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WLAN AM Question

I

Interstate 78

Did some pretty extensive listening to WLAN AM for the first time in awhile this weekend and found the music mix actually enjoyable. But one question and one comment:

- What satellite feed are they using? I had thought it was Scott Shannon's "True Oldies" but I don't see it listed as an affiliate on Scott Shannon's website. I notice WRAW up in Reading, PA uses the same network, whatever it is.

- Does WLAN AM make any money? I heard about one or two local ads tops, the rest just canned national stuff. Hardly even any of that. Not even any news at the top-of-the-hour as is customary for most AM stations. Just a legal ID and more music, like an FM station. Is this station a tax write-off? I don't see how it makes any money, but it's an enjoyable mix of music.
 
I thought they were using the Clear Channel produced/distributed programming.

Pretty sure any local ads you hear are sold in combo with FM97.

Doesn't cost a whole lot to keep the station on air....no staff that is solely 1390, no programming costs.
 
For someone who grew up with WLAN, I can say that at least for once, the station is playing hits. In it's heyday of the 60's and 70's, WLAN was very interesting because they had this large playlist of contemporary music. The Starline Survey (before that Super Heart Survey and the Swingin' 60) charted 60 songs....and that didn't include the extras. They were still charting 60 songs well into the 70's. The record people loved them and the listeners were provided with a wide and diverse variety. They even played local groups and artists. Thank's to WLAN, I was exposed to alot of music I otherwise would have never heard. When the Drake format started to take off and Philly's WFIL dropped their survey to 30 songs, I began to realize the merit of playing the hits. These stations sounded fantastic and being interested in radio as a profession I started to gravitate toward these stations for my personal listening. WLAN started using Drake formatics and jingles in 1970, but didn't chop their playlist. My guess is that they didn't want to upset the record reps. Bob Dettrey was the PD of LAN during this period, and probably one of the nicest guys in radio.
 
I live about 40 miles from Lancaster and obviously cannot pick up WLAN at home, but I do make it a point to listen when the wife & I are in Lancaster County. We visit about once a month and I really enjoy the WLAN music in comparison to the same old identical, formula-based crap heard on B-101 in Philly and WJBR in Wilmington. It is a refreshing change.
 
great to see a "Bob Dettery" reference. hope he's still around. Boss is correct in saying that Bob is one of the real good guys of radio back in the day. I worked with him at 103.3 before it was "WARM"
 
Does anyone remember a late 1950's WLAN deejay named Guy Barry? What was his real name? (It may have been Italian). What happened to him and what is he doing now? I once heard he went to Las Vegas after ending his Friday night rock 'n roll show on WLAN AM1390 around 1959. I think he was doing rock 'n roll on radio even before WSBA started it. Teens sure listened
to LAN because of Guy Barry.
 
There's a lot of history connected with WLAN, but much of it seems to have been forgotton. The same can be said for WSBA. In other areas...tribute sites are loaded with info about heritage stations, their personalities, airchecks, and other memorabilia. Very little...if any for WLAN or WSBA. One thing I find interesting.....if you ask anyone to name one of the WSBA "Good Guys" of the past....the name that always pops up is Ed Lincoln. Nobody seems to remember any of the others. When asked about WLAN personalitiies of the past, people don't seem to remember any of them.
 
Regarding Ed Lincoln, you're right that Ed is the one name that always comes to mind, even though Ed left the Mighty 910 around 1964 and didn't come back until the late 70s. He was still in the area, though, working outside of radio, but probably continued doing sock hops, so he didn't really go away. The other WSBA "Good Guys" people are likely to remember are Dan Donovan and maybe Ralph Lockwood.

In Harrisburg, if you ask anyone of a certain age to name one of the WFEC "Good Guys," they'll always say Lucky Pierre and perhaps one or two of the others from the 1963-1966 era, but the "much more music" jocks are forgotten by everyone except us radio geeks, and they had some good jocks then.

It's too bad these two stations and WLAN don't have tribute sites, but the amount of time involved just hasn't motivated anyone. And unfortunately, many of the jocks are no longer with us.

