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WNIA question

Savage said:
It's ironic to read the WNIA thread as we spent the day making field measurements on first-adjacent WECK for the 1220 pending application. It's a very good sounding signal today, entirely unlike the days of The Niagara Broadcasting System.

Especially if you have an HD radio and are within 10 miles of the tower. I believe WECK is the only AM HD signal in the area.
 
Another great WNIA memory was hearing the jets landing and taking off at Greater Buffalo International Airport while the mic was open. The only thing worse was listening to the stereo mics at WADV with the whirring of the air conditioner behind the golden tones of Fred Klestine!
 
regarding "Stereo" mikes at WADV

As a former DJ, Air personality etc at WADV, I can tell you that the Mikes were mono........the music of course in Stereo or at one time in quadraphonic sound......but the announcers' voices were always in mono......and Dan and Nancy Lesniak always provided their on air staff with state of the art equipment.

Thanks

Ken "Harris" Kiedrowski
 
Yes, Gordon Brown owned both WNIA and WSAY. I was one of the hundreds of Jerry Jacks back in about 1970. I was on air there for about one year -- after loosing my job at WYSL-FM, Buffalo. I was "Sir Walter Raleigh" at WYSL-FM.
Yes, we did weather every 15 minutes, no news (except for school closings when the Buffalo snow storms arrived).
Crazy times!!!
-=\Walter
 
topsound said:
An ex-WNIAer who now lives in FLA sent us some pics of the WNIA studios during the 60s.

http://www.weck1230.com/1960s.html

WNIA's studios look posh compared to what we (former WHAM staff) found when we went to work at WSAY in the early 80s.

I was amazed, during a tour of WSAY's broadcast facility on French Road, what little in the way of equipment people had to work with. Plus the place looked like an extention of the Walton's barn.
 
Sometime, in the early '70's, WNIA's Mac Maguire, changed races. One week he was white. The next week, he was black!

Also, there is a WSAY story, going around that, in their "progressive" days, the Angelis prayer, which the priest ended by saying something about declining moral values in our society, was followd by the DJ doing a "Salute to Haight-Ashbury!" Beautiful! Can anyone tell me if this is true.

Another WSAY, story had the EBS tone cart malfunctioning.Following some dead air, the DJ opened the mike and went, "boooooooooooooo!" Is this true?
 
Also, there is a WSAY story, going around that, in their "progressive" days, the Angelis prayer, which the priest ended by saying something about declining moral values in our society, was followd by the DJ doing a "Salute to Haight-Ashbury!" Beautiful! Can anyone tell me if this is true.

We've all heard a lot of radio "urban legends" over the years. We probably all repeat them and stories get embellished a little..or a lot. I do remember a nightly "After the Rosary Hour Special" back in WSAY's progressive rock era(or error) in the early/mid 70s. And I always suspected the dj's were purposely playing especially far-out music during this nightly feature as a little private joke, but don't recall much beyond that.

Another WSAY, story had the EBS tone cart malfunctioning.Following some dead air, the DJ opened the mike and went, "boooooooooooooo!" Is this true?

Don't have any personal knowledge of this being true. Again, we all like to spread stories when we get into bull sessions with other radio people. Whether it's true or not, it's a great story to tell over a couple beers at a local modestly priced watering hole :)
 
Here's a story from a WNIA listener (me) and I swear it's true. Maybe some of you guys remember...

WNIA had just one generic jingle. No call letter sing, it went (sung) "What's the time?"__pause__"Temperature"___pause__"and what's the weather gonna be?"_____

I found the exact same jingle on an LP called U B A D J. It was put out by Cameo-Parkway. On one side Mr announcer showed you how to be a DJ and the other side had had the announcer tracks removed so kids could do their own. The LP is a real hoot!
 
WNIA had just one generic jingle. No call letter sing, it went (sung) "What's the time?"__pause__"Temperature"___pause__"and what's the weather gonna be?"_____

I found the exact same jingle on an LP called U B A D J. It was put out by Cameo-Parkway. On one side Mr announcer showed you how to be a DJ and the other side had had the announcer tracks removed so kids could do their own. The LP is a real hoot!

