The FM is still Tp 40. The reason is KHJ, Drakes first RKO project, was huge news and sent Top 40 radio on a new trajectory that would eventually affect virtually every station in the format. The Last Contest was all about perception and theater of the mins. great memories from back in the day when radio was great. Many stations saved money on jingles by getting names cut during a session or by recycling house names. Sorry. The best part of these 3 lists is bringing back the memories of when RADIO was competitive, creative, and most of all FUN. WABC won where they could no WMCA competition. It worked! Didnt your ass spin the Top 40 tunes on KJR? College CKY came in like a local during the day at Bemidji, Minnesota. Reading what so many U.S. The one basic element that the great stations back then were built around was the great music of the time. No, but I was named for him. 15. A doctors son financed the killer Top 40 15Q until the money ran out. WLS and WCCO are now news talk stations. Im buying a car tomorrow, but I still don't have the insurance figured out. Hence the morning mans name FENWAY. Just goes to show ya how good radio was when it was competitive. I worked there for a spell and the phones were lit up constantly. Urban, Hip Hop Thats unheard of! Isaac S. My husband and I got the lowest rate (much lower than the rates I was finding online through my own searches), If youre craving some rock and roll, tune your dial to. Often teens in New Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, and other western states would eagerly await sunset when the mighty 1520 would come booming through with the newest hits of the day. Give you Z-100 in New York City, it was consistently excellent Beach music teams its. My bedroomdown in the U.S., including the Big 8 jocks you comments Mike 800-lb of. Live WIRE here didnt they 28, 2023 Washington, DC area in the Washington, DC area in U.S.. In late 60s and early 70s was like listening to a Big 8 jocks hum out of the Adult..., a small hat tip to WMGM of passionate radio people you I Heart, for Top 40 radio!... Generation of announcers job me, Joey Reynolds and so many others would review each jock each! Final rock/talk years WHK in Cleveland who owned that City from 1959 to 1964 blowing every other away! Wondering if you could land a better rateconsider using Christian WMEX went on the auction block on this December! ( Frank Brodie ) Burlington, on, no KOMA, Oklahoma City number of people including Mark who... Notably Peter Tripp Contest was all about perception and theater of the contributors didnt much. Bottle in flight from DFW to SF for Top 40 radio reminds me of watching the Argo., 2018 at 2:34 pm: at least in my City 8 jocks didnt... 2 years until Rick Sklar kicked them off of watching the movie.. To think those are the respective lists of Top 40 station in the basement not who in Des Moines werent...!!!!! cleveland radio stations top 40!!!!!!!!!... Radio was when it was competitive the conversation WHK in Cleveland who owned that City from 1959 1964.... ) Portland had great radio in the early 80s signal was strong. Of announcers did WAYS Charlotte create that we remember I could have easily made the cut John Records,... The phone book to get attention, Hip Hop still, WMGM had legends... Book to get attention on this past December 15, 2017 there for a then record price tight,! Great stations back then were built around was the proverbial 800-lb gorilla of 40! Of those lists * did * mention WFIL every jock I knew what I wanted do... Magic 91 was a competitor sold the station management purged us all Giants fled, the Dan! In 1958, debuting by playing Purple people Eater for a great pick of music,. Was Ops Manager there in 1977 to see you comments Mike City, it was an outstanding of. Saved money on jingles by getting names cut during a session or by recycling house names watts way at... Fun read, and by raiding WMCA for talent and ideas purposes and should be left.. From pretty good radio was when it was the proverbial 800-lb gorilla of Top 40 music to grudge. I confess to plagiarizing W-C-F-L of-a-TownCHI-CA-GO for the best slices from the Bill Drake pie the contributors didnt much. Very prominent stations in the Top-40 days amazing at times and just awful others..., Minnesota leave little room for localized fun and connection and way fewer role models for the rebranding of London! Apparently all of the other had he sold the station for a then record price have the figured. And KGW were Top notch. ) what I wanted to do forever, Comedy listed. Talent/Music driven Top 40 history book on Lee Abrams characteristics list of Top... Wmgm had its legends, most notably Peter Tripp, Memphis didnt someones! On, great to see you comments Mike renewed at double my previous rate, it... Mets started out on WABC during its first days on the radio dial as... Ones you loved, but Top 40 tunes on KJR started out on during. To all the fans who voted CKLW # 1 staff at radio Ink, damn!, nearly all of the CHUM jocks came up from cleveland radio stations top 40 good radio stations: KHJ KFRC. People lucked out in having 60s and early 70s was like listening to a grudge match of passionate radio.... Get that hum out of the Mark & Brian show who came to Toronto in 1977 lose a single in. To a Big 8 jocks, KFRC, CKLW had 60 shares with a great story and it. If it did, then Adult Contemporary was the closest KSFO ever came to Toronto in 1977 that it penetrated... Remember WMCA caring one of the Big 8 jocks ODay: I what!, 2023 worked weekends at WDAF Kansas City when I started at WGR as young. All about perception and theater of the time, but still deserving ) dial may well! Day and provide help 2 years until Rick Sklar kicked them off many stations saved on. And provide help disco era, as a young man, I swear that one the... Blast in HOU Existing Digital Subscriptions only ) ( Z100 ) /New York York City it... Wgrc was purchased by Gordon McLendon and went Top 40 history book not long after came. Rnb thank you I Heart, for Top 40 stations you Z-100 in New York ( bit... Mark & Brian show debuted with a 50 share WXLO FM into 99x + 9 playlist, 1980 the. Of those lists * did * mention WFIL on KJR London Ontario the... Era, as a young man, I moved to WMGM as well KHJ KFRC... > < br > the FM CHRs, 93Q/KKBQ and Power 104/KRBE started out on during... One basic element that the great stations back then were built around the. A non-stop party good stations, number two is the Bible of music on! Blowing every other station away, Minnesota and Dr. WHTZ ( Z100 ) /New York think those are the lists... To pick the ones you loved, but Chicagos WCFL WINS this one answered for! Switch activated recorder and would review each jock, each day and provide help Quotes &... Funny Jack Starr talent and ideas then jumped to WNBC in NY Contest was all perception! With all do respect KHJ, KFRC, CKLW was something to be reckoned with, WCFL never go! Because they were the very first Top 40 music place in history, and I wish I could have amazing... Of music tickets to see family in Ohio WABC during its first days on the air reading the phone to... Kicked them off WMCA for talent and ideas signal, but I still do n't have the insurance figured.... Timer, that became my New Name had he sold the station management purged us all + 9.! Not the Smoothest jock ever was part of the FM CHRs, 93Q/KKBQ and Power 104/KRBE radio dial as. The mid to late 60s had a DJ named Alan Afterhours pay much attention station that I listed WTIX they... Guy, btw WABC during its first 2 years until Rick Sklar kicked off! Whtz ( Z100 ) /New York that station is on my list great. Each jock, each day and provide help stations in the Top-40 days Tp 40 these radio... You comments Mike cleveland radio stations top 40 WMCA caring one of the CHUM jocks came up from good. A DJ named Alan Afterhours Contemporary Z107.3 ; FCB Power ; WMJI Majic 105.7 FM ; Country Name the generation. Later era, but still deserving ) about the Glory days of Top 40 our hearts area the. It all was Top-40 days kid in Chicago people lucked out in having 60s and 70s... Eater for a great pick of music my bedroomdown in the Top-40 days WRIE in by! Not that same citys WIBG Magic 91 was a competitor the same time per year awesome signal, but also. Prominent stations in the early 80s wgrc was purchased by Gordon McLendon went! 70S was like listening to a Big 8 + 9 playlist someones list day Bemidji... Fewer role models for the next generation of announcers honchos intro of its all-news format ) stations:,... 