Musicradio WABC Memories and Stories III

Norman Korb wrote:

I am 42 years old and remember those great days of WABC, especially during the late 60's. Besides looking forward to sending away for the 'Top 100 Hits', I used to listen for the 'Pick Hit of the Week' that was featured, I think on Tuesday. I am really enjoying this site and it brings back a lot of memories. Unless I missed it, I haven't come across any mention of the Pick Hits. Keep up the great work!

Norman Korb

William Padron wrote:

This is an additional fact about former WABC air-personality Steve O'Brien:

During 1980-1981, he was the audience warm-up and voice-over announcer of the ABC-TV daytime game show "The $20,000 Pyramid" and its subsequent syndicated version "The $50,000 Pyramid" (both of them hosted by Dick Clark). This Emmy-award winning game show once video-taped at ABC Studio TV-15 ("The Elysee Theatre"), 202 West 58th Street in Manhattan, between 1974 and 1981. I should know...I was once an audience regular to that show, and visited it 47 times during a six-year period.

WILLIAM A. PADRON

"mfielo" wrote about WABC staff announcers Ed Jordan,Fred Foy and Fred Robbins:

Ed Jordan was staff during the 50s and 60s and maybe beyond. He did jazz on the FM side. I programmed it for a time. The show was called The World of the Modern Sound. Fred Foy was staff but more importantly he was the narrator and introduction on the Lone Ranger. Robbins did a show on the AM side called Robbins Nest and I think that may have been the 50s into the 60s but I'm not sure of the dates.

Henry D. Moher wrote:

Allan,

Your web page is excellent! Boy,does it bring back memories. It was like taking a trip back in time listening to the airchecks and Dan Ingram. Excellent work!

Thanks for the memories,
Henry

Daniel T. Staats (a/k/a Tom Daniels) wrote:

Hi Allan

What a pleasant surprise finding a web page dedicated to what is by far the BEST radio station in pop radio history. You have created a true and lasting tribute to a legend of my youth, and I'm pleased that it is out here. Thank you.

By the way, I too have written to and received replies from Big Dan, though I didn't think ahead about their value in later years so they're gone now.

Also, I have a clear -- off the actual LP record -- copy, in MONO, of Dan Ingram's closing theme music! The actual unedited track runs just over 6 minutes, but Dan-O took the best 47 seconds middle and end and spliced them together for his signature.

Talk to you soon, I hope!

Daniel T. Staats (a/k/a Tom Daniels)

Andrea Zardetto-Smith wrote:

I accidentally ran across your web page while looking for the page for a local station here in Omaha. I grew up in New Jersey in the sixties and seventies. My parents finally got me a transister radio in 1966 for my birthday and I used to put it under my pillow to listen at night as I fell asleep. WABC was THE station I listened to for years. I remember the Batman contest Cousin Brucie drew the winner live for on WABC TV. I was convinced it would be me (it wasn't).

I thoroughly enjoyed browsing the sound clips especially hearing the commercials for Palisades Park, which I have many fond memories of. Thanks for a great page and for making my day!!!

Andrea Zardetto-Smith

Bob Perry wrote:

I thought I should "drop you a line" after spending the last couple of hours browsing through your site of Musicradio WABC. Great stuff and so what if I was suppose to be someplace hours ago.

As a former WABC listener (1966 to the end 5/82), I can sing the jingles and remember most every contest like it was yesterday. I still have a couple of Music WABC 25,000 buttons put away. I have always been a huge Ingram fan and wanted to be on the air at WABC/New York. I was on the radio for over eight years at stations on the east coast and even did some AFTRA fill-ins in NYC, but WABC was doing talk long before I was ready to even send the tape and resume to the Big Apple. As a program director, I brought bits and pieces of my favorite radio sound to the stations I worked at...who didn't?

I had a strange flashback listening to Elton John's "The Bitch Is Back" the other day on the radio. Remember when WABC had the song in rotation but the jocks couldn't give the title? Lots of "WABC...Here's Elton John..." or "That's the new one from Elton John on WABC...". Never did they announce the title. Of course, Big Dan finally called a halt to the nonsense one afternoon back-announcing something along the lines of "enough already...the name of the song is "The Bitch Is Back" by Elton John. (pause) There I said it." (Dan Ingram shout) After that it was announced like any other record in hot rotation.

