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Sure Chris I remember you!! Do you remember when Kuclinski lost his car? I was doing a Saturday morning shift when Kuck walk in and ask "hey mac, can I borrow your car?" Well of course I asked why and he said, "cause I need your car to drive around and find mine, I lost it last night." I laughed so hard I cried and then in the most respectful way told him NO! I learned the best radio lesson at WECQ and that was that you better be prepared and have a clue or you will get fired!!! Years late,r when I was a PD, I would always play my first air checks to the newbies I hired and tell them, "don't sound like this"!!! After, WECQ I became a machinist for 5 years and then got back in radio in 1983! A month ago I celebrated 25 years in the business!!! It's great to know you are doing well Chris and if there is ever a reunion I would love to be invited!!
Gary McNamara
Host
Midnight Radio Network/WBAP
Dallas, TX
Gary McNamara
Host
Midnight Radio Network/WBAP
Dallas, TX
O
OttoM
Guest
MikeSmithWNYR said:I know Evan was at PXY after CQ, but other than that I don't know.
Evan went to Columbus after 'PXY, then came back to Rochester and WKLX as "Nick Evans". IIRC, he's been in sales for Entercom Rochester for a few years now.
Hey, Gary! It’s nice to be remembered. So many of us left between July and October of ’79 that I think most of those that followed never knew we existed at all. Except for Dave W. He saw it all.
Dick K. was a hoot, albeit unintentionally. As I recall, prior to his hiring at WECQ, he had been seriously injured in either an automobile or motorcycle accident, and that’s why the sparks weren’t jumping the gap between his synapses. I’ll never forget his first show when he forgot what he was going to call himself and wound up using his own name anyway. LMAO. The joke’s on me now. These days I’M the guy with CRS – Can’t Remember S**t!
My best story from those days involves my own fabled blooper. As you know, I was in sales, but on Labor Day Weekend of ’78 we were hard-pressed to fill all the air shifts for the holiday weekend. I still had my third class ticket with broadcast endorsement which I think you still needed in those days, and I wasn’t going anywhere that weekend, so I volunteered to fill in Sunday night from 6 to midnight.
Weekend jocks did everything live and by themselves back then including the news at the top of the hour. Now, there’s not much in the way of news on a Sunday night in the middle of a holiday weekend. I just pulled whatever I could find off the clacking UPI teletype and had at it. And being the Kool King of Rip ‘n’ Read, I could read anything cold and git ‘r done. Right.
The first international headline that night was about a terrorist attack on an airport shuttle bus in London (sadly we’re still reporting such things thirty years later). The last line of the copy from the wire service was SUPPOSED to read: “Witnesses reported that one of the gunmen blew himself up.”
Whoever typed the copy at UPI left out the all important word “up.” Go back and read that line again and you’ll see what I mean by “all important.”
Being the rapier-quick wit I am, learning everything from Dick K., I immediately recognized something was missing and needed to demonstrate my skills as Master of the Ad Lib. What legions of WECQ listeners heard was me concluding that sentence this way: “… um, to death!”
Realizing what I said, I clipped the mike and roared. I had three more minutes to fill, and I don’t think I went more than ten seconds at a time without clipping the mike again. And again. And again and again and again.
Interestingly, the phone never rang, so the three or four people who were actually listening didn’t catch my boo-boo. However, the following Tuesday Dan Weinfeld caught me for a moment and said, “Hey, heard you on the Thruway on my way back from Boston Sunday night. Sounded like you had a pretty bad gas attack!”
Gary, I'm glad your experience at WECQ did not scar you for life! Good to see you're alive and well!
Dick K. was a hoot, albeit unintentionally. As I recall, prior to his hiring at WECQ, he had been seriously injured in either an automobile or motorcycle accident, and that’s why the sparks weren’t jumping the gap between his synapses. I’ll never forget his first show when he forgot what he was going to call himself and wound up using his own name anyway. LMAO. The joke’s on me now. These days I’M the guy with CRS – Can’t Remember S**t!
My best story from those days involves my own fabled blooper. As you know, I was in sales, but on Labor Day Weekend of ’78 we were hard-pressed to fill all the air shifts for the holiday weekend. I still had my third class ticket with broadcast endorsement which I think you still needed in those days, and I wasn’t going anywhere that weekend, so I volunteered to fill in Sunday night from 6 to midnight.
Weekend jocks did everything live and by themselves back then including the news at the top of the hour. Now, there’s not much in the way of news on a Sunday night in the middle of a holiday weekend. I just pulled whatever I could find off the clacking UPI teletype and had at it. And being the Kool King of Rip ‘n’ Read, I could read anything cold and git ‘r done. Right.
The first international headline that night was about a terrorist attack on an airport shuttle bus in London (sadly we’re still reporting such things thirty years later). The last line of the copy from the wire service was SUPPOSED to read: “Witnesses reported that one of the gunmen blew himself up.”
