WOXY, 97X - Coming Back to 97.7?

[WyllyWylly]

find my reel-to-reel dub of that delightful “Down on the farm” jingle

I've had some bad experiences with aging tape. I hope the tape survived storage; I'd love to hear the jingle.

 

[hipporadio]

find my reel-to-reel dub of that delightful “Down on the farm” jingle

I've had some bad experiences with aging tape. I hope the tape survived storage; I'd love to hear the jingle.

Wylly... OHHHH... I have that same horrible fear :'( There's SOOOO much "history" in those boxes - even a few dozen "blue Audiopack carts" that haven't seen an ITC since '96 I should have started moving that stuff to CD years ago! I just pray that "Down on the farm" doesn't turn to shedding oxide when I lace it up on my old R-R. If it survived, I'll let you know - It's easy enough to Email.

On another note - Considering the suspects involved; I'm a bit surprised that some form of 'OXR "tribute site" has evaded the web. Those guys ran tape on nearly everything... And some of it was hysterical (and prime for an "early FM era" radio parody). I'm sure even many of todays younger pros would enjoy some of that old WOXR mischief ;D

 

[keys2]

Hey Hippo, I'd love to get a copy of that old spoof jingle if you are able to dig it up, or any airchecks of WOXR you may have. Man, thanks for sharing some really cool memories in this thread. There just aren't that many people who remember the the old WOXR.

 

[hipporadio]

Hey Hippo, I'd love to get a copy of that old spoof jingle if you are able to dig it up, or any airchecks of WOXR you may have. Man, thanks for sharing some really cool memories in this thread. There just aren't that many people who remember the the old WOXR.

You got it Keys... I'm about to head to the lower level with the box cutter and start my search (may take a week or so)... The only aircheck I have of WOXeR is the "balls falling" from New Years Eve '73, and some "Nutrino Radio" stuff from '74 on the same tape as WJDJ 94.1 Cincy (with Ronnie Brandon) from the same time frame.... The "Down on the farm" JX is on an old Sony SLH-180 7" reel tape... I need to hook up my old Revox R-R to even play them... GOD - has it been that long :

I'll post here when I meet with success, and no prob with sending them to you in an Email... 'Just give me a bit to inventory "the past"! Have a great weekend!

 

[mcgee]

Wow, I'd love it if WOXY came back to terrestrial..but not holding my breath on that one. Heck, I was just pleased as ever when they came back online. I didn't expect that to happen.

But aside from that...I MUST know-Hippo, what is up with all the quotation marks?

 

[hipporadio]

But aside from that...I MUST know-Hippo, what is up with all the quotation marks?

It's all Pearl's fault (from high school English)... She always hammered at us little 12th-graders that when we imply something in writing that isn't literal--use closed-quotes.

See... NO QUOTES in this post... Now Pearl's going to call my mom (again) and complain :

 

[KevinFodor]

And, of course...don't forget the "Roll Away The Rock" Easter weekends...

I appreciated all of the comments about Rick Sellars. I had the pleasure of meeting him, probably, 25 or so years ago. He was, to me, always a creative guy and made the old WOXR sound interesting...and unique.

 

[Toddy-0]

Speaking of ITC, does anyone know how to get cart machines fixed? I have two machines with the capstan that kicks in when you plug the machine's voltage on.

I have about 150-200 carts I need transferred!....and they do contain some Cincinnati broadcast history. (1 I'd love to hear around now...I have a cart full of Gene Snyder commercials)

 

[almaniac27]

With what's going down at 97.3 now, I hope the owners of WOXY change their minds about FM.

 

[ouuc]

Don't hold your breath.

A. 97.3 doesn't play the same type of music as WOXY.COM...the void is already there.

B. WOXY.COM is focused on tying in with lala.com

C. Nothing is for sale right now.

 

[RadioBill]

Hey Hippo, I'd love to get a copy of that old spoof jingle if you are able to dig it up, or any airchecks of WOXR you may have. Man, thanks for sharing some really cool memories in this thread. There just aren't that many people who remember the the old WOXR.

Another good spoof jingle produced by GWA had lyrics, in part, "This here station's got a lot of power but that's because of the water tower...". And do you remember the "Ox of Oxford's"
(aka Rick Sellers) bicycle traffic reports? And how about the WOXR "Funny Car" with the water tower hand-painted on the hood. Other Big 97 "air personality" names that come to mind are Rick Ludwin, Roger Hamlyn, Frank Tanner Jr, Gregory Paul Tanner, Dean Shephard, Michael T. Lee, Dave Michaels, and Bob Zix.

 

[hipporadio]

Hey Hippo, I'd love to get a copy of that old spoof jingle if you are able to dig it up, or any airchecks of WOXR you may have. Man, thanks for sharing some really cool memories in this thread. There just aren't that many people who remember the the old WOXR.

