WSB AM 28 Years ago

[researchthis]

Found this site while surfin' around. Heres a top 30 playlist from AM 790 Nov 17, 1980

Also several other Top 40 AM stations listed with their "sound surveys" of the day....WPLO, WBAD, WIGO, WIIN and others.

Check out the one from WIGO that has a pic of James Brown with VP Hubert Humphrey

Total of 868 stations listed on this site.

http://www.las-solanas.com/arsa/surveys_item.php?svid=2521


8) 8)

 

[BIGSTICK]

I wish they played this today. 8)

 

[jal41]

Is this the MOR format WSB-AM apparently had back in the day? They have the format listed as AC (which...that same year WSB-FM switched to). What was the difference between AM and FM at the time?

 

[jabba17]

Is this the MOR format WSB-AM apparently had back in the day? They have the format listed as AC (which...that same year WSB-FM switched to). What was the difference between AM and FM at the time?

That format on that hit parade is a lot more AC-ish than what WSB-AM had back in the 70s with what you might call a "hard MOR". I always remember 750 playing a lot more currents than a typical MOR station would. Songs I remember include "Snowbird" by Anne Murray, "If You Love Me" and "Let Me Be There" by ONJ, "Popcorn" by Hot Butter, and of course "The Last Farewell" by Roger Whittaker*. By the end of the 70s WSB was playing "YMCA" by the Village People, and making "shocked, shocked!" comments on the air about what the song was REALLY about--definitely not MOR.

*Which is a story in and of itself about how Elmo Ellis's wife loved the song, Ellis had it played in very heavy rotation, RCA had let the record go out of print in the US and asked WSB to quit playing it to no avail, and resulting in WSB essentially breaking Roger Whittaker in the US singlehandedly.

WSB-FM (and WPCH "Peach" FM 95, and WLTA FM 100) were all Beautiful Music back in the 70s. IIRC WLTA was already AC in 1980. WLTA would rebrand to WRMM "Warm 100" (then WARM "Warm 99.7" before the flip to CHR Power 99 in 1985. 98.5 would be the next to flip to AC, first as WSB 99FM and then B98.5 (the imbroglio between Cox and Susquehanna and Arbitron over WSB 99FM and Warm 100/99.7 is another story, mentioned previously on this board). Peach was the last to flip from BM to AC, around 1985.

Exactly when 750 and 98.5 flipped...I would guess 1981-1982 but could be earlier like you said. I don't remember 750 or 98.5 ever simulcasting or sharing a format.

 

[jal41]

Is this the MOR format WSB-AM apparently had back in the day? They have the format listed as AC (which...that same year WSB-FM switched to). What was the difference between AM and FM at the time?

That format on that hit parade is a lot more AC-ish than what WSB-AM had back in the 70s with what you might call a "hard MOR". I always remember 750 playing a lot more currents than a typical MOR station would. Songs I remember include "Snowbird" by Anne Murray, "If You Love Me" and "Let Me Be There" by ONJ, "Popcorn" by Hot Butter, and of course "The Last Farewell" by Roger Whittaker*. By the end of the 70s WSB was playing "YMCA" by the Village People, and making "shocked, shocked!" comments on the air about what the song was REALLY about--definitely not MOR.

Exactly when 750 and 98.5 flipped...I would guess 1981-1982 but could be earlier like you said. I don't remember 750 or 98.5 ever simulcasting or sharing a format.

This is from reading (I wasn't born until '82)...that WSB-FM flipped around the time WSB-TV switched from NBC to ABC...the time could be off.

WSB-AM did not go news/talk until 1991. I remember reading Elmo Ellis wanted WSB-AM to go to split musical format (country at night) around that time (1980). He was let go (or resigned...I don't know) shortly thereafter.

The format you are describing sounds about like B98.5 now...harder edged then other stations of its type...although with fewer newer songs.

I don't know what to take in shock...WSB-AM playing disco or actually playing currents (at the time). Amazing what changes in 27 years.

 

[trusty]

In the early 90's, WGST was really focused on news/talk and growing fast while WSB was more of a full service station and holding its own. When WSB decided to go all news/talk, WGST rolled over and played dead.


Ohh, what could have been....

 

[jabba17]

This is from reading (I wasn't born until '82)...that WSB-FM flipped around the time WSB-TV switched from NBC to ABC...the time could be off.

WSB-AM did not go news/talk until 1991. I remember reading Elmo Ellis wanted WSB-AM to go to split musical format (country at night) around that time (1980). He was let go (or resigned...I don't know) shortly thereafter.

The format you are describing sounds about like B98.5 now...harder edged then other stations of its type...although with fewer newer songs.

I don't know what to take in shock...WSB-AM playing disco or actually playing currents (at the time). Amazing what changes in 27 years.

That would be about right...WSB-TV and WXIA swapped networks in 1980. Worked out great for WXIA as they dumped ABC on the way down and picked up NBC on the way up (at the time).

