I know it was a long time ago, but I'm going to have to choose 1986. Pro-FM was fun with Strong personalities like Jimmy Gray and David Simpson, WPRO still had Salty Brine, HJY had Carolyn FOX, WHJJ was at the top of their Game in News and Talk programming, WRX was the cool alternative. There really hasn't been a year like it since. The mid 80's is when Providence Radio really shined!
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What was your favorite year for Providence Radio?
- Thread starter Skynet74
- Start date
A
aqualung
Guest
I'm still waiting for one. Should I lower my expectations or is the best behind us?
J
jockitch
Guest
Any year when there were more than basically 2 clusters.
I would have to say for Providence radio was alot of different years than
recent am talk radio. i agree with a poster this 2 cluster presentation is not
the best way to keep listeners tuned in.
Bring back the 2 min. breakls 4 times an hour and Providence radio will be
better to listen too.
Lets watch and listen to the new WALE. I believe they will present their
programming in a way we will all enjoy.
recent am talk radio. i agree with a poster this 2 cluster presentation is not
the best way to keep listeners tuned in.
Bring back the 2 min. breakls 4 times an hour and Providence radio will be
better to listen too.
Lets watch and listen to the new WALE. I believe they will present their
programming in a way we will all enjoy.
i think it was deffinatly the mid 80s to early 90s... radio was live 24/7 back then and there were some great talent on the readio back then..... look at the diffrence in 92 profm from the 80s till now
W
wkrpfm
Guest
Early 90s...92ish and a few up...TJ Napp...Tony Mascaro ("ninety-twoooooo profm)..a LIVE overnight---thanks to Gio ...Mr. Al Levine on the Scene on the weekends...bring back the Bloopers softball team!
i dont remember geo being overnight... i do remember him being a fill in/ weekender.... the line up from the 80s early 90s waswkrpfm said:
jimmy gray 530/10
tony bristol 10/2
david simpson 2/6
tj napp 6/10p
tony mascaro 10p/2a
todd zilla 2a/530
anyone remeber that line up??? or any other ones.... that was a good one
You are off on your line up and time frame, my friend (you are close, though). I was intern & p/t there from 1989-1995 and at the time I started in 1989 it was:xtreme11678 said:
Jimmy Gray (it's 8 oh 8 in the Ocean State...Helloooooo) 5:30-10
Bristol (the Little Guy) 10-2
David Simpson 2-6
Magic Marc Anthony 6-10
Big John Bina 10-2
TM overnight
Swing staff-Toddzilla, TJ Napp, Ali Knight, Al Levine, Vic Michaels, Geoff Webster, Patti Harrison
Rocky came in, Jimmy got pushed to mid days, Bina left (and I think that is when Gio did late nights 10-12 or 1)-Bristol was doing afternoons, Toddzilla was overnights for a while, TJ got the night gig after Marc left, Jimmy left and Rocky left and we got Mike Butts. Tony left too, Simpson took over as PD and Tony as MD and the line up was
Mike Butts 5:30-10
Gio 10-2
Simpson 2-6
TJ 6-10
TM 10-1
Zilla (later Davey Morris) 1-5:30
Swing staff-Davey Morris (prior to getting the overnight gig), Tanya Cruise, Vic Michaels, Patti Harrison, Chris Tyler, me-Ted Edwards, Joe Limardi
I have to agree with a post from Jimmy Gray on another thread where just prior to the sale from ABC/Cap Cities
is when Pro FM and Pro-AM were on top of the game and started to lose ground. The station wasn't the same after Jimmy, Tony B, and Bina were gone (it was still fun; but different) and then when Rocky left and the sale went thru it changed a whole new way.....there were still some good times; but it was for a while like someone left the barndoor open as there was someone leaving (either on air or big behnd the scenes) once a week for what seemed like a year mid 1995-1996 (Artie Tefft was replaced by Phil Sirkin, TJ left and was replaced by Brian B Wild, Simpson left and Chris Shebel came in, Rory O'Neill (on the AM side) left and Bill Habberman took over-to name a few).
good memories............
W
wkrpfm
Guest
oh Mr. TD: ...such an undercover radio guy 
You all have recounted PRO-FM's glory days. It makes me sad when I think of the station during the 90s, as the comparison with today is hard to comprehend. PRO-FM today is indeed an insult to the station's heritage.
Tony Bristol was a great jock, but as PD, how can he allow the station to sound so bland? Beyond blander music than ever, the station's jocks insert so little personality into the station compared to jocks such as David Simpson, Jimmy Gray, Tony Mascaro, and yes, Tony Bristol.
What a shame.
