in the studios? WSOC.
I talked briefly with Paul Johnson about job opportunities there when he was the PD. He was kind of surprised that somebody younger than 30 would be interested in working there. He said he rarely got T&R's. I think that sums up how many radio people felt about WSOC. WTDR on the other hand, was a popular place for up and comers.
I think the thing that stands out most about WSOC-FM is the total lack of passion that it inspires. That's not always a bad thing. It sat on top the ratings for years by offering the most focused safe radio possible. No morning DJ controversy (that did come later), no risky songs, and a wide ranging appeal. A perfect fit for Charlotte.
You never hear radio people talking about how ground breaking and creative WSOC was. You don't hear how they broke young country artists like WTDR or maintained country oldies on their playlist like WFMX. They did what every AC station now aspires to do, they played it extremely safe. But when somebody big comes to town, what station had them in the studios? WSOC.
I talked briefly with Paul Johnson about job opportunities there when he was the PD. He was kind of surprised that somebody younger than 30 would be interested in working there. He said he rarely got T&R's. I think that sums up how many radio people felt about WSOC. WTDR on the other hand, was a popular place for up and comers.
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