The 80s were really a "lost decade" for WSB-AM. They had the Braves (not a big draw in the 80s) and UGA, plus some other sports, but I don't remember any specific music from that decade. Talk was still the province of tiny stations with local shows; 680 WRNG (Ring Radio, Atlanta's #1 talk station at the time) had flipped from talk to all-news WCNN in the early 80s. I'm guessing that Boortz moved to WGST when WRNG flipped, probably to mix things up since WGST had been all-news since the mid-70s (and at the time all-news was a new, novel format). WGST's flip was probably shortly after Meredith bought WGST from Ga. Tech in 1974, but certainly by the later 70s (at least by 1977).

I don't think Elmo Ellis was ever let go. I think he retired at Cox Radio...although he might have been parked in a figurehead/pasture position. To hear Boortz tell it, Ellis was at the top of his game until the 80s, when he had problems continuing to change with the times (despite having done so so well before). WSB was more or less full service through the 80s, plus sports and occasional musical forays, and a morning show (The Morning Merry-Go-Round) which was popular with older listeners who wouldn't put up with the hijinks and occasional crudity (tame by today's standards) of the Ross & Wilsons, Gary McKees, and Mark McCains on the FM dial. IIRC the MMGR would spin the occasional record, but the show was a lot more news, traffic, and topic-oriented than the FM shows. Of course, the MMGR eventually succumbed as their listeners either died, quit listening to radio, or switched to FM.

WQXI was also experimenting with different musical formats at the same time, also trying to stay relevant when all of their listeners had jumped to sister station 94Q and the rest of the FM dial.

 

[daryll]

Re: WSB-FM/TV

Channel 2's affiliation swap concluded on September 1, 1980. It was announced in June of that year and WXIA (then ABC) and WSB (then NBC) did a checkerboarded daytime swap over the summer. The primetime swap occurred on Labor Day 9.01.80. Until then, WSB heavily preempted NBC's prime with "Operation Primetime" from Paramount and sprinkled in some movies, too.

WSB-FM became an AC as Atlanta's New 99 on March 15, 1982. Dale O'Brien, formerly of Z-93's afternoon slot, did mornings.

 

[day1radio]

I moved to Atlanta in 1984 and remember those first years in the late 80s, early 90s listening to great fun talk on WSB AM--Dick Hemby being one talker. I think he spun a disc or two too. I can't remember the morning guy. Midday magic was a music show hosted by Greg...name escapes me (he does traffic now). And then Gary McKee did afternoon drive talk for a stint. Great fun. I miss that kind of fun, positive, nonpolitical talk show.
Peter

 

[luvsradio]

I started at WSB-AM in October of 1986. Dick Hemby and Kathy Fischman were doing the morning show. Ludlow Porch and Greg Piccano (pronounced pa-cha-no) held down middays. Skinny Bobby Harper was on in PM Drive. After a while when midday music stopped, Piccano became Ludlow's board op and background laugh track. Fischman also did news and was a "co-host" on WSB-FM. Walt Williams was the PD and Bill Bulger was the News Director.

When Dick Hemby left, Harper moved to mornings. Ludlow held down midday. Gary McKee and the Hometown Radio Show with Munson on sports was on in the afternoons. Clark came over from WGST in 1991 and was first on from 3p-6p. Boortz in 1993 and was first on noon-3. Don't forget Wes Minter was also on in the midday after Ludlow and Mike Malloy ("hello truth seekers") was on at night. He succeeded Bob Mohan.

We went truly news/talk when during the Gulf War ... when the air war started in 1991. That is when Slade came down out of the SkyCopter. Kerry Browning flew temporarily until Captain Herb joined us from 94Q. I do remember our phasing out music in the morning ... first six songs an hour, then four, then two, then only bumper music. Dr. Laura left in 1999 which led to more Boortz, more Clark. Then Hannity - and Savage after the Braves left. Herman Cain joined us last year - and I think we've had one of the most stable program schedules in the city.

Condace Pressley
APD, WSB-AM

 

[MsMusicRadio]

Hannity , Savage, and Boortz are about as much "newscasts" as Les Nessman and the hog futures on WKRP. I just wish stations that air arch-conservatives in most dayparts like WFLA, KDKA, or WRVA stop using the "news" moniker. WCBS and WINS are news. WABC is not.

 

[day1radio]

Thanks so much for the quick history, Condace! Wow, lots of radio listening memories there.

I remembered another morning host--Russ Spooner, right? Thanks for filling in all the other names I had forgotten.

Keep up the great work.

Peter

 

[MsMusicRadio]

good link

 

[jabba17]

Thanks for the info Condace! I had always wondered what 750 did after the demise of the MMGR and before Clark and Boortz came over from WGST when there wasn't a ballgame on.

 

[Art Sutton]

WSB-AM did do country overnights for a while. Bill Vale handled overnights and they went country calling it Interstate 75. I recall it aired from midnight to 5 a.m. The experiment didn't last long. I don't recall the exact length but just a few months best I can remember. This was probably in the early 1980s. The change of WSB TV from NBC to ABC didn't result in any format changes for the radio station stations. Best I recall is even the network affiliations didn't coincide with TV. WSB AM did go with ABC Information at one point to get Paul Harvey but that didn't last long either. I think it was less than a year. Paul Harvey was at his peak of popularity then.

