WNDE and WFBQ INDIANAPOLIS 1974-1976

[ocala500]

I was acting GM and LSM there for a while and wonder if there are any old alums from that time hanging out here? Here are a few names from that era:
General Mangers: Mike Hankins, Chuck Morey and Murray Green
Sales Managers: Bill Parke and T. J. Donnelly
Sales Reps: Nick Connor, Connie Joyner, Chuck Cunningham, Howdy Bell, Steve Archibald, Ted Holcomb, John Dame, Lou Sherman
On Air Staff: Robin Hood, Charlie O'Neil, Jim Davis, Mike O'Brien, Dale Summers, Steve SUPER Cooper
Program Directors: Jim Davis, Bill Hennes
I know I am missing a bunch of names but it's been a long time and my memory is getting rather foggy.
Back then WNDE was an AM Top 40 rocker, going up against top rated WIFE-AM and WFBQ-FM ran the automated TM STEREO ROCK format. WFBQ was actually a big machine that fit in a closet and played taped music from TM and had no live announcers and was a "tough sell" on the street since not many cars had FM receivers yet.

 

[DeVasher]

Chuck Cunningham works for Bill Shirk's Hoosier Broadcasting Co., Steve Archibald is working at WFYI radio in sales, Howdy Bell lives in Greenwood I think, Lou Sherman is pushing up posies, and Steve Cooper is semi retired after being laid off by Entercom.

 

[bigtime]

At last report Bill Hennes was a consultant based in the Carolinas.

Mike O'Brien did overnights on WTPI for 20+ years until the format was dropped. He now is an engineer for WIBC.

 

[kirkiefan]

"Windy-1260" pratically stole WIFE's audience during this time after WIFE's owners(Star Stations) were forced to sell it off after an incident where the news was slanted in favor of political candidate Vance Hartke. WIFE struggled with new ownership,lured back Jay Reynolds and recruited Jackson Armstrong (your LEEEEE-DER) to win back its audience. Wolfman Jack also did a live remote for WIFE from an Indy mall signing autographs.
WNDE had a hot on air promotion as "my number one music station" when Hennes was PD. Since he came from CKLW I was rather surprised he didn't install any Drake jingles though they practically copped CK's programming values!
Best on air personalities included Bill Lyons from Dayton(as "Rob N. Hood") "Marvelous Mark" McClure from Muncie's 990 WERK, Mike O. Brian,Ron Jordan and Jeff Lucifer to name a few. "Dr. Dave" Gross (later at Dayton's WGTZ "Z-93" ...now at oldies WLDE in Ft. Wayne) was also there at the time under a different airname. Even when it stunted playing The Beatles "Day Tripper" repetedly after the air staff resigned...it still held on tight to its ratings until a new airstaff was recruited. Mike O Brian and a couple of others returned after the Day Tripper stunting.

Only thing I didn't like about Windy was the continual overkill of the TM shotgun jingle..they never used any other TM jingles in the package which was also used by WCFL in Chicago...and the overkill of "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zep.

 

[gr8oldies]

Wasn't there a lot more to the WIFE sale than slanted news coverage? I thought there were issues with double-billing, fraudulent contests and a lot more. I do remember WIFE-AM going off the air and a "new: WIFE being granted "program test authority". I don't know if there was a gap between the "old" and "new" WIFE. WIFe-FM of course sat silent for years until WTPI signed on 107.9.

WPTH in Ft. Wayne, just down the dial and up I-69 also used "Stereo Rock", in certain places, or when the band opened up in Western Ohio, we could hear both. Sorry I didn't get to hear a lot of WNDE. I do remember even CKLW was only using the shotgun jingle around that time, but they did finally add jock shouts. "Brother Bill Gable...CKLW".

 

[jimbo700]

Don Burden lost the license to 5 of stations; 3 AM's and 2 FM's... WIFE AM and FM in Indianapolis, KOIL AM and FM in Omaha, and KISN AM in Vancover; for "pervasive and continuing misconduct" in operation and lacks "requisite qualifications" to be licensee.
He gave favorable on air editorial status to Indiana Senator Vance Hartke (a Democrat) and Oregon's Republican governor, Mark Hatfield.
He made illegal campaign contributions to Mr Hatfield, and there were allegations his stations were "improperly used to favor political candidates of his choice - and thus to "subvert the political processes" - in 1964 and 1966". More specifically, station newscasts and editorials were liberally sprinkled with stories favorable to Mr Hartke and Mr. Hatfield, and WIFE had given free advertising to Hartke.
To make matters worse, after complaints were made, he continued to grant favorable coverage to his favorite candidates, even while the FCC was investigating. It was kind of "in your face" believing that they wouldn't yank his tickets. When it really got serious, he ultimately he blamed it all on Ron Mercer, WIFE GM from 1963 to 1965, saying that he (Burden) had been "duped by Mercer" and by Hartke.
There was a lot of innuendo about other reasons for the feds pulling his licenses, but nothing of any consequence regarding contesting.
If you want to read a case study about a station losing its' license over contesting, Google WMYQ Miami 1975. Verrrry interesting....

 

[bigtime]

I don't believe WIFE-AM ever went off the air. The group that had spent years trying to get the license finally got it in 1976 but were not able to maintain the ratings success that Don Burden had with 1310. Jay Reynolds returned from WABC and Jack Armstrong arrived, but the increasing strength of FM and more importantly the surging WNDE spelled doom for WIFE. At least 2 of WIFE's Burden era on-air people crossed the street to WNDE. WIFE was somewhat of a revolving door over the years. Reb Porter was probably the only person on the air throughout WIFE's glory days (1964 through 1975).

