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WJFL 1490 (Vicksburg)

J

JeffSteele

I think my mom may have listened to WJFL back in the '70s. (I lived in Vicksburg in the mid- and late '70s.) Was it a top-40 station back then? What was WJFL's nickname?
 
what a hot little top 40 station back then.Win Just For Listening WJFL, that's where the calls came from.i did mornings (Ray Fisher), Brock Boulette(golden throat, man what pipes) Mark Jones, Bill Loggins.station was great, had some kind of black box secret processing.Very fun place to work.station is now talk and owned by Mark Jones who also owns 105.5 the oldies fm.
 
Were WJFL and WQMV sister stations (that is, under the same ownership)? I'm guessing they were.

In the early '80s, WQMV (Q99) switched to top-40. I think its previous format was album rock.
 
no connection between the 2.WJFL was a stand alone in the market...when music left A M that was the beginning of the end...especially when top 40 moved to FM and other formats followed.
 
I had the priveledge of doing mornings on WJFL in 1977. I was followed by PD John Curry, Fast Jimi (who I later worked with in the NYC area) held down afternoons, and Dave Garey did nights, later to be replaced by Mark Jones (slick eddie). It was a great place to work and we had a ball. As for the secret processing, most of it was a clipper box based on a Harris design built by Jim Cope from Little Rock. And I have to mention J Boyd Ingram who once in a while came down to help us keep the Gates BC1G on the air.
 
I think 98.7 was album rock back in the 70's. It was before they boosted the power but you could pick it up in Jackson on a clear day. They switched to top 40 in the early 80's when they went full power. As for WJFL 1490, I am almost certain that they simulcast 98.7 for a while in the 80's, It wasn't mentioned much on the air except when they gave their ID at the top of the hour. 1490 was dark for several years and came back as rhythm 1490. The last time I was in Vicksburg it was black gospel. Did it switch to talk? or have you confused it with WQBC 1420, which was also talk the last i checked.
 
Douglas b, thanks for the processing info.station sounded great.i started mornings right after John Curry left.with Brock mid days, mark jones afternoons and bill Loggins nights.have we ever met??i did some weekends before doing the morning gig with Lucy Farr Newsgirl.Mark and i had a station up in North MS for years.he's back in Vburg with his own oldies fm and bought the old JFL and it is now news talk.Mark is amazing,the board may not know he is sight impaired, but hey you could never tell..his IQ must be off the scale...
 
I might have met you...I can tell you that during my last couple of months, Mark was my room mate and I drove him to the post office to mail the app for the 1520/1170 station. It weighed 4 pounds! You also probably know the name Don Brady. He worked weekends and crashed at our apt every now and then. So, was John Pratt or Larry Trimmer your GM? Slide me an email at <wbzq1300.com>, I've got an interesting Mark Jones story for you. BTW, it there a way to reach Mark other than telephone?
Thanks..............
 
John Pratt was GM.i was known to be a little blue on the air, but the listeners sure loved it.having trouble emailing you, send me one at [email protected]. thanks, can you believe i had Mark out on the golf course, he actually hit the ball pretty good...
 
Who was the owner at the time WJFL was top 40? I think he moved to California and bought a station there. I was selling for WKYV at the time, but always enjoyed talking to him. By the way, WQMV, when it was album rock, had an owner who locked the production room. When it went top 40 it had been sold and became Q99.
Bill Wilson worked there then along with some other folks who went to do ok for themselves, I just can't remember their names. Too much rf under the old KY tower.
 
You are so right! The FCC would never approve a WKYV arrangement today....that station reminds me of Morris Currie and Bill Hoisington...Bill is in Florida selling equipment...anybody know where Morris is? They were both real characters....and Of Course, WQMV was originally a beautiful music station...it's original owner was also a character...anybody remember Gene
Underwood...a HOOT...Thanks...JBI
 
As to ownership of WJFL during the top 40 days, Vicksburg Radio Company, owned by JA "Sonny" West owner (at that time) of KDMS/KRIL El Dorado, AR, and his son-in-law Paul Meacham KDMS's former GM. John Pratt, Paul's half brother would go on to manage WJFL after Paul returned to El Dorado when John Curry and I left in Sept of 1977. Paul stayed with us for about 6 months in El Dorado and took off winding up working for TM Productions. Paul later owned other stations with some partners, and eventually founded Eagle Marketing in Colorado. Paul's retired now, and his son, Paul, Jr sold Eagle a couple of years ago. I owe much to Paul Meacham and Sonny West. Paul believed in me enough to encourage me to blossom as an air talent, even so far as helping me get my job here in Fort Wayne. Sonny, was a great radio man who had seen it all and knew the business inside out. Couldn't ask for a better mentor. And he taught me to fly his plane.......that's another story.
Today's industry could use a lot more Paul and Sonnys.
 
Meach was 100% class act. I worked there in the very early days when Steve Zetsche was there as PD- back in 1976. Wasn't there long (I'd just been exiled from major market radio and needed the blacklist to chill.) I had a few fun months with the folks there. CBS Radio Mystery Theatre at 11 pm. Goodness!

DRB
 
MaryAnn!!! WhoA! I hadn't thought of that name in decades! I'd fogotten about her. Flaky, but looked nice! I wonder whatever happened to her, and if she is single? ;D

I'm fresh out of pea green limiters, but I heard there was one in a ravine near Hattiesgulch.
 
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