No but I remember the WYSP commercials on TV, John Cameron Swaizy (sp) did them and they were just as horrable as the short lived format! He also did the old Timex commercials (Get a licking but keeps on ticking).
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I was a jock at WIBG in the summer of 1969 and again in the spring of 1974 under Buckley. I can confirm: the FM was definitely there and operational in '69 but gone in '74; the FM was indeed mounted on the center tower, the antenna was horizontally polarized only (who had FM in their cars 1969?) and the "progressive rock" format emanated from an off-the-shelf mechanical automation system incorporating the infamous "Gates 55" cart players. An ATC-Criterion transport ascended/descended via a long screw. These machines were famous for derailing off the elevation screw and falling to the ground, smashing each cart on the way down like a guillotine, although I'm not aware this ever happened at WIBG-FM.
In the last Storer days there was a curious procedure for the Legal ID for AM and FM, which under 1969 rules had to air within two minutes of the hour AND half-hour. Over the fade of the last record before legal ID, you fired a cart which included about six seconds of intermittent beeping, before the "Ladies and Gentlemen" fake-Drake ID and Johnny Mann jingle, "W-I-B-G, Philadephia." The tones alerted the engineer to press a button which abruptly stopped the AM feed to the WIBG-FM transmitter, simultaenously firing a generic (and badly-bulked) cart which simply ID'ed, "WIBG-FM, Philadelphia." After several seconds of dead air the AM feed simply resumed. I recall hearing it at someone's home in August '69; the FM ID sounded terrible, but nobody cared.
In the last Storer days there was a curious procedure for the Legal ID for AM and FM, which under 1969 rules had to air within two minutes of the hour AND half-hour. Over the fade of the last record before legal ID, you fired a cart which included about six seconds of intermittent beeping, before the "Ladies and Gentlemen" fake-Drake ID and Johnny Mann jingle, "W-I-B-G, Philadephia." The tones alerted the engineer to press a button which abruptly stopped the AM feed to the WIBG-FM transmitter, simultaenously firing a generic (and badly-bulked) cart which simply ID'ed, "WIBG-FM, Philadelphia." After several seconds of dead air the AM feed simply resumed. I recall hearing it at someone's home in August '69; the FM ID sounded terrible, but nobody cared.
A couple more things: in '69 the engineer had a Gatesway II console and set levels on each record according to your instruction (there was a little sticker on each 45 indicating fader setting.) You cued the records using a DPDT pushbutton which interrupted the air audio in your speakers and substituted "cue." The jock also had the cart machines, four ATC Criterion machines modified with the Molex front pushbuttons removed, replaced with Licon buttons. The turntables were Gates CB-series. I can't remember whether the Gates console was still there in '74 but there were still duty engineers 24-7.
Not to correct Sam, but the view through the glass from the jock position was of the 10kw FM and the RCA BTA-10H night transmitters, not the Amplifuzz. The BTA-50G was way off to the right of the jock's view, towards the front of the building. IIRC there was an addition put on the building in the late 50s when WIBG powered up to 50kw DA-D.
Not to correct Sam, but the view through the glass from the jock position was of the 10kw FM and the RCA BTA-10H night transmitters, not the Amplifuzz. The BTA-50G was way off to the right of the jock's view, towards the front of the building. IIRC there was an addition put on the building in the late 50s when WIBG powered up to 50kw DA-D.
The slogan on the billboard was "Us is WYSP. Try we."
They had a tv commercial at the time that consisted of a picture of the billboard on the side of the road somewhere. The female voiceover simple said, "Us is WYSP. Try we." The picture would quickly fade to black. A male voice would then say, "What??" The picture would then fade back, and the female voice would repeat, "Us is WYSP. Try we."
The John Cameron Swayze tv spots wouldn't come until later when the station would make an attempt at unseating WDVR and WWSH as a major B/EZ station. Blood flowed in the streets till they woke up one day and said, "Let's Rock!" Of course, then they'd be going after WMMR, but the time was right. As the contemporary formats moved to FM, younger listeners were slowly coming to the band. And so began one of the longest Rock FM battles around. It's still going on...
By the way, I would LOVE to hear some tape of the old WIBG-FM. I totally missed it. I was still too young so I didn't have an FM radio that was mine, though I do remember hearing other people listening to WDVR and "The Nicest Music" on WFIL-FM.
Come to think of it, hearing tape of WFIL-FM would be nice too. I have some of the old jingles, but they are really cruddy sounding...
Come to think of it, hearing tape of WFIL-FM would be nice too. I have some of the old jingles, but they are really cruddy sounding...
I know this is an old post but:
I was hoping to find out:
The format of WIBG 94.1 Between 1966 till 1969 was a mix of Pop Standards, Country and Classical.
Would anybody know the schedule for the 3 musical formats during that time?
Thanks Tommy C.
At issue was re the 'newer' WYSP signal, to be sure, when a supervisor at work in Pottsville (where he also lived) asked me how he could hear Howard Stern off WYSP. It seems that this 'other station' used to blow away WYSP.
Here's 'this other station' :
https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WQKX&service=FM
They were the aforemetioned Sunbury station.
Here's the Philly 94.1.
https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WIP&service=FM
Pottsville is on both maps. You could see the problems the supe had trying to bring in Stern.
I offered to put up a TV / FM aerial at his house for a few beers if he'd spring for both the Black & Tan plus the Radio Shack antenna. Piece of cake. North behind his house were some hills, and to his south the hills gradually fell away, all the way to Chesapeake Bay. But nothing came of the project. The boss left shortly thereafter.
(Amazing how time flies. These plans were something like 22 years ago. And back then I was full of immortality and had the chimes to climb things, beer or no beer. Yet ... that's still a long way back. Last century.)
Here's 'this other station' :
https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WQKX&service=FM
They were the aforemetioned Sunbury station.
Here's the Philly 94.1.
https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WIP&service=FM
Pottsville is on both maps. You could see the problems the supe had trying to bring in Stern.
I offered to put up a TV / FM aerial at his house for a few beers if he'd spring for both the Black & Tan plus the Radio Shack antenna. Piece of cake. North behind his house were some hills, and to his south the hills gradually fell away, all the way to Chesapeake Bay. But nothing came of the project. The boss left shortly thereafter.
(Amazing how time flies. These plans were something like 22 years ago. And back then I was full of immortality and had the chimes to climb things, beer or no beer. Yet ... that's still a long way back. Last century.)
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Actually, it was on tower #3. When I first arrived at the facility in 1981 the Isolation Coupler was still at the base of tower #3. It was housed in a small concrete clock building similar to the AM's tuning houses. The coil was several turns of 1 5/8" rigid hardline, if you can believer that. It's the only time in my career that I ever saw an isolation coil made out of rigid hardline.
Rene Tetro
Lansdale, PA
(retired Chief Engineer, WNTP/WFIL)
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