Lucky Pierre is still alive, however, out in L.A., bless him and his French accent. I can still hear his daily sign-off: "Thees ees Pierre Gonneau...may your dreams come true."
 
One that I can recall coming from WLAN was Dick Orkin, who was the voice of Chickenman in later years and up til a couple years ago, showed up on agency commercials
 
John-Summers said:
Regarding Ed Lincoln, you're right that Ed is the one name that always comes to mind, even though Ed left the Mighty 910 around 1964 and didn't come back until the late 70s. He was still in the area, though, working outside of radio, but probably continued doing sock hops, so he didn't really go away. The other WSBA "Good Guys" people are likely to remember are Dan Donovan and maybe Ralph Lockwood.

In Harrisburg, if you ask anyone of a certain age to name one of the WFEC "Good Guys," they'll always say Lucky Pierre and perhaps one or two of the others from the 1963-1966 era, but the "much more music" jocks are forgotten by everyone except us radio geeks, and they had some good jocks then.

It's too bad these two stations and WLAN don't have tribute sites, but the amount of time involved just hasn't motivated anyone. And unfortunately, many of the jocks are no longer with us. "mighty nine ten" jock that was on the air for a long time in the 60s was the all night guy...."the mighty mite, the all night satalite" ..but I can't for the life of me remember the guys name. anyone else remember him?

Lucky Pierre is still alive, however, out in L.A., bless him and his French accent. I can still hear his daily sign-off: "Thees ees Pierre Gonneau...may your dreams come true."
Click to expand...
 
Gil David was the "all night satellite" on WSBA through most of the '60's. I'm not sure when he started, but he left in the late 60's for WPTR in Albany. I believe his last stop before retirement was WHLI, Long Island, NY. I met Gil a few years ago at the York Fair. He was back in the area visiting and was quite surprised that I remembered him. I believe he is retired now...but I seem to recall that it was sort of a forced retirement. Talk about irony....the all night satellite was replaced by....drum roll please.....A SATELLITE. Regarding Bob Dettrey....last I heard he was enjoying retirement in rural Lancaster county.
 
I grew up listening to WLAN-AM and WGAL-AM (now WLPA). One of the biggest thrills for me when I got into this business was meeting Bob Dettrey when I went to work at Z107 in the 80's. Bob was News Director there at the time.

And I do remember the "Adventures of ChickenMan"...my mom, brother and I would listen to it at lunchtime over the summer. It was "appointment radio" for us.
 
These days,
Dick Orkin operates the very successful "Dick Orkin's Radio Ranch" out in CA. He still produces some of the mose effective and engaging commercials on the air anywhere. CB
 
Grew up listening to WLAN 60's-70's. Terrific station. Any oldtimers recall when ' Rendezvous For Happy Hearts' was played late Sunday nights? And when was it discontinued (approximate)? Thanks!
 
Ah yes...."Rendezvous for Happy Hearts"....not sure of the timeline, but I remember first hearing it around 1966, when it ran Saturday and Sunday nights. It later went to seven nights a week. On weekends I believe it ran 11 to Midnight and weeknights 11:30 to Midnight. It was the original back seat memories show that possibly led to a Lancaster County baby boom. I was listening to an old WLAN air check from '71 where it was still being promoted. The name Happy Hearts actually came from their mid 60's slogan "The Station That's All Heart", which they began phasing out in the late 60's. I believe they shortened the name to "The Rendezvous" around that time. In the mid 60's the air staff was also called "The Happy Hearts" as well. WSBA had The Good Guys and WLAN had the Happy Hearts. Bill Campbell, Ron Shaeffer, and Rick Lewis were the night hosts during much of this time. Any more WLAN memories? Feel free to add to this.
 
Thanks, bossjock. Wasn't the program opening and/or ending the Tornados and their 1963 instrumental hit "Telestar"? Or am I totally delusional? ;D
 
It could have been at one time....I just don't recall. I listened to WLAN alot in '62 and '63...migrated to WSBA in '64 and '65....came back to WLAN in '66.
 
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