• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

WBZ History-End of Full Service/AC Format

kYW was Top 40 in Ohio with Howard &Richardson, JIm Runyon, Jim Stagg, Jerry G and 2 hour talk block at 10PM. Some of them went to WCFL in chicago.
 
I remember WBZ was a very "mild" top 40 in 1967 compared to WMEX which took a lot more chances. I also remember when Dick Summer moved from BZ to MEX. That may have been '67 or '68. I wish I could remember more of the MEX jocks but that should probably be on a different thread.
 
Wow, this has to be one of the most interesting threads I have seen in here in a while!
It should be no secret that I grew up listening to WBZ from 1982 to 1988! What I remember most were Dave Maynard's show with Bob Lobel doing the 7:15 and 8:15 sports, and as snow comes down just about everywhere right now, who can forget the WBZ Storm Center, The "Amazing 'BZ Broadcasting Machine," and those "Piece of Cake Dave" commericals. And of course, who can forget those legendary PAMS jingles from WNBC that when "W-B-Z, Bos-ton!!!!! I think Scott's got some of those on his website.

Also, remember "60 to 6" which actually used jingles from sister KFWB in LA? I remember we would all listen to Paul Harvey's "Rest of the Story" carpooling on the way home from school.

You know, about 2000, I was driving around Boston and for a while, WBZ was playing those jingles again, but those are gone again, I guess... Wow, what memories!
 
I love that WNBC package from PAMS as well. One of the best ever created. I haven't heard any jingles on 'BZ since Bob Raleigh retired in '99. I remember he would play the "Spirit of New England" bed under the lottery and weather forecast well into the 90s after they effectively retired the "Spirit" in favor of "News Radio 1030".

I remember reading somewhere that Norm Nathan had a weekend afternoon music show during the 80s, in addition to pulling the overnight shift. Any details?
 
PennBlue said:
I think one of the Finneran's was on BZ...not sure if it was Tom. I thought this Finneran ran for Mayor once.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure you're thinking of David Finnegan, who ran for mayor in 1983 in the city's last great mayoral race.
 
amfmsw said:
Westinghouse's KYW Philadelphia never played music. It changed it's calls from NBC owned WRCV (RCaVictor) in 1965, and signed on as All News, All The Time. In it's Ohio incarnation, it was probably full service music.
I loved listening to 1030's Larry Glick at night in Suburban Philly as a kid.
Click to expand...

Westinghouse was running a great Top 40 station in Cleveland as KYW-1100 in the 60s. In 1965, the KYW calls were moved to Philadephia and KYW Cleveland became WKYC, still Top 40 for several more years.
 
WFNERBSHX said:
I haven't heard any jingles on 'BZ since Bob Raleigh retired in '99. I remember he would play the "Spirit of New England" bed under the lottery and weather forecast well into the 90s after they effectively retired the "Spirit" in favor of "News Radio 1030".
Click to expand...

Bob Raleigh kept his program a real show, right to the end. He was very big on music beds and sound effects, lifting lines from movies and so on. Some may have disagreed with him politically, but with his program elements and regular features, like Tiffany Martin the psychic, and the Quick Recall game, and Mel Simons trivia, he kept people interested.
 
Don't forget - Tom Bergeron dj's at BZ in the late 80's - and Bill Smith (formerly of BOS and now one of the Voices of Entercom) had a weekend shift spinning
 
AM/FM/SW:

"...the same Larry Justice who was on WIBG, Philly"

Yes, same guy.

WMEX vs. WBZ in the top 40 days of the 60s:

WBZ had a shorter, regular playlist than WMEX. WBZ published a Top 25 list, while WMEX published a Top 30 with extra "hitbounds". Interestingly, WBZ's Top 25 list included some "Top Albums" as I recall, but they didn't play album tracks in regular rotation.

WBZ was a station of contradictions: They would be very conservative in daytime with music and jock delivery, and the typical long Westinghouse newscast on-the-hour. Yet at night, Bruce Bradley would kick it up a notch, and Dick Summer's overnight show featured his poetry and spoken word stuff. As mentioned, the Sunday "Subway" show was extremely radical for its day. WBZ seemed to be shooting a bit higher in the demos....college crowd. They also had a more regional approach.

WMEX was a screaming top 40, full of hot production, PAMS jingles, time-tones, reverb, call-in dedcations, star IDs, etc. They also played local bands (I remember regularly hearing The Rockin' Ramrods, Teddy And The Pandas, etc) and--it seemed--more R & B than WBZ. WMEX had a very gritty, city sound...obviously making the best of their reduced coverage area.

The best remembered WMEX jocks were: Larry Justice, Mel Miller (the PD most of the time), Melvin X. Melvin (house name, the last one played by J.J. Jeffries), the legendary Arnie Ginsburg, and Dan Donovan. Dan Donovan was another house name, but the best-remembered and final Dan Donovan was Blaine Harvey, who took the name with him and is heard to this day on KQQL, Minneapolis

http://www.kool108.com/pages/dandonovan.html
 
Thanks HHH. If I ever find it again, I have a WIBG "Where It's What's Between The Music That Counts" JX with Larry Justice shout. And thanks for the Dan Donovan link.

My only connection with WMEX is the "Wimex Tundex" and Arnie Ginsburg on the Cruisin' LP's (1961). Many may also be the same with Joe Niagara(1957).
 
"Dan Donovan as Bob Greene" on WCOP.

Since "Dan Donovan" was a WMEX house name (like "Melvin X. Melvin" and "Fenway"), more than one person had the gig.

The "Dan Donovan" BEFORE Blaine went to WCOP, yes you are right, under the name of Bob Greene. Blaine replaced him.

Gotta love (owner) Max Richmond. The next day, Dan Donovan sounds completely different, and they publish a new photo on the Top 30 survey.

But Blaine is the one that most people remember, kept the name, and was--and is--a great jock.
 
On the 'BZ side.....I remember the top of the hour ID, "The Spirit of New England, WBZ Boston, a Group W , Westinghouse Broadcasting station, the time is now......" That is if I remember it correctly, mid seventies????.......
 
broken headphones said:
On the 'BZ side.....I remember the top of the hour ID, "The Spirit of New England, WBZ Boston, a Group W , Westinghouse Broadcasting station, the time is now......" That is if I remember it correctly, mid seventies????.......
Click to expand...

I'm glad they didn't have to add "...and WBZ-HD" in there back then...
 
Gawd I'm Getting Old.....

I remember "This is WBZ Boston, WBZA Springfield, your Westinghouse Broadcasting stations in New England".

I think I'll go take another slug of Ensure now.
 
broken headphones said:
On the 'BZ side.....I remember the top of the hour ID, "The Spirit of New England, WBZ Boston, a Group W , Westinghouse Broadcasting station, the time is now......" That is if I remember it correctly, mid seventies????.......
Click to expand...

And there was a time in the late 70s when they gave the temperature in Celsius ("It's x degrees in Boston, that's y degrees Fahrenheit . . .").
 
In either 1974 or 75 The US and Canada were supposed
to go all metric. Canada did it. But due to public outcry
the US abandoned the idea. This was when we began seeing
liquid contents and solid weight listed in liters and grams.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom