WOR-FM ON REWOUND RADIO ALL WEEKEND

[uncamark]

I wonder if RKO General pondered flipping WOR-AM to the Drake-Chenault format.

That is more than "highly unlikely." In the 60s, and 70s WOR-AM was among the top rated and top billing adult radio stations in the country.

John Gambling was a truly dominant force in morning drive, and the rest of the day was filled with talk programs that had legacy followings, that produced lots of revenue. The last of that kind of programming can still be heard mid-days where Joan Hamburg still does that upscale New York woman kind of show, that doesn't fit in with the rest of the talk format, but still brings in the big advertiser bucks. (Hamburg has been on WOR for, at least, 40-years)

Interesting, considering that the political talk lovers around here have been calling for OR to get rid of Hamburg forever and ever. Do you think that CC will throw that revenue in the toilet to get Beck or Limbaugh on OR once they take over?

 

[TimeIsTight]

Do you think that CC will throw that revenue in the toilet to get Beck or Limbaugh on OR once they take over?

You have to remember that CC, most likely, bought WOR just to insure that it had a good signal in the top market on which to clear its nationally syndicated talk shows.

Joan Hamburg's show isn't going to fit into that strategy, and you also have to remember that CC will be interested in whatever brings in the most bucks to the "corporate" income statement, not just to the accounting books of one local station.

It's just not likely that CC would not carry its two biggest exclusive stars live on WOR, so mid-days will be Beck and Limbaugh. And Hamburg isn't a drivetime show. So, the handwriting is on the wall for several reasons.

That said, Hamburg does do a weekend network show, and, depending on the advertising bucks and audience involved, CC may carry that show on WOR weekends, if it decides to also carry the shows on food, pets, travel, and gardening it also acquired when it bought WOR and its radio network. CC doesn't have enough Limbaugh and Beck type syndicated shows to fill the weekends, unless it does a lot of "best of."

 

[radioguy39nj]

I wonder if RKO General pondered flipping WOR-AM to the Drake-Chenault format. D-C had developed a FM format that ran on WRKO-FM Boston (later WROR).

Drake knew the format would work in the east as CKLW Windsor/Detroit was not only #1 in Detroit but also Cleveland.

CKLW was my introduction to the D-C format. I could DX The Big 8 easily every night on Long Island. The station ID's didn't even say Detroit, it was "CKLW...The Motor City". CKLW was always the first station to play anything new from Motown Records.

IMHO, RKO General never thought about flipping 710 AM to the D-C format. WOR-AM was always at or near the top of the NY ratings during the 60s. WOR was a cash cow in those days.

 

[RadioMan203]

CKLW was my introduction to the D-C format. I could DX The Big 8 easily every night on Long Island. The station ID's didn't even say Detroit, it was "CKLW...The Motor City".

Nor would you have. There were licensed by the CRTC since they were in Canada. They would have identified themselves as CKLW, Windsor. I'll have to go through some airchecks to see how they actually did their legal ID.

 

[qtpieislit]

TOH at the time, went like this, CKLW Windsor/Detroit.

 

[MarkO]

CRTC regs did not require CKLW to annouce the city of license at the top and bottom of each hour....hence the logo "CKLW...The Motor City" which was used for years.

With respects to the great work of Mr Sniffen and co, why not sign up for www.reelradio.com, then you'll have access to lengthy unscoped vintage NYC airchecks (WABC, WMCA, 'OR-FM, WINS, etc, etc) whenever you want. Also, recordings of classic KHJ, KFRC, CKLW and hundreds of other great stations.

There's no need to wait around for another Rewound Weekend!

 

[RadioMan203]

CRTC regs did not require CKLW to annouce the city of license at the top and bottom of each hour....hence the logo "CKLW...The Motor City" which was used for years.

Good point, thanks for clarifying that.

With respects to the great work of Mr Sniffen and co, why not sign up for www.reelradio.com, then you'll have access to lengthy unscoped vintage NYC airchecks (WABC, WMCA, 'OR-FM, WINS, etc, etc) whenever you want. Also, recordings of classic KHJ, KFRC, CKLW and hundreds of other great stations.

I was personally burned and never got access after making what they deemed a "donation" to the site. I won't bother with them.

 

[radioguy39nj]

Did WOR-FM transmit from the ESB during the Drake years? If not, where from? ???

 

[fybush]

Did WOR-FM transmit from the ESB during the Drake years? If not, where from? ???

Yes, WOR-FM was on Empire beginning in 1956, when it had to make a somewhat abrupt move after the WOR-TV/WOR-FM tower in North Bergen was damaged beyond repair when it was hit by a small plane. (I need to go back and consult my notes, but my recollection is that the WOR-TV signal was moved to Empire right away while 98.7 went dark for quite a while before being relocated to Empire.) WOR-FM/WXLO/WRKS/WEPN-FM has remained on Empire ever since, and it is the fourth-oldest Empire FM after the original network O&Os, 97.1/101.1/95.5 (in that order).

Before WOR-FM went to North Bergen circa 1949, it was on the roof of 444 Madison Avenue, the old Newsweek building, where it had signed on in 1940 as W2XOR.

 

[MarkO]

With respects to the great work of Mr Sniffen and co, why not sign up for www.reelradio.com, then you'll have access to lengthy unscoped vintage NYC airchecks (WABC, WMCA, 'OR-FM, WINS, etc, etc) whenever you want. Also, recordings of classic KHJ, KFRC, CKLW and hundreds of other great stations.

I was personally burned and never got access after making what they deemed a "donation" to the site. I won't bother with them.
[/quote]

Bill, it's strange that you got "burned" by Reel Radio since the curator of that site is normally extremely honest and helpful in helping would-be subscribers resolve any access problems. I've been visiting that site almost daily since I first went online in 1997, and it's been the source of much great entertainment. The very few aircheck access problems I've had have been resolved almost instantaneously with help from the curator (and he's in California, and I'm in England). The annual donation of $15 (it's a non-profit corporation) is a pittance compared to all the enjoyment available for the entry fee. Different strokes for different folks, I guess!

 

[RadioMan203]

Yes, WOR-FM was on Empire beginning in 1956, when it had to make a somewhat abrupt move after the WOR-TV/WOR-FM tower in North Bergen was damaged beyond repair when it was hit by a small plane. (I need to go back and consult my notes, but my recollection is that the WOR-TV signal was moved to Empire right away while 98.7 went dark for quite a while before being relocated to Empire.)

@Scott: If you're able to research that I'd be interested in what time frame that occurred. I only recall when the WNBC/WCBS AM tower got hit by a plane back in the mid-1960's

Bill, it's strange that you got "burned" by Reel Radio since the curator of that site is normally extremely honest and helpful in helping would-be subscribers resolve any access problems. I've been visiting that site almost daily since I first went online in 1997, and it's been the source of much great entertainment. The very few aircheck access problems I've had have been resolved almost instantaneously with help from the curator (and he's in California, and I'm in England). The annual donation of $15 (it's a non-profit corporation) is a pittance compared to all the enjoyment available for the entry fee. Different strokes for different folks, I guess!

I suppose I was unlucky, but never again will I bother with that site (my "donation" was also more than $15, which was another sore point to neither be recognized nor have access to the site). A close friend is a fanatic when it comes to airchecks and I wouldn't be surprised if his collection blew away what's up on that site anyway (he has large cabinets full of tapes and CDs). While he's converting tapes to CD so he can listen during his commute I'll just have him dub off an extra copy if I'm jonesin' for something new to listen to.

 

[fybush]

Yes, WOR-FM was on Empire beginning in 1956, when it had to make a somewhat abrupt move after the WOR-TV/WOR-FM tower in North Bergen was damaged beyond repair when it was hit by a small plane. (I need to go back and consult my notes, but my recollection is that the WOR-TV signal was moved to Empire right away while 98.7 went dark for quite a while before being relocated to Empire.)

@Scott: If you're able to research that I'd be interested in what time frame that occurred. I only recall when the WNBC/WCBS AM tower got hit by a plane back in the mid-1960's

Jim Hawkins has a comprehensive WOR-TV/FM North Bergen history page here: http://hawkins.pair.com/wor-tv-NBergenNJ.html

Jim's site says (and I have no reason to dispute this!) that WOR-TV moved from North Bergen to ESB in 1953 to improve reception, leaving North Bergen as a standby site. WOR-FM went silent in 1953 when the TV station moved, it being too expensive to bother moving the FM to ESB right away and too expensive to staff the North Bergen site solely for the FM operation. Jim says WOR-FM returned in December 1955 from Empire, which corresponds with my research. The tower was hit by a plane November 8, 1956 and demolition began the next day.

I suppose I was unlucky, but never again will I bother with that site (my "donation" was also more than $15, which was another sore point to neither be recognized nor have access to the site). A close friend is a fanatic when it comes to airchecks and I wouldn't be surprised if his collection blew away what's up on that site anyway (he has large cabinets full of tapes and CDs). While he's converting tapes to CD so he can listen during his commute I'll just have him dub off an extra copy if I'm jonesin' for something new to listen to.

As a fellow proprietor of a "one-man-band" site, I'd also plead with you to give Uncle Ricky a second chance. Much as any of us try to ensure 100% perfect customer service while keeping all the other site-management balls in the air, it seems that there's always something that can go awry at the worst possible time. At the very least, I always ask my customers to give me a second chance to make things right for them if I've let them down. I'm sure Ricky would appreciate the same opportunity. Even if you're getting plenty of airchecks from (I assume) our mutual friend with the triennial picnic and have no further need of Ricky's amazing stash, I'd hope you'd at least do him the courtesy of giving him a chance to make things right before impugning his good name on a public messageboard.