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What was the first radio station you grew up listening as a kid?

C

cartman2002

I wanna ask this question since when I was 4 or 5 years old, I listened to WHYN 560 in Springfield, MA as a kid when it was a top 40 station but when I was 8 I listened to another Springfield, MA station named WAQY which later became Rock 102 and then when I got older I started listening to a variety of stations involving AC, Top 40, Oldies, Alternative, Classic Rock, AAA among other formats?
 
Every morning when I was getting ready for school, my parents listened to J.P. McCarthy on WJR in Detroit. Then I got my own little AM radio and discovered this station up the dial called CKLW.

A couple years later, my brother and I got a clock radio that had FM, and wow...there were three incredible stations to choose from. WRIF, WABX, and WWWW. We stayed up late many nights listening to this "album rock radio" thing.

Then I found out that the people who we listened to actually were doing that for a living. "Wait...that's a job?"
 
I lived in Riverside, CA in the 60's and loved KMEN 129 and KFXM 590. I can't remember which one I listened to first, but I went back and forth. We were fortunate to have two excellent stations in a market that small plus stations coming in from LA, OC, and San Diego.
 
Back in the 70s... I listened to many NYC area stations as a kid. My favorites were WABC and 99X. At night as a young DXer, I loved listening to WLS and CKLW, among others... loud and clear on a cheap transistor. I also enjoyed listening to Jay Thomas in the morning on 99X... he ended up making his way to Hollywood where he started his TV career on Mork & Mindy (sadly, he died a few years ago). I also remember my dad listening to Imus on a leather-bound Philco. My grandfather always started his day with Newsradio 88.
 
BIG D 103, WDRC FM in the late 80s and into the 90s.. it was the very first thing that made me wanna get into radio. i knew thats what i wanted to do from as early as 3rd or 4th grade

And here i am, 20 years in, about to turn 40
 
Since I got my first radio in 1962, it would have been WIBC 1070 Indianapolis during the day, followed closely by WLS 890 Chicago at night. I don't remember any others from that era.
 
My late father listened to 1170 WWVA in Wheeling, West Virginia when they were the 50,000-watt Country powerhouse. When I got my first AM radio at age 10, I listened to a local day timer, WETZ Radio in New Martinsville, West Virginia (celebrating its 80th year in 2023), but when I got my first FM radio at age 15, there was no turning back after listening to WKWK 97.3 in Wheeling. The lineup was filled with excellent jocks that made the station sound so good. In fact, a certain Grant Hudson urged one of the jocks to go to CKLW (I believe), but he decided to stay in West Virginia, and is still in radio, working in sales.
 
My parents listened to Bob Crane on KNX in Los Angeles and the Dodger games on KFI, but any other time, their radio was on KMPC. I first heard KHJ in 1967, when I was 11, and branched out to FM stations like KABC-FM (later KLOS), KMET, KHJ-FM (later KRTH) and KBCA when I was 13.
 
WKYX 570 and then-WPAD 1450 (now 1560) in Paducah, KY., in the mid to late 60's where my Dad worked. He was Diamond Jim Brady on WKYX as it was Country, and used his real name on-air on WPAD which was MOR. My Dad gave me a small transistor AM radio for my bedroom to listen to WLS, WABC and KMOX at night. I grew up going to the stations with him and learning how to thread Revox reel-to-reels before I was 5 to help load up the MUZAK automation that Mr. Lackey's stations operated locally. Never a doubt what I was going to do with my life.
 
WBZ(AM) from 1964 to 1966, when I discovered automated Top 40 WRKO-FM ("Arko"). Moved on to live and local WRKO(AM) when it replaced talk WNAC in March 1967, then to free-form/progressive WBCN in 1968. That takes me to age 13.
 
exdjted said:
Mr. Lackey
Click to expand...
Since you mention Paducah, was this the same Mr. Hecht Lackey who operated in Henderson, KY? If so, I didn't realize they ever operated beyond 860 WSON.
 
SomeRadioGuy said:
BIG D 103, WDRC FM in the late 80s and into the 90s.. it was the very first thing that made me wanna get into radio. i knew thats what i wanted to do from as early as 3rd or 4th grade

And here i am, 20 years in, about to turn 40
Click to expand...

i should also add, 105.9 WHCN to a lesser extent.. one of my high school teachers was a long, long time DJ there.
 
Earlier 50's: WJW Cleveland at night for Alan Freed, who later went to NYC. Went to WERE 1300 when it became a very early Top 40 station around late 1955. Then, WJW again when it had Pete "Mad Daddy" Myers. Then moved to WHK Color Channel 14, along with Pete. That was later 50's. By 1959, I stated my first go-fer job at WJMO and WCUY.
 
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In the mid-to-late 50s, my parents usually listened to WMUR (610), which later became WGIR......
Don Tibbets was the morning guy.....he had a show opening and closing jingle.....
One of the show sponsors was 7-20-4 cigars (!!).....oh, and...."pleasantly mild Dexter cigars....."!!
Tarrant's ---which later morphed into Tarrant's Cutlery -- was another regular advertiser....
"Where you get your shaver fixed...."
Music was pretty much standards --- Tony Bennett, Patti Page, Dean Martin, Perry Como....
Don T. did the news during his show, too, IIRC......
Jerry Carney voiced several spots.....
"Updated" weather (taped) from the NWS office at the Concord Airport.....Peter Spinelli was the usual meteorologist who recorded the forecast --- complete with "beep tones" every 20 seconds, to let folks know 'this is a recording....."!!;)
OK....enough waxing nostalgic....."Now you know it's time to go......Don Tibbets --- CLOSE THE SHOW!!":0
 
Oldie919 said:
In the mid-to-late 50s, my parents usually listened to WMUR (610), which later became WGIR......
Don Tibbets was the morning guy.....he had a show opening and closing jingle.....
One of the show sponsors was 7-20-4 cigars (!!).....oh, and...."pleasantly mild Dexter cigars....."!!
Tarrant's ---which later morphed into Tarrant's Cutlery -- was another regular advertiser....
"Where you get your shaver fixed...."
Music was pretty much standards --- Tony Bennett, Patti Page, Dean Martin, Perry Como....
Don T. did the news during his show, too, IIRC......
Jerry Carney voiced several spots.....
"Updated" weather (taped) from the NWS office at the Concord Airport.....Peter Spinelli was the usual meteorologist who recorded the forecast --- complete with "beep tones" every 20 seconds, to let folks know 'this is a recording....."!!;)
OK....enough waxing nostalgic....."Now you know it's time to go......Don Tibbets --- CLOSE THE SHOW!!":0
Click to expand...
You have an astounding memory!
 
For years, I've told people that, next to my very first teddy bear (which I still have!!!), the radio was, is, and always WILL be, my favorite "toy"!!;)
BTW....the background music for the Tarrant's spot was "Wheels" by the String-A-Longs......!!
And the 7-20-4 cigar spot was ALWAYS aired ----at 7:24 AM!!
"The time is 7:24.....time to relax and enjoy the rewarding taste of a 7-20-4, or pleasantly mild Dexter cigar...."
The tobacco company was (and still IS.....) R.G. Sullivan....they were on Elm Street in Manchester for years, but are now on Pleasant Street....
 
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