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WCMF: 1970

J

JIBGUY

Licensed for 1,350 watts. And yes, "Community Music Service, Inc"
14th floor of the old Lincoln-Rochester building.
By 1970, they realized that classical was not going to cut it, so programming day was fragmented:
WEEKDAYS:
6-10 AM - Soul Music with Herb Hamlett (the only black-oriented daily program in Rochester at the time; as WDKX had not yet been born.
10 AM-3 PM - "The Mod Scene" with Bill Rund (a stockholder and Music Librarian) midday music was mix of jazz, lighter prog-rock, and most anything else that didn't chart.
3-7 PM - Tom Teuber (come 1971) - prog-rock (Pete Burrell may have been on later at night too)
7-12 M - Bill Ardis (just formerly of the famous "Ardis Against The Night" on WHAM)
12M-6AM - Either Jim Hutton(Huntoon) or Bob Bittner (me). Twas both of our first radio jobs.
WEEKENDS - Bob Bittner, and Saturday noontime live PBP of Syracuse University Football, and Reverend Tom Fassett (a "cool" young minister playing prog-rock music without any religious messages slipped in).
SUNDAYS - Varied ethnic shows. One was the long-standing "Italian Carousel" with Joe Capogreco (still on 950 now). Stockholder George Malmgrem did a one hour Broadway music show, and then "Sunday With The Classics" with me hosting it 8PM to 12 mid; the only portion of the station still with the old format.(Sunday show ended in mid 1971, as did all ethnic shows after 1 PM, in favor of the wildly-popular new prog-rock format).
Their chief engineer was Jacob Zankir (i think that's how it was spelled), and he was also another stockholder.
COME MID-1971, WCMF was all prog-rock 24/7 excepting Sunday mornings.
COME 1972, WCMF got CP to increase to 20,000 watts. They applied for 50kw, but FCC said no because of WPEL-FM in Montrose Penna. Also in 1972, WCMF moved out of Lincoln-Rochester Building, to new digs on 2nd floor of 129 Leighton Avenue, which smelled of rubber since there was a tire store on first floor.
 
I've revised Bob's timeline, correcting some dates and times. Great memories of a heritage progressive station. Bob, I want you to know that all these years later, I still think of you whenever I hear Neil Diamond! :)


"Licensed for 1,350 watts. And yes, "Community Music Service, Inc"
14th floor of the old Lincoln-Rochester building.
By 1970, they realized that classical was not going to cut it, so programming day was fragmented:
WEEKDAYS:
6-10 AM - Soul Music with Herb Hamlett (the only black-oriented daily program in Rochester at the time; as WDKX had not yet been born. After an unfortunate incident involving a sudden, unauthorized withdrawal from the Lincoln-Rochester bank downstairs, Hamlett was replaced by Little John Smith)

10 AM-3 PM - "The Mod Scene" with Bill Rund (a stockholder, Music Librarian and Traffic Director) midday music was mix of jazz, lighter prog-rock, and most anything else that didn't chart. Continued as Traffic Director in 1971 after being replaced by John McGhan, who went on to great programming success in Buffalo, Pittsburgh and NYC.

3-8 PM - Tom Teuber ( me, starting in December of 1970, replacing Bill Ardis, formerly of the famous "Ardis Against the Night" on WHAM)

8-12 M - Peter Burrell, a budding filmmaker who went on to work on "Slap Shot" and "The Front" before moving to Hollywood.

12M-6AM - Either Jim Hutton(Huntoon) or Bob Bittner (me). Twas both of our first radio jobs.

WEEKENDS - Bob Bittner, and Saturday noontime live PBP of Syracuse University Football, and Reverend Tom Fassett (a "cool" young minister playing prog-rock music without any religious messages slipped in).

SUNDAYS - Varied ethnic shows. One was the long-standing "Italian Carousel" with Joe Capogreco (still on 950 now). Stockholder George Malmgrem did a one hour Broadway music show, and then "Sunday With The Classics" with me hosting it 8PM to 12 mid; the only portion of the station still with the old format.(Sunday show ended in mid 1971, as did all ethnic shows after 1 PM, in favor of the wildly-popular new prog-rock format). Other specialty programming included a jazz show hosted by stockholder Tom Hampson (still heard on WXXI), and the news from Radio Moscow.
Their chief engineer was Jacob Zankir (i think that's how it was spelled), and he was also another stockholder.

In June of 1971, Teuber was named Program Director

In October of 1971 WCMF got CP to increase to 20,000 watts. They applied for 50kw, but FCC said no because of WPEL-FM in Montrose Penna. Also in October, WCMF moved out of Lincoln-Rochester Building, to new digs on 2nd floor of 129 Leighton Avenue, which smelled of rubber since there was a tire store on first floor."
 
Welcome Tom! A pleasure to read your post on this board. Please continue to contrubute and fill us in as to what you're doing these days. Best regards, -Jim
 
JIBGUY said:
Their chief engineer was Jacob Zankir (i think that's how it was spelled), and he was also another stockholder.
Click to expand...

Actually, that would be Jacob Z. Schanker, W2STM, still alive and well and living in Brighton. I went to school with one of his kids. I should go pick his brains about the early days of WCMF when I get back to town next week...
 
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