WFNW/Naugatuck's cool website

[bub]

Sorry, bub can;t answer your questions.

No problem.

I was at WNTY when it only 500 watts daytime. We could go on before sunrise and after sunset on a little, rack mounted 50 Watt transmitter, though.

I was at WNTY off-and-on between October of 1993 and June of 1999. They went to the 2500-watt, 2-tower setup in 1988. I was there when the programming there was strictly satellite and brokered show-delivered when I first started there, and I was there when the station flipped back to live-and-local in 1996; including the time when WNTY appeared in the Arbitrons in the Spring of 1997. It is believed to be the first time in the known history of that station that WNTY landed in a ratings book. I have a standing challenge available and open to anyone who can disprove that claim. While there are "strings attached" (certain terms and conditions do apply), I am more than ready, willing and able to put my money where my mouth is.

 

[MarcB]

When I was younger I didn't pay attention to the ratings much, but I do remember when WNTY showed up in the ratings. And I wondered how a daytimer showed up in the ratings.

 

[bub]

When I was younger I didn't pay attention to the ratings much, but I do remember when WNTY showed up in the ratings. And I wondered how a daytimer showed up in the ratings.

MarcB:

While WNTY was licensed for full-time, 24-hour service, at that time we were on the air weekdays from 6AM-8:30 PM. We actually had the highest ratings on Saturdays in the Spring of ’97 despite the fact that we were signing off as early as 5:30 PM on Saturdays AND Sundays in the first 2 weeks of the book period. What was even more amazing about the whole thing was that we pulled this off during the first full calendar year of "deregulation of the industry" as a stand-alone, music-intensive AM station with absolutely no outside promotion of the station other than word of mouth; to say nothing of the people who lived in Southington with no clue that a radio station actually existed in their own backyard. Whatever the “average” promotions budget of an FM station was, that was our operating budget. There was a joke going around that if a Hartford FM knew how low our operating budget was, chances are all the FM’s in the market would have gotten together to throw a fund-raiser for us. I literally fell out of my chair when I saw WNTY in the books when all was said and done. And to think my very first experience as a rated jock occurred at that station…of all stations. Believe me, you had to be there to fully appreciate the experience. Walt Disney once said, “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” Then again, the Florida Marlins won the World Series as a National League Wild Card that year, so I guess anything is possible.

MarcB, with all due respect, do you now understand why I’m disgusted with the disgraceful and deplorable "franks and beans" way the station has turned out in the years since I left?

We now rejoin WFNW/Naugatuck's cool website, already in progress.

 

[Bill-in-CT]

Getting this back to WFNW 1380...

The station went on in 1960 or 61 as WOWW on 860 with 250 watts days. Almost immediately the owner applied for 5k days, 500 watts night at 1380. However there were applicants in Wallingford and Ridgefield for that frequency, and WWCO fought the move claiming a suburban station was trying to become a Waterbury station. The station move to 1380 in the late 60s after adding the middle tower. Applicants in Ridgefield and Wallingford then decided to seek 850 instead of the vacant 860 spot.

 

[Bill-in-CT]

I meant to continue my last post...

WOWW switched from MOR to Oldies in 1973 after an ownership change. WOWW, WWCO and WQQW had ownership changes in 72/73, and WATR-FM became WENU (for "We 'N You at 92") then quickly became WWYZ ("The Music Lovers' Wise Choice").

Al Primo, the inventor of Eyewitness News, bought the station in 1978, hired Joe McCoy as PD and renamed the station WNVR (14-NVR). McCoy left a few years later for his long-time PD job at CBS-FM. Primo abruptly signed the station off one afternoon in the mid 80s, and the station came back months later as WNAQ with new owners.

The WFNW calls.....the station aired a syndicated business format in the late 80s. WNAQ, and its 1230 simulcasted sister station in Manchester, had to switch from country to business after WWYZ went country.

 

[DToTheJ]

BTW, the Ft. Myer's oldies station that picked up the WNTY call letters flipped from Oldies to talk, simulcasting an AMer. Not sure if they're gonna dump the WNTY calls.

They have. They are now WFSX. Wonder how many gallons of OJ changed hands at this deal.

 

[MarcB]

They have. They are now WFSX. Wonder how many gallons of OJ changed hands at this deal.

