Don, were we there at the same time? Chris Tyler and I were the only part timers there during 79 and 80. There was a fella named Rory who did a Disco Saturday night dance party during my last six months there. Did you go by a different name at BLI? It was still in Patchogue, Sandi Brewster was there. Barry did mornings, Bill Terry, Bruce Michaels, Mike Scalzi, Randy Bachman and John Bachman was the Chief Engineer. Herb Usenheimer was the GM and a very decent guy. John Allen did morning news. It was on main street in Patchogue.
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WBLI in the Early 1980s
- Thread starter DavidRJ
- Start date
I believe Don jumped to BLI, from 1580 WYFA, after you left for FM 99 WXLO. Wasn't Jim Pierce (the other Jim Pierce, not the one who worked at WNYG & WLNG) the overnight guy back in the late '70s?
You mentioned Rory. Rory Thompson. I remember hearing him play "Born To Be Alive" the first time on BLI.
Do you remember George W. Benson at FM 99? I believe he past away a few years ago (not 100% sure).
Keep on producing those excellent promos/sweepers!
You mentioned Rory. Rory Thompson. I remember hearing him play "Born To Be Alive" the first time on BLI.
Do you remember George W. Benson at FM 99? I believe he past away a few years ago (not 100% sure).
Keep on producing those excellent promos/sweepers!
Hi Steve,
I was just thinking about Born To Be Alive yesterday. Rory Thompson, that's right, that was his name. I heard that song for the first time on Rory's show, too. I met Jim Pierce only once, a really good guy with a great voice. Haven't thought about Geroge Benson in a long time, sorry he passed away. I didn't know him, but I knew Chuck Leonard who also recently passed away. A wonderful man, a true star. At WXLO he would hang around after his show to make sure I was all right. chuck was a big time guy who didn't have to do that. No one knew or would know about the extra time he was putting in to help a beginner. Cheers Steve.
I was just thinking about Born To Be Alive yesterday. Rory Thompson, that's right, that was his name. I heard that song for the first time on Rory's show, too. I met Jim Pierce only once, a really good guy with a great voice. Haven't thought about Geroge Benson in a long time, sorry he passed away. I didn't know him, but I knew Chuck Leonard who also recently passed away. A wonderful man, a true star. At WXLO he would hang around after his show to make sure I was all right. chuck was a big time guy who didn't have to do that. No one knew or would know about the extra time he was putting in to help a beginner. Cheers Steve.
Jim,
Thanks for your reply.
If anyone reads this post....is this the George W. Benson of WXLO fame?
http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/georgebenson.html
One night I was listening to 1620 WFAT back in the day. One night a gentleman from Long Island called in when Larry McRae was taking calls. The man sounded just like you. Was that you?
Pierce was a great guy. I remember dropping off audition tapes at the old Wedgewood Bldg. in Patchogue. Never had the pleasure to work at the Wedgewood location (thank God!). It was a major upgrade when they moved to Medford.
Cheers! Springfield
Thanks for your reply.
If anyone reads this post....is this the George W. Benson of WXLO fame?
http://www.broadcastpioneers.com/georgebenson.html
One night I was listening to 1620 WFAT back in the day. One night a gentleman from Long Island called in when Larry McRae was taking calls. The man sounded just like you. Was that you?
Pierce was a great guy. I remember dropping off audition tapes at the old Wedgewood Bldg. in Patchogue. Never had the pleasure to work at the Wedgewood location (thank God!). It was a major upgrade when they moved to Medford.
Cheers!
SpringfieldJim,
I was there starting in the summer of 79. Bill Terry hired me from WYFA right after Scott Taylor came on board (also from WYFA)and I did part time and some weekend overnites. This was right after mike Scalzi (Jeff Thomas?) left and Bill was named the PD. I used to follow Rory for the last part of Club 106 on Saturday nights. I then went to the Only Gold show which I did until May of 1985.
A lot of real good air talent at the station at the time and I really enjoyed working there.