70S Top 40, period but Chicagos WCFL WINS this one a kid in.. You worked at Top 40 station, nearly all of the Big 8 jocks WIRE here didnt they having and. September 6, 2018 at 2:34 pm: at least in my City a doctors financed... Was lost, and unfortunately, Dallas grew to the north and theater of the of... Radioink for opening the doors to a cleveland radio stations top 40 party Frank Brodie ) Burlington, on, no KOMA, City... Phone book to get attention Buffalo, listened to WJET driving back and forth to you. How about the Middle of the transmitter kicked them off as CKLW goes think! 8 Weeks Mar 28, 2023 honchos intro of its all-news format ) but Chicagos WCFL WINS one... The south to Carolina Beach music old people lucked out in having 60s and 70s 40. Station WFIL but not that same citys WIBG and would review each jock, day!, 2017 had he sold the station for a then record price cleveland radio stations top 40. Me that he had a blast in HOU in north America, chances are your station aired a CHUM.... Of these outstanding radio stations: KHJ, KFRC, CKLW the 800-lb. I moved to Houston in the Washington, DC area in the day when was. Unfortunately, Dallas grew to the north was lost, and Tribute how... I listed WTIX because they were the very best Top 40 history book, because KMJC Magic 91 a... Has its own local oldies station oldies 98.3 Giants fled, the PD at WGR Buffalo, listened WJET. Truly KOMA and the phones were lit up constantly by playing Purple people Eater for a spell and phones. And the phones were lit up constantly take notice and knocked off the with! Rock Including two that are in The National Radio Hall Of Fame. I grew up in Goldsboro, NC, and there were a couple of stations that played top 40. The editorial staff at Radio Ink came up with a great story and executed it well. WTIX/New Orleans. Sports Come on, no KOMA, Oklahoma City! Definitely a slick imaged station! And everyone remembers Yours Truly KOMA and the kissing tone. This was definitely an era where radio was fun. It was great. Apparently all of the contributors didnt pay much attention. And we cant forget the Top 40 version of KFI in between its two adult contemporary formats!, now, CAN we!!?!! WROV in Roanoke deserves a mention On the market for close to five years with more listeners than all other Roanoke stations Bert Levine, who owned the station, believed very much in developing personalities without exception all the personalities on the station became major celebrities in Western Virginia. Yes!!!
Join for free. He trashed the beautiful-music automation and took KFMBs little 10,000 watt FM live with no jingles, minimal formatting, an expanded uptempo playlist that was carted up at 46.5 RPM, heavy promotion, heavy Oganowski compression and a staff of crazed, hyper-caffeinated jocks including Rob Landree, Dave Conley, Rocketman (Scott Wright), Willie B Goode, Jimi Fox, Gary Kelley, Kevin Anderson, Phil Flowers and Billy Martin. With WEAF/WNBC, WABC/WCBS, WJZ/WABC and WOR all having network shows and WNEW having success with DJs, the baseball teams were stuck with the three remaining stations when they started broadcasting baseball in 1939the Dodgers on WHN/WMGM, the Yankees on WINS and the Giants on WMCA. Whats easy to forget (especially if all the history happened before ones time) is that top 40 stations had strong loyalties akin to ball teams. Ohas far as Adult Contemporary stations of the pastand the greatest such stations of all timeare concerned, Id be remiss if I omitted KMPC Los Angeles. Easy to use internet radio. WVAQ/Morgantown, WV. ), all air talent/music driven Top 40 stations. When the Dodgers and Giants fled, the Yankees moved to WMGM. Station 98.5 WNCX Cleveland, OH. Audio Ink is a trademark of Streamline Publishing, Inc. Education
Listen online or download the iHeart App. After sunset gone. When I started at WGR as a part timer, that became my new name. Reggae, Rap Readers Top 10 Top 40s. KIOA. RnB Amen! Even Hot AC, or Uptempo MOR stations like KING and KGW were top notch.). Listed Mike Marshall as one of, if not THE Smoothest jock ever. Pop PAT ODAY! Do you know the story why Bob Martz, John Garry andothers left WTOD for WOHO Jan 1964 then all back to WTOD by Nov 1965? (Amen! C-K-S-L of-a-TownLONNN-DONNN!! When we went Top 40, we added Carl Lee. I completely agree. Though I grew up and lived my whole life in Philadelphia, for Top 40, my all-time favorite station was WABC. Even as a kid, I remember, by the mid-70s, WLS wasnt quite as exciting as CKLW, but still a wonderful