Johnny_45 said:
The "big WPTR story" is that the 50,000 watter was regularly beaten to a ratings pulp by 5,000 watt WTRY.
Only in some dayparts and demos. In '65 when TRY was beating PTR in cume 6a-mid, Allen B. Shaw on PTR was handily beating Lee Gray on TRY according to the Pulse ratings at that time. PTR also had more respectable quarter-hour numbers than TRY did.
* WTRY had a nice clean signal: PTR always added reverb (at one point touting it as 'color radio')
As most Top40's did reverb at the time, it was hardly a setback. TRY sounded flat and lifeless in comparison, to the point where they later added it. PTR was supreme in the market when it came to processing... and let's not even mention the imaging. TRY was all over the road, where PTR was solid in that respect.
* WTRY kept an accurate Top 30 ......Kama-Sutra Records personally appealed to WTRY's PD after 980 ignored "Do You Believe In Magic" --- the Lovin' Spoonful's follow-up single "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" WAS played by WTRY and became a sales smash!
Songs that became #1 in the market thaks to WTRY include
-The Myddle Class' "Don't Let Me Sleep Too Long"
-Tim Rose "Hey Joe" which became the model for the Jimi Hendrix version
-David McCallum "Communication" (popular with girls only!)
-Two of Clubs "Walk Tall"'
THERE WERE MANY MORE 'TRY Top Ten hits including "Charity" by Mike Olesko/Billy Cioffi's Shandels alias "THE GREYTHINGS" - Parker Kennedy the 3rds "When I Was A Children" (The Bougalieu)
etc etc etc
And looking back, all stiffs. Both TRY and PTR were noted for playing wayyy too many stiffs, PTR in particular during the late 60's when Boomer was picking the music. Must have been an Albany thing, as WABC and KHJ never wandered off the hits trail anywhere near as often. PTR also broke out some records of their own. Kuban's The Cheater comes to mind. #1 in the Albany market, and only this market. And as for the Lovin' Spoonful: TRY must have been the only station *not* playing that record. Heck, even WGY spun it on occasion!
*WTRY had the nightly "Voice Your Choice" where listeners picked new music a la American Idol
Again, another reason for TRY to spin the stiffs and keep the label reps off their back. PTR had the nightly 10 top requests throughout most, if not all, of the 1960's. If you listen to the airchecks of the time, you'll hear mostly hits.
*WTRY's SCHOOL SPIRIT contests where area schools submitted signed petitions (winner got a deejay emceeing a dance at their school) served as a model for other radio stations across the country
Oh c'mon, PTR was doing that long before WTRY, without the need for petitions. PTR jocks were noted for doing live shows for proms and dances all around Eastern NY and Western Mass as early as the late '50s, back when TRY was still catering to adults and clearing network fare.
Time Traveler said:
I recall that around 1969, WPTR's programming became very flakey. Top 40 and Oldies during the morning show, MOR mid-days, back to Top 40 during the afternoon and evening hours, and than Progressive Rock during the late evening hours.
PTR was dayparting all through the 60's. MOR in the morning, lighter Top 40 during the day, and more Rock'n Roll during the evening. PD Dick Lawrence was very interested in not only grabbing the youth audience in the eves, but also the housewives in the morning and afternoon by tailoring the music rotation accordingly, which is why 1540 rated very well with adults during the middays. WGY was the kingpin on the dial, having morning drive pretty much locked, so the rest of the stations were fighting over scraps in that timeslot. Still, PTR and TRY were both averaging 16-19 shares during the days.
When WFLY, "The Big 92" jumped into the Top 40 war in 1970-1971, WPTR seemed to finally get their programming together again.
Which was right about the time JW Wagner tightened his grip on the playlist at PTR and reined in Brannigan. Boomer was gone by '74 and PTR was following the trend of many AM Top40's by heading toward an AC format, of which PTR was a full blown AC station by '77. It was Wagner's desire to chase the adult demos that was the ultimate nail in the Top40 coffin for WPTR, not any lack of ratings against WTRY as is popularly believed. Well, that and the purchase of WFLY and it's ultimate format change to pop music.
Both stations were good in their own right, and local listeners benefited from it. However, saying WPTR was inferior to WTRY is just silly. There's a lotta love for the Mighty Whippter from all over the Northeast US and Eastern Canada. TRY simply didn't have that reach or impact outside the tri-cities. And at least I could hear some hits on 1540 at 3am (or even WGY for that matter), instead of Larry King on TRY. Yikes!