Tony Bristol was a great jock, but as PD, how can he allow the station to sound so bland? Beyond blander music than ever, the station's jocks insert so little personality into the station compared to jocks such as David Simpson, Jimmy Gray, Tony Mascaro, and yes, Tony Bristol.
What a shame.
ScottBurns said:
And in the 90s there were probably people who complained that PRO-FM didn't sound like they did in the 80s. And in the 80s there were probably people who complained that PRO-FM didn't sound like they did in the 70s. Scott, you come across as an intelligent guy but when it comes to radio I think you judge stations by what you want to hear rather than what they should be doing. I have no problem with that if you qualify your opinions that way. By saying PRO-FM's music is off I assume you've spotted some urban songs peaking in the mid 30s on national charts they're not playing because you've complained about hip hop omissions from their playlist before. That's not unusual, especially when there's an urban station in the same building. They're playing most of what's popular. A friend of mine in his mid 30s mentioned to me that PRO-FM is on in the car when his wife & daughter are with him. The reasoning? His 7 year old daughter likes CHR & especially hip hop & sings along. He'd rather she sing along with what she hears on PRO-FM than HOT 106. He still has to deal with Buttons but worries less about lyrics than he would otherwise. Just because stations make decisions not to play certain songs doesn't mean they're not playing what their audience wants to hear. What you don't play doesn't hurt you. I also think you want radio to be like it was when you were growing up, in which case you can join the club. It doesn't happen with listeners only. It happens with those in the business. It's like complaining about baseball & how it used to be a game. It isn't PRO-FM's glory days you miss. It's your glory days.
Runrigger, we have both been posting here for years, and I enjoyed your analysis of my opinion. On the other hand, while I cannot say I completely agree with your assertions, part of your reasoning is correct.
By the very nature of this board - and any Internet message board, for that matter - subjective opinions are part of the bargain. You are correct; I need to qualify more of what I say.
My problem with PRO-FM is hard to neatly summarize. However, when I make comparisons to the "glory" days of PRO-FM, I am not merely reminiscing about my own youth. While it is easy to say that someone in the 1990s might long for the jocks of the 1980s, I think there is one point on which most of us would agree: Today's jocks on PRO-FM lack personality relative to their predecessors. While part of that is management-driven, here is what makes PRO-FM different today than, say, 10-12 years ago:
1. Boring voiceovers - nothing sing-songy, such as PRO-FM's "Weekends never end...with 92 PRO-FM."
2. A morning show that is aiming for an older audience - let's face it, Gio and Kim is aimed at women in their 30s and older. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Mike Butts at least try to get some of the younger crowd?
3. On the whole, less jock interaction with callers - Tanya Cruise is the only jock that really does a good job with this, but she isn't nearly as good a jock as some of her predecessors, such as Giovanni and Tony Bristol.
4. The jocks engage in much more liner-card reading - as we have complained for years, Davey Morris inserts very little personality into his show. I recently listened to a tape of PRO-FM from 1993, and Davey had FAR more personality back then...
5. An outrageous night jock - say what you want about Kerry Collins, but his nightshow was downright conservative compared to some of the jocks of the 1990s. Take Magic Mark Anthony, for example. While PRO-FM dropped the high-energy night shows back in the mid-1990s (and such jocks appeared at Kix 106), PRO-FM hasn't had anybody at night that can compare to some of the great current night jocks out there, such as Dallas's Billy the Kid (of Dallas' Kiss).
6. Much more automation and voicetracking. PRO-FM was staffed nearly 24 hours a day 15 years ago. I will grant you that this is an industry-wide change.
7. Musically, PRO-FM has ALWAYS been too conservative. They have never played enough Rhythmic-leaning music. My complaint is that this has only worsened since Citadel's acquisition of Hot 106.
In addition, some of these complaints apply to CHR stations all over the country. One of my favorite CHR stations, Tampa's WFLZ, is a mere shell of its former self. However, there are still some great CHR stations out there. One that comes to mind is Mobile, Alabama's WABB, programmed by former WWKX night jock Jammer (unfortunately, they do not stream online).
Runrigger, perhaps I should not have limited my comment about PRO-FM's "glory days" to the early-to-mid-1990s. Perhaps they started back in the 1970s. On the other hand, I don't think anyone on this board would disagree with my assertion that PRO-FM is not currently in its glory days. If anything, PRO-FM sounds more bland than it has at any time in its history. Does anyone agree with the latter?
By the very nature of this board - and any Internet message board, for that matter - subjective opinions are part of the bargain. You are correct; I need to qualify more of what I say.
