Does anyone have any reliable numbers on how bad WBBQ beat WRDW in the top 40 battle of the sixties? Did any WRDW jocks ever end up on WBBQ or vice-versa? I have a couple of WRDW and WBBQ music surveys from the 60's and was just wondering. thanks.
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WBBQ AND WRDW Top 40 Battle
- Thread starter Al Timiter
- Start date
I don't know the numbers, but it evidently ended up a lopsided win in BBQ's favor. Since I lived 30 miles away from Augusta, I listened to WRDW. BBQ was only a thousand watter and reception where I lived was non-existant. RDW had 5000w daytime power and came in clear. I didn't listen to BBQ regularly until they went on FM.
Don't know anything about the BBQ-RDW battles of the sixties, but I was part of the WBBQ-WAUG battle in the mid-70's.
We at WAUG came up to #2 overall, and a real close #2 in some important demos. But BBQ was just too entrenched in the market.
I've heard from Eddie Byrd who worked at WAUG back then. I know that Steve York passed away last year. Anyone know what happened to
Jimmy Jay, Johnny Rivers (I think his real name was Jim Stewart, and he went from WAUG to WQAM in Miami), Jack Dillon. Also there was a guy who worked nights Chris ??? (not his real name) and a midday guy named Brian who did Belks TV spots and came to WAUG from WBIE.
How about the sales guys Pete Lowe and Garnett Nash.
From the BBQ staff then, I know Harley Drew is still doing radio in Augusta - Harley Drew IS Augusta radio....always has been and could easily be mayor of Augusta (he's also too smart for that). Buddy Carr and Dick Shannon are both dead. Anyone know whatever happened to Mike ???? (he did middays, was the music director who got all the gold records and left BBQ for a job with Warner Brothers records)...what about John Jenkins, Paul Adams, Rob Collins, Charlie Foxx?
James Brown owned WRDW in those days and did long editorials, which were a hoot. He had that mansion on Walton Road and cars backed up for miles to see the decorations at Christmas. And then there was the daytime country station (can't remember the call letters) that was in a trailer right next to the dog pound. The trailer wasn't air conditioned so they had to keep the windows open in the summer. Every time they would open the mike, about all you could hear was the dogs barking next door.
Oh, the glory days of radio.
We at WAUG came up to #2 overall, and a real close #2 in some important demos. But BBQ was just too entrenched in the market.
I've heard from Eddie Byrd who worked at WAUG back then. I know that Steve York passed away last year. Anyone know what happened to
Jimmy Jay, Johnny Rivers (I think his real name was Jim Stewart, and he went from WAUG to WQAM in Miami), Jack Dillon. Also there was a guy who worked nights Chris ??? (not his real name) and a midday guy named Brian who did Belks TV spots and came to WAUG from WBIE.
How about the sales guys Pete Lowe and Garnett Nash.
From the BBQ staff then, I know Harley Drew is still doing radio in Augusta - Harley Drew IS Augusta radio....always has been and could easily be mayor of Augusta (he's also too smart for that). Buddy Carr and Dick Shannon are both dead. Anyone know whatever happened to Mike ???? (he did middays, was the music director who got all the gold records and left BBQ for a job with Warner Brothers records)...what about John Jenkins, Paul Adams, Rob Collins, Charlie Foxx?
James Brown owned WRDW in those days and did long editorials, which were a hoot. He had that mansion on Walton Road and cars backed up for miles to see the decorations at Christmas. And then there was the daytime country station (can't remember the call letters) that was in a trailer right next to the dog pound. The trailer wasn't air conditioned so they had to keep the windows open in the summer. Every time they would open the mike, about all you could hear was the dogs barking next door.
Oh, the glory days of radio.
R
radiojjh
Guest
Wow...some memories flashing back thru my head....Ben---guess you and I never had our paths cross. I did some quick stints at WBIA and WAUG in 1975....Brian Scott was the guy that did the Belk's spots and it was 1230/WBIA he was at before he went cross-town to WAUG--where he was named PD.