I wonder now though if Dan just really did get tired of the "no title" rule and broke it-(Ingram could do no wrong) or if jock complaining in the Tuesday music meeting got to the point where Rick Sklar let him. Seems quaint now, when the "seven deadlys" about the only words not used on the airwaves.

I have (somewhere) on reel, copies of a bunch of WABC goodies that were given to me by parties that will remain nameless, that include some internal "Xmas party-type" parodies by Ingram and other production room noodlings including the WABC "tymp" drum roll in the clear. If you are interested, I could lend you the reels.

Can I make a request? Have you ever come across any airchecks of WABC-FM in the 60s and early 70s? I didn't have an FM radio at the time (who did?) and never heard things like "The Other Dan Ingram Show" that ABC had on 95.5 WABC-FM after the FCC said you couldn't just simulcast the AM signal. I wonder if WABC sounded better on FM with the reverb? If you come across anything airchecks, please post them. Thanks.

Bob Perry

Ernie Hopseker wrote:

Thank you for the tribute page to Rick Slkar. I think it is appropriate that someone has finally publicly taken notice of his genius. He certainly should be in every hall of fame available to him, but to date has not been inducted to any. Who are the people who do these things? Where are the people who knew Rick who are involved in these things?

Having had the good fortune of working closely with Rick and Sydelle during the last three years of his life (and hers), I still can only marvel at his genius. His good nature and fine humour, are deeply missed by those who knew him.

Ernie Hopseker

Michael Sarzynski of WNBC (AM) wrote:

Great Job on this page. I just happened upon it. Keep it up!!

Regards,

Michael Sarzynski WNBC (1978-1982)

Archie Hunter wrote:

Thank you! I was a great fan of WABC in the early Sixties. I was a faithful listener to Cousin Brucie, Bob A Loo, and Scott Muni. I have been trying for years to get the Bob A Loo theme - and you have it! It was great hearing it again after all these years. I love the Eternals' Babalu's Wedding Day but the Lewis theme is even better.

Again thanks

Archie Hunter

(PS: I grew up on the shores of Lake Huron in Goderich, Ontario. My favourite stations were WABC, WLS, WCFL, and WBZ (with CKLW thrown in for good measure)

Mike Dowling wrote:

Wow!

Thank you for an amazing web site. You made me feel like I was twelve and in awe of Dan Ingram again.

I became a radio announcer and manager because I was inspired by Dan Ingram. I didn't have his talent, but just to do what he did was exciting!

Your web site is not only incredibly well done...it managed to reach me on an emotional level.

Wow.

Mike

Evan Torch wrote:

I found your website absolutely captivating.

As a teenager in small town Georgia WABC ran neck and neck with WLS for after dark listening. In my imagination, there were only C.Brucie,Chuck Leonard (who gets my vote for most underrated 77 personality ever, speaking as he did in a little more subdued,less excitable tones) and Charlie Greer.

I would add a couple of "sidebar"comments only to your encyclopedic understanding of what made WABC the highest point in the evolution of rock radio:1)Dead air was in those days the rule rather than the exception; WABC's "compressed speed" literally translated in to the sound one expected from Manhatten,and the reverb only polished that mystique.

2)WABC i.e.Rick Sklar had this uncanny nack for doing the original.Who else would have dreamed of programming a personality for only 90 minutes,as he did with Leonard,or even 45 minutes,which was Roby Y.'s slot in the late 60's?

By doing this kind of programming,Sklar knew he was leavening the image of WABC as the home of endless NYC glamour,so rich in talent even a Chuck Leonard was available for an off "primetime"segment.

Evan

Ed Johnson, who worked at WABC, wrote:

I was a summer relief engineer for WABC/WPLJ for a large portion of 1973. I ran the board for Dan, Bruce, and almost all the rest of the gang as I ended up working most shifts.

I created some of the "toys" as Ron Lundy called them. These were trick songs with changes made to the lyrics. I did the Kodachrome version for Harry Harrison that took the word "crap" out of the lyrics. The most fun was when I created "My Glove" in response to a challenge from Dan which was a very suggestive parody on My Love, by Wings. I have originals of many of these toys and copies of many of the bloopers that were collected.

I worked the board for Bruce the night Wolfman Jack delivered a 6 foot tombstone of Bruce to "Broadcast House" on the sixth floor. I never got to see the tombstone because security would not let them bring it up to the studio floor. But I was six feet from Bruce when the security guard phoned him to tell him it was sitting in the lobby. Bruce's look was one of total dis-belief!

