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WIBBAGE FM IS BACK!

W

wibg1020

WIBBAGE is back at 94.3FM. ! 94.3 FM Avalon is home to the
Philadelphia sound, with surprize jocks.. local information and
great names in broadcasting, including Rick Rock, Bill Culp,
Bobby Emmons, Dave the Rave.. and some of the biggest names
in Philadelphia WIBBAGE era radio. More than just oldies.
We're WIBBAGE FM @ 94.3.
 
What? Who are those famous radio announcers? Is it different from WILW? Will it still have that produced out of a basement sound that Coastal Broadcasting has perfected? Maybe WIBBAGE should just go back to wherever it came from.
 
sounds like wilw is capitalizing on their strength and uniqueness. i hope now they do the right thing and bring "rudy" back. he was personality "am" radio at its best. and what a perfect fit it would be to hear him in this new format. here is one radio guy who hopes it succeeds. :)
 
WIBBAGE-FM? Did Rico buy the place and change the calls?
In the 2 hours I listened in, I didn't hear any of those alleged "surpriZe" Philadelphia jocks, only the repetitive promos touting "no repeat workdays and weekends." If only that was true for promos. No live jocks at all, which is why the REAL WIBBAGE was so great. It wasn't just the music, and it certainly wasn't puking promos.
I don't recall the REAL WIBBAGE playing "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," either. More than just oldies? I guess anything that was in the hard drive is fair game. Throw the platters against the tower and see which ones melt and play the ones that didn't.
Please allow the memories of the REAL WIBBAGE be good memories and don't try to do something other than what you already were doing fairly well.
And if you must do it, don't just slam it on the air without having all the pieces in place first.
Just my $.02.
 
wibg1020 said:
WIBBAGE is back at 94.3FM. ! 94.3 FM Avalon is home to the
Philadelphia sound, with surprize jocks.. local information and
great names in broadcasting, including Rick Rock, Bill Culp,
Bobby Emmons, Dave the Rave.. and some of the biggest names
in Philadelphia WIBBAGE era radio. More than just oldies.
We're WIBBAGE FM @ 94.3.
Click to expand...

What are surprize jocks? Does that refer to, "I can't believe that person actually works there" or the fact that brokered programming can change the on-air schedule?

I heard it yesterday. WILW has *nothing* in common with the legendary WIBG -- the WIBG that was in Philadelphia, not the current WIBG(AM) in Ocean City (now Coastal has two stations using the "Coast" name and a second "wibbage" in the same market - brilliant). WILW is still "Oldies 94," just with a different name.
 
There is a rumor that Coastal is SELLING WILW, Avalon to
the owner of WIBG, Ocean City. Things will change.
The announcement on here seems a bit premature.
 
I'm very happy to hear this. Clearly, what we hear right now is a work in progress.

Rick is a great guy. Years ago, whem he was running WHTG, I went to see him for a job..and he very quietly said to me, "You DON'T want to work here." Knowing what I know now about WHTG back in the Gade days, he may have been right. I remember HTG tracking entire instrumental album sides and the FM had a hum in it for the longest time caused by the flashing tower beacon.

Good luck Rick- I'll be listening!!!!
 
VeteranPD said:
I remember HTG tracking entire instrumental album sides and the FM had a hum in it for the longest time caused by the flashing tower beacon.
Click to expand...

Are you sure that wasn't 101.5, WBJH Trenton/Fairless Hills? I found and fixed that hum!

VeteranPD said:
Where is the transmitter for 94.3?
Click to expand...

Swainton, not far from the WMGM-TV/WZXL tower ... back in the woods off of Route 9
not far from Avalon Boulevard.
 
I guess this is essentially shot number three for WIBBAGE at the shore, huh. in the mid-late 70's, after WIBG/Philly became WZZD, WSLT-AM/Ocean City (1520) took the WIBG calls and tried to capitalize on WIBBAGE. IIRC, it didn't do that well. then, when 1520 lost the tower site lease arrangement with the sands country club in the late 80's, they strung a line off the WSLT-FM (106.3) tower and switched to 1020 with the same calls but not much juice. 'SLT then sold 1020 to someone who did religion during the week and oldies (as WIBBAGE) on the weekends. I think I've got most of that right, though Tom would know better than I.

in any case, good luck 94.3. let's see what happens...

tom said: "Are you sure that wasn't 101.5, WBJH Trenton/Fairless Hills? I found and fixed that hum!"

ha! I thought that was WVLT/vineland. the hum would go on and off with the blinking lights. it would make the 60Hz segment of the visual analyzer on my EQ jump up and down with every blink. I think it's still that way over there. hey tom! when were you at 'BJH? had to be prior to '78 or so when I got there (it was definietly post-beacon hum, but not much else!)

tom also said: (the 94.3 xmtr is in) "Swainton, not far from the WMGM-TV/WZXL tower ... back in the woods off of Route 9
not far from Avalon Boulevard."

for years and years, the little building right under the 94.3 tower was where the station's studios were as well as the xmtr. the old WWOC days. drove the driveway from route 9 back to the building for many years. nice little building for a station.
 
You got the story of WSLT/WIBG mostly right ... the owners of
WSLT (106.3) and WIBG 1520, shut it down due to the golf course
(pre-Sands) wanting them out of there. Don Powers, who also
founded WSKR (now WJSE) and WDOX (was WDeaTH now WEZW)
moved the frequency to 1020, bought the old transmitter and
put it on the air as "Travelers Information Radio" which broadcast
from a folded unipole antenna on the 106.3 tower with a crummy
signal. Mike Venditti later LMA'ed it and did the Oldies/Religion thing,
I'm not sure if he ever bought it or not.