And I also went crosstown from after doing afternoons at WBIA(working with Charlie Andrews he was one great guy, anyone know what happened to Charlie??) I went to WAUG, after an offer from Brian. I was there for just a few months....did afternoons and then mornings for a short time after Jimmy Jaye left. I left WAUG for WRFC in Athens. When I was at WAUG Brian Scott did mid-days, Jack Dillon and Rick Spires were there. I remember the air conditioning crapping out that summer, for a couple of days, and had to do air shifts in unbelievable heat. I remember Jack Dillon worked in Savannah at WSGA when I was at WTOC in 1976-77. Jack was a good guy. In 1975, WAUG came within a point of WBBQ, and it was at that point WBBQ tightened up the music and didn't play Tony Bennett and Johnny Mathis records much anymore and became a much more focused radio station and for many many years never looked back as far as anyone coming close to them in the ratings. WBBQ was one legendary radio station.....
The daytimer country station you mentioned was 1600/WFNL, a 500 watt daytimer, and is now WKZK a black gospel station. I did a little work there in 1979, after I had helped put WRNZ Z-96 on the air in Wrens...I was at WKZK when Gary Morse and Bryan Sargent(from Tennessee) were there, and Hans Peterson did a quick stint. And yes there were right by the jail and the dog pound. The offices and studios were in a couple of single wide trailers. But when I was there we did have air conditioning. Classy place, eh???
I did have fun in Augusta the time I was there...it's certantly grown up. Last time I drove thru was in 1998 shortly before I returned to Spokane....downtown ins much nicer.....I also did a stint at WGAC when it was MOR did evenings using the name Larry Nelson, then went to WBIA, and then WAUG. WBIA was one great sounding A/C station in the early to mid-70's. Remember a guy named Jay Russell that was there.....and the way the legal ID would play over the start of the NBC Network news sounder at the top of the hour...just a quick "WBIA-Augusta." Jim Defontes was there as was Harley Carnes(used the name Patrick Scott) he's now with the CBS radio network, and another guy John Bry who worked with me in Savannah, then went up to Grand Rapids, Michigan, as did Gary Allen who worked at WBIA, then WTOC and then on up to Michigan. Wow---what great radio memories.....
Your Spokane Radio Pal...
JJ Hemingway
And I also went crosstown from after doing afternoons at WBIA(working with Charlie Andrews he was one great guy, anyone know what happened to Charlie??) I went to WAUG, after an offer from Brian. I was there for just a few months....did afternoons and then mornings for a short time after Jimmy Jaye left. I left WAUG for WRFC in Athens. When I was at WAUG Brian Scott did mid-days, Jack Dillon and Rick Spires were there. I remember the air conditioning crapping out that summer, for a couple of days, and had to do air shifts in unbelievable heat. I remember Jack Dillon worked in Savannah at WSGA when I was at WTOC in 1976-77. Jack was a good guy. In 1975, WAUG came within a point of WBBQ, and it was at that point WBBQ tightened up the music and didn't play Tony Bennett and Johnny Mathis records much anymore and became a much more focused radio station and for many many years never looked back as far as anyone coming close to them in the ratings. WBBQ was one legendary radio station.....
The daytimer country station you mentioned was 1600/WFNL, a 500 watt daytimer, and is now WKZK a black gospel station. I did a little work there in 1979, after I had helped put WRNZ Z-96 on the air in Wrens...I was at WKZK when Gary Morse and Bryan Sargent(from Tennessee) were there, and Hans Peterson did a quick stint. And yes there were right by the jail and the dog pound. The offices and studios were in a couple of single wide trailers. But when I was there we did have air conditioning. Classy place, eh???
I did have fun in Augusta the time I was there...it's certantly grown up. Last time I drove thru was in 1998 shortly before I returned to Spokane....downtown ins much nicer.....I also did a stint at WGAC when it was MOR did evenings using the name Larry Nelson, then went to WBIA, and then WAUG. WBIA was one great sounding A/C station in the early to mid-70's. Remember a guy named Jay Russell that was there.....and the way the legal ID would play over the start of the NBC Network news sounder at the top of the hour...just a quick "WBIA-Augusta." Jim Defontes was there as was Harley Carnes(used the name Patrick Scott) he's now with the CBS radio network, and another guy John Bry who worked with me in Savannah, then went up to Grand Rapids, Michigan, as did Gary Allen who worked at WBIA, then WTOC and then on up to Michigan. Wow---what great radio memories.....
Your Spokane Radio Pal...