My problem with PRO-FM is hard to neatly summarize. However, when I make comparisons to the "glory" days of PRO-FM, I am not merely reminiscing about my own youth. While it is easy to say that someone in the 1990s might long for the jocks of the 1980s, I think there is one point on which most of us would agree: Today's jocks on PRO-FM lack personality relative to their predecessors. While part of that is management-driven, here is what makes PRO-FM different today than, say, 10-12 years ago:
1. Boring voiceovers - nothing sing-songy, such as PRO-FM's "Weekends never end...with 92 PRO-FM."
2. A morning show that is aiming for an older audience - let's face it, Gio and Kim is aimed at women in their 30s and older. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Mike Butts at least try to get some of the younger crowd?
3. On the whole, less jock interaction with callers - Tanya Cruise is the only jock that really does a good job with this, but she isn't nearly as good a jock as some of her predecessors, such as Giovanni and Tony Bristol.
4. The jocks engage in much more liner-card reading - as we have complained for years, Davey Morris inserts very little personality into his show. I recently listened to a tape of PRO-FM from 1993, and Davey had FAR more personality back then...
5. An outrageous night jock - say what you want about Kerry Collins, but his nightshow was downright conservative compared to some of the jocks of the 1990s. Take Magic Mark Anthony, for example. While PRO-FM dropped the high-energy night shows back in the mid-1990s (and such jocks appeared at Kix 106), PRO-FM hasn't had anybody at night that can compare to some of the great current night jocks out there, such as Dallas's Billy the Kid (of Dallas' Kiss).
6. Much more automation and voicetracking. PRO-FM was staffed nearly 24 hours a day 15 years ago. I will grant you that this is an industry-wide change.
7. Musically, PRO-FM has ALWAYS been too conservative. They have never played enough Rhythmic-leaning music. My complaint is that this has only worsened since Citadel's acquisition of Hot 106.
In addition, some of these complaints apply to CHR stations all over the country. One of my favorite CHR stations, Tampa's WFLZ, is a mere shell of its former self. However, there are still some great CHR stations out there. One that comes to mind is Mobile, Alabama's WABB, programmed by former WWKX night jock Jammer (unfortunately, they do not stream online).
Runrigger, perhaps I should not have limited my comment about PRO-FM's "glory days" to the early-to-mid-1990s. Perhaps they started back in the 1970s. On the other hand, I don't think anyone on this board would disagree with my assertion that PRO-FM is not currently in its glory days. If anything, PRO-FM sounds more bland than it has at any time in its history. Does anyone agree with the latter?
I liked PRO-FM. And PRO-AM. Jimmy Gray was great when he was on PRO-AM. When he came over to the FM. My family & I went along. Excluding snow days. Salty & Ice Cold Larry Kruger ruled.And Gio was great doing voices such as 'Rona Blabbit' for Jimmy. For many young adults. There was only two stations from 1974-1985. They were
PRO-FM & JB-105. And they made their presence known. Request hours, remotes etc.. You really had a feel for both
stations. But times change. And so does listening habits. While technology has made listening & finding new music easier. As it was then. And I'm sure to some degree now. The average listener who wants to hear 'new music' has PRO-FM as a preset.
PRO-FM & JB-105. And they made their presence known. Request hours, remotes etc.. You really had a feel for both
stations. But times change. And so does listening habits. While technology has made listening & finding new music easier. As it was then. And I'm sure to some degree now. The average listener who wants to hear 'new music' has PRO-FM as a preset.