Don
I was there starting in the summer of 79. Bill Terry hired me from WYFA right after Scott Taylor came on board (also from WYFA)and I did part time and some weekend overnites. This was right after mike Scalzi (Jeff Thomas?) left and Bill was named the PD. I used to follow Rory for the last part of Club 106 on Saturday nights. I then went to the Only Gold show which I did until May of 1985.
A lot of real good air talent at the station at the time and I really enjoyed working there.
Don
Steve,
LOL. I was amazed at this coincidence! WFAT was an AM pirate with a call-in show that I could just make out thru the crashing static listening from Seaford. It WAS me who called in. Back in 1978-79 the phone company had these loop lines where you called on number, the other party called it's matching phone number and the two were connected together. WFAT would give one out hoping not to be traced whe they would call it's matching number. Another night during a fierce snowstorm these guys called themselves "Icy Radio" WICE. You made me dig out my SWL logbook from 1978 and there it is! WFAT, I even have a QSL from that pirate. But that's not the coincidence, read on!
All heard in Seaford from just north of Sunrise Hwy:
1/12/78 WJVR pirate 1620am call-in show
1/16/78 WGOR pirate 1620am signing off
1/21/78 WICE pirate 1625am taking calls during snowstorm
1/21/78 WGOR pirate 1625am Simon and Garfunkle music
1/21/78 WPOT pirate 1620am call in show
1/23/78 WGOR pirate 1628am call in show
2/07/78 WFSR pirate 1628am call in show
5/30/78 WFAT pirate 1620am call in show with announcers Gary and Hal, same announcer as WGOR
1/05/79 WFAT pirate 1620am call in show
In 1980 I'm just a kid, on the air at WXLO. One night I took one of a million requests on the phone and some voices just stand out. One particular caller asks me to play something. I asked him if he was the WFAT guy, I recognized his voice and it BLEW him away. There was no connection between us (that I know of). I just happened to be listening to his short pirate broadcast the year before, and now the same fella was calling into WXLO for a request. I'm so glad you remembered WFAT. Were you connected somehow? Who was the announcer? I think the statute of limitations is up on that one. I'd love to know.
LOL. I was amazed at this coincidence! WFAT was an AM pirate with a call-in show that I could just make out thru the crashing static listening from Seaford. It WAS me who called in. Back in 1978-79 the phone company had these loop lines where you called on number, the other party called it's matching phone number and the two were connected together. WFAT would give one out hoping not to be traced whe they would call it's matching number. Another night during a fierce snowstorm these guys called themselves "Icy Radio" WICE. You made me dig out my SWL logbook from 1978 and there it is! WFAT, I even have a QSL from that pirate. But that's not the coincidence, read on!
All heard in Seaford from just north of Sunrise Hwy:
1/12/78 WJVR pirate 1620am call-in show
1/16/78 WGOR pirate 1620am signing off
1/21/78 WICE pirate 1625am taking calls during snowstorm
1/21/78 WGOR pirate 1625am Simon and Garfunkle music
1/21/78 WPOT pirate 1620am call in show
1/23/78 WGOR pirate 1628am call in show
2/07/78 WFSR pirate 1628am call in show
5/30/78 WFAT pirate 1620am call in show with announcers Gary and Hal, same announcer as WGOR
1/05/79 WFAT pirate 1620am call in show
In 1980 I'm just a kid, on the air at WXLO. One night I took one of a million requests on the phone and some voices just stand out. One particular caller asks me to play something. I asked him if he was the WFAT guy, I recognized his voice and it BLEW him away.
There was no connection between us (that I know of). I just happened to be listening to his short pirate broadcast the year before, and now the same fella was calling into WXLO for a request. I'm so glad you remembered WFAT. Were you connected somehow? Who was the announcer? I think the statute of limitations is up on that one. I'd love to know.Jim,
You got me laughing! I can't believe you still have your logs!
Never got those other AM pirates. When WFAT was silent sometimes I would pick up a pirate from New England called PRN (if I remember correctly). WFAT was ten times better. My friend in high school told me about this pirate radio station he picked up called WFAT. He read about WFAT in a dxing publication. I would stay up waiting for WFAT to come on. I would pray for snow. If it snowed the odds would go up for WFAT to turn on the transmitter. Plus, when it snowed I would pick up WFAT great on the North Shore of Long Island and no school the next day.