JJ Hemingway
Thanks for the reply, JJ. I guess our paths never did cross, which is rare. I firmly believe there's only 200 people in the whole business and you work with all of 'em at some point. The music director from BBQ I was trying to think of was Mike Randell - anyone know what happened to him? And Jack Dillon was in high school when he started at WAUG. He was so eager to do anything in the business, he would cut school to work the graveyard shift on a fill-in basis. He kept getting better and better, and ended up at WSGA and then in Tampa. I even heard at one point he was in L.A. Wonder where Jimmy Jay is? Last I heard was Fort Myers. He did mornings at WAUG and I was doing afternoons. But he had a hard time getting up in the morning. Most of the time the overnight guy would call him off and on for about an hour to wake him. But the station signed off on Sunday night at 12. Jimmy and I lived in the same apartment complex, and I remember getting a lot of Monday morning calls to go over to his apartment and wake him up. Any idea whatever happened to Jack Carpenter, the GM? I think he had some kind of consulting business at one time. What a con man ! (he called himself that and was proud of the moniker) He always said he could blow up the transmitter with dynamite and still con people into advertising with the station. I was PD at WAUG when Jack went out and sold the Fort Gordon Soap Box Derby Races. I thought he was talking about live reports, but what he sold was play-by-play. I lost the argument big-time about this not fitting the format. I still remember asking him who was going to do the play-by-play, and he said "I'm looking at him." When I said I didn't know the first thing about soap box derby racing, he said, "Well, the race is Saturday. Today is Wednesday. That gives you 3 days to learn. If it can be sold, it can be done."
Jimmy Jay, known for a long time now as Tony Powers, still lives in Augusta. He has a small ad agency. He has battled cancer in recent years. He survives now and still works even though at one time his prognosis was bleak.
I was hired by Brian Scott at WAUG in 1976. He was fired shortly afterwards, but I managed to stick around there for quite a while.
I was hired by Brian Scott at WAUG in 1976. He was fired shortly afterwards, but I managed to stick around there for quite a while.
Hey Ben,
We haven't talked since my days at Cumulus corporate. Hope you are doing well. Be sure to say hi to Bill Elder and Oscar Leverette for me.
I remember my brief stint at WAUG in those days. You had that station sounding great, but you are right. Q was heavily entrenched in the market in those days and was a tough nut to crack. Having gone to HS in Augusta in the late 60's/early 70's, I remember the WBBQ and WRDW battle. In those days both stations had great talent. I remember WRDW used slight reverb on the mic. When WRDW was sold to James Brown and gave up the Top 40 battle, there were a couple of jocks that went over to Q. I think Bob Gordon was one (later Bob Young of TV and mayoral fame). The talent on Q in those days included Mike Dineen on mornings, Harley middays, and Bob Bolton in afternoons. That may have been the time Buddy Carr did nights, which is about where everyone who worked for Q started in those days. I used to hang out there after school as well as at WBIA when it was on Walton Way. That was back when the late George Fisher used to do mornings at WBIA. I would hang out at WBIA on weekends and one of the jocks there (can't remember his name) used to let me run the board during the old NBC Monitor. When I would hang out at Q, I think Harley and Bob Bolton got tired of seeing me around, so they called up someone at WFNL (which at that time was owned by Beasley) and I got my first paying job in radio. The format was country (Top Gun radio--I still have the jingle package). I did two seperate tours of duty at WFNL. Once when it was owned by Beasley and once when it was owned by Dick Warner. It was Dick Warner who put the second trailer in. During the first run, it was just a single wide. And yes...I kept the window in the control room open and you could hear the dogs at the pound. The prison was also next door and you would see those guys wandering around as well.
By the way, before WFNL was country, it did Top 40 for a while as well. I used to hang out there too. In fact learned to splice tape at the old WFNL/Top 40.
We haven't talked since my days at Cumulus corporate. Hope you are doing well. Be sure to say hi to Bill Elder and Oscar Leverette for me.
I remember my brief stint at WAUG in those days. You had that station sounding great, but you are right. Q was heavily entrenched in the market in those days and was a tough nut to crack. Having gone to HS in Augusta in the late 60's/early 70's, I remember the WBBQ and WRDW battle. In those days both stations had great talent. I remember WRDW used slight reverb on the mic. When WRDW was sold to James Brown and gave up the Top 40 battle, there were a couple of jocks that went over to Q. I think Bob Gordon was one (later Bob Young of TV and mayoral fame). The talent on Q in those days included Mike Dineen on mornings, Harley middays, and Bob Bolton in afternoons. That may have been the time Buddy Carr did nights, which is about where everyone who worked for Q started in those days. I used to hang out there after school as well as at WBIA when it was on Walton Way. That was back when the late George Fisher used to do mornings at WBIA. I would hang out at WBIA on weekends and one of the jocks there (can't remember his name) used to let me run the board during the old NBC Monitor. When I would hang out at Q, I think Harley and Bob Bolton got tired of seeing me around, so they called up someone at WFNL (which at that time was owned by Beasley) and I got my first paying job in radio. The format was country (Top Gun radio--I still have the jingle package). I did two seperate tours of duty at WFNL. Once when it was owned by Beasley and once when it was owned by Dick Warner. It was Dick Warner who put the second trailer in. During the first run, it was just a single wide. And yes...I kept the window in the control room open and you could hear the dogs at the pound. The prison was also next door and you would see those guys wandering around as well.