You gotta be kidding me. WFSX? Right away I can think of something inappropriate those call letters stand for.

 

[MarcB]

MarcB, with all due respect, do you now understand why I’m disgusted with the disgraceful and deplorable "franks and beans" way the station has turned out in the years since I left?

Yeah, man I get you. BTW, guess who hasn't been powering down to 80 watts in the past 3 or 4 weeks. Yep. Normally I get a mess on 990 at night in my location, but for the past 3 or 4 weeks Radio Cantico Nuevo (as the station is now known) has been blasting in, strong enough to stop my radio on 990 when I push scan or seek.

I really have to wonder if they were running a decent format on that station and if they did heavy promotion if they would show up in the ratings again. Somehow I don't think so. Times are different now than they were in 1997. I don't even think they would show up in the ratings even if WTIC dropped RUSH and HANNITY and 990 picked them up.

 

[mikedow]

…and once again we return to WNFW/Naugatuck’s cool website already in progress…

I remember WOWW running an MOR format as “Red Carpet Radio” in the late sixties or early seventies. They also had a huge promotion with Arlans, a Railroad Salvage type store in Waterbury’s south end. I recall the promotion because Arlans was running another one—I forgot what they were selling—promoting “Archie Bunker for President” in the 1972 election.

The oldies format stayed in some form after the switch to WNVR. Joy McCoy played an hour or mostly fifties music, I don’t remember when that stopped. I don’t think the station dropped oldies until about 1980, but I could be wrong.

Bill mentioned that Al Primo shut off the station, but I worked their briefly in 1984 after Primo sold the station to George Kalman and Austin Isherwood. I did the morning show for a few weeks as a fill-in until the second check bounced.

The station improved in late ’84. They had a talented staff, but suddenly went dark in February of 1985. I appreciated that because I was the PD at WWCO at the time. I think they were dark for about a year when they tried a satellite oldies format as WNAQ. After that, it gets vague.

I think the call letters refer to a business format that was rolled out on stations across the country. I think FNW meant Financial News for Waterbury. The last I knew, the station was broadcasting in Portuguese.

Can anybody fill in the blanks?

Mike

 

[Bill-in-CT]

…and once again we return to WNFW/Naugatuck’s cool website already in progress…

Bill mentioned that Al Primo shut off the station, but I worked their briefly in 1984 after Primo sold the station to George Kalman and Austin Isherwood. I did the morning show for a few weeks as a fill-in until the second check bounced.

I thought George Kalman was the GM who worked for Primo. I was doing fill-ins in 83 just before George arrived and gave the order to get rid of the cat (yes, we had a cat in the studio). Ken Cunningham was the pd in 83 and he was replaced by Gary Peters.

 

[bub]

I thought George Kalman was the GM who worked for Primo. I was doing fill-ins in 83 just before George arrived and gave the order to get rid of the cat (yes, we had a cat in the studio). Ken Cunningham was the pd in 83 and he was replaced by Gary Peters.

Gary Peters later went to WATR and was PD during their 50th Anniversary in 1984.

The station improved in late ’84. They had a talented staff, but suddenly went dark in February of 1985. I appreciated that because I was the PD at WWCO at the time.

Mike: Did you replace Ed Flynn as PD at 'CO? I recall Flynn was PD there during the All Star 1240 days and was Tom Chute's boss there.

I think the call letters refer to a business format that was rolled out on stations across the country. I think FNW meant Financial News for Waterbury. The last I knew, the station was broadcasting in Portuguese.

The only thing I vagely remember about a business format rolling out was that there was at one time some sort of Financial News Network format for radio around the time FNW made that flip to finanacial news. The Business Radio Network (unrelated) out of Colorado Springs rolled out in July of '88 and WXCT in Hamden was the first Connecticut affiliate. Today it's the BusinessTalk Radio Network based out of Stamford, Ct. Studios used to be in Greenwich. They went from Colorado to Florida to the Nutmeg State.

 

[bub]

They have. They are now WFSX. Wonder how many gallons of OJ changed hands at this deal.

You gotta be kidding me. WFSX? Right away I can think of something inappropriate those call letters stand for.

Yeah. Just like our "favorite" station should change their call letters to WFYS or WWTF, if you catch my drift.

 

[bub]

The WFNW calls.....the station aired a syndicated business format in the late 80s. WNAQ, and its 1230 simulcasted sister station in Manchester, had to switch from country to business after WWYZ went country.