Whoever typed the copy at UPI left out the all important word “up.” Go back and read that line again and you’ll see what I mean by “all important.”
Being the rapier-quick wit I am, learning everything from Dick K., I immediately recognized something was missing and needed to demonstrate my skills as Master of the Ad Lib. What legions of WECQ listeners heard was me concluding that sentence this way: “… um, to death!”
Realizing what I said, I clipped the mike and roared. I had three more minutes to fill, and I don’t think I went more than ten seconds at a time without clipping the mike again. And again. And again and again and again.
Interestingly, the phone never rang, so the three or four people who were actually listening didn’t catch my boo-boo. However, the following Tuesday Dan Weinfeld caught me for a moment and said, “Hey, heard you on the Thruway on my way back from Boston Sunday night. Sounded like you had a pretty bad gas attack!”
Gary, I'm glad your experience at WECQ did not scar you for life! Good to see you're alive and well!
P
pgillen
Guest
Dave Weinfeld alerted me to this thread. I have additional pictures on my website. Email me at [email protected] for the link! BTW, I'm "unknown CQ person 005.jpg" !!!
Looking forward to hearing from Dave!
Maybe this weekend?
After all - "The Weekends, The Weekends, The Weekends - are great! on CQ102"!
Maybe this weekend?
After all - "The Weekends, The Weekends, The Weekends - are great! on CQ102"!
P
pgillen
Guest
...........a CQ102 Summer Bride Sponsor.........
....Here's a CQ-Tip....
First time I heard the "Miller Breakfast Challenge" I thought he was giving away beer!
Scarred for life?? Not at all, we all had to start somewhere, prepared or not! I will always be great full for the opportunity that Dave W. gave me. I learned some great life lessons and got great experience at WECQ so I have nothing but great memories. I mean........how could you work with Kucklinski for almost a year and not say that you had one of radio's most entertaining and unique experiences!!!!!!!!! Can't wait to see Dave's post!
Gary McNamara
Midnight Radio Network/WBAP
Dallas, TX
Gary McNamara
Midnight Radio Network/WBAP
Dallas, TX
: WECQ QUESTIONS
Well this site and your kind words have blown me away. There is so much to recall that I am overwhelmed.
Where to start? “Well it all started at a little 3KW FM radio station in Geneva NY.”
The most amazing thing is that this is the 30th anniversary of our taking over the station.
I think we paid $160K. I have that info in a moldy box somewhere.
We had an amazing ride. The talent (all of you) that came thru the door made it what it was….one of the best small market stations anywhere and better than most big market stations. The air staff and programmers were smooth and very professional. I remember the WGVA “squeaky the cats” . I don’t think we ever hired a GVA person?
I have tried to recall all the personnel who came thru the door.
Some of you are already on the site.
Some names not mentioned. Remember the all girl Sales staff? They called themselves “David’s Devils” Nancy Chase, Dianne Lahr, Betty (her husband was a state trooper), Joan Gillotte. When they came back to the station I was afraid to ask them how they closed the client. Like Sgt. Schultz: “I know nothing”
After Russ Akroyd came Paul Warren (great voice) and Steve Cleer and Dick Yanotti. They staged a palace revolt all walking out to start an Ad Agency that would service our clients and allow us to pay a commission. I remember. We decided to divide and conquer. Marsha and I had Yanotti come to our house down the street (Madison St)
And we convinced him to stay thus taking the only Sales person out of the Ad Agency equation. Boy were Steve and Paul surprised to find that they had quit their jobs and the only person capable of selling didn’t go with them.
The John Roberts Era. Tom Collins (I sent him the link) Jade Holly who when she quit put the Rolling Stones on the turntable they were not in the format. Roberts was livid.
I remember how Uncle Lewie got his Job. We brought him in for an on air audition. I think he was working at WACK. We sat in my office listening and the smoke was coming out of JR’s ears. John was heading back to the control room to tell Lewie “No Thanks.” When he got into the Control Room every phone line was lit up. And the phone lines never stopped during his run at the Station. The Kids loved him even if he counted up the Top Five at Nine.
I have some Air checks,..Some on Cassette and others on TAPE (remember tape?) I still have a draw full of CQ102 Bumper Stickers. And I had sent Pat Gillen a few years ago some pictures of Summer Bride kickoffs. That was the great revenue generator!
I still correspond with Nancy VanDamme who lives in Florida and Ginny and her husband Gary (I went to their wedding) lives in Portland Conn.
And Gary you played Centerfield on the CQ102 softball team. I always pitched so I wouldn't have to run.
Next time I will talk about my Life after CQ and why we decided to sell. And talk about RCB’s era at the station
My emails: [email protected]
[email protected]
Well this site and your kind words have blown me away. There is so much to recall that I am overwhelmed.
Where to start? “Well it all started at a little 3KW FM radio station in Geneva NY.”
