WNAP 70s & 80s

[japman]

Can anyone run down the talent lineup for WNAP in the mid/late 70s to early 80s.

When did Chris Conner move from afternoon drive to A.M.

B. Bodine from Nights to afternoons as Smash came into nights (from overnight).

How many times did D.J.B. come/go?

I was a Jr. High punk that only paid partial attention at the time, but recall "switching" from WNDE to WNAP as the decade unfolded and music made a 360-degree revolution (and my older sister with more music appreciation tuned me in).

Indy never lacked from talent until ZPL showed up in 79/80 ... then things never were the same.

I'd be glad if GuardianMartian filled in the gaps for us!

 

[bigtime]

Not sure about that lineup, but Cris Conner started there doing nights. He called himself "king freak" and had a lot of quirky things like "Howard" & 1937 (hard to explain). He occasionally banged a gong he had in the studio.

99.5 didn't become ZPL until later in the 80s. Around 1980 they were KISS and played dance music.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

By 1980-81

WENS "Let their Music do the Talking"

Kiss 99 was WIKS, later "The new WIKS" trying to kill the disco era use of the station using the same calls but using only the calls.

Chris Conner and Ron Belo were doing mornings followed by Dave Dugan then Freddie Fever was on afternoons and Boomer Dinkens Nights followed by Thom Christi overnights.

Shortly after this

Belo took a great new job promoting a theme park "Old Indiana" shortly before Emily and her family were in the horrible accident that ultimately closed the park.

Dugan was working on comedy and left town for awhile. Was on Dick Clark's Rockin New years eve.

Freddie Fever (Steve Knight formerly of lafayette and WAZY fame) left to who knows where?

Boomer Dinkens packed his pickup, doghouse, and hound and went back South.

Station went after WENS to protect WIBC. Got really lame for awhile then the call letters switched to WKLR next???

 

[BobOnTheJob]

Hey Chief, Don't forget the brief but delightful WEAG Eagle 93 just prior to WKLR...high intensity white boy top 40 around 85-86. John Cinnamon proved he had the "mo" on that station...

 

[KeithE4]

Not sure about that lineup, but Cris Conner started there doing nights. He called himself "king freak" and had a lot of quirky things like "Howard" & 1937 (hard to explain). He occasionally banged a gong he had in the studio.

IIRC, Conner did 6-10 PM from Day One in 1968 until at least 1975, and was PD during much of that time.

WNAP was kind of a strange station in the early '70s. They were WIFE's main competition for the Top 40 audience during the day, then switching to album rock at night, with a bit of both in the afternoon. They'd play a Donny Osmond record, followed by Black Sabbath, then a Jackson Five hit, and a Jethro Tull or Led Zeppelin album cut.

But by 1971, WNAP was the best thing in town. WIBC had dropped Top 40 many years earlier. WIFE's best days were behind them. WNDE was still WFBM, while WXLW hadn't switched to rock yet. They were also the only local rocker we could get in Bloomington after dark, since none of the Indy AM stations were receiveable at night. Either it was WNAP or one of the big 50 kW rockers (WLS, WCFL, WABC, or CKLW). Bloomington was a 3-station market back then and all 3 catered to mostly older people - WTTS & WTTV-FM did MOR (called "adult standards" today) & local sports, and WFIU was classical. WBWB was several years away so WNAP was pretty much it.

 

[11south]

WNAP started in the summer of 1967 I think. This would be their 40th anniversary year. Some of the original players were Al Stone, Jim Hansen, John Gillis, Mike Griffin. I remember Bruce Munson, Tom Cochran, Chris Conner, Buster Bodine, Smash, Fast Freddy Fever, Don Micheal Giourard (sp). I also remember the 25th Hour program.

Stone, Hansen and Gillis had pretty much carte blanche from Mr. Fairbanks to do anything they wanted as WIBC-FM was not much more than an engineering toy (soft of like today's HD Radio)

When Jim Hilliard took over as the General Manager of the two stations, things changed significantly at both WIBC and WNAP and both took quantum leaps forward. Eventually Hilliard turned his attention toward the company's other properties (KVIL-Dallas, WVBF-Boston, WIBG-Philadelphia, WRMF-Titusville, FL) In 1981 when WENS seriously challenged WIBC's music, WNAP was used a pawn to protect WIBC's ratings and revenues as WIBC was both a rating and revenue monster through the 1970's.

