Tonight we're gonna party like it's 1967

[Runrigger]

The battle of the suburban stations. Clearly, WNRI was the fave for the groovy young hippies. They played The Who, Bob Dylan, and weren't afraid to play Society's Child.
In this corner....WKFD Wickford
MAY 26, 1967
1. Can't Take My Eyes Off You - Frankie Valli
2. Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane
3. Groovin' - The Young Rascals
4. I Got Rhythm - The Happenings
5. Six O'clock - Lovin' Spoonful
6. Mirage - Tommy James
7. Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon - Neil Diamond
8. Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead - The Fifth Estate
9. She'd Rather Be With Me - The Turtles
10. Making Memories - Frankie Lane
11. A Little Bit Of Soul - The Music Explosion
12. Up And Away - The 5th Dimension
13. The Happening - The Supremes
14. Release Me - Englebert Humperdinck
15. No Good To Cry - The Wildweeds
16. The Tracks Of My Tears - Johnny Rivers
17. Come On Down To My Boat - Every Mother's Son
18. Sit Down I Think I Love You - The Mo Jo Men
19. I Could Be So Good - Don & The Good Times
20. 7 Rooms Of Gloom - The Four Tops
21. San Francisco - Scott McKenzie
22. Shake A Tail Feather - James & Bobby Purify
23. Him Or Me - Paul Revere
24. Mary In The Morning - Al Martino
25. Sunday Will Never Be The Same - Spanky & The Gang
26. Someone Else's Arms - Rick Coyne
And in this corner, WNRI Woonsocket
May 29, 1967
1 FRANKI VALLI - CAN'T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU
2 TURTLES - SHE'D RATHER BE WITH ME
3 LOVIN' SPOONFUL - SIX O'CLOCK
4 YOUNG RASCALS - GROOVIN'
5 PAUL REVERE & RAIDERS - HIM OR ME - WHAT'S IT GONNA BE
6 JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - SOMEBODY TO LOVE
7 THE WHO - HAPPY JACK
8 FIFTH ESTATE - DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD
9 EVERY MOTHER'S SON - COME ON DOWN TO MY BOAT
10 DON & GOODTIMES - I COULD BE SO GOOD TO YOU
11 TOMMY JAMES & SHONDELLS - MIRAGE
12 MAMAS & PAPAS - CREEQUE ALLEY
13 JANIS IAN - SOCIETY'S CHILD
14 ENGLEBERT HUMPERDINCK - RELEASE ME
15 GARY LEWIS & PLAYBOYS - GIRLS IN LOVE
16 BRITISH WALKERS - SHAKE
17 MERRY-GO-ROUND - LIVE
18 PARADE - SUNSHINE GIRL
19 SCOTT MCKENZIE - SAN FRANCISCO
20 SPANKY & OUR GANG - SUNDAY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME
21 RIGHTEOUS BROS. - MELANCHOLY MUSIC MAN
22 WILDWEEDS - NO GOOD TO CRY
23 SUPREMES - THE HAPPENING
24 BOB DYLAN - LEOPARD-SKIN PILL BOX HAT
25 FIVE AMERICANS - SOUND OF LOVE
26 JAMES & BOBBY PURIFY - SHAKE A TAIL FEATHER
27 BRIAN HYLAND - HOLIDAY FOR CLOWNS
28 MUSIC EXPLOSION - LITTLE BIT O' SOUL
29 TREMELOES - HERE COMES MY BABY
30 LESLEY GORE - SUMMER AND SANDY
31 TROGGS - ANY WAY YOU WANT ME
32 MOJO MEN - ME ABOUT YOU
33 AL MARTINO - MARY IN THE MORNING
34 JOHNNY RIVERS - THE TRACKS OF MY TEARS
35 ASCOTS - PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND ME
36 HOLLIES - PAY YOU BACK WITH INTEREST
37 EDDY ARNOLD - MISTY BLUE
38 TIFFANIES - HE'S GOOD FOR ME
39 5TH DIMENSION - UP UP AND AWAY
40 GRASS ROOTS - LET'S LIVE FOR TODAY

 

[DG02816]

I guess WKFD tried doing Top 40-ish stuff back then. I was Chief Engineer and on-air there during its WMYD days; the call stood for We Make Your Day. Fun place to work at with great staff. I admit missing that place big time, back when radio was fun....

 

[fullabaloney]

And even though 1967 radio is before my time, frankly these suburban stations in the 70s and 80s that played music sounded better than some of what's going over the air in Providence now.

 

[N1WVQ]

GO WKFD! Too bad it died.

 

[DG02816]

It probably would still be around if the tower hadn't fallen into Wickford Cove due to a guy wire snapping.
I'd tried to get the owner to look at it, but was brushed off. We tried going back on the air with a 110' wire(the tower height)suspended from a weather balloon. A gust of wind grabbed it and snarled it around
a Narragansett Electric 200 kV feeder, ruining the power amplifier modules in the Harris MW-1A transmitter, and blacking out most of North Kingstown. Someone else tried to bring the station back later on from
Quonset Point, but ended up bankrupt and having a stroke by being bullheaded and literally doing everything himself. And of course, WKFD and WNRI were on adjacent frequencies of 1370 and 1380 kHz.

 

[VelvetR]

That WKFD tower was salvaged from the original 550, then WPAW, before Nick Hysko got the power upped to 1kW days/500 W directional nights. It had been damaged when a boat was blown into it (at the old site) during a storm of some sort. If you think back to the tower as it stood at the cove in Wickford you may recall one leg had a bit of a kink in it. Not severe - not unsafe, just unsightly.