I can also tell of the time that one of Bob Ryan's female friends (Bobby was Bruce's and Dan's regular engineer) walked into the studio wearing a very low cut dress, leaned right over my shoulder and bent down to give Bruce the best view possible, and said "Is this where I can find a REAL MAN?". Bruce's eyes bulging, yet never missing a beat says "honey, your search is over". She then takes her top off and I thought he was going to have a heart attack.. There were some really funny moments.

My fondest memories in broadcasting were growing up listening to Musicradio and then having the privilege to run the board for some of Top 40's best talent at that very station.

Thanks for keeping a great memory alive!

Best Regards,
Ed Johnson

John Simon wrote:

Hi Allan

This is my fourth out of 5 nights spent lost in your web site. What an amazing and terrific discovery! I'm fairly new to the internet, so I'm still learning my way around, but this is a treasure trove.

I have a bunch of the "All American Survey" sheets (later the "Music Power Survey") that I picked up on my weekly trips to NYC record stores as a boy. I've got a practically complete set running from July 1, 1967 (red & yellow, with Dan Ingram in the spotlight) through Dec. 22, 1969 (purple and orange-ish, with Ron Lundy's smiling face).

As an aside, I've always really liked Ron Lundy, and have been having a hard time finding any of his old airchecks. Is it just me, or is he more scarce than Dandy Dan and the rest of the gang? I'd love to here his voice from back then again (I always try to dial him and Dan in when I'm in WCBS-FM range, but those trips are few and far between these days).

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that your hard work is much appreciated out here - it's a great service to humankind, and I'll be a regular for a long time to come.

Thanks again!

John Simon

Gary James, VP/GM of WHYN AM/FM wrote:

Hi,

As a kid from Massachusetts growing up, I often spent a few weeks in the summer on the New Jersey shore with another teenage friend. My best memory of WABC was hearing the WABC "chime" coming out of, what seemed like, every radio on the beach. WABC must have had a 90 share of the audience on that beach!

In addition to listening to WABC, I spent a lot of time listening to WHYN in Springfield, Mass, which I now manage and have many of our WABC sound-a-like jingles on cassette to enjoy whenever I want to relive the old days.

Gary James
VP/GM WHYN AM/FM

Matt DeVoti of WAXQ (Q 104.3) New York wrote:

First and foremost I'm impressed beyond belief with the efforts you've put into this site. To explain WABC to an outsider or someone too young to remember is virtually impossible.

I guess to say WABC was a personal influence at this point would be stating the obvious. But I'm glad to hear you know about me and my other life at Q104.3, which I'm proud to say, must be the only NY radio station thats entire airstaff grew up in NY/NJ......it's true.

Matt DeVoti

Tim Hanlon from Chicago, IL wrote:

Allan

Just stumbled across your site for the first time today, and I have to say it's a very fitting tribute to one of America's most legendary stations! I grew up in Northern New Jersey (now live in Chicago), and spent many of my formative years glued to my radio in the 1970s listening to the 50,000-watt music monster beaming from Lodi, NJ! Your site (particularly the sound
clips) bring back a lot of great memories!

One suggestion: although the clip of soundchecks of George ("Sports Machine") Michael are great, there is one definitive sound of his that the site could definitely use. I'm referring to his Friday evening ritual at 5pm, when he would "officially" introduce the weekend with the signature sound of Redbone's 1974 hit "Come and Get Your Love." I'll dig in my archives to see if I have a sound sample, but I'm not hopeful I've got it. Any chance of adding this nugget to the site?

Anyway, best of luck on the continued development of the site. I'll be sure to pass on the URL to my other NY-raised friends, as I'm sure they, too, will love to reminisce with the old WABC sound.

Tim Hanlon

Marty Johnson wrote:

Just got finished exploring your site. I didn't realize the depth of your WABC archives until I spent a few minutes digging for my humble Harry Harrison contribution. Your site is a national treasure. You need to ask for Federal funding!

I heartily applaud your effort to preserve the heritage of great radio. Keep up the good work and keep in touch. Wish I had more to contribute.