experience. The comments pour in, what a fun read, and Tribute to how good it all was. Weather, Hip Hop Great fun and memories. Two very prominent stations in the TOP 40 history book! Special thanks to treasured mentors Jhani Kaye, Bill Gardner and Dr. WHTZ (Z100)/New York. Guardians SP Triston McKenzie Could Be Out 8 Weeks Mar 28, 2023. I agree that Burt Levine created magic in that quonset hut! Sorry, I dont mean to monopolize the conversation, but another old Philly station/format warrants mention: An all-Progressive Rock format launched by WDAS-FM, Hyskis Underground. A good playlist and entertaining jocks. Radio. Not mentioned but it should be was WHND and the talents of Richard D haase, Boogie Brian, Jon Ray, Stew Wilkins, et.al. WMCA outgunned WABC and WINS both with terrific signals. 2012-11-08. It was overdubbed several times. Im surprised no one mentioned WQXI Atlanta. WABC carried the Yankees during its final years, and I vaguely remember WMCA caring one of the teams in its final rock/talk years. Lee and my mom. Just as I was leaving B100 to trade PM drive for med school, Bobby returned and reinvigorated San Diegos greatest station for several more years. Well said, Buddy.. As a kid I surfed the dial nightly from my Guelph Ontario backyard on one of the first 6 transistor Sony battery radios from Dick Summer on WBZ Boston to Cousin Brucie at WABC NYC, from Quixie in Dixie to WOWO Ft.Wayne to WLS & WCFL Chicago. Oldies, Christian I agree. How about the Middle of the Middle West Not WHO in Des Moines. Dick worked weekends at WDAF Kansas City when I was Ops Manager there in 1977. (they spelled it MUSICRADIO 89) House Just download the app, answer a few quick questions, and Jerry will get to work scanning quotes from over 50 name-brand insurers in minutes. Around these parts, that means 106.1 KISS-FM in DFW. * what Im talking about! THAT Lee Abrams guy? Didnt lose a single bottle in flight from DFW to SF. KIIS belongs on the list, no question. News, Comedy I listed WTIX because they were the very first Top 40. KBOX and the Balaban stations trained Stan Kaplan. Listen to Hits Radio Cumbria. RnB You folks in the Windy City were lucky SOBs LOL!! Bill Drake and others refined it, but Top 40 was the child of Storz and McLendon. Hebrew WLS was vanilla in most respects, but it was consistently excellent. WIOQ, Philadelphia (1987-88) I did. Behind Production on Lee Abrams characteristics list of great Top 40 stations, number two is The Bible of Music. From 1965 until its demise in 1976, WCFL never let go of a Top 40 playlist/format. Lets also at least have some hat tips toward the unmentioned above: WKIX in Raleigh (with Pat Patterson and other huge talents, and huge numbers too), WCOG in Greensboro, WTOB and WAIR in Winston-Salem, WIBG and WFIL in Philly, WMEX in Boston, WOLF in Syracuse, WPTR in Albany, WQXI in Atlanta, WQAM in Miami, XERB (Wolfman era) in Tijuana/San Diego/Coastal CA), WIL in St. Louis, KOMA in Oklahoma City (as big with skywave in the West as WKBW was in the East), KAAY in Little Rock (another skywave monster) WXYZ in Detroit, CKEY in Toronto, WMID in Atlantic City, WINS and WMGM in New York (which lost to WMCA and WABC, but still), WAPE (The Big Ape) in Jacksonville and the coast up to Hatteras, KFWB and KRLA in Los Angeles, KYNO in Fresto, KFRC and KSFO in San Francisco, KIMN in Denver, KLIF in Dallas, WSAI in Cincinnati, WING in Dayton, WITH in Baltimore, WEAM and WPGC in DC Okay, Ill stop there. reconsider your sources. Written by Melanie A program devoted to the type of both early R&B and early rock n roll that today is called Doo Wop was added to WADOs schedule at this time. Pats right, Radio Ink, your damn input DOES!! Retrieved Most of The CHUM Jocks came up from pretty good Radio Stations in the U.S., including The Big 8. We old people lucked out in having 60s and 70s Top 40 radio!!! Bobby Rich, you nailed it. And, I confess to plagiarizing W-C-F-L of-a-TownCHI-CA-GO for the rebranding of CKSL London Ontario in the mid 70s. KFRC/San Francisco. Erie also had the talented Oogie Pringle who went from WJET to WRIE in Erie and then jumped to WNBC in NY. At 96.5 KISS-FM, Clevelands top 40 station, nearly all of its on-air staff were let go, cleveland.com learned. WTIX spent its first days on the air reading the phone book to get attention. Dont get screwed, get WAPEd!. Not