The most amazing thing is that this is the 30th anniversary of our taking over the station.
I think we paid $160K. I have that info in a moldy box somewhere.
We had an amazing ride. The talent (all of you) that came thru the door made it what it was….one of the best small market stations anywhere and better than most big market stations. The air staff and programmers were smooth and very professional. I remember the WGVA “squeaky the cats” . I don’t think we ever hired a GVA person?
I have tried to recall all the personnel who came thru the door.
Some of you are already on the site.
Some names not mentioned. Remember the all girl Sales staff? They called themselves “David’s Devils” Nancy Chase, Dianne Lahr, Betty (her husband was a state trooper), Joan Gillotte. When they came back to the station I was afraid to ask them how they closed the client. Like Sgt. Schultz: “I know nothing”
After Russ Akroyd came Paul Warren (great voice) and Steve Cleer and Dick Yanotti. They staged a palace revolt all walking out to start an Ad Agency that would service our clients and allow us to pay a commission. I remember. We decided to divide and conquer. Marsha and I had Yanotti come to our house down the street (Madison St)
And we convinced him to stay thus taking the only Sales person out of the Ad Agency equation. Boy were Steve and Paul surprised to find that they had quit their jobs and the only person capable of selling didn’t go with them.
The John Roberts Era. Tom Collins (I sent him the link) Jade Holly who when she quit put the Rolling Stones on the turntable they were not in the format. Roberts was livid.
I remember how Uncle Lewie got his Job. We brought him in for an on air audition. I think he was working at WACK. We sat in my office listening and the smoke was coming out of JR’s ears. John was heading back to the control room to tell Lewie “No Thanks.” When he got into the Control Room every phone line was lit up. And the phone lines never stopped during his run at the Station. The Kids loved him even if he counted up the Top Five at Nine.
I have some Air checks,..Some on Cassette and others on TAPE (remember tape?) I still have a draw full of CQ102 Bumper Stickers. And I had sent Pat Gillen a few years ago some pictures of Summer Bride kickoffs. That was the great revenue generator!
I still correspond with Nancy VanDamme who lives in Florida and Ginny and her husband Gary (I went to their wedding) lives in Portland Conn.
And Gary you played Centerfield on the CQ102 softball team. I always pitched so I wouldn't have to run.
Next time I will talk about my Life after CQ and why we decided to sell. And talk about RCB’s era at the station
My emails: [email protected]
[email protected]
Great to hear from you David - I think of you and CQ often - it helps that I work a block away in the old (and still) WGVA building.
Some more names to chew on.
Marla Zippay, Dawn Carmel. Gretchen Koch, Vern Underhill,Dave Kane (30 years at WCMF),Leslie Abraham, Kim Young and Dave Waples ( we all went to their wedding)
Some additional info as it applys to earlier posts: Evan Coleman worked for me at WFAL in Falmouth on Calpe Cod. He came to my wedding on Cape Cod 17 years ago.
Paul Attea and RJ Mackay worked for me at Cape 104 on Cape Cod. Paul went on to get his law degree and resides on Cape Cod with his family
Marla Zippay, Dawn Carmel. Gretchen Koch, Vern Underhill,Dave Kane (30 years at WCMF),Leslie Abraham, Kim Young and Dave Waples ( we all went to their wedding)
Some additional info as it applys to earlier posts: Evan Coleman worked for me at WFAL in Falmouth on Calpe Cod. He came to my wedding on Cape Cod 17 years ago.
Paul Attea and RJ Mackay worked for me at Cape 104 on Cape Cod. Paul went on to get his law degree and resides on Cape Cod with his family
Reading this stuff and posting while I'm at work is OK 'cause it's about radio, right?
I'm just doing show prep.
Yeah - that's the ticket!
I'm just doing show prep.
Yeah - that's the ticket!
Marla Zippay … there’s a name I haven’t heard in ages. A real sweetheart. When she moved back home to western PA in early ’80 I was at WHOT in Youngstown. We went out a few times but eventually lost track of each other. Her dad – Al – managed WFAR in Farrell and started WLLF up near Greenville. He sold that station to Cumulus about a dozen or so years ago. I think he’s still around, albeit retired. If anyone’s still in touch with Marla, ask her about a band called Backseat Van Gogh … she had a royal crush on the lead singer.
Reading this post reminds me of why many of us decided to be in radio in the first place.
We didn't make much money; we worked hard; but we made friends and most important, had fun. The pictures posted of the former staff at WECQ are worth a thousand words.
Sadly there are those currently in the business that never experienced the type of radio we were fortunate to work for.
Thanks for sharing your memories folks.
We didn't make much money; we worked hard; but we made friends and most important, had fun. The pictures posted of the former staff at WECQ are worth a thousand words.
Sadly there are those currently in the business that never experienced the type of radio we were fortunate to work for.
Thanks for sharing your memories folks.
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