WTRG

[JimA]

The motherload of oldie WTRG image/voice overs.

Great time capsule

http://www.chuckmatthewsvoice.com/downloads/wtrg/

 

[BIG APE]

Jim, How do you get these things to play? Whatever happened to Chuck Matthews..Didn't he used to post on the boards all the time?

 

[EncSpy]

man...great stuff......I remember touring the WTRG studios as a kid in elementary school, ~1993

 

[TheBigWhiteWolf]

man...great stuff......I remember touring the WTRG studios as a kid in elementary school, ~1993

Get off my lawn you young whippersnapper! lol

Why back when I was in school, we toured the WRXO/WKRX studios, and we liked it! We didn't tour no fancy 100000 watt stations in our day. They showed us the eight track player and the phonograph.

Eh, who am I kidding...that was probably 1990 or so.

 

[MaxGM]

man...great stuff......I remember touring the WTRG studios as a kid in elementary school, ~1993

I think I remember that! We really didn't have that many people tour the station.

I have most of the imaging from the "Capitol" (Birmingham, not Raleigh) days, and a little from the "Joyner" era. I also have the piece used for the original sign-on after the station moved from Rocky Mt., as well as all of the original imagining Rowell Gorman did after the station signed on. I don't know how I ended up with it as I didn't start working there until 1989. I don't have a place to post the audio... yet.

Mike Smith
Moose
WTRG 1989-1994

 

[VODood]

Jim, How do you get these things to play? Whatever happened to Chuck Matthews..Didn't he used to post on the boards all the time?

I'm still here. Presently in Toledo programming a daytimer only talker WTOD/Supertalk 1560, and imaging the oldies (Top 5 -25-54), the jurassic rock, the talk and the CHR.


I see JimA was on Lester's site where I posted that link. I hope you enjoyed the audio. I may post some more in a few days. I have A LOT from 2000-04. Including the "Big Hits" crap that was forced on us the last few months on the air. Painful stuff the "Big Hits" positioner, with five stopsets per hour. Ridiculous stuff.

"Big Ape" you should just be able to click the link and get them to play. Or right click and "save as". I use Firefox. Audio plays right away.

VO talent featured at the link is Charlie Van Dyke, Chuck Riley (aka Chuck Dann) and Jeff Laurence. Riley passed away in 2007.

I just talked to Ron McKay the other day. We were talking about WOMC/Detroit and how they just recently added their own "Big Chill Bar & Grill". Not as good as Ron's, but it's pretty good.

WOMC is very balanced. Not top heavy with 70s.

Cheers!
CM

 

[MaxGM]

I spoke with Ted “The Bear” Richards a couple of weeks ago. He is also at WOMC now. Great guy! He told me the PD there had heard the show when I (the original proprietor of the BCB&G) was doing the show. He had Ted call me for a few ideas, liners etc. I don’t think I helped them all that much but it was nice to get a call from an old friend. Although I enjoyed working with everyone that came through there the 5 years I was there I do think the line-up of Ted The Bear (and several other cast members including Lowell Schumaker, Bobby Estel and Mike Kaplan), me in Mid-Day and Randall C. Bliss in PM was one of the strongest lineups on the station. I recently came across a tape of my last day at 'TRG as I handed the keys to the BCB&G to Ron. That was so cool. I’ve been listening to McKay since I was a kid growing up in Henderson.

 

[VODood]

I spoke with Ted “The Bear” Richards a couple of weeks ago. He is also at WOMC now. Great guy! He told me the PD there had heard the show when I (the original proprietor of the BCB&G) was doing the show. He had Ted call me for a few ideas, liners etc. I don’t think I helped them all that much but it was nice to get a call from an old friend. Although I enjoyed working with everyone that came through there the 5 years I was there I do think the line-up of Ted The Bear (and several other cast members including Lowell Schumaker, Bobby Estel and Mike Kaplan), me in Mid-Day and Randall C. Bliss in PM was one of the strongest lineups on the station. I recently came across a tape of my last day at 'TRG as I handed the keys to the BCB&G to Ron. That was so cool. I’ve been listening to McKay since I was a kid growing up in Henderson.

Hi Mike!

I talked to Ron recently about WOMC's BCBG and he then sent an aircheck to the PD. I don't believe he's heard back from him.

While at WTRG, myself and then PD Steve Cannon (2003) were devising a way to bring Ted back to WTRG...then Steve left for Tallahassee and the plan fell through.

Coincidentally, Ted worked here in Toledo at clustermate oldies WRQN. Small world!

 

[MaxGM]

I heard about that! It's a shame it didn't work out. I know Ted has wanted to get back to the Carolinas. Hell they never should have fired him in the first place!!! I'm glad he is on a high profile big market station again though. He deserves it. McKay should be back on too!!! And Mike Mitchell should be allowed to open up a little bit as well. Many of those Triangle area stations could use an infusion of personality. That's not the total fix for any of them but it's a start! CONTENT people... CONTENT. That's what takes them away from radio... that is what it will take to bring them back!