The song played on a continous loop after the WNDE walkout in May of 1977 was actually "Disco Duck" (not "Day Tripper")

 

[hipporadio]

The great days of "Windy 12-60"... When the night-signal got outta' Marion Co.

Even when it stunted playing The Beatles "Day Tripper" repeatedly after the air staff resigned...

Do we remember: “W-N-D-E – Windy twelve-sixxxty... JOCKLESS - until Monday” [?] They managed to turn an alleged employee-relations revolt into a weekend station promotion. Early that Monday, I woke-up to hear the fill-in morning man say: “They just flew me in from Super-LCY in Tampa-St. Pete, and I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here!”

Best on air personalities included "Rob N. Hood", "Marvelous Mark" McClure from Muncie's 990 WERK, Mike O. Brian, Ron Jordan and Jeff Lucifer to name a few...

Didn’t the Marvelous One draw a few days off for his show-opening [and show-stopping] top-of-the-hour ID: “WNDE Indianapolis... six o’clock with Marvelous Mark and another hour of the best f***’n music in Indy on Windy 12-60”

and...

What was the name of RJ’s [gay-inferred] sportscaster character - the one with the basketball coverage fetish? Of coarse innuendo and double-entendre were involved :

“Windy 12-60 – I’m Ron Jordon... And I didn’t fall down an elevator shaft!” What was that all about?

 

[pbf1]

So...

As someone who wasn't around Indy at the time, what was WFBM doing that prompted the identity switch (to WNDE)?

 

[radiorob2.0]

As someone who wasn't around Indy at the time, what was WFBM doing that prompted the identity switch (to WNDE)?

I'm sure someone could elaborate better but here is what I know. 1260/94.7/Channel 6 were under common ownership as WFBM/WFBM-FM/WFBM-TV and Time-Life owned the combo at one time. The combo was split up an at the time call letters couldn't cross ownership lines like they do today. Channel 6 changed their calls to WRTV and radio initially kept the WFBM calls. The AM was MOR but changed to Top 40 with new calls WNDE and the FM changed the "M" to "Q" and became WFBQ and did automated rock for a few years before live rock.

I'm sure there are holes in the above; feel free to add subtract or multiply. Oh by the way, WXLW originally had 94.7.

 

[hipporadio]

Oh by the way, WXLW originally had 94.7.

Wow! Thanks, radiobob... That’s news over forty-years after-the-fact. I always thought 94.7 was in the WFBM family from the earliest days. So someone talked L.S. Ayres into three towers [instead of two] on 950 and an FM to boot... So who’s the culprit that talked him into unloading [or shutting-off?] 94.7 – and when?

 

[IndyDan]

Oh by the way, WXLW originally had 94.7.

Not to get too far off-topic here, But I thought I read somewhere that WXLW AM was originally on 1590 prior to WGEE.

 

[gr8oldies]

What prompted the WNDE walkout?

 

[bigtime]

Walkout was prompted by the firing of the very popular p.d. Chris Bailey.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

PLEASE stay in the CHRIS BAILEY DELIVERY WHEN DISCUSSING CHRIS BAILEY.

WINDY 1260 WITH CHRIS BAILEY HOW YA DOIN OUT THERE?

One of the best bygone jocks from that era. No wonder he was able to inspire the entire staff to present an uptempo exciting "screaming" delivery.

The end of WNDE was started when Chris left. As a former listener I lost radio altogether because WFBQ was a foreign object to most not in the drug culture, WIFE waffled and died, and most radio was hit and miss.

Thank GOD for Q 102 which was a tough receive in Indiana on an FM converter that fed into your AM radio.

 

[Tired-Old-Dog]

People say WNAP was a great radio station for what 7 or 8 years. Well, WFBQ has been
a great radio station for almost 30 years.

 

[bigtime]

People say WNAP was a great radio station for what 7 or 8 years. Well, WFBQ has been
a great radio station for almost 30 years.

WNAP has the advantage. What they were doing was new & innovative . It was not heavily researched in the first few years. There was no corporate person telling them not to stop down to interview a witch or not to play The Archies & Led Zeppelin in the same quarter hour.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

Walkout was prompted by the firing of the very popular p.d. Chris Bailey.

I was told that the reason for Chris Bailey's demise was that he insisted on renting the Indianapolis Motor Speedway & presenting a free concert featuring Chicago. Management said no & Bailey said yes. Bailey lost...and what a shame. Can anyone confirm or deny that story? If so, Bailey went down in flames...My first dose of Chris Bailey was when he created the Super Q in Cincy in the fall of 1972 (later to become Q102)...same MO as WNDE. When I heard that he was in Indy, I stopped listening to everything in Cincy...except at night when WNDE wasn't there. As a WNDE side comment, they were number one at night in Columbus,IN in the mid 70's...now you can't here them there. There is much more interference on AM now than 30 years ago.

Bill Hennes made it sound great, but Chris Bailey put the icing on the rock 'n roll cake.Someone needs to create an oldies station that sounds like WNDE sounded under Hennes/Bailey. I would do ANYTHING to pull that station in.

 

[radiorob2.0]

I believe this is the same Chris Bailey who worked at KCBQ during their "Q" period. If it is, at last check he's a PI according to reelradio.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

Another Chris Bailey story that I recall...does anyone know if he really had a heart attack while screaming over an intro on G98 in Cleveland?