I remember when WSB-FM dropped beautiful music and went AC calling itself WSB99FM. Mike Faherty (sp) was the GM brought in following Elmo Ellis who wasn't fired but retired. Mike, who died of a cancer a few years later..... handled the format change and probably one of the more controversial moves he made when the FM went AC was to sell WSB AM and FM in combo. He spoke about this at a GAB Convention. You bought an ad on both stations for X dollars. If you wanted an ad on just one, the price was only $1 buck less. The strength and reputation of the AM was used to build the FM. The FM took off and then the AM finally dropped music and went all news/talk. There were several years in between when many folks thought WSB-AM was a goner. It really bottomed out and was a low period for the Voice of the South.

Is this the MOR format WSB-AM apparently had back in the day? They have the format listed as AC (which...that same year WSB-FM switched to). What was the difference between AM and FM at the time?

That format on that hit parade is a lot more AC-ish than what WSB-AM had back in the 70s with what you might call a "hard MOR". I always remember 750 playing a lot more currents than a typical MOR station would. Songs I remember include "Snowbird" by Anne Murray, "If You Love Me" and "Let Me Be There" by ONJ, "Popcorn" by Hot Butter, and of course "The Last Farewell" by Roger Whittaker*. By the end of the 70s WSB was playing "YMCA" by the Village People, and making "shocked, shocked!" comments on the air about what the song was REALLY about--definitely not MOR.

Exactly when 750 and 98.5 flipped...I would guess 1981-1982 but could be earlier like you said. I don't remember 750 or 98.5 ever simulcasting or sharing a format.

This is from reading (I wasn't born until '82)...that WSB-FM flipped around the time WSB-TV switched from NBC to ABC...the time could be off.

WSB-AM did not go news/talk until 1991. I remember reading Elmo Ellis wanted WSB-AM to go to split musical format (country at night) around that time (1980). He was let go (or resigned...I don't know) shortly thereafter.

The format you are describing sounds about like B98.5 now...harder edged then other stations of its type...although with fewer newer songs.

I don't know what to take in shock...WSB-AM playing disco or actually playing currents (at the time). Amazing what changes in 27 years.

 

[beachguy3b]

Hannity , Savage, and Boortz are about as much "newscasts" as Les Nessman and the hog futures on WKRP. I just wish stations that air arch-conservatives in most dayparts like WFLA, KDKA, or WRVA stop using the "news" moniker. WCBS and WINS are news. WABC is not.

None of those hosts claim to be new broadcasts. They all will tell you they are opinion broadcasts, not new.

And what does it matter what orientation the opinion broadcast is? Is it news if Randi Rhoads is the host, but not Boortz? Such a hateful post! The format is news/TALK. Not all news. I've never heard any of those stations claim to be all news.

 

[trusty]

And what does it matter what orientation the opinion broadcast is? Is it news if Randi Rhoads is the host, but not Boortz? Such a hateful post! The format is news/TALK. Not all news. I've never heard any of those stations claim to be all news.

So the "monster" in NewsMonster stood for "talk"...


Works for me.....

 

[Flocko]

What a distinct honor and privilege it is to work for a broadcasting outlet that has developed a solid reputation as a place of integrity and high standards. I recently turned twenty-five years old, and it is truly a dream come true to work for News-Talk 750 WSB!

Quick story...

I can remember my Dad waking my sister (now 28) and me up for school, and hearing Scott Slade on the radio in the background saying, "Good Morning, the time is six o'clock, and this is Atlanta's Morning News..." Dad's radio was ALWAYS locked on News-Talk 750 WSB. During school vacations and summer, Dad would take my sister and me to our Grandparents house, and I can remember hearing "Captain" Herb Emory and the 'Triple Team Traffic Team' doing their thing. It was a part of our daily morning routine growing up, and it is truly a dream come true to be a part of the team that was a part of my routine for so long!!

Have you checked out wsbhistory.com? Award Winning WSB Broadcaster Mike Kavanagh created the site, and it is AWESOME! Check it out when you have a chance. I really enjoyed listening to the interview with Aubrey Morris.

 

[RhubarbFan]

Greg Pachano now goes by Greg Tamallmagde,he does traffic on Kicks in the mornings. He and Dallas Mc Cade were the only on-air surrvivors from the leap-day massacare at Eagle. I remember when WSB-AM had the Falcons as well as the Braves and UGA. Alot of people may not remeber but the Braves were on WSB in 1991 when they first went to the World Series,Dave O'Brien who is now with ESPN did the radio play-by-play and also did sports in the mornings. the Braves went to GST in '92 then came back in '95 when they won the World Series and the Hawks followed. I know Captin Herb has been hoping WSB would get Nascar.

 

[dmcco01]

Does anybody else remember the "mystery theater" program that WSB aired at night in the late 70s or early 80s? I used to love to go to bed at night when I was a kid and listen to the scary stories!