Ok... i'm off the soapbox now.

Ron always said great things about you Chuck. Happy to run into you on the board!

Moose

 

[EncSpy]

I remember Ted the bear, me & his daughter were in the same class in elementary school, he used to stop by all the time....I had cassettes full of WTRG and other raleigh stations from those days, I really don't know what I did with them.


for those that don't know, the callsign still lives on in Roanoke Rapids 97.9 calling themselves "Great 98"

 

[VODood]

I heard about that! It's a shame it didn't work out. I know Ted has wanted to get back to the Carolinas. Hell they never should have fired him in the first place!!! I'm glad he is on a high profile big market station again though. He deserves it. McKay should be back on too!!! And Mike Mitchell should be allowed to open up a little bit as well. Many of those Triangle area stations could use an infusion of personality. That's not the total fix for any of them but it's a start! CONTENT people... CONTENT. That's what takes them away from radio... that is what it will take to bring them back!

Ok... i'm off the soapbox now.

Ron always said great things about you Chuck. Happy to run into you on the board!

Moose

With the recent death of Jack Armstrong.... I need to note Steve Cannon and I talked to Jack, briefly, about joining WTRG. Same time we were talking to Ted. Even got about 10 CC oldies stations committed to having Jack do a psuedo-syndicated show like Tom Kent does know, but just for those stations. We had the $$$ worked out and everything. Shocking to know that WMQX did NOT have Jack under contract at that time. A few year later he was released. Steve was gone then, and the muscle to get Jack went with him.

 

[BIG APE]

Chuck, who owned WMQX then?

 

[VODood]

Chuck, who owned WMQX then?

When? When Jack was there? Entercom.

 

[RCB]

Great story about Ted the bear when I hired him at WTRG....he sent an aircheck from Toledo to me, responding to an ad in R&R.

So I get the tape..throw it in a cassette machine and .......nothing but hisssssssssss. So I threw the tape in box and moved on. I didn't immediately make the connection with Ted the Bear and Teddy Bear from CKLW. Then I was going back thru tapes and I put his in again....got distracted and left the office for a about 15 minutes. As I walk back into the room, finally the tape had reached the point where his aircheck began (Ted had fogotten to rewind the tape before he dubbed the aircheck).

Anyway...after one listen I walked into Tom Joyner's office, played the tape and he said "get him".

We put Ted with news director Kevin Kelly, Channel 11's Mike Caplan (weather), Bobby Estil from the Fox station on sports, added Paul Harvey and, man what a morning show.

Could never understand why Ted was blown up at WTRG, he was perfect for the station. Talked to him the other day about the new gig at WOMC and I couldn't be happier for him. Class guy for sure.

I'm lucky enough to have worked with two guys I grew up listening to..Ted at WTRG and Jack Armstrong at WMQX.

They both influenced me greatly both then and later. I am sad about Jack's passing and happy for Ted's new deal.

 

[VODood]

AllAccess now reporting on Jack's death. He and AllAccess' Joel Denver were very close. Denver of course has ties to Charlotte.


For those that do not have reelradio.com memberships... I've uploaded an aircheck from the 1997 WMJI/WIXY Cleveland Reunion Weekend.

www.chuckmatthewsvoice.com/downloads/misc

please forgive the VHS flutter

Jack and former WMJI pm driver Scott Howitt live on location for "Ghoulardi-fest".

I tell ya.... I ran the board for this live show...this was no ordinary remote. Those two were out of control, in a good way. Having one hell of a time!


Scott Howitt a great talent in his own right.


Who is Ghoulardi? None other than Ernie Anderson (ABC TV, Love Boat, Z100, KISS/Boston). Ernie did a low-fi tv show in Cleveland in the early 60s.


Randall...I sent you an aircheck years back. Never heard from you ;D

 

[RCB]

Chuck,

Sorry about that, apparently I'm easily distracted while listening to airchecks....

 

[BIG APE]

I'm getting confused here.. Too many people using names.. Which Ted Bear we talking about?? My Ted. E. Bear at the APE or a different one.. Teddy, ain't you still in JAX? Dave

 

[VODood]

I'm getting confused here.. Too many people using names.. Which Ted Bear we talking about?? My Ted. E. Bear at the APE or a different one.. Teddy, ain't you still in JAX? Dave

THEE Ted "The Bear" who worked at CKLW and Jones Radio Network. Only one Ted "The Bear".

 

[VODood]

Chuck,

Sorry about that, apparently I'm easily distracted while listening to airchecks....

NO worries :0) It was for Oldies 93. Moot point now.