WWYZ flipped to Country on Labor Day 1988.

 

[mikedow]

I don’t remember Gary Peters at WNVR. I know that after a long run as PD at WICC, he was on the beach for awhile and then did mornings on WWCO. I can’t remember why he left, but he was the morning man/PD at WATR and did a lot of middays at the same time on WWYZ. Somewhere in the mix he was also briefly PD at WQCD in New York City.
So where are they now?

 

[mikedow]

Mike: Did you replace Ed Flynn as PD at 'CO? I recall Flynn was PD there during the All Star 1240 days and was Tom Chute's boss there.
[/quote]

Ed left for WTIC before All Star Music came. Bill Cleveland was the PD, then Tom Chute. I don't know where Bill went. Tom went briefly to WNVR, then to a newspaper for a few years. Of course, he's now been at WATR for over twenty years.

Steve Skipp replaced Tom, then me. We had a big Spring 1984 book, and I left for WJBX (now WCUM) in Bridgeport. Ed Flynn replaced me, but only for about three weeks, if I recall. He was on the air at WICC a month before we could get WJBX back on the air. Ed later went to WQQW for a few years, and he has been at WATR for many years.

 

[bub]

I don’t remember Gary Peters at WNVR. I know that after a long run as PD at WICC, he was on the beach for awhile and then did mornings on WWCO. I can’t remember why he left, but he was the morning man/PD at WATR and did a lot of middays at the same time on WWYZ. Somewhere in the mix he was also briefly PD at WQCD in New York City.
So where are they now?

I know sometime after WATR/WWYZ, he went to WKHL Kool 96.7 in Norwalk/Stamford.

Mike: Did you replace Ed Flynn as PD at 'CO? I recall Flynn was PD there during the All Star 1240 days and was Tom Chute's boss there.

Ed left for WTIC before All Star Music came. Bill Cleveland was the PD, then Tom Chute. I don't know where Bill went. Tom went briefly to WNVR, then to a newspaper for a few years. Of course, he's now been at WATR for over twenty years.
[/quote]

Thanks for clarifying Flynn's tenure at 'CO so I stand corrected. Not familiar with Bill Cleveland. My first recollection of Tom Chute was he was morning man and PD at WMMW around Summer/Fall of 1984 and was teaching at CSB. At the time he first came to WATR on New Year's Day 1986, he came from WRCH/WRCQ. I know he had moved around from station to station to station before finding his home at WATR. I didn't know he worked at a newspaper.

Steve Skipp replaced Tom, then me. We had a big Spring 1984 book, and I left for WJBX (now WCUM) in Bridgeport. Ed Flynn replaced me, but only for about three weeks, if I recall. He was on the air at WICC a month before we could get WJBX back on the air. Ed later went to WQQW for a few years, and he has been at WATR for many years.

I remember Skipper. Last I heard he moved to Florida. WJBX now WCUM was, for many years, the former WNAB if I'm not mistaken.

 

[rookieII]

Is the Gary Peters you are referring to the some one that was on the air as Pete Moss on the old WNHC (1340) and Peter Ross at DRC. Both gigs in the early/mid 70's?

 

[Bill-in-CT]

Is the Gary Peters you are referring to the some one that was on the air as Pete Moss on the old WNHC (1340) and Peter Ross at DRC. Both gigs in the early/mid 70's?

Yes.

 

[MarcB]

Weren't the studios for WWCO/WIOF at one time in an old church or near an old church? Someone I know told me that they thought that was the case. Also how many years were WWCO/WIOF and WPOP owned by the late Merv Griffin?

 

[mikedow]

WWCO was originally housed in the old Mattatuck Museum...but I don't know more than that. They were on Bank Street by my earliest memories in the mid 60s. They moved to Straits Turnpike in an odd but wonderful little round building. They were there from about 1970 to about 1992. Bill will probably have more accurate dates. After going to South Main Street, I remember visiting once at a nice location on Lakewood Road. For a brief time they were in a suite at the Red Bull Inn. I think I recall they were also in Oakville for a short while before become part of WDRC.

I noticed the tower was gone from Thomaston Avenue. Where is the transmitter now? Does WWCO (or WMMW or WSNG) have any local presence? A sales office?

Mike