Yeah the WWOC building was pretty cool compared to the rest
of the stations in this area ... all new, small, but nice. When
John DiDinato (now mayor of Hammonton) owned it for a short
time, he renovated it and it really looked nice. Obviously the
transmitter is still there.

I didn't realize other stations had that tower light hum thing. I
figured it out one night while listening to 101.5 and driving by the
big New Jersey Network (OK New Jersey Public Broadcasting then)
tower in Waterford Works, which can be seen from Route 30.
The hum was synchronized to the flashing of the lights. I fixed
it next time I went up.

I helped out Dick Hardin with some engineering stuff right after
they moved the four WBUD towers from the old site across the
street to the current WBUD site. The 5 kw AM transmitter wasn't
working, and a bunch of guys looked at it with no luck, I got lucky
and found the problem, I still remember the smile on Hardin's face
when he came back and saw it working. They also purchased
a new 21.6 KW FM transmitter at the time of the move. It was
around 1976 ... I remember having the NJ Bicentennial license
plate on the front of my Jeep that they let you put over your
front plate that year. It was a fun time ... I was just a kid and
learned a lot and had some good laughs about the way things
were done up there ... phones with no dials, weather and temps
in huge boxes of carts .... pick the forecast and play it ...

... tom
 
I worked briefly with Rick Brancadora at the Dick Harden -owned WBUD/WBJH for about a month back in 1975, just after it moved across the street. I was the strangest place I ever worked. Rick reminded me in a phone call I had with him Wednesday how Dick, if he heard a cart wow, would come into the studio, pick up the cart, throw it on the floor, and smash it with his foot!

That building still exist today as the WFJS transmitter site near NJ 101.5's studios.
 
VeteranPD said:
Rick is a great guy. Years ago, whem he was running WHTG, I went to see him for a job..and he very quietly said to me, "You DON'T want to work here." Knowing what I know now about WHTG back in the Gade days, he may have been right.
Click to expand...

When was that, anyway? I'm not entirely sure I've got him on the FM106.3 airstaff roster.
 
IN REPLY TO A POST A PAGE BACK. RICK BRANCDORA IS RELYING ON THE THE PHILLY CROWD COMING DOWN

AND MELDING IN WITH THE WIBBAGE NAME AND CALLS. TAKE IT FROM A MAN WHO SOLD ADVERTISING UP

IN OCEAN COUNTY AT WBHX , WHICH IT WAS A LOT EASIER, BUT IT WAS A SITUATION WHERE WE DID

RELY ON THE SUMMER AD SALES TO CARRY US THRU THE WINTER. ONCE LABOR DAYS HITS THEN RESORT

RADIO LIKE WIBBAGE COLLECT THERE AD MONEY THERE IS NO MORE. THERE ARE SOME STRAGGLERS WHO

TRY TO SELL OFF THERE LEFT OVER DISCOUNTED STOCK FOR CHRISTMAS. THEN THAT'S IT TIL NEXT APRIL

OR MAY. THIS IS.....A GUTSY MOVE IN THIS ECONOMY AND ONLY REMAINING BABY BOOMERS WILL ONLY

KNOW WHAT A "WIBBAGE" IS. RICK BRANCDORA, WHO I HAVE SPOKEN TO SOME OVER THE YEARS IS A

GOOD BUSINESS MAN AND HAS ALWAYS FOUND A WAY TO KEEP THINGS GOING WITH A STAND-A-LONE

AM....SO HE SHOULD DO OK...I WISH HIM LUCK. RICK ROCK IS WELL LOVED PERSONALITY BY THE PEOPLE

DOWN THERE AND HAS A STRONG LISTENER HABIT BUILT UP. WHEN THE SALESMEN COME BACK AT THE

END OF THE DAY I AM SURE RICK WILL SAY " SHOW ME THE MONEY" GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!
 
come on, rick is not banking on the "philly crowd." by the time they get here the book will be mostly over. once the book is up, there's little or no connection between listenership and revenue, therefore the "philly crowd" will be of no use.

what he's doing is trying to create a radio station that will sound like something people might want to listen to, unlike most of what passes for "programming" today. he's hoping that by the time the fall book rolls around, the station will have caught on with the local crowd (admittedly partially made up of philly transplants). if he does it right, he'll have very little problem and he'll do quite well. if it turns out to be an "Oldies 94.3" variant, or worse yet, a "Kool 98.3" clone, forget it. it'll be over before it starts. just because you call a station by certain name doesn't mean you'll be successful.
 
Wow! Who is Rick Rock and is he going to save a radio station? Good Luck, I hate to see anyone have a bad investment but this smells real bad. Aren't there enough semi oldies stations in South Jersey?
 
Is it just me or is everyone posting on this thread under the impression that everyone that lives at the Jersey Shore is a native to the area and has no idea what WIBG is. Also are you forgetting that during WIBG's hayday it was able to reach Cape May County, no problem? Most of the people who live at the Jersey Shore are retired Philadelphians. I don't think they will have too much trouble selling the WIBBAGE brand to listeners at all.
 
Seems a fun niche.... Let a 'county by county' breakdown show where he can make a buck... I'd even encourage him to customize an Eastlan book to his zip codes within the 50 to 54dbu signal..... That's a cheaper way to finding out what you're doing and if it will work...
 
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