WNAP changed to WEAG in 1985 or 1986 and to WKLR in 1987. Fairbanks sold the stations to Blair broadcasting in 1983 or so, and Sconnix purchased them from Blair in 1987. Emmis purchased the two in 1994, and almost immediately flipped 93.1 to WNAP with an all 70's format similar to the Arrow format which was popular at the time.

 

[ten_four]

WNAP took to the air on July 22, 1968. Big John Gillis handled 6 to 10 am followed by Jassen 10 am to 2 pm, Rick Reinhardt 2 to 6, Al Stone "the Rock of Naptown" from 6 to 10 pm and Cris Conner with "Captain Electric" from 10 pm to 2 am (sign off) (I may have Reinhardt and Jassen reversed, but I'm 100 positive about the Gills, Stone and Conner day one slots. I still have the day one publicity photos in my files somewhere. I haven't checked on them in awhile.)
Remember, 93.1 was in MONO until January 1, 1970 when "the caterpillar shed it's skin, to free the butterfly from within" and became STEREO 93.

 

[miketurner]

Dugan was working on comedy and left town for awhile. Was on Dick Clark's Rockin New years eve.

An odd sense of humor, but very entertaining. I still miss The Hangover Cafe...

...and while "Donnie Baker" is the rage among Bob & Tom fans (he is funny), I still prefer "Bart McAllister".

 

[Flying-Dutchman]

Yes, the old WNAP was my favorite radio station of all time. I was in high school in Springfield, OH
and put up a special antenna so I could hear it.
There was no radio station anywhere in the world like WNAP and I loved it. They mixed pop,
deep album cuts by English bands, soul, and even somes country.
Chris Conner was great. When I started WKLU, I wanted to hire him for afternoon drive.
But, he wants no more to do with commercial radio. He was the best.

 

[IndyDan]

WNAP took to the air on July 22, 1968. Big John Gillis handled 6 to 10 am followed by Jassen 10 am to 2 pm, Rick Reinhardt 2 to 6, Al Stone "the Rock of Naptown" from 6 to 10 pm and Cris Conner with "Captain Electric" from 10 pm to 2

That sounds very accurate to me...I listened the first day they came on the air and saved my grass-cutting money so I could buy a portable AM-FM radio to hear the station. (I wasn't allowed to touch the family's Zenith console..my mom kept it glued on WFMS and that stupid harmonica music Martin Williams loved to air so much!)
Someone mentioned Mike Griffin in another post. I think he was at WMMS in Cleveland around that time or a little later before coming to WNAP, then doing a morning stint at Q-95 and a music-video program at WPDS-TV before moving on to the racing biz. He is now a part-owner of Panther Racing and one hell of a nice guy. I also remember other voices on the Chris Conner show including "Howard" and "Mr. Natural" doing their bits for the "King Freak".
Somehwere in my pile of old, brittle, open reel tapes is the aircheck of the night (Jan. 1, 1970) that NAP kicked on the stereo pilot and played Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The station was truly a part of most everyone's life that grew up in the 70's in Indy.
Other NAP jocks I can remember from those days...
Charlie Kendall
Mike Charles
Major Tom Lewis
Steve King
..and the list goes on.....
A buddy of mine has several of the WNAP music marker surverys and was considering listing them on eBay until I talked him out of it, and another friend has one of the original WNAP posters with the peace sign..probably not worth a whole lot, but very cool to gaze at!

 

[Flying-Dutchman]

I recall the first time I ever heard of David Letterman. He did a phone in comedy bit on Chris Conner's
show on WNAP.

 

[KeithE4]

I recall the first time I ever heard of David Letterman. He did a phone in comedy bit on Chris Conner's
show on WNAP.

He was a weatherman at Channel 13 in the early '70s, so I'm not surprised he did bits on WNAP and probably other stations as well.

 

[MacOConnor]

I have been trying to track down a song from a long lost WNAP Music Marker I use to have from around September 1971. The song was call Almond Joy (IIRC). Anybody have a clue on that song and artist?

 

[IndyDan]

I have been trying to track down a song from a long lost WNAP Music Marker I use to have from around September 1971. The song was call Almond Joy (IIRC). Anybody have a clue on that song and artist?