By the way, before WFNL was country, it did Top 40 for a while as well. I used to hang out there too. In fact learned to splice tape at the old WFNL/Top 40.
I know WRDW and WBBQ very well, I worked at both of them part time in 1966 while stationed at Fort Gordon under the air name of King Jim Holland, first at WBBQ where Harley Drew was P.D., then for Paul Wolfe at WRDW. My style then was fast, loud and very produced. I think it knocked Harley back a few feet and I didn't last long, but moving on to WRDW, they were more open to my style and I stayed until transferred to another post. As I recall, WBBQ was dominate in ratings, but merely because they had been Top 40 for so many years alot of listeners either just couldn't break the habit, or automatically wrote WBBQ down in rating books because that's all they could think of. During my stay, I remember working with Paul Wolfe, Larry Lane, Bob Hunnicutt (GM) .. I remember the others faces, but there names have been bulk erased from memory, at least for the time being. I still have an aircheck from back in those days 44 years ago if anyone from the old staff interested.
L
leecasey
Guest
actually did overnights for awhile on WRDW back in '86 or '87 while in college when it was urban contemporary.....then did weekend gig at BBQ in '98 while George was alive ....
Man, is this a "Six Degrees of Radio" moment?
JJ Hemingway (Your Spokane Radio Pal) and I worked together at WGSY-FM/Columbus, GA from 1995-1996. Ben Sandifer and I worked together at US Broadcasting (and briefly at Cumulus), as well as my having done some freelance voiceover work for Ben. And I know Bob Raleigh, of course, from his days with Cumulus corporate programming. It's been interesting to read your recollections about the competitiveness of Augusta radio back in the day. With these three top-flight programming minds on the job, I'd be willing to bet even WBBQ glanced behind them in the rear-view from time to time.
Thanks for the history lesson, gentlemen.
David Nolin
JJ Hemingway (Your Spokane Radio Pal) and I worked together at WGSY-FM/Columbus, GA from 1995-1996. Ben Sandifer and I worked together at US Broadcasting (and briefly at Cumulus), as well as my having done some freelance voiceover work for Ben. And I know Bob Raleigh, of course, from his days with Cumulus corporate programming. It's been interesting to read your recollections about the competitiveness of Augusta radio back in the day. With these three top-flight programming minds on the job, I'd be willing to bet even WBBQ glanced behind them in the rear-view from time to time.
Thanks for the history lesson, gentlemen.
David Nolin
Adding a few odds and ends from my memory of the Augusta market, jogged by comments in several of the posts above.
Paul Adams was another of those who had worked at WRDW (first) and then over at WBBQ. I think Paul was always working a weekend or fill shift, but never full-time. I think he went on an Augusta College basketball broadcast road trip with Bob Hunnicutt and me, up around western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. For some reason, I am thinking Paul had a full-time job with a fire department.
James Brown bought WRDW from the Nicholsons in 1968. I remember talking with some of the drill sergeants at basic at Fort Benning, that the FCC had not yet formalized the sale, and that would have been in November, 1968.
Eva Nicholson was more or less the manager, although I think she really was the office manager and others were involved in the operation of the station. Bob Hunnicutt did most of the engineering work for the station and I did some part-time work and Walter B. Robinson was also doing work with WRDW as well as his TX job out at the Beech Island WJBF-TV site.
WRDW's reverb was from a Hammond organ spring unit, side mounted in the equipment rack to the right of the control room console. One could reach into the spring unit and thumb one end of the springs and make a horrible noise that would usually startle the guy on the air. Listeners, too, I guess.
