WSMJ Greenfield, your 50 thousand watt friend....in the late 70s?

[perenoel6218]

Does anyone remember the Free Form show I did on WSMJ in 1978? It ran from 6pm to
midnight on Sundays. I think it was, and most likely still is, the only true album oriented
rock show that has ever been on Indy area radio. If I am not mistaken, wasn't that about
the same time WFBQ was going rock?

During the weekdays I was also the Music Director at WSMJ and dj'ed in the afternoons. I
dropped all the Mantovani and Perry Como stuff they were playing as MOR and brought in
the softer rock singles and LP cuts, including some jazz from artists like Bob James and
Chuck Mangione. I also programmed a really sweet list of oldies. Jay Riley (Tim Renshaw)
was PD and gave me the green light. I think he is now GM of a high school station east
of Indy. Great guy to work with and know.

Ralph Adams did his jazz show back then starting about 6pm. Barbara Sinclair did news and
Larry Lannan was doing news as well. It was a fun station to be at. I left for Europe and
shortly thereafter the station was sold and went disco....Kiss 99.

On June 25, 1978, a Sunday night, tornadoes blew through Indy and I had Barbara on the
phone reporting what she was seeing on Indy tv stations and giving me updates to pass along.
It was one of my most thrilling times in many decades of broadcasting. I had heard that
Fred Heckman tuned us in, as WIBC had been knocked off the air. And apparently he was
quite impressed with our coverage.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

Larry lannan worked later at WCSI. Where is he now????

I remember one caller who always said something close to thank you very much at the end of calls to Larry. Pre delay.

 

[Wazzie]

Tony Giltner and his wife Cindy were a part of the Greenfield station in the late 70's. They have been at WZBD Berne ( http://www.wzbd.com ) for about ten years. I worked with Tony at WLBC in Muncie and he was a talented guy.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

Larry lannan worked later at WCSI. Where is he now????

I remember one caller who always said something close to thank you very much at the end of calls to Larry. Pre delay.

Last I heard (and it's been a while) Larry was with the IRS in Indy.

Wasn't Ken Hayes part of WSMJ in those days?

 

[perenoel6218]

Yes, Ken Hayes (Ponser?) was at WSMJ and then he joined the staff at WIAN.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

I think it was Ponsler from when I saw him sign the transmitter log at WENS. Good guy...last I heard he was in Arizona.

 

[ten_four]

If I am not mistaken, wasn't that about
the same time WFBQ was going rock?

WFBQ went live with the rock format February 14, 1978. "This is WFBQ, Indianapolis. Q95. Pass it on!"

 

[LawrenceFromLawrence]

I've just recently discovered this board and I see so many WSMJ names from the past I don't know where to start. Yes, my late-night call-in show was called "Night Action" but the show was started by Gary Lee and the audience later grew under Art Murphy. I had the show about 2 years (1975-1977). I later was asked to take the Program Director job, replacing Tony Giltner. Tony was generally OK with me, but he angered some higher-ups and paid the price. But he & Cindy landed well after that. Yes, Jim, I remember your free-style program. I remember Ralph Adams' jazz program. Ken Ponsler replaced me on Night Action but he angered the higher-ups (not a hard thing to do in those days) and paid the price. I saw Ken many years later when he was with WENS and life was treating him well then. I saw Tony in the 1980s at the Speedway media area and life seemed to be good for him then. I got a comment from someone the other day that listened to Night Action in the 70s and I'm shocked that anybody remembers that show...after all, that was 30 years ago. I'm glad I left radio as a profession in 1982. When the business was deregulated and ownership rule changes allowed giant radio ownership companies like Clear Channel, it was no longer fun. I also think it's a young person's business.....and I'm sure not young anymore!