Marty Johnson

John Murray wrote:

Hi Allan,

Like so many others I grew up listening to WABC and have many fond memories of the music, dee-jays and of the time. But one particular memory was not a happy one and that was the day Martin Luther King was shot. I was 14 at the time and was semi- conscience of what was happening at the time but I knew who and what King was all about. It was a tough time to grow up.

A lot of my friends had brothers over in Nam and then you had some of the older guys in the neighborhood who were saying the war was not right - it was pretty hard to sort it all out. Anyway I knew when King was shot it was not a good thing and I remember listening to WABC that night and of course it was not the usual WABC. Chuck Leonard was the dee-jay and I remember he played one particular song "A Kind of Hush all over the World". To this day whenever I hear that song it brings me right back into my room where I was at the time.

Well, anyway, it was the greatest music station in the world and we'll never hear anything like it again but thanks to you and this great site we can get a little taste of what rock and roll radio was all about. Thanks,

John

Keith Monahan wrote:

Hi Allan,

Just wanted to say thanks for the memories..I grew up for awhile in North Jersey listening to the likes of those guys between 1966 and I guess the early seventies. Bruce Morrow was one of my inspirations as well as the Wolfman, and of course, "The Ingram Mess" to get into radio myself.

I saw your web page on my lunch break here and I just had to check it out. Unfortunately I don't have a sound card on my machine here at work. But I would love to listen to those airchecks again. I'll be back again, Allan.

Keith Monahan

Peter Goldberg wrote:

Hello

I LOVED listening to WABC as I grew up! I am 28 and started listening in 1979. Dan Ingram is the GREATEST DJ and I still listen to him on WCBS-FM! I spoke to him once in 1981 and he was great! Every time I listen to him he brings a smile to my face.

The Greatest bit I ever heard him do was for the introduction of the song Kiss and Say Goodbye by the Manhattans. I am sure you have heard it. He did it once on the 20th show and then again on CBS FM in 1995 (I am sure he has done it more, but those are the two times I heard it) The frist time I was laughing so hard I stared to cry!

Peter

Allan notes: What Peter is referring to is a Dan Ingram bit where he talks back to the deep voice at the beginning of this song. The record begins with the voice saying "This has got to be the hardest thing..." and Dan then responds as only he can. Dan then goes on to answer each "sappy" comment made during the intro. If I can find a aircheck of it, I'll post it.

Henry Cotterill, Jr. wrote:

Dear Allan,

First I would like to say "THANK YOU" so much for creating a shrine of radio broadcast history. It was and still is my favorite station. Not a day goes by when I don't think about it.

I have been in the radio business for about 12 years. Between 1992-1996 I was the program director and chief engineer of 97.3 WZAD Wurtsboro - Middletown NY, which was an oldies station modeled after Musicradio WABC. We had "plate reverb" , "Jam Positron Jingles", ABC Contemporary News at :55 and an oldies format that spanned 1955-1982. In the Newburgh-Middletown NY arbitron market we killed all of the competition; but due to deregulation our deep pocketed competitior WCZX Hyde Park-Poughkeepsie NY bought us out
in March 1996. It just goes to show "if you can't beat em buy em".

I have met many legends in my radio career including Dan Ingram "the greatest" , Chuck Leonard , Harry Harrison , Max Kinkel (he once did our liners at zad) , Wolfman Jack and got the chance to work with several regional veterans in the Hudson Valley.

Henry Cotterill,Jr.

Dana Creasy wrote:

Or is that Music Pow... Pow... PowER!!!???

Hey! Great site! Having spent my formative years in Philly listening to WFIL, with several jocks who moved onto WABC, then spending my HS & college years in upstate PA, where, thanks to skip, I listened to WABC every day...it was a great remembrance!

I work in television now, after a number of years in radio, and the funniest part was working at Request Television (pay-per-view) where our voice overs were done by Johnny Donovan!

Anyway, The Day The Music Died was a sad day for all of us at Bloomsburg State College (now Bloomsburg University) in PA. A bunch of us got all our cars together in the parking lot, pulled the speakers out of them and put them on the roof, then proceeded to run our batteries down listening to the final Ron Lundy-Dan Ingram Special Program (Brought to us by LaSalle Ice Cream... we value good taste!). You must remember the time of year... it was finals week, and I believe my (I was the leader of the gang, so to speak) stunt caused about 50 people to miss at least one final, me included.

I have the air check of the show, scoped down without the music or commercials, but complete from start to end. I listen to it a couple of times a year, just to reminisce and feel good.