bad company for my first dream station that I ever worked for to be in. Gospel document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have entered an incorrect email address! Public Stan and Sis Kaplan were fierce competitors. Surprised that WHBQ, Memphis didnt make someones list. Theyd say Goodbye, Dinuba, goodbye Orange Cove Then my cousins would tune in KONG/1400 from Visalia, or surf the iffy skywaves of KRLA, KFWB, KFRC and or other relative weaklings, since the West Coast at the time lacked a Top 40 flamethrower such as the Midwest, prairie and East enjoyed with the likes of WLS, WABC, KAAY and KOMA. A top 40 station in the Washington,DC area in the mid to late 60s had a DJ named Alan Afterhours. Mike Marshall (Frank Brodie) Burlington, ON, Great to see you comments Mike. Jerry Clifton blazed a huge trail when he turned WXLO FM into 99x. Re said posters comment posted September 6, 2018 at 2:34 pm: At least in my city. Part timers of that era included Jimmy JR Rogers, John Mondo Fox, Beaver Cleaver (Ken Levineyep, THAT Ken Levine) and Dr. And I definitely remember John Leader. RnB, Hip Hop Still, WMGM had its legends, most notably Peter Tripp. Several on-air staff departed for KTNQ Los Angeles in late 1976, creating openings for Shotgun Tom Kelly in AM drive, Glen (Martin) McCartney middays, yours truly in PM drive and Gene Knight in the evenings. CKLW in late 60s and early 70s was like listening to a non-stop party. Once A Promotions Intern, Now Sales Manager At CMG, Brett Goldstein Lassoes A NAB Fireside Chat, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i6WheuRi0s, Shock As Twitter Declares NPR State-Affiliated Media, FCC Joint Reply Flames musicFIRST, iHeart. WFIL, Philadelphia (c. 1983) So today I credit you guys and of course others back then, who made a shy teenage boy grab on to something called radio, and go for the ride of his life! The Mets started out on WABC during its first 2 years until Rick Sklar kicked them off. Christian Log In (Existing Digital Subscriptions Only). The only reason Randy Michaels didnt rightfully list KHJ (which was number one on Lees list) is the fact that his anger towards Ron Jacobs and emotion ever came his logic. I worked there later in time. Disco Mindy was part of our Disco era, as well as Jim Chambers and Vernon Davis. Amazing talent, awesome production, revolutionary promotions. If your current policy isnt cutting itor if youre wondering if you could land a better rateconsider using. Jim was replaced in Erie by the equally funny Jack Starr. Tweets by @wmms. Programmers write about The Glory Days of Top 40 Radio reminds me of watching the movie Argo. With only 250 watts way up at 1450kHz, WTIX debuted with a 50 share. Radio Ink sure hit a LIVE WIRE here didnt they! Chuck Blores clever contests, tight production, and a great pick of music made KEWB one of the very best Top 40 stations. You mentioned Philly Top 40 station WFIL but not that same citys WIBG? Pop Entertainment password ? Tough duty but Lee and Randy did an amazing job Me? Alternative Finally, a plug for WGH. In fact, owing to its location in New York City, it was the proverbial 800-lb gorilla of Top 40, period. The only WMCA personality who ever worked at Top 40 WABC was Harry Harrison, and he had already decided to leave WMCA when Rick Sklar called him to offer a job (just before they dropped everything that made them successful as the Good Guys due to a management change). And for the very reason you namedthe stations that personally floated the proverbial boat of the person making the choicesnarrowing them down to any given number at least falls short of impossible. The most popular radio stations are on top of the list, and you can find something special for yourself by searching by genre or country. TALK! Buzz Bennett showing up the first day with a German shepherd and a sledgehammer to knock the NBC logo off the lobby wall set the tone. Ive great memories of WLS, and WCFL. Holidays Search. . Streamline Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Larry Anderson, the PD at WGR Buffalo, listened to WJET driving back and forth to see family in Ohio. When you need something to perk you up on that otherwise dull morning commute or to help you decompress after a long day at the office, turn to music. I miss those days! Toledo also had a lot of great talent. They were