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WTOB 1380

XM did a good job of recreating WTOB last week.
Well atleast I think they did.
I am only 25, but I enjoy the old Pams stuff and the air checks of the old DJS.
 
ncscradiogeek said:
For anyone who has XM radio today until 900 pm XM 60s on 6 is WTOB 1380.
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I listened for quite awhile yesterday trying to figure out what the heck you were talking about...today I noticed that the timestamp of your post was the 14th. :eek: :-[
 
In the late 60s WTOB was owned by Southern Broadcasting. They also owned WKIX in Raleigh. WTOB jock "Mike Mitchell" was transferred to WKIX around 1970 where he worked with Rick Dees, Pat Patterson and the rest of the Channel 85 top 40 crew. Mitchell eventually phased out of full time radio to become a lawyer, but has still worked part time at one Raleigh station or another almost continuously since then. He worked for many years at WTRG and today is still doing a Sunday afternoon shift at Y-102.9 -- same building where Pat Patterson is voice-tracking a weekend show on 570-AM.
 
WTOB wasn't just a heritage top 40 station. It was one of the most innovative and creative stations that ever existed. Having signed on the air in 1947 from the second floor of the O'Hanlen drug store building located across from Sears on West Fourth St., it was Winston-Salem's third radio station. WSJS was first and WAIR was second. For several years, WTOB played the standards of the day, broadcast Mutual News and did some farm programming. Then, in 1954 the station moved to new studios at Stratford Road near the present day Thruway Shopping Center. "Gick" Johnson and the owners of Winston-Salem Broadcasting (later Southern) were looking for a way to overtake the other stations and they began to take notice of this new thing called rock and roll. They began searching for talent who could relate to the music and they brought in a young man who was doing some radio in Tampa. His name was Dick Bennick, who grew up in Concord, and in 1956 he began playing rock and roll songs on WTOB. Talk about an instant hit!! In a short time, Dick was hosting both morning and afternoon shows and by mid 1957 he was literally receiving thousands of cards and letters per week. His "Hi Fi" club dances packed a thousand kids into places like the Armory and the Carolina Threatre. It wasn't very long until WTOB was playing rock and roll all the time. The early lineup had names like Dick Bennick, Ted Arnold, Jim Melvin, Jim Clark and John Stanton. Later came Pete Berry (The Flying Dutchman), Dave Loyd, Tommy Walker, Rick Dees, Russ Spooner and the list goes on.
As a kid growing up in the area, I spent a lot of time at WTOB. It was my inspiration for a career in this crazy business and I will always be grateful to Dick Bennick for his kindness and courtesy.
 
I also grew up listening to WTOB, but didn't realized how good of a station it was until I got into the business. Great jocks, great music. It wasn't just the cookie-cutter corporate mandate, but they actually went by local record sales and what people in the area wanted to hear. In addition to being a top-40 station, they were full-service with "20-20 News" and weather, a real community station. I think a lot of radio around here today could learn from what it did.

If I'm not mistaken, the studios were in the space above where the Bonefish Grill is now at Thruway Shopping Center in Winston-Salem and they had dances out in the parking lot, the music and jocks up on the rooftop. The tower was at Thruway for a while in the early 60s, they put lights on it for Christmas.

It also had some great newsmen working there. Wayne Ashworth (where'd he go?) and Smith Patterson, who's still doing morning on WSJS. SJS's J.R. Snider also started there as "Ray," back in the day.

Bennick was also the host of Saturday night's "Shock Theatre" on Southern's WGHP, his alter ego was Dr. Paul Bearer. Another fun, creative blast from the past.

Tommy Walker eventually ended up as the PD at WPTF in Raleigh and gave me some feedback and encouragement early on, when nobody else would even give me the time of day.

Anybody got one of their "Good Guys" tshirts?
 
Southern Broadcasting had their own version of the cookie cutter - all of their stations sounded like WTOB! That is not a complaint, but a compliment! All of the stations had great jocks, great news and services, great promotions, and thy paid attention to the listener and the local community.

Now, that's a cookie cutter we could use today!
 
;D Yep and stickers too plus a WTOB license plate..Ashworth went to 12 and after that I don't know..The tower on top of the Town Steak House was lit for Christmas but it was actually the WTOB-TV UHF Transmitter. The other xmitters were off Polo Road for the station. I was there! We used to have softball teams, basketball teams, prize patrol.dances in the lot as you mentioned..something going on all the time.. Walker was my best friend back then along with Spooner, Bill McQuage, Good Buddy Bob Langdon, Bob Dale (Lackey).. That was the heyday of Rock and roll..I don't think WAIR every beat us!
 
Walker and Spooner also worked at Southern's WKIX - played for the KIX Cagers basketball team! Did lots of Globetrotter gimmicks.
 
WTOB was the first station I listened to full time, starting in the spring of 1965. My mom kept on The George Lee Showboat, and would always win the unscramble the word game. Every so often we would go to Stratford Road and pick up our prize, usually Green Stamps or promotional 45s. Steve Norris was another favorite jock years later, and I got to work with him at WKZL.

I have a QSL card from WTOB posted on my blog right now:

http://cranchedfornow.blogspot.com/2008/03/radio-qsl-cards-part-2.html

Nick Archer
Franklin, TN
 
;D Maybe I will if you are Bill Cox, former Mornings at WTOB!
 
I'd like to know where he is, too! He worked in Roanoke, VA at WPXI...
 
JimA said:
I'd luv some BIG APE airchecks :)

Give us the website please :)
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http://www.reelradio.com/

This costs 12 bucks a year, I believe, but everything I have is on this site and you will not be disappointed..There's enough stuff to listen to for the rest of your life! Have Fun! BIG APE!
 
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