Those were the days!

Dana Creasy

Alec J Wasserman wrote:

What a great tribute to WABC.

My story might be a bit different than most. I was here in Phoenix, AZ on that fateful day in 1982. But there was a ray of hope since Howard Hoffman was here at KSLX radio. He played the last moments of WABC live to us here in PHX!

Thanks for the memories.

P.S. I have contacted Joe MCCoy lots of times to no availe hoping, begging to get WCBS-FM on real audio so us unfortnuate folks in AZ can listen to the great stars!!

Graham Newton wrote:

Just looked at your very excellent page and sampled a few of the jingles.

I worked for Toronto's CHUM in the 60's and we used most of the PAMS packages tailored for CHUM. In the mid 60's I visited New York and got the $0.50 tour through the then new WABC studios by none other than Rick Sklar... somewhere around here I have some color slides of that tour and a beaming Rick!

I still have most of the packages, including most of the PAMS demo packages of the WABC jingles on broadcast quality open reel tape. I also have a lot of WABC promo and jingles recorded off the ABC network line. When I was at CFCF in Montreal in the very early 60's. (ABC used to use WABC airfeed as a network "keep-alive" after the network "signed-off"
around 11:00 pm)

These line checks of WABC audio include the "WABC Shotgun" with a "Yaaaaa" voice of Bob Lewis over the end.. funny, but the one you posted also contains that voice. As a matter of fact, I'd say it came from my aircheck.

Graham Newton

Walt Berchin wrote:

Allan,

I happened to "stumble" across your Musicradio WABC webpage while surfing the web today. Having grown up in the North Central New Jersey during the sixties and seventies, and being raised on listening to WABC all day long through those hot , humid summers in the northeast I'm sure you can relate to the feeling which overcame me while reading the page. It took me back to a time which when life seemed just a bit easier and people seemed to appreciate the simple things just a little bit more.

I have since grown up and now reside in Arizona with my wife and two children. I haven't heard anything on radio remotely close to those days at WABC, I doubt that I ever will. I think your page is wonderful and I will visit it quite often from now on. Thanks a million for taking me back to a "special" time...if only for a while. Keep up the fine work.

Sincerely,

Walt Berchin

Dear Allan,

Somewhere, someone has an aircheck of Dan Ingram made the day in 1965 when New York suffered the great power blackout. Dan was on the air at the time and as usual he was hilarious. I didn't hear the episode as it happened, but some years later heard it re-played I beleive on the CBS radio network, though I'm not sure. So I do know the tape at one time did exist. It would be a great piece of memorabilia to put up on the site if you could locate it.

I enjoy this site enormously. I was a great fan of WABC, and in fact made a trip from my home in Chattanooga just to see their studios back in 1965.

Thanks for bringing back 77 WABC.

Doug Hullander

Allan notes: Yes, we have Dan on the November, 1965 blackout in the Famous Musicradio WABC Stories section.

Chris Ingram, Dan Ingram's son, wrote:

What a great page! As one of the "Ingram brood," I'm also a big fan. You may know some of this (I've found that growing up in his home did not necessarily make me an authority on his career), but I thought I'd drop a line and try to add some info...

For what it's worth, Dad's early alias was spelled "Rae Tayler." It was a name he put to use years later, as an alias in the Oyster Bay, Long Island phone book. Now that's what I'd call trivia...

As for the my Dad's hiring, I'll take the liberty of providing some details,just in case you need them:

Dad had just come back from St. Louis and was working for a production company he co-owned called Mars Broadcasting. I think it was in CT. Anyway, he somehow got in touch with WABC's program director and vowed that he could do a better job than the PM drive guy. The response was sort of dismissive, and Dad promised to have a tape on the p-d's desk by 8 AM the next day. He was told that wasn't necessary, but said something like "I promised
it, and I'll do it."

He spent the entire night cutting his voice in and the current d-j's out, and got to WABC by 6 AM. He grabbed some shut-eye on the only couch he could find, in the women's restroom, and was awakened by a screaming cleaning lady! He dropped the tape off, right on time, and started at WABC on july 3, 1961.

Here's his story about how Harry Harrison got his WABC gig. Seems Rick Sklar was on the warpath about getting time and temp checks, especially in AM drive. During a staff meeting, he happened to turn on the radio, which was tuned to WMCA. There was Harry, checking the time and temp like, well, clockwork. The story has it Sklar called 'MCA that morning to offer him the job.

Anyway, I love the homepage. If I can be of help, feel free to contact me. I've got lots of tapes, but most has been in general circulation for some time.

Best wishes,

Chris Ingram

Terry J. Andrews wrote:

Allan,

First Class Jingle Page I have just had a very enjoyable weekend working though all of the Jingles. I have been waiting for some time for this page to come on line.

Did you know that WABC was receivable over here in the UK during the winter darkness hours during the 60's? It still is today but not as well since there is more interference. We can probably hear them 1to 2 times a month .

Best Regards,

Terry J. Andrews

Tom Dolan wrote:

Allan,

I've visited your site many times since I found it accidentally in January. Everytime that I read something from your site I am brought back in time to my childhood. I was born and raised in Queens NY, so that you know that WABC was a large part of my life. I now live in the Tampa Bay Area and miss listening to all those radio greats from WABC on WCBS FM.

Several months ago I faxed some of the information from your site to Bob O'Brien who works 10 to 3 at Oldies U92. (WYUU) He is also a transplant from the NY area and worked at 'CBS for a few years. He may be able to help you with additional information. It was a dead give away that B.O.B. was from the area as he would play the Palasades Park Commercial as an intro to the actual song. I had to call him after hearing him "sing" that it was SEVENTY SEVEN DEGREES!

Keep up your venture!

Tom Dolan

Mark Wozniak, from WBFO in Buffalo N.Y. wrote:

Hello,

I really enjoy browsing through your WABC web site. I grew up in Buffalo NY with WKBW, and heard WABC occassionally after dark, but in 1971 I went to college in Hoboken NJ, where I got to know WABC very well.

I came across the jingle page today, and it's great! One request however...you have the Action Central News *Intro* as part of PAMS Series 16. Do you happen to have the Action Central News *Jingle* available? It appears in many airchecks, including WABC "fading out" during the 1965 blackout, Rick Sklar reading news during the WABC strike, etc., but I can't
seem to find it by itself.

It would be great if you could post it if you have it!

Thanks. Keep up the great work on the site!

Mark Wozniak, WBFO

Bob Paine wrote:

I listened to MusicRadio WABC when I was in high school. The station signed off late Sunday evening/early Monday morning for transmitter maintenance but I kept it on just to see what they did.

One morning around 2 or 3 the carrier was still on and I heard someone open the mic at the transmitter and say, "From deep within the echo chamber of the Blue Network Company....heh heh heh heh heh heh....", like a ghost's laugh.

I could never understand why I never heard anything like that again..<g>

Bob Paine

Franke Jolle, formerly of WKBW, KBOX and others, wrote:

Allan :

Thanks! I read with pleasure your comments about WABC. As a young disc jockey in Nashville -WMAK (1963-64) and KBOX -Dallas(1965-69), it was my goal in life to follow Dan Ingram to WABC, which of course I never did. I followed the station from its inception, as an old Alan freed fanatic, to its ultimate change to talk radio. I had visions and dreams of being at WABC and every chance I got I listened to airchecks of what WABC sounded like. I was the WABC sound of Dallas.

I did get to WKBW, one of the other ABC sounding stations in upstate, New York, with the thought of somehow getting from KBW to WABC. In 1982 I was the national program consultant at Radio Arts in Burbank and Sam Holman worked with me. He told me he'd gone from WLS in Chicago to create the staff that changed WABC from Traditional MOR to Top 40. He also said that when he got there, all the shows came from different studios throughout the building. They selected one studio and then the combined the air staffs eliminating some pretty powerful announcer types. Top 40 took hold immediately and the original staff was a real hit with New York audiences.

You've captured the substance of the time and I'm reminded of many of the things I'd forgotten about the business such as the work that went into making the station's sound fun. WABC was the station to emulate if you had real competition,..their promotions were always on the front page of Billboard for all the business to imitate!

Keep the history coming!

Frank Jolley

Kevin Horn wrote:

It is soooo passed my bedtime, and my wife is probably going to kill me,but I've been mesmerized for the past hour and a half by your page.

I grew up with 77WABC playing on my orange panasonic "transistor-ball" radio (remember those? many uncomfortable nights with it under my pillow!), and it (along with 66WNBC) inspired me to pursue a career in radio. I was just downsized after 3 years from my job as an air personality at a Jersey Shore FM station, but the radio bug's still biting, and I'll probably resurface somewhere else in the near future.

Once again, thank you so much for the look back.

Kevin Horn

Peter Bush, former WABC DJ and current WEBE (Westport, CT) PM Drive DJ wrote:

Allan!!

What a wonderful site.

It really captures the "feel" of WABC.

Like you ..growing up in Ct in the 60's and 70's, each and every day of my life I shared with WABC..wether it was listening at home or riding my bike..that was the soundtrack of my youth. What a thoughtful tribute to the greatest of stations.

The Ingram 15th observation, was a great clip. I was in the studio the day the music died. It was surreal. I could'nt believe it was all coming to an end. I really don't know why I ever ended up working there, but it was so special to be even a small part of the station's legacy.

I currently host the "Afternoon Show at WEBE 108. I have spent the better half of the last ten years there. I still very much enjoy what I do, but if I were given even just a moment to go back in time to do another show from studio 8A I'd give it all up just to re-live it....

I'm looking foward to hearing from you..again thanks for the remarkable web salute to MUSICRADIO 77 WABC

Peter Bush

Peter Q. George wrote:

Hi Allan:

My deepest congratulations for bringing WABC/Musicradio 77 back to life, if only on this splendid web-page. Like many young listeners up and down the East coast and beyond, I too loved the sound of 77/WABC. My first chance to hear this great station was in 1965 when my brother was flipping the dial to get some music. It was early morning and sure enough, the sound of WABC came in local in this Boston suburb of Randolph, Massachusetts. It was the first time I ever heard "Nineteeth Nervous Breakdown" from the Stones. That WABC "Chime" was bigger than life !!! It was the first time I ever heard anything beyond our locals like WBZ/1030, WMEX/1510 and WPRO/630. To hear New York City's WABC was truly amazing to this little five year old kid. Since then, I grew up (obviously) and became this 37 year old broadcast engineer.

My most memorable recollection about WABC was the night of the 1977 Power Failure when a single bolt of lightning hit one of the major feeders of electricity to New York, plunging the Big Apple into darkness and chaos. WABC immediately ceased ALL music programming and broadcast continuous news and information of importance to all New Yorkers. I was living in Great Barrington, Massachusetts at the time and totally by accident I tuned-in to 77/WABC at the exact time the power failure was beginning. I was glued to WABC throughout the night and through most of the day. What I heard was some of the best reporting ever, the DJ's threw their "Musicradio" hats away and did some of the most professional news and informational programming ever available, bar none. That was public service at its' best !

I truly miss the sound of "Musicradio 77/WABC". But your website brought tears of joy to this radio "geek". God bless you.

Peter Q. George, N1GGP
Broadcast Engineer
Whitman, Massachusetts USA

George Csahanin, Director of Engineering for KXAS-TV/KXTX-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX wrote:

What a find!

Your WABC web site brings back such delightful memories for me.

As you hinted to somewhere in here, my life was most certainly influenced by Dan Ingram. His singular hold over afternoon radio, as I was growing up in Central NJ led me to A) skip classes at NCE(now NJIT) and hang out at the radio station, and B) get a job in radio, which led to TV, etc, etc.

I credit at an earlier age, seeding the interest by Jean Shepherd.

I have listened to a number of the aircheck samples, and just sit back an smile as I remember when. I think a defining moment was hearing Dan Ingram talk up the Rolling Stones "Brown Sugar" which made me believe that this is a fun way to make a living.

I often remember those days, and especially the fact that WABC was there and in the background, chime and all!

George Csahanin
Director of Engineering
KXAS-TV/KXTX-TV
Dallas/Fort Worth

William Rumbold wrote:

Allan:

Thanks for you wonderful tribute to WABC. Even if an individual never had the opportunity to hear Musicradio 77 WABC (poor soul), your web site would give them the next best chance to expereince this New York institution.

I think the jingles section is a tribute to what the Web can be, an opportunity to learn and participate in a common interest. I have collected jingles for years, and yet, learned more about PAMS in 15 minutes with your site than I Knew in the last 15 years!

Thanks again for all your effort.

Bill

If YOU have something to contribute to this page send it to:

Musicradio WABC Memories and Stories Section

WABC Musicradio 77 Home Page