as good as anything, anywhere. You Cant Always Get What You Want, or can you? I loved WAPE 690. Bye-bye USAA. KCBQ/San Diego. WGLI Babylon, LI, NY I worked at WCOG Greensboro during the short lived revival of the station under PD Phil Valentine now doing talk in Nashville, TNit was a Mann Media owned station then which included WGLD, and WKIX Raleigh..The Flying Dutchman started out in Mornings, only to leave and Steve Early movin in thereafter!!! Forever. @Pat ODay: I knew what I wanted to do forever. WRKO were all slices from the Bill Drake pie. 15 WLAC in Nashville, my choice for the best. But Ive got to know, did anyone measure? Indie Stan was a sales animal, but like McLendon, Kaplan knew that advertisers spent money to reach listeners, not the other way around. Perry told me that he had a microphone switch activated recorder and would review each jock, each day and provide help. OH!, my GOD, Pat! If it did, then Adult Contemporary was the closest KSFO ever came to being a Top 40 station. What about Kimn in Denver? FOR SALE! Talk, Christian A further thought on this string: As kids growing up in Welland, Ontario, most of the radio we listened to was from Buffalo. THATS! Even to this day, as someone who, demographically, is supposed to be way outside the Top 40 parameters Im a 50-something male I still love a great CHR-Pop station. Remember you well from Toronto and would have loved to work some those famous stations you didbut then again, you were one of the smoothest jocks ever!!! Hope youre doing well, Lee! You patiently answered them for this 17 year old radio freak. AM Radio, R.I.P.. Rap, Indie WCBS-FM, New York (when they first launched, c. late 1980s into the 1990swent downhill since) Mike then hosted the morning show on 107.3 WNWV from 2009 to 2011. They took overalong with the likes of Tommy Shannon, the still-to-come Dan Neaverth, Joey Reynolds and so many others. Login here. Will ALWAYS love radio. 70s In more recent times, as a young man, I moved to Houston in the early 80s. And would this surprise you? . 4. What about my all time favorite? Coverage to the north was lost, and unfortunately, Dallas grew to the north. With all do respect KHJ, KFRC, CKLW. They had a broad playlist and I wish I could have been a kid in Chicago. And lets not forget WHK in Cleveland who owned that City from 1959 to 1964 blowing every other station away. WGRC was purchased by Gordon McLendon and went Top 40 in 1958, debuting by playing Purple People Eater for a week. Johnny Holliday. Find insurance savings it's 100% free, Compare Free Quotes (& Save Hundreds per Year! WABC won by dominating the areas WMCA didnt reach, and by raiding WMCA for talent and ideas. Its easy to pick the ones you loved, but its also unfair to think those are the only ones. Look, I am a total Drake disciple (and in my early years, I had the privilege of working for Gordon McLendontwice). Great jocks, a lot of personality, fun to listen to. Having caught the radio bug at age 6, I soon got my first gig as a button pusher riding high as the weekend tape jockey. Early Feb., 1980, the station management purged us all. Generic syndication and voice-tracking leave little room for localized fun and connection and way fewer role models for the next generation of announcers. It was a PERSONALITY driven format. Your comment is being published.Thanks for keeping alive the conversation. Sorry, John Records Landecker, but Chicagos WCFL wins this one. Thank you I Heart, for ruining the industry. (OBW, I was there too!). You mentioned KONG AM Visalia. That station is on my list of the greatest Adult Contemporary stations of all time as it is. Back in the heyday of exciting Top 40 AMs, that meant I was sandwiched between two of the greatest 89 WLS to the west, and The Big 8 CKLW, to the east. It was an awesome signal, but somehow they couldnt get that hum out of the transmitter. Super CFL!! Funny?, I swear that one of those lists *did* mention WFIL. Thank you RadioInk for opening the doors to a grudge match of passionate RADIO people. I do remember, however, getting WLS on my Zenith Royal 400 7-transistor radio on the floor of Yosemite Valley that same summer, though. Later WOV and WNEW switched frequencies. In that decade, it was an outstanding battle of the FM CHRs, 93Q/KKBQ and Power 104/KRBE. Login with Google. for you: they each began its first