The original WRDW transmitter was an RCA BTA-5F and it was moved to standby status when Bob somehow got a BTA-5T from WANS over in Anderson, which was replaced there by a Gate BC-5P transmitter, sometime in the late 1960s. I saw some pictures of Bob and his Waynesboro station and it sure does look like the console at WWGA is the old WRDW RCA console.
I remember Jack Carpenter, enough said.
Paul Wolfe and Larry Lane left WRDW and established a radio station over in Eatonton. I visited a time or two, traveleing up to Atlanta and said hello.
In the quest to compete with WBBQ, WRDW had some jock promos voiced by Cousin Brucie. "Go - Johnny - Go" A few other names from that era, after Larry and Paul left WRDW, Dan Cook, Rick Stuart and Bobby "Boom-Boom" Cannon.
Thread drift but still Augusta and this is going to go back a few years. I can't separate in my mind WFNL radio and WTHB radio. WTHB, if I recall, had their operation along side US 278/US 1, just before the SC 230 exit into North Augusta. Heading toward Aiken, it was over on the right, just after RR tracks.
I remember WFNL as a call sign, and listened infrequently, same for WTHB. I seem to recall Walter Brumaloe was doing engineering for one or perhaps both. One of those stations had an old Armstrong grid-modulated transmitter, because it was the only transmitter short enough to get into the mobile home the station was located in. Where was WFNL located in that era?
One other trivia note and question At some point in the late 1950s, we'd stay at the Bon Air hotel, on Walton Way, and I discovered there was a radio station operating in the hotel. I never knew which station it was. Does anyone know? The studio was on one of the floors which had an outside balcony on the front of the building and I remember looking into the control room and could see the studio equipment. Did WAUG ever have a studio operation in the Bon Air?
Paul Adams was another of those who had worked at WRDW (first) and then over at WBBQ. I think Paul was always working a weekend or fill shift, but never full-time. I think he went on an Augusta College basketball broadcast road trip with Bob Hunnicutt and me, up around western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. For some reason, I am thinking Paul had a full-time job with a fire department.
James Brown bought WRDW from the Nicholsons in 1968. I remember talking with some of the drill sergeants at basic at Fort Benning, that the FCC had not yet formalized the sale, and that would have been in November, 1968.
Eva Nicholson was more or less the manager, although I think she really was the office manager and others were involved in the operation of the station. Bob Hunnicutt did most of the engineering work for the station and I did some part-time work and Walter B. Robinson was also doing work with WRDW as well as his TX job out at the Beech Island WJBF-TV site.
WRDW's reverb was from a Hammond organ spring unit, side mounted in the equipment rack to the right of the control room console. One could reach into the spring unit and thumb one end of the springs and make a horrible noise that would usually startle the guy on the air. Listeners, too, I guess.
The original WRDW transmitter was an RCA BTA-5F and it was moved to standby status when Bob somehow got a BTA-5T from WANS over in Anderson, which was replaced there by a Gate BC-5P transmitter, sometime in the late 1960s. I saw some pictures of Bob and his Waynesboro station and it sure does look like the console at WWGA is the old WRDW RCA console.
I remember Jack Carpenter, enough said.
Paul Wolfe and Larry Lane left WRDW and established a radio station over in Eatonton. I visited a time or two, traveleing up to Atlanta and said hello.
In the quest to compete with WBBQ, WRDW had some jock promos voiced by Cousin Brucie. "Go - Johnny - Go" A few other names from that era, after Larry and Paul left WRDW, Dan Cook, Rick Stuart and Bobby "Boom-Boom" Cannon.
Thread drift but still Augusta and this is going to go back a few years. I can't separate in my mind WFNL radio and WTHB radio. WTHB, if I recall, had their operation along side US 278/US 1, just before the SC 230 exit into North Augusta. Heading toward Aiken, it was over on the right, just after RR tracks.
I remember WFNL as a call sign, and listened infrequently, same for WTHB. I seem to recall Walter Brumaloe was doing engineering for one or perhaps both. One of those stations had an old Armstrong grid-modulated transmitter, because it was the only transmitter short enough to get into the mobile home the station was located in. Where was WFNL located in that era?
One other trivia note and question At some point in the late 1950s, we'd stay at the Bon Air hotel, on Walton Way, and I discovered there was a radio station operating in the hotel. I never knew which station it was. Does anyone know? The studio was on one of the floors which had an outside balcony on the front of the building and I remember looking into the control room and could see the studio equipment. Did WAUG ever have a studio operation in the Bon Air?
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