 

[BobOnTheJob]

I've just recently discovered this board and I see so many WSMJ names from the past I don't know where to start. Yes, my late-night call-in show was called "Night Action" but the show was started by Gary Lee and the audience later grew under Art Murphy. I had the show about 2 years (1975-1977). I later was asked to take the Program Director job, replacing Tony Giltner. Tony was generally OK with me, but he angered some higher-ups and paid the price. But he & Cindy landed well after that. Yes, Jim, I remember your free-style program. I remember Ralph Adams' jazz program. Ken Ponsler replaced me on Night Action but he angered the higher-ups (not a hard thing to do in those days) and paid the price. I saw Ken many years later when he was with WENS and life was treating him well then. I saw Tony in the 1980s at the Speedway media area and life seemed to be good for him then. I got a comment from someone the other day that listened to Night Action in the 70s and I'm shocked that anybody remembers that show...after all, that was 30 years ago. I'm glad I left radio as a profession in 1982. When the business was deregulated and ownership rule changes allowed giant radio ownership companies like Clear Channel, it was no longer fun. I also think it's a young person's business.....and I'm sure not young anymore!

Are you Larry Lannan of WCSI fame?

 

[brian_stevens]

Oh, no...another WSMJ thread...can't resist...must comment...too...many...stories...to tell...again...

Does anyone remember the Free Form show I did on WSMJ in 1978? It ran from 6pm to midnight on Sundays.

Talk about culture shock, when your show replaced Chuck Meadow's "Big Band Ballroom." And what was the name of the guy that replaced you on "Free Form?" He ran the Bloomington Karma store.

During the weekdays I was also the Music Director at WSMJ and dj'ed in the afternoons. I dropped all the Mantovani and Perry Como stuff they were playing as MOR and brought in the softer rock singles and LP cuts, including some jazz from artists like Bob James and Chuck Mangione.

I've always wondered...could you and Tim have made that shift in music if Paul Braden hadn't already decided to get out of Greenfield and was shopping the station?

Ralph Adams did his jazz show back then starting about 6pm.

Interrupted at 7:00 p.m. for 15 minutes of "Lum and Abner" - brought to you by the White House Restaurant.

And Ralph's sign-off, read to Oscar Peterson's "Here's that Rainy Day"..."a piano has 88 keys, both black and white, and it takes two hands to play the Star Spangled Banner..."

Barbara Sinclair did news...

Barb Sinclair...host of "Heartland Exchange"...and even did a season of high school basketball play by play, along with the late Bob Caldwell. Barb went on to briefly host nights at disco Kiss 99, using the air name "Foxy." Not long after, she jumped ship to WATI.

Yes, my late-night call-in show was called "Night Action" but the show was started by Gary Lee and the audience later grew under Art Murphy. I had the show about 2 years (1975-1977).

But who remembers Larry's talk show "Afternoon Action?" After he'd been promoted to PD.

I later was asked to take the Program Director job, replacing Tony Giltner. Tony was generally OK with me, but he angered some higher-ups and paid the price.

A somewhat ironic understatement that I was thinking about the other day. Judy Stanley died last week. Judy was PD prior to Tony Giltner, and later married former GM Tom Romine. As I recall, Judy and Tony's WSMJ jobs both suffered the same fate.

Seems WSMJ aired a couple of local ministers in midday. And both ministers had the ear of owner Paul Braden. After all, they paid Braden for air time. As I recall, Judy left when she and Tom tried to pull the plug on one of the ministers. Later, Tony and GM Tom Reeder left when they tried to pull the plug on the other.

And no. Neither minister went by the name "the Reverend Little Ed..."

Other WSMJ names that deserve mention...

GM's including Earl Francis, Roy Whitton, and Katie Fordice.

The sales pros like Dennis Kelly, Gary Ray Mullen - and John Davis, who now pastors a church in Greenfield.

Earl McClarnon and Jay Arlan, the two hosts of Sunday morning's "Hymns of Heavenly Hope."

Sports play by play talent, like Tom Bradley, Bob Miller and Chuck Stevens.

Curt Steele, the engineer turned General Manager. A quiet guy, but he kept that station on the air with zero budget.

News pros like Dave Bailey and Bill Schumacher. Along with Paul Stevens, Tim Roberts, John Charles, Steve O'Brien...how about those for air names? The newsman's life was a rugged one at WSMJ. Like the day the news director and the afternoon news anchor got into a full blown fist fight in the production studio.