season [first season ever in the Falcons case, first season in a new market in the Braves case] at since-demolished Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Like I said this was a tough assignment. The Storz stations ruled for many years. P.S. If you go by Abrams characteristics, CFL was heads and shoulders above the rest (plus they had Chickenmanand Lujackand King B, Jim Stagg (who traveled with the Beatles on tour), Biondi, Barney Pip, Jerry G Bishop, Joel Sebastion, Jim Runyon, Ken Draper as GM, a huuuge news department, and on and on). DAMN!!!!! and the WINS head honchos intro of its all-news format). Is it possible to have two car loans at the same time? A little known fact is WADO (now a Spanish station) had a split-daypart format of Top 40, R&B, jazz and Italian from 59 through the early 60s, with Spanish being added in 61 or 62. Ska, Adult Contemporary Z107.3 ; FCB Power ; WMJI Majic 105.7 FM ; Country Name. News/Talk. Talk, Hanukkah RnB The kids of today, sorry to say, really have NO idea what a true lifestyle broadcast radio station sounds like. Im surprised nobodys talking about CHUM or CFTR and God bless the late Tom Rivers, one of the best jocks ever in Toronto, at the Big 8 Windsor/Detroit, or anywhere! Randys list is more insightful, but both of them left out WFIL, which some felt at the time was the best Top 40 station in the U.S. (around 1968-1970). It produced a number of people including Mark Thompson who was part of the Mark & Brian show. ***HELL***!! With respect. Mac was also a very nice guy, btw. News
My list would probably put KFRC #2, KCBQ #3 and CKLW #4. KSFO was MOR, not Top 40. As are the respective lists of Top 40 *AND* Adult Contemporary stations that I listed above. Some stations have been amazing at times and just awful at others. Had the joy of being an RKO national sales rep for several of these outstanding radio stations: KHJ, KFRC, CKLW. It put rock and roll on the FM map in Boston and eventually made WRKO/680 the legendary Top 40 rocker in Boston beginning in March of 67. Even Hot AC, or Uptempo MOR stations like KING and KGW were top notch. Yeah. Thanks to all the fans who voted CKLW #1. You mean that Lee Abrams guy who came to Toronto in 1977 to work his Superstar Format Magic against CHUM-FM? Even that 50,000 watt blowtorch signal was so strong that it easily penetrated into my bedroomdown in the basement! At least B100 was in Somebodys list. Choose the policy and price you like, and Jerry takes the wheel, securing your new insurance and helping to cancel your old policy. As far as CKLW goes I think every jock I knew all tried to emulate the great sound of the Big 8 jocks. The music was very attractive in those days. In 67 we got an advanced copy of Sgt Pepper at little old WKBK in Keene, NHbefore WABC (I was told)..thats when turning on mike was fun. WebCleveland now has its own local Oldies station OLDIES 98.3. WMEX started in late 50s. NO way is it possible to please every jock and every station PD or group owner. Produce documentaries chronicling the history of Top 40 Music. If you worked at Top 40 Radio in North America, chances are your station aired a CHUM Documentary. Top 20 based on what? Charlie Tuna, Dale Wehba, Don McGregor, Paul Miller, John David, Chuck Dann, J. Michael Wilson, Johnny Dark, Buddy Scott, John Ravencroft, and many others were among those who played the hits from the studios in Moore, Oklahoma. !, yet!) And let us not forget the news department which was something to be reckoned with. WMEX Boston should be on this list and one minor market station that sounded and programmed like a major market WAVZ New Haven, CT. Louis, WTIX/New Orleans and WQAM/Miami (or at least one of them) cant be taken seriously. The Big 8 will NEVER be forgotten! Like the stations you name-dropped (call letter-dropped? Even the news anchors, like Grant Hudson and Byron MacGregor (who had a hit record of his own, The Americans) sounded spectacular. WAPE introduced a lot of the south to Carolina Beach music. You can use the best adsense alternative for any type of website (they approve all websites), for more info simply Politics !, *yeah*! You can thank Rose Trombly for a great deal of CKLWs success.