First of all, I'd like to say thanks to truth&justice for following me from PRO-AM to 92 PRO-FM. Those were kind words and the switch from AM to FM went exactly as management had predicted, although I was very hesitant to leave the AM. However, looking back it was the best decision I ever made in my career. As to favorite years for Providence radio, I think every age group will have strong feelings on the matter. Many look for a source of "continuous non-stop hits, others a source for new music. Personally, and I'm really not that old, ( I just started young) I always looked for entertainment, what was between the music. When undertaking the FM morning slot, Gio was invaluable. I would write the scripts, and Gio a man of FIFTY voices would record them. He was "Randy Cooney", which would let me voice my political beliefs thru him, a character, and not piss off the democratic state of Rhode Island. A character, based on Andy Rooney could get away with that without offending anybody, while Jimmy Gray might. He was also Dan and Mick, the Siamese twins joined together at the wallet. Though "Twins" they would never agree on anyting with each other, be it politics, women, cars, food, music, restaurants..you name it. For 60 seconds it was a study in life and physcology of people and events. Rhoda Blabbitt, was the "world's must renowed gossip, critic and all around snoop" who NEVER did any reporting of that nature at all. Her whole existance was to attract guys, mostly thru luck and stupidity and EVERY bit ended with her saying the guys where only after .....SFX of a ripping blouse "to see these babies!) Gio and I made it well known that she was seriously mistaken as she was NOT welll endowed, but in HER mind....... Gio also was the voice of Clem....southern type character, but that never went over. Not his fault..basically mine because I couldn't come up with enough good scripts to counter President Jimmy Carter and brother Billy to make it sustainable. I also depended on working off of our news department...the very talented Chris Camp....with letters his mother would write to me about her son because he never answered her phone calls and letters. They would be insightful letters about his large family of misfit and weird cousins, aunts, uncles. His mother was always upset that Chris never followed thru to date her best friend's daughter....Mr's Gibbs lovely and well endowed daughter. Chris thru this 60 second bit would always seem distant,very dry, and never comment on what was in the letter except thru growns, uh-huh's etc. He'd always be removed from the matter, disinterested, which made the bit work even better. Other notable's were Greg Perry, we'd only do one liner's in and out of newscasts...and a whole series of O'Briens. Starting first in the late 70's with Kathye...I'd always be chauvanistic with her, she'd fight it off, but still in an undercover way keep edging me on. Many people at the time thought in real life we were either...shacking up...or actually married. We kept them guessing on both parts. She was followed by her brother, Rick O'Brien, who stayed a short time before going to TV-12 to do sports. Also we had Maureen O'Brien, no relation to the previous two....our best bit, was during the "fitness era" think Richard Simmons, when over disco music, she would grunt and grown thru aerobics, with me giving her the instructions on jumping jacks, deep knee bends, and so on..only to have each bit, loaded with praise and encouragement by me, end when she sat down to do the news, out of breath with the SFX of her slacks ripping. The (late) Mike Wolfe also did news for awhile, but never "knowingly" participated in comedy, but we'd occassionally do one liners in and out of the news. And then there were "liners' with traffic reporters, Patti Harrison and Joe Fusco. God I miss these people. Many thought I was sexist with Kathye, Maureen, Rhoda, and Patti...which I was...because it worked. We DID what listeners were THINKING of doing, but we never crossed the fine line of a "Family Show" I let Carolyn Fox, (who I had the utmost respect as a talent for) do that in your face type. I knew I had my own daughters listening and thousands of other teens and preteens listening and young mothers so I would always do the bit or liners so that it was THEIR interpertation of what I said. " I didn't mean that, I meant this....that's how YOU interperted it. Today morning show's are either in your face out and out raunchy...or sugar coated syrupy, or based on reality TV shows and Extra, Extra types. For a fun morning show, I think Loren and Wally (Salty's son) on WROR in Boston is as good as it gets. In many ways it's like the PRO FM of the late 70's and the entire 80's, but they have a bigger budget. With all kinds of sidekicks and writers. I always worked alone....management never put a sidekick in...it was what I could do with the news/traffic people around me. (they said that's what they were paying me for) Gio was "production director" and would record most of the bits, and when he came in at 8 o'clock ...or 8 oh 8 in the ocean state...we'd bounce off each other for a few minutes. He was a amazing in the production studio, and the bits worked well because he GOT it! He knew where I was going in most endeavours. And in those days,PRO-FM, and HJY with Carolyn provided what I believed to be as more entertaining and relevant shows than today's radio.You never knew what was going to happen, content wise, from one day to the next. The key was Local, Local, Local. But as I said earlier, each generation has its own memories and favorites. Hell, don't get me started on the stuff we did on PRO FM from1969 to 1978. Hope I didn't bore anybody with this "insight"and appear egotistical as that's not my nature. Thanks again to Trust&Justice for their favorable response, and listening to me on both stations.
Your very welcome Jimmy! And thanks for many many years of great radio!
Hey Jimmy. The thing I liked about you is that you put effort into your program and it showed. I have a box of tapes with some of your bits. Randy Cooney for one. You were an important part of my mornings as a teenager. I pretty much split my time between you and Carolyn Fox. I have a lot of respect for you and the rest of the Pro-FM staff from the 80's. Tony Bristol, Tony Mascaro, Giovanni, David Simpson, Nancy Grimes, Jim Halfyard and yes.... even you Vic Michaels! lol. Sorry if I missed anyone. You guys are the ones that stand out in my mind. That station was a team with true personality. In my opinion it just hasn't been the same since. But I guess that can probably be said for thousands of other stations across the country. Thanks for posting!
hey jimmy thanks for the trip down memory lane... i also used to listen to you every morning on pro fm....you has a down to earh morning show in my opinion... witch is why i listened all those years.... and it was also nice listining to you a cuple years ago when you filled in for gary degrade on lite 105 for a week..... do you think you will be able to fill in there any more or was that a 1 shot time.... cause i think most listiners would like to hear ya again
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