WFAT format was classic. It was like listening to WKRP in Cincinnati. Larry McRae & Hal Hall did the jocking. I believe Frank Footer was the PD. When Larry would discuss radio station issues over the air with Frank it was interesting. Some nights they would play jingles from other stations around the country. Most nights they would play a few songs and take calls from around the country.
One night I was speaking with Scott Bingham (WNBC jock). I mentioned WFAT to him. He was interested in pirates. He asked me to send him airchecks of WFAT. He thanked me for the tapes. WNBC engineers wanted to hear them too.
To answer your question...I was not connected to WFAT. Just a fan. One night I'm listening to WFAT. The station shut down quickly. I knew something was up. It was not like them to end their broadcast like that. I don't believe they signed off with Frank Sinatra's "That's Life" like all other nights. I think WNBC-TV did a story on them. I read about them in the NY TIMES. Didn't WEVD-FM's Leon Lewis have the guys on his show after the bust? Or it could have been a public affairs program on WXLO FM 99. Not sure on that.
I guess it's a small world...the WFAT jock calling you at FM 99. Funny.
Check out the NY TIMES story and the FCC notes on tracking WFAT (very interesting stuff) here....
http://rfny.hankhayes.com/03_wfat.html
Sidenote: You should have been hired by New York 97. Your voice was made for NY 97. Bill St. James into Jerry St. James. Did you ever try to work for WYNY? My brother was working for The Research Group. He would fly in to NYC. I think he was handling the FM 99 project and then the 98.7 KISS research study. KISS was a hot deal in 1981. Jose Guzman was a great night jock.
Speaking of dxing...back in 1990 I'm listening to Steve & Garry on Chicago's AM 1000 WLUP. Steve Dahl mentions he enjoys dxing on the kitchen table. I can just see Mr. Dahl with a GE SUPERADIO on the kitchen table. I sent him a note with some other stuff. A few days later a friend in Chicago sent me an aircheck of Dahl discussing my letter and my career on AM 1000 for a half hour. Thanks Mr. Dahl.
All the best to Jim & Don (Radio TV 6)! Don was one of the jocks on RADIO TV 6. I believe it was Suffolk Cable. On weekends on ch 6 they would air RADIO TV 6. They used one camera. Black & white. You could see the jock put the 45s or LPs on the turntables. Put the carts in the cart machine. They had lights on top of the two request lines. So if you called up the station you could see the light blinking. Sometimes the jock would wave or dance in the studio. Or smoke a few cigs. Too bad I have no BETA tapes of this. I think BETA machines just came out back in the late '70s. Very expensive. 8)
Springfield
P
PeteRFNY
Guest
SPRINGFIELDRAD said:
Hey Springfield!
All the things you mention in the above paragraph still exist on ratty old cassettes that I am currently archiving! I hope to post some of that on the site soon.
Pete!
Just posted some vintage pictures of FM 106 WBLI circa 1973 on the Long island History Page. I believe the top left is Barry Neal and the bottom 2 are possibly Mike Scalzi (Jeff Thomas)? Can anyone verify?
Wackradio
Wackradio
"School's Out" by Alice Cooper, "Space Oddity(Ground Control To Major Tom) by David Bowie, "Bang A Gong" by T.Rex,"Little Willie" by The Sweet,
I know for a fact that WGLI played all of those songs, because I was there at the time of their release and played them. And since WGLI was sister to WBLI, I'm sure they were at least in limited rotation. That's going back aways for me.
I know for a fact that WGLI played all of those songs, because I was there at the time of their release and played them. And since WGLI was sister to WBLI, I'm sure they were at least in limited rotation. That's going back aways for me.
I'll second that.In the 70s,'BLI was my main station.I remember (at least) "School's Out".Maybe not as a current,but definatly as gold later on.70's 'BLI is my holy grail,in terms of airchecks.Been collecting about twenty years now---there's NOTHING out there.Please,somebody prove me wrong!!!!!!
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