DJ's like Jim Johnson and Sam Wade. Wasn't it Lew Thompson who started most breaks by saying "and that's a pretty good tune..?" J. J. Walker, who hosted WSMJ's first R&B show, and his catch phrase "you can't beat that with three sticks." Karen Wilson replaced Jim Walsh. WNDE's Dave Harding briefly DJ'ed a top 40 night show - with imaging voiced by Scott Wheeler. A guy with the air name "Croucho Larson" jocked top 40 at night for awhile too. Other air names like Dave Anthony, Jason Thomas...and J. W. Riley.

But, enough "Reminiscin'."

Wait...wasn't that the name of the old time radio show that ran before Jim's "Free Form?"

 

[perenoel6218]

Not familiar with anyone replacing my Free Form slot. It was somewhat popular. I
think Q95 was just coming to light and Free Form was the only show like it in the
listening area. I patterned the mixes after a Canadian free form host in Ottawa that
I had the good fortune to work with....Brian Murphy. Brian passed away a few years
ago....yet I can still remember his awesome mixes of music and comedy. All of which
I am trying to produce these days with OPEN AIR on WICR in the wee hours of
Sunday mornings and which I will continue somewhat on WITT FM 91.9 Zionsville
when we get it up and running soon.

Wow...you really remember so many more names and programs at WSMJ than
I can. Tim Renshaw was such a pleasant and helpful guy. He went by the name
of Jay Riley...I guess to tie into the James Whitcomb Riley tradition there in Greenfield.
American radio would be fortunate to have more Tim Renshaws at the helm.

There was indeed a show called Reminiscin....but I thought Lum and Abner preceded
Free Form. My memory may be failing me on that one though.

I do remember that the background music service must have been somewhat
profitable because those big Scullys were right there in front of the dj so that
he or she could tell if there was a problem or the tape needed replaced.

It was a rather fun place to be in those days. As I recall we all got along quite well
with one another. Good ideas were tried. Bad shows were dropped. We got
wonderful phone calls those days from listeners, some of them clear over in Ohio.

 

[jack of all trades]

I'm glad I left radio as a profession in 1982. When the business was deregulated and ownership rule changes allowed giant radio ownership companies like Clear Channel, it was no longer fun. I also think it's a young person's business.....and I'm sure not young anymore!

Larry - 60 is the new 40!

Conglomeration and automated stations are dangerous. When there is an emergency such as a hazardous chemical spill, local fire departments and police often can't get evacuation information broadcast on local radio. In many cases the local stations are automated and have no news person (or anybody else) at the studio to break into regular programming.

 

[media1170]

I worked there in the mid 60s. Sam Wade worked afternoons as well as at WIGO. Ernie Wells was the chief with Earl Francis the GM. Ernie was a great guy. WPFB in Middletown Ohio bought the station to expand their very profitable background music service. 2 background channels were run during the day which required the station to operate in mono. Stereo was turned on around 6PM when the second service client closed. Seems that had the contract for a number of grocery stores.

I worked nights and mid days in the summers during college and would turn off the awful main channel music tapes Paul Braden's wife would record for the FM stations he owned. I recall he had WPAY-FM Portsmouth, Ohio which was a 100,000 watt station, WPFB AM and FM Middletown, Ohio and WSMJ. The station still had a nice music library from the jazz days and no one seemed to catch on that I was playing vinal instead of "acetate" tape. WSMJ stood for "where the sound of music is jazz")

A very popular program was the morning c/w show with Gene Battles. Don't recall his air name but he was a volunteer fireman and had quite a following. This was in the days of LOCAL radio and the station had a large number of area advertisers, none from Marion County .

News was strictly rip and read.

But, the background music service was where the money was and the main channel was just the icing. Had lots of fun!!!

 

[Drucifer]

I used to listen to Art Murphy, later Larry Lannan on Night Action from home in Columbus (Indiana). The show was way ahead of it's time, especially the Murphy version with a cast of characters!

THE NIGHTTIME VOICE OF CENTRAL INDIANA...WSMJ'S NIGHT ACTION IS ON THE AIR!

 

[Drucifer]

J.W. Riley did the news for awhile also.