The only song that comes to mind (from the Billboard top 100 lists) is Joy by Apollo 100, an instrumental in 1972.
Otherwise, I am stumped.

 

[IndyDan]

He was a weatherman at Channel 13 in the early '70s, so I'm not surprised he did bits on WNAP and probably other stations as well.

Mulford Bardune, reporting from the Indiana State Fair, phoning in results for non-existent contests..it was absolutely hilarious!

 

[MacOConnor]

I have been trying to track down a song from a long lost WNAP Music Marker I use to have from around September 1971. The song was call Almond Joy (IIRC). Anybody have a clue on that song and artist?

The only song that comes to mind (from the Billboard top 100 lists) is Joy by Apollo 100, an instrumental in 1972.
Otherwise, I am stumped.

The Almond Joy song was not on the Hot 100 or any other chart I know of except the WNAP Music Marker. The song was a double entendre type with the refrain going something like "She's my little Almond Joy...". The artist name may have been similar in spelling to Almond. I think it may have been a comedian rather than a rock n' roller. After 36 years that's all I remember of it.

 

[bigtime]

WNAP played some off the wall songs and made them local "hits". I don't think the group SRC got much play anywhere else, but here in Indy their BOLERO and THE ANGEL SONG were WNAP hits.

 

[IndyDan]

WNAP played some off the wall songs and made them local "hits". I don't think the group SRC got much play anywhere else, but here in Indy their BOLERO and THE ANGEL SONG were WNAP hits.

Yeah, SRC, and dare we not forget Roadmaster when Smash was singing with the band..geez, we're showing our age

 

[hipporadio]

WNAP was the first FM station I ever heard [in March 1969]—on an tube-type GE table radio (with a simple built-in antenna) at my father’s desk while doing homework one weekday afternoon. I lived about 65-miles away, and the wind was “blowing right”. Tuning past the very few local “organ and string” stations, I was surprised to hear Tommy Roe’s “Dizzy” [ON FM!] booming out of the dual 4-inch speakers. “Major” Tom Lewis was on the air; and effortlessly launched into The Music Machine’s “Talk Talk” [their idea of an “oldie” I guess]; followed by The Electric Prunes; and [as a “hit-bound” two months before it would even sneak onto the charts]—The New Colony Six’s “I Will Always Think About You”. Think about that fifteen minutes of music—and you have the quintessential WNAP—the alter-ego of typical AM Top-40 radio. Later that year, this was the station to “early-add” Led Zep’s “Whole Lotta Love” while playing Presley’s “Don’t Cry Daddy” in the same quarter-hour! ‘NAP had this tendency to turn R&R album cuts into unique “station hits”; but seemed downright un-contrite about playing the likes of The Pipkins’ “Gimme Dat Ding” and The Shocking Blue’s uncharted follow-up to “Venus”—remember “Mighty Joe” [with the bass voice].

A trivia question... Didn’t WNAP first air “Let It Be” [in some pre-release form] in the early spring of 1969—a full year before it would chart?

I would fall in love with this new medium called “FM”—early-on BECAUSE of WNAP. Like the prior poster, I also saved my lawn-mowing money for my first STEREO receiver—a Radio Shack STA-65B [STILL alive to this day!]; and marveled at that red “stereo” light for the first time in June of 1970... It was one of ‘NAP’s very-best years... And 93.1 would become FM’s best early sales incentive. ‘Shame that it would be relegated to mere “gunboat” status, and invite its later bane as Indy’s broadcast enigma.

 

[ten_four]

What would become the "Let It Be" album/movie was originally slated to be called "Get Back" and WNAP did indeed premiere the album in its entirety in 1969. (I've always wished I could have recorded the session. "Let It Be...Naked" probably is as close as the album sounded then.) If my memory is correct, The Beatles did not like the album as it was: they hired Phil Spector to work his "magic" on the project. Meanwhile, they were contracted to release an album that year, so they went back into the studio and recorded "Abbey Road."

I used to have the SRC album with "Bolero" on a cassette tape, but it broke. Does anyone out there have the LP?
I'd love to re-live the days.

Does anyone remember when they went 24 hours? They originally signed off the station at 2 am and would return at 6 am. Even with the 24 hour schedule, they, along with other Indianapolis stations would sign off at midnight Sunday for scheduled maintenance every week.