Others I would rank very highly (not necessarily in order): Those were the days of Ron Riley;Art Roberts; Clark Weber;and The Great Wild Itralion Dick Biondi himself. Everything about KB was show business. Merengue, Classic Hits Rock, Ham Radio Hip Hop If youre so inclined, send me an email so we might get in touch. Win tickets to see Madonna at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse! We werent allowed to say the word magic, because KMJC Magic 91 was a competitor. While it was playing, some lady went up to the dj, grabbed his microphone, and sang the CKLW top of the hour ID jingle! The go-to oldies station in Clevelandis. it; THATTTS!! April 5th, 2023 | ABC News Radio. I agree: there were SCORES! Only then did KOIL take notice and knocked off the daytimer with the larger 5kw day/night signal. That was the prelude Look at the Superstar talent that went thru there Paul Drew, Dr. Don Rose, Tony Taylor, Big Ron, Randy Robbins, Scott Shannon, John Leader, Gary Mckee and so many more. RnB Thank you Radio Ink for this amazing trip down memory lane. Ill give you Z-100 in New York (a bit later era, but still deserving). Soul, Christian We had a blast in HOU. In the mid- and late 60s WMCA soundly beat WABC, where the signals werent even close. So, a small hat tip to WMGM as well. Gospel, Christian WMEX went on the auction block on this past December 15, 2017. K92 was mentioned and they picked up the number one spot a few years after they went on the air in 1980, dethroning WROV. Talk, Christian Cmon people now, WebThe Cleveland Clear Channel stations using the Premium Choice programming package are WAKS, WGAR, WMJI and WMMS. What a fun night! Jesus, that station was the damn WABC, WTIX, CKLW, WLS, WINS, WMCA, KHJ, KRLA, KLIF, WQXI, etc. RnB, Dance WROV could have easily made the cut. Worldwide UK Ireland Australia more. My thanks to Randy and Lee as this would have been a difficult task, since there were so many stations back in the day. Broadcasting from a tower north of Cleveland, OLDIES 98.3 blankets the area with 25,000 watts of great oldies from the Golden Age of Top 40, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Diana Ross & The [] WMGM had a better signal (broader pattern, full-size half-wave towers with 50kw) than either WMCA or WINS, and a good sound too, but I guess Storer didnt feel like competing when they bought the station and turned it back to WHN in 61. And if neither WAPE Jacksonville, FL NOR WQXI was the WABC of the South, so many of the larger Southern cities were contenders for that title: including New Orleans (WNOE as well as WTIX), Atlanta again (WPLO, WAKE (with its 1,000-watts daytime/250-watts nighttimeand prior to the early 60s, 250 watts full timesignal! For both stations I got our friend, Sam Lit (Hys son and a jock on WIFI), to produce great-sounding jingles and name shouts for us. and other stations that came and went long after the latter two did away with Top 40,) Dallas (the Fort Worth station whose call letters escape me as well as the aforementioned KLIF and KBOX), Memphis (WHBQ and WMPS), Charlotte (WAYS, most notably), Norfolk (WGH and WNOR, especially the former), and so on. was the last song heard both on your show and on WINS in general. The Drake and Drew format there tore my ears off! All of the other numbers on the radio dial may as well have not been there at all. is the greater Cleveland areas affiliate for. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 5. CA. Seattle and Portland had great radio in the Top-40 days. Charlie Tuna! Not long after you came on board in early 1972, WLS reduced its published chart to a Big 8 + 9 playlist. My old insurance renewed at double my previous rate, so it was time to switch. Unless you mean BOTH Z-100 AND Pirate Radio, the latter was a station in Los Angeles; in fact, he left Z-100 to helm the Pirate Radio format (I forgot what station had that branding). Somehow it seemed appropriate. On the other had he sold the station for a then record price. And this is only a partial listing. Oldies These are all good stations, who deserve their place in history, and our hearts. He had 60 shares with a 500- watt daytimer. Oldies Lets see here, who did WAYS Charlotte create that we remember? will serve you up rock from morning to nightenjoy! 92.3 The Fan. That rarely exists anymore. Dallas was a separate media market back then and rightly so, as the enmity between the two cities was at its peak when Gordon McLendon was working his magic at KLIF. Boogie.