That must really go back in time...I don't remember that one...but sounds like it could be true. They did later on have their own jingle package..as I recall all..or mostly..accapella...created by a young Ben Friedman. Included such classics as "WNIA - 123," "WNIA-Jerry Jack," "WNIA - Yesterday"
 
If anyone knows Ben Freedman, wouldn't it be great to hear those jingles again?!! Many radio websites have links to old airchecks and jingles. Many of those jingle packages were used throughout the country and everyone has heard them, but WNIA had its own. They were truly custom jingles. It would also be great to have a tribute website for WNIA as a place to see pictures, hear the jingles and listen to the many Jerry Jack's, Mike Melody's and Tom Thomas's! I wish I knew how to set one up. Maybe there's a web expert out there that would, or if there would be a way to tie into the Buffalo Broadcasters website. Ben does have a website http://www.jingleguy.com. Maybe he could post some things there!
 
As "Jerry Jack" 4,876 in 1964. the only jingle (if you can call it that) I can recall was the "Lively Companion..portable radio" theme.

Quick Story.. On the 4th of July 1964, I was working the 3:00 PM to 12:30 AM shift. About 5:00 PM, feeling the pangs of hunger I decided to order a chicken dinner from the joint across the street. I had to place my order in person, because Mary wouldn't allow anyone to use the phone. So, during a long Gene Pitney single I made the dash across Gennesee Street. After placving the order, I ran back to the ranch house only to discover that I had left my keys to the building on the board. I was panic stricken. How the hell was I going to get back in? I ran around the building trying the rear door and the garage to no avail.

I had to cut through the screen window to get back into the control room. As I crawled through the window the irritating sounds of the record hissing and the light on the phone blinking assured me that I was in deep &%^$#@&. I thought that my career in radio would be ending for sure.

The next day, Mary handed me a bill for the screen repair, but never mentioned the incident and I kept my job. It's funny, I can recall in detail that day forty four years ago, like it was yesterday.
 
Jock's Nightmare

VoiceGuyJack said:
It's funny, I can recall in detail that day forty four years ago, like it was yesterday.

Sounds like one of those recurring nightmares. You know, the record's ending, and you haven't got anything cued up, and you can't find anything to play...

Gee, how does that go for the current generation, who never have to cue ANYTHING up? Computer crashes? Touch screen fails? Can't get it to go into "auto" instead of "manual"?
 
Gee, how does that go for the current generation, who never have to cue ANYTHING up? Computer crashes? Touch screen fails? Can't get it to go into "auto" instead of "manual"?

I remember less than 10 years ago having a nightmare that the CD player in the control room started on fire during my show. I have had computer crash nightmares - in real life - in the control room. Pinching yourself doesn't do much good.
 
Re: Jock's Nightmare

SirRoxalot said:
VoiceGuyJack said:
It's funny, I can recall in detail that day forty four years ago, like it was yesterday.

Sounds like one of those recurring nightmares. You know, the record's ending, and you haven't got anything cued up, and you can't find anything to play...

Gee, how does that go for the current generation, who never have to cue ANYTHING up? Computer crashes? Touch screen fails? Can't get it to go into "auto" instead of "manual"?

I didn't have that nightmare until I had been in radio for about 13 years. It started when I got to WBT. I guess I was in awe of the place.

The AudioVault computer automation can be a real nightmare if you put it in automation mode and forget to also hit auto-segue.

Having the computer do the work makes being on the radio boring and uninteresting. Especially for those of use who used to get great satisfaction from the "perfect segue".
 
AudioVault keeps playing the same 73 songs over and over and over... Oh. I'm awake and listening to any number of CHR stations in America. Never miiiind.
 
WSAY was WNIA question

I remember that in the 70's sometime I was working nights at WOKR TV and took dinner at 8PM. I came out and left the parking lot listening to WSAY. The song comes to the end and the end of the LP clicking sound started and went on and on and on. And I actually listened for the short ride to the diner waiting for the DJ to get the other song going. It didn't. I got to the diner, ate and was coming back and it's still clicking. All of a sudden the clicking stops and Tommy Thomas gets on mic and says "Oh kids Tommy Thomas fell asleep on you!" and immediately went to the next song. Those years are kind of a blur these days but that will live in my memory forever. ;D
 
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