Another good spoof jingle produced by GWA had lyrics, in part, "This here station's got a lot of power but that's because of the water tower..." And do you remember the "Ox of Oxford's" (aka Rick Sellers) bicycle traffic reports?

OH YUM ;D HECK YES I remember GWA's "station power/water tower" spoof--but I'm sure I don't have that gem on tape :'( ...And a mere image-in-the-mind of Rick Sellers (the Ox of Oxford) peddling a bike with headphones on while dodging traffic in uptown Oxford is hysterical. Didn't all those guys give us so many reasons to listen? OMG where did our beloved radio go?

The weather was too nice this weekend to spend much time in the cellar combing thru hundreds of poorly-labeled R-R tapes from 30 years ago; but I'm sure I have "Down on the farm", "the KORN Bubba & ChuckFred morning show", "Nutrino Radio with rock 'n roll from the vinyl era", "the balls falling from the water tower New Years Eve '73 remote", and a fair dose of the usual 'OXR output on tape. I did find a reel of Bob Berry with Brother Rufus overnights on WMOH (recorded off 103.5 in '74). I just got the old Revox PR-99 hooked up and running, so as time allows--I'll start listening and keep you folks posted... But while you patiently wait--just try to enjoy PooperTalk 96.5

 

[keys2]

Another good spoof jingle produced by GWA had lyrics, in part, "This here station's got a lot of power but that's because of the water tower...". And do you remember the "Ox of Oxford's"
(aka Rick Sellers) bicycle traffic reports? And how about the WOXR "Funny Car" with the water tower hand-painted on the hood. Other Big 97 "air personality" names that come to mind are Rick Ludwin, Roger Hamlyn, Frank Tanner Jr, Gregory Paul Tanner, Dean Shephard, Michael T. Lee, Dave Michaels, and Bob Zix.

More great memories of the the old WOXR. The water tower jingle was hilarious. I'd forgotten about the Ox of Oxford. And calling themselves "The Big 97" with that little Class A signal..... Ah yes. They never took themselves too seriously and yet it was good radio and good music. I do have some old WOXR music surveys, but no airchecks unfortunately.

 

[microbob]

Hey Hippo, I'd love to get a copy of that old spoof jingle if you are able to dig it up, or any airchecks of WOXR you may have. Man, thanks for sharing some really cool memories in this thread. There just aren't that many people who remember the the old WOXR.

Another good spoof jingle produced by GWA had lyrics, in part, "This here station's got a lot of power but that's because of the water tower..." And do you remember the "Ox of Oxford's" (aka Rick Sellers) bicycle traffic reports?

OH YUM ;D HECK YES I remember GWA's "station power/water tower" spoof--but I'm sure I don't have that gem on tape :'( ...And a mere image-in-the-mind of Rick Sellers (the Ox of Oxford) peddling a bike with headphones on while dodging traffic in uptown Oxford is hysterical. Didn't all those guys give us so many reasons to listen? OMG where did our beloved radio go?

The weather was too nice this weekend to spend much time in the cellar combing thru hundreds of poorly-labeled R-R tapes from 30 years ago; but I'm sure I have "Down on the farm", "the KORN Bubba & ChuckFred morning show", "Nutrino Radio with rock 'n roll from the vinyl era", "the balls falling from the water tower New Years Eve '73 remote", and a fair dose of the usual 'OXR output on tape. I did find a reel of Bob Berry with Brother Rufus overnights on WMOH (recorded off 103.5 in '74). I just got the old Revox PR-99 hooked up and running, so as time allows--I'll start listening and keep you folks posted... But while you patiently wait--just try to enjoy PooperTalk 96.5

;D
Pooper Talk is a great name for 965 ...Mancow Wow he will bring in the ratings for sure.

If someone could put that WOXR stuff on mp3 that would be cool. I never heard it before.

 

[hipporadio]

Hey Hippo, I was one of those loyal listeners of WOXR from the early 70s through about 1977... WOXR was a great little station that never took itself too seriously.

Keys, I have been into a week of listening to old Cincy radio tapes from the early 70s. This post caused me to unpak many years of radio memories. Yes, they survived on those Sony SLH-180 R-R tapes--including Chris Baily on WKRQ, Ronnie Brandon on WJDJ ('SAI's 94.1), and Big Joe London and Bob Barry on 1450 WMOH--and there's a lot of 97.7 "Wonderful WOXeR"--I guess I liked that station in the day--YEAH I did!. OMG--'OXR (back then) has caused me to remember how much I REALLY liked radio! I'll dispense with the modern-day comparison (you good folks discuss that daily here), but WOXR was a lot (and NOT so a lot) in the industry at the time. As many "seasoned" will remember--WOXR was rather late to the FM stereo club.

They (finally) lit the stereo becons in the fall of 1972... After literally rebuilding their home-brew console on air in the second-floor studios on High Street. At the time, beautiful music 98.5 imaged themselves as "stereophonically yours"... Rick Sellers countered with the frequent on-air announcement that 97.7 WOXR was "MONOphonically yours" in the summer of '72... Yep, these folks semed to delight in their lack of resources while they went on to appear on stage with Elton John in a concert at MU in 1972 and play the latest Yes album--in mono--to a fully involved and appreciative audience. God, were we listening to greatness (and not even knowing it) back then.

After listening to many hours of these aged 97.7 tapes--I AGREE WITH YOU KEYS... The "roots" of 97.7 deserve at least some mention and acclaim... Those guys did a great job (with very little), and well-deserve a place in our memories! They were "progressive" in the radio biz.

 

[brian_stevens]

Keys, I have been into a week of listening to old Cincy radio tapes from the early 70s. This post caused me to unpak many years of radio memories. Yes, they survived on those Sony SLH-180 R-R tapes--including Chris Baily on WKRQ, Ronnie Brandon on WJDJ ('SAI's 94.1), and Big Joe London and Bob Barry on 1450 WMOH--and there's a lot of 97.7 "Wonderful WOXeR"--

Now the question is how to make those available online. Do you have any way to convert those to mp3?

 

[microbob]

Keys, I have been into a week of listening to old Cincy radio tapes from the early 70s. This post caused me to unpak many years of radio memories. Yes, they survived on those Sony SLH-180 R-R tapes--including Chris Baily on WKRQ, Ronnie Brandon on WJDJ ('SAI's 94.1), and Big Joe London and Bob Barry on 1450 WMOH--and there's a lot of 97.7 "Wonderful WOXeR"--

Now the question is how to make those available online. Do you have any way to convert those to mp3?

I'd love to hear those.

 

[Apollo7979]

I second that.

If you ever convert them to mp3, let me know where I can obtain some samples. I like hearing radio airchecks of yesteryear.

 

[keys2]

Hey Hippo, I was one of those loyal listeners of WOXR from the early 70s through about 1977... WOXR was a great little station that never took itself too seriously.

Keys, I have been into a week of listening to old Cincy radio tapes from the early 70s. This post caused me to unpak many years of radio memories. Yes, they survived on those Sony SLH-180 R-R tapes--including Chris Baily on WKRQ, Ronnie Brandon on WJDJ ('SAI's 94.1), and Big Joe London and Bob Barry on 1450 WMOH--and there's a lot of 97.7 "Wonderful WOXeR"--I guess I liked that station in the day--YEAH I did!. OMG--'OXR (back then) has caused me to remember how much I REALLY liked radio! I'll dispense with the modern-day comparison (you good folks discuss that daily here), but WOXR was a lot (and NOT so a lot) in the industry at the time. As many "seasoned" will remember--WOXR was rather late to the FM stereo club.

They (finally) lit the stereo becons in the fall of 1972... After literally rebuilding their home-brew console on air in the second-floor studios on High Street. At the time, beautiful music 98.5 imaged themselves as "stereophonically yours"... Rick Sellers countered with the frequent on-air announcement that 97.7 WOXR was "MONOphonically yours" in the summer of '72... Yep, these folks semed to delight in their lack of resources while they went on to appear on stage with Elton John in a concert at MU in 1972 and play the latest Yes album--in mono--to a fully involved and appreciative audience. God, were we listening to greatness (and not even knowing it) back then.

I'm jealous, hippo. Wish I had some of those tapes. I have tons of old music surveys, including WOXR and WJDJ (94DJ) but only a few recordings I made in the late 60s and early 70s with a microphone handheld up to a transistor radio or my little home stereo system. It wasn't until I integrated a cassette deck with my system that I started getting some good quality airchecks straight off the air.

One of my earliest WOXR surveys has a misspelling of Barbra Streisand, which knowing those guys was probably intentional. They spelled it BRABRA. This was in the very early days when they were Top 40 by day and album rock at night.

Your posts have really brought back some fun memories of "The BIG 97." Lots of things I remember but had forgotten through the years....like "monophonically yours," "Wonderful WOXeR," etc. You didn't happen to come across the "down on the farm" jingle did you? And you are right, in all their monophonic glory they would literally play the entire side of an eclectic Yes album and then go into perhaps the local Lemon Pipers (of which Bob Nave was a member, btw) and never bat an eye. Sounds like a train wreck but for them it somehow worked. Remember all the references to Burger Chef above them? And Horizon Records, which was also in the same building?

I think you are right....we were listening to something very special without even knowing it. But then maybe we did because we kept listening, didn't we? You sum it up perfectly in your last paragraph:

After listening to many hours of these aged 97.7 tapes--I AGREE WITH YOU KEYS... The "roots" of 97.7 deserve at least some mention and acclaim... Those guys did a great job (with very little), and well-deserve a place in our memories! They were "progressive" in the radio biz.

Have to agree with the other posters here. It would be very cool if you could somehow convert those tapes to mp3s and share them. Have you ever tried to contact Rick Sellers? I